The Southernmost Star by L.M. Riviere
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was lucky enough to be an early reader of The Southernmost Star.
Note: I’m trying to avoid spoilers for the series, so this review may come out more oblique and complicated than it needs to be.
The Southernmost Star is the second book in the Innisfail series, and picks up the action from The Sons of Mil (also an excellent read).
Riviere builds on the characters she brought so fully to life in The Sons of Mil. We are reunited with Una, Ben and Rian, and get to know so many more personalities. Through their adventures and unique voices, the author reveals new layers that show each of them to be conflicted and flawed. Love them or hate them — and you WILL have strong feelings for these characters — Riviere renders each character with such humour and realism that they thrum with life on the pages she’s written, even the supernatural beings.
The settings and fight scenes are also vividly, exquisitely described, from streams to castles, clearings to brothels, without weighing down the story. You can see, smell and taste the world she has built so skilfully. From the intrigue that brewed during The Sons of Mil rises more political power plays, more unexpected entanglements and fierce battles, more seduction and betrayal, and so much more heart.
Can you tell how much I loved it? As I now wait for the final installment in the series, I still don’t know who I’m rooting for.
I’ve written many, many cranky reviews, but this one isn’t very cranky, is it? Deal with it — I loved this book. The only thing I’m cranky about is having to wait for the next one to be written!
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