Saturday 2 March 2013

Review: Fair Game


Fair Game
Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Darker than I usually go for, but Briggs writes so well that I don't really mind. Also, she doesn't linger lovingly on torture and abuse; she alludes to it, always with the clear implication that of course this stuff is sick and wrong and whoever is doing it must be stopped. If you have a history of abuse and are easily triggered, though, you'll want to avoid this, I would imagine.

There's plenty to learn from here. The female protagonist remains a protagonist (someone who struggles towards a goal). When she gets into trouble, it's not because she's done something headstrong and stupid, and she has full, and somewhat justified, confidence that she can rescue herself. Other urban fantasy authors (also steampunk authors), please take note.

I spotted the villain fairly early on, and didn't completely buy that the FBI wouldn't have worked out what the hero worked out, but that's all right. It's well-written, free from editing issues (unlike most books I read these days), the pacing is good, the characters are proactive and the setting is well thought through. The political development right at the end is going to make future books in the series veeery interesting.

Well done, Patricia Briggs.



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