I can see two obvious things that are wrong with this book, just from the cover:

1. The first Ruby book is supposed to be called There was a Girl Called Ruby
2. The Ruby books are supposed to be written by Patricia F. Maplin Stacey

Reading further in:

1. Ruby Redfort is 13. She is supposed to start her spy career at age 11
2. I'm sure there were one or two more, but I've forgotten

Now, you see, whenever I read Clarice Bean's talking about Ruby Redfort, I shall feel slightly disorientated that she is reading a different set of Ruby books from the rest of us. It's a shame.

On to the book itself. Continue reading →

Cast in Shadow is a fantasy story, set in a world populated by various races of beings and full of magic.

The story follows Kaylin Neya, a young orphaned woman who ran away from the fiefs and joined the city's law enforcement, the Hawks. She has strange markings on her arms and thighs, markings which match those found on children ritually killed in the city. She is then called upon to help track down the killers of these children.

And that's pretty much all I understood of it. I don't know why, but I found it hard to relate to the characters, any of them. I felt strangely left in the dark throughout most of this book. Even in the final battle scenes, I felt as if I was watching it from a distance.

The problem is, Sagara expends so much effort on creating "sophisticated" and emotive prose at the expense of clarity. Instead, you're just a casual observer, someone the author doesn't really want to let in to her secrets, and the book suffers greatly for it. You never really feel as if you are part of the action, you never feel Kaylin's emotions with her. You don't feel her fear, her pain, you're not made to care about what happens to her. As Sagara herself says, "It's the same, after all."

by Alexander McCall Smith

"You see," said Mma Ramotswe, casting a glance at the attentive attorney, "there are some people in this country, some men, who think that women are soft and can be twisted this way and that. Well I'm not. I can tell you, if you are interested, that I killed a cobra, a big one, on my way here this afternoon."

"Oh?" said Jameson Mopotswane. "What did you do?"

"I cut it in two," said Mma Ramotswe. "Two pieces."

Precious Ramotswe is Botswana's first ever lady private detective, and owner of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Armed with a sharp and inquisitive mind, her friend Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, and a good dose of humour, Mma Ramotswe is called upon to unravel various mysteries — disappearing husbands, rebellious daughters and stolen cars.

Until one day she is contacted by the father of a missing child, a young boy feared to have been taken for witchcraft, and things start to get a little more serious.

This book is a real gem, and the characters and settings are very much different from others in crime fiction, making this a very refreshing read. The author's observational humour adds to the enjoyment, as does Mma Ramotswe's fiery, no-nonsense attitude. I highly recommend this and I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

Mais les yeux sont aveugles... il faut chercher avec lecoeur...

Un livre à lire à tous les âges de la vie, surtout lorsqu'on se sent perdu, ou quand on croit qu'on a des problèmes insurmontables...

Rien n'est impossible...

Et la vie n'a rien de terrible, d'alienant ou de decevant. Il suffit de tout voir avec l'âme d'un enfant comme Le Petit Prince. Et de la vivre, cette vie, en suivant son cœur.