Review: Geist by Philippa Ballantine
November 9, 2010 
19 Comments
Geist
by Philippa Ballantine
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Ace
Available: September 29th 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Reviewed by: Catherine
Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…
Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.
But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.
And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?
Wow, this book turned out to be quite the dark horse for me! It had a pretty rough start. It took me days to get past the first three chapters. I just kept setting it down for something more interesting…like cleaning. I know, right? Buuuut somewhere before page one hundred things seemed to click for me. Even though I wasn’t rooting for every character whose pov I read (yet), I finally understood their motivations and cared about their storyline.
The first chapter was incredibly awkward. If you read the first chapter while browsing in a bookstore and set it back down because it didn’t seem like it was well written, you might want to give it another chance. It was almost like the author had this great idea but didn’t know how to start it off. So the beginning felt forced and awkward. Don’t despair, it didn’t stay like that forever!
Fantasy is not my genre of choice. I like the ideas in it, but it usually comes off feeling more distant than most of the other genres I read. Maybe it’s a symptom of having so many pov’s? I know it’s not just because it’s not focused on romance. I felt the same way in C.L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul books and those were romance… Anyway, I have a problem connecting with them. I felt that same thing in the beginning, but somewhere along the line it went away. I may have had a hard time getting into the book, but I had no problem finishing it! I hit my stride around page one hundred and read the rest of the book in one gigantic gulp.
The book focused on three people. There was Sorcha, the Active Deacon, Merrick, the Sensitive Deacon, and Raed, the Pretender. Sorcha was the hardest of all of them to like. The two guys had more mellow personalities, and even though they had a strong sense of self they were more willing to bend than Sorcha was.
In the very beginning Sorcha came off as hard instead of strong. She reminded me of a warlord in a way. All rough edges and hard and in control with no real care for anyone else’s say in the discussion. She’s the boss and what she says goes. You either agree or get out of her way. She grew and softened the more she got to know the people she was stuck with and she became more likeable without losing any of her strength. I’d actually venture to say that she became stronger as her worldview expanded. It may have taken a while for me to truly like her, but she grew on me to the point that I wouldn’t have changed a thing about her.
We met Raed right off that bat, but his story didn’t actually intersect with Sorcha and Merrick’s for a while. It was interesting getting to see how difficult it is to be him. I wish we could have gotten a bit more history about his family and how they lost the throne, but I suppose we’ll learn more as the series continues. We did get enough information about Raed’s past and curse to keep me satisfied. I rather like the thought of getting to know him slowly.
Merrick was quite the surprise to me. I liked him in the beginning, but I expected that the author would just have him fade into the background and become the “sidekick.” He ended up being a very compelling character. I liked that something specific about his past was revealed at the end. It just helped bind them all even closer. I really liked his love interest and all the secret potential I sensed there, but ended up shocked by how some of those things turned out. I wish I had my hands on the next book!
The world was interesting but it wasn’t given to you in one big dump. We learned new things as the characters experienced something that brought it up. I liked that the author didn’t overload us all at once. The world was important to the story, but I felt that the author spent more time focusing on the characters and developing their relationships and connections. Some might be bothered by that, but I consider that a boon. There’s nothing worse than having an intricate world with flat characters. I’d rather have a slightly less detailed world with richer characters.
Just as a warning: Sorcha is married to someone other than the guy she falls for in this story. Some of you may be giving me the fish eye because of my previously stated hatred of cheaters. I still don’t like them! I really wish she hadn’t been married, but my rules for Romance are different from my rules for other genres. I didn’t expect a romance going into this one, so it was just a sweet bonus for me. It wasn’t a very in depth relationship, but I have hopes for it.
I would have given a higher grade for this one if only the beginning had been smoother. I think that I’m definitely going to have to reread this one before reading the next book. I’ll need to be fresh on all the reveals and machinations that happened in this book.
Favorite Quote: (Page 194)
“I’ve been running all my life, Sorcha–I shouldn’t trust anyone, and yet I have already given my life into your hands twice this week.” Sorcha’s lips twitched upward in a beautiful and cruel smile. “I’m just that sort of woman, my lord Pretender.”
Series list:
- Geist (Book of the Order #1)
GoodReads Reviews
Author’s Website
Purchase Links: Amazon || Book Depository
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Great review Catherine! I have to say the description was a bit for me to get through, but I do love it when a book surprises me. I like fantasy, but have found I have to have some romance in it.
Thanks for the good review. I saw this one at the bookstore a few days ago and like you said I picked it up to skim the first few pages and I wasn't that impressed so I put it back down. I might have to go out and give this one a shot now.
I am about 25 pages into this one… I was drawn by the cover and I am hoping the world building is as magic as it look..
Very Narnia feel to it..
E.H>
Hmm..I don't know if this once if for me…thanks for the warning though about the beginning!
I skimmed your review because I'm getting ready to read it myself. Im sure it was FAB though.
It does sound really good, but if you rather cleaned when reading those first chapters, yikes!
A Buckeye Girl Reads – Thanks! I've found that I prefer most of the books I read to have some romance in it. I just like to watch two people fall in love.
Alexa – It's very unfortunate that the author had such a rough beginning. I know a lot of impulse buyers will read a chapter or two in the store to get a sense of the style and to see if they really want to buy it. I think she'll lose more sales than win them that way.
Erotic Horizon – I actually just got my hands on the Narnia books again. I remember liking them as a child, but everything is pretty hazy. I wanted to have them on hand so I read them to my kids when they get a little older.
Mandi – I'm not usually a Fantasy reader–like I said, I have a hard time connecting to them–but it was available for review and I felt like a bit of a change. Hopefully you like it if you decide to read it.
Gigi's Consignment Closet – If you get the time, come back and let me know what you thought of it too!
Blodeuedd – I know, right? It was looking pretty grim there for a while.
I'm glad you were able to stick out beyond the first few chapters. Usually if a book doesn't grab me in the first chapters I move on. If I try this one I'll keep in mind it picks up! Nice review as always.
Thanks for the review! This book hadn't crossed my path yet, but its on the TBR list now
Vixen – I have a really hard time not finishing a book. I'll put it aside for another day occasionally, but I've DNF'ed very, very few books. I believe only 2 or 3 total. I just can't help but hold out hope that it redeems itself in the end somehow.
Spinecraker – I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
I'd buy this book simply because the main heroine's name is Sorcha
KC–LOL, yeah Sorcha is kind of a badass name right? You just know to stay out her way.
Catherine- I have added this to my xmas wish list and I do hope that I get it as a present otherwise I'll probably buy it myself after xmas.
Thank you for your review! I really adored this book – and I completely understand and agree about the beginning of the book. I called it the "getting to know you" phase of the book. It was full of so much information, I had to start taking notes so I understood the lexicon and characters. But I felt the trio of Raed, Merrick and Sorcha was wonderful and I am looking forward to their next adventure!
Alexa – Hopefully someone buys it for you!
Twimom227 – For a while there the terms were really frustrating. I even flipped through the front and back hoping for a quick reference guide. I eventually got into the flow of it, though.
I can't wait for the next adventure either! I looked on the author's website but didn't see anything about the next book. Have you heard anything?
Woot! I reeeeeeally wanna read this one. Thanks for the great review!
Smash Attack! – I hope you're able to get your hands on a copy soon.
Great review, Catherine! I'd not even heard of this before, but have just added it to my TBR because of your review. Thanks!!
Pamela – Thanks! I'm glad the review helped steer you to a new book. I hope you enjoy it!