Book Review: The Ambassador’s Mission by Trudi Canavan

The main genre that I enjoy reading is crime fiction but in 2011 I began reading fantasy. I started with Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician Trilogy. I couldn’t put them down and felt quite sad when I had finished.

The Ambassador’s Mission continues the story of Black Magician Sonea who lives in Kyralia and introduces us to Lorkin her son. Lorkin becomes Ambassador Dannyl’s assistant in Sachaka, but is he safe there? His parents killed a number of magicians from Sachaka when Kyralia was invaded.

Meanwhile Sonea has been working in Kyralia in the hospices, looking after those who need medical care. She is still part of the Guild but Kyralia magicians don’t trust her because she has black magic. This means she is not allowed to roam free. She must stay within the Guild boundaries and only travel to the hospice.

Outside of the Guild in the city, Cery, Sonea’s friend from the old days, is trying to find who is murdering the thieves. Half of them are dead. There seems to be a Rogue magician hunting them down. Soon his search becomes very personal.

Trudi Canavan’s world of magic continues to be just as fascinating in this trilogy as it was on the last. I couldn’t put, ‘The Ambassador’s Mission’ down and am now reading the Rogue. If you haven’t tried this author yet, you have a treat in store. The only bad thing is that the third book in the trilogy doesn’t seem to have been written yet!
If you’ve read a good book lately why not post it here in the comments.

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Book Review: Emily goes to Exeter by M.C.Beaton

I am a huge fan of M.C.Beaton’s work, especially the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series, which are essentially whodunits. They are quick reads with a touch of humour and characters that are likeable but with their own flaws.

Emily goes to Exeter is the first of the Travelling Matchmaker Series, but these are not typical romance genre. As you read you are taken into a time of stage coaches and servants. Hannah Pym, a former housekeeper has inherited £5000, which allows her to become a lady of independent means. She has a love for travelling by stage coach and during her travels she can’t help meddling a little in the love lives of others; always with good intention. Her work starts as she meets Emily a fellow passenger, who is running away from an arranged marriage to Lord Harley. He joins the coach party and is determined not to marry the spoilt but beautiful Emily.

Sir George Clarence, brother of Hannah’s former employer, pops up in all the books and is the back story that gives Miss Pym’s life some depth. He treats her like a lady, not a servant and she is a little in awe of him. As with all M.C. Beaton’s books the lead woman has a strong character.

So if you want an enjoyable quick read and to find out little snippets of history, then this series is worth a look.

The Travelling Matchmaker series was first published in the US in 1990 so they are not new, but new to us. It’s now published in the UK by Robinson, 2011 and available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/