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)

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