Suvudu Universe

 

Long title, simple premise: Sister vs brother conflict in an even longer time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

My review is up at Knights' Archive, but the short version is that this book did a lot of the things I wanted it to do with its original female protagonist.

Protagonist Lanoree Brock is brusque and analytical, and at times in the novel I was worried that the author was pushing the idea that women who take charge are inherently shrewish and cruel, but that wasn’t the case by the end. Lanoree feels a whole host of things, including loyalty, temptation, pain, and regret. In addition, her mentorship with the slightly sinister Master Dam-Powl made for some pleasant scenes of female friendship. The platonic relationship between Lanoree and Tre Sona develops nicely from disgust and pity to camaraderie. In the end, Lanoree is powerful and ruthless in an intensely personal way. I think she will please a wide variety of fans.