ARC

A friend loaned me an advanced reading copy of Frank Beddor's Seeing Redd. Like The Looking Glass Wars, it's action-packed and imaginative -- without completely capturing my imagination. The tons of battle scenes don't interest me much. To the extent that the gender-stereotypical balance to battle scenes is relationship stuff (friendships or romances), I didn't find Beddor's attempts at those satisfying. Hatter's apparent love life is thinly drawn. I don't believe Alyss would jeopardize her queendom with ill-advised moves to "protect" Dodge.

My tepid reaction means little to the handful of fantasy readers. Seeing Redd is one to recommend to readers of complex fantasy series, especially ones with a taste for war.

Capital City weather: last week's unspeakable heat and humidity finally broke, bringing us lovely, hot, clear days