Book review: The Witch Roads

By Kate "Cold Magic" Elliot, though I read that before I started routinely reviewing stuff. Perhaps I'll now read volume three. Aanyway, as to this: I enjoyed it, though it feels somewhat Young Adult-y, although then again perhaps that is why I enjoyed it. And I look forward to volume two.

There are decent characters, decent world-building, and a decet plot. Is that all a bit too decent, perhaps?

The takeover of the Prince by the Haunt - only a minor spoiler - is a good excuse for insinuating <low-status, female, main character> into the plot. And the setup of the Empire is nice, complete with Interlocutor to speak for officials whose status is too high to allow them to speak to peons; shades of White Queen. The shame is that Our Author allows herself to break these rules, so that the <spunky low-status characters> can speak up. It would have been a better, more interesting, book if this wasn't allowed. Or if she would let her characters get cuffed to the ground for their temerity.

Kem being Kema being female is a bit weird. At least in volume one it is apparently pointless, and appears out of character for the society. Although it isn't obvious that the society is quite consistent: females occupy high-status positions, yet the soldiery is rather "rapey", as one Goodreads review put it.

Trivia: the climatic crossing-of-the-gap-by-rope-bridge is a bit strange, as the bunch of wimps that they are require four ropes, two for feet and two handrails, to get across, even in an emergency. This is pretty feeble; one-hand-one-foot would not be out of order; and really, with some kind of support loop just one rope would be enough, so I say they're a bit wet. Trivia two: the theurgist avoids climbing out of the hole-behind-the-waterfall by using up one of her bound air spirits. This is obviously stupid: they are limited and valuable, why waste one merely in order to give the other characters something to talk about?