Flora's Fury, by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Jul 25
2012
I have been waiting for Flora's Fury, the third book in Ysabeau S. Wilce's Flora Segunda series, for what feels like forever. Happily, the book has finally been released, and I am delighted to report that it is totally worth the (damn near interminable) wait.
The full title of the book is actually Flora's Fury: How a Girl of Spirit and a Red Dog Confound Their Friends, Astound Their Enemies, and Learn the Importance of Packing Light. Now sixteen, Flora has spent the past several months as a military cadet, dividing her time between mind-numbing clerical work and running equally boring errands for her adoptive mother, the Commanding General of the Califan army. Still, Flora hasn't forgotten that her birth mother, the notorious Tiny Doom, is missing, and she's determined to find her—even if it takes a forbidden act of magic and an impossibly dangerous quest to do so.
Flora's Fury is an absolutely delightful addition to this series. The action is fast-paced, there's an awesome romantic storyline, the plot threads develop organically, and the language and world-building display all the dazzling creativity that the earlier books were praised for. The final chapters introduce some tantalizing new information, and the door is left open for future installments...
...which may never be written, so I can only recommend this book with SERIOUS reservations—which, considering how much I loved reading it, feels crazy. But while Flora's Fury works beautifully as a series installment, it's waaaay less satisfying as a series conclusion. Huge, vital plot threads (like, plot ropes) are left unresolved. I have no idea what is happening with these books, but the portents are grim: the publisher has filed for bankruptcy, Flora's Fury is difficult to find in stores, and the author's comments on the matter are murky, but don't sound promising. I'm really hoping Wilce has one last full-length Flora novel left in her, because I'd hate for my final reaction to this otherwise magical series to be irritable disappointment.
The full title of the book is actually Flora's Fury: How a Girl of Spirit and a Red Dog Confound Their Friends, Astound Their Enemies, and Learn the Importance of Packing Light. Now sixteen, Flora has spent the past several months as a military cadet, dividing her time between mind-numbing clerical work and running equally boring errands for her adoptive mother, the Commanding General of the Califan army. Still, Flora hasn't forgotten that her birth mother, the notorious Tiny Doom, is missing, and she's determined to find her—even if it takes a forbidden act of magic and an impossibly dangerous quest to do so.
Flora's Fury is an absolutely delightful addition to this series. The action is fast-paced, there's an awesome romantic storyline, the plot threads develop organically, and the language and world-building display all the dazzling creativity that the earlier books were praised for. The final chapters introduce some tantalizing new information, and the door is left open for future installments...
...which may never be written, so I can only recommend this book with SERIOUS reservations—which, considering how much I loved reading it, feels crazy. But while Flora's Fury works beautifully as a series installment, it's waaaay less satisfying as a series conclusion. Huge, vital plot threads (like, plot ropes) are left unresolved. I have no idea what is happening with these books, but the portents are grim: the publisher has filed for bankruptcy, Flora's Fury is difficult to find in stores, and the author's comments on the matter are murky, but don't sound promising. I'm really hoping Wilce has one last full-length Flora novel left in her, because I'd hate for my final reaction to this otherwise magical series to be irritable disappointment.
Posted by: Julianka
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