Monday, December 21, 2020

Jolene by Mercedes Lackey

Jolene is the fifteenth book in the Elemental Masters series, which means this would normally need a spoiler alert, but as it is set in America and not Europe there is no need.  You can read this book independently of the rest of the series and still follow along.  The Fire Rose is also set in America, but is not officially part of the series as it was published by Baen and not DAW.

Anna May Jones has always been a sickly child, plagued with a lack of energy and a constant lack of appetite.  It may be just as well, as Anna and her mother sacrifice their fair share of the food to make sure her father is well fed for his work in the mines.  In other places Anna and her mother may have been able to supplement their meals with food grown in a garden, but the town of Soddy is choking on the coal dust that comes from the mine.  One day Anna learns that her parents have plans to send her to her Aunt Jinny, the woman Anna has never met, but who has sent her potions to Anna and her father to try and keep them well.  Anna is anxious, but surely her own kin won't harm her - especially not kin who has sent potions to her mother to sell to help support the family?

Leaving Soddy is a shock in more ways than one- for the first time in her life it feels like Anna can breath, and when she meets her Aunt at the end of her journey she finds that she is not what she expected at all.  Aunt Jinny dresses like a man and takes no nonsense, but she is also generous with what she has and offers to train Anna up so she can set herself up as a Root Woman.  It is more than Anna could ever have hoped for, as a Root Woman she will have a respectable profession and will be able to provide for herself.  Living with her aunt is a breath of fresh air, she soon learns that she has a talent for seeing and using the Glory, which will make it much easier for her to become a Root Woman.  

That power brings her to the attention of a mysterious woman called Jolene, who has taken an interest in Anna and offers to help her learn how to control her abilities.  Anna doesn't need her aunts caution to treat Jolene with respect, and soon learns that she will be more powerful than her aunt when she has finished learning.  To protect herself Anna must learn all she can and come into her full power - because there are people who would use her power for themselves, not matter what the cost is to Anna herself.

I have been looking forward to Jolene for months, mostly because of all the havoc Covid-19 has wreaked - and it seemed like an early Christmas present!  I have to say it was a relief to read a story that is not tangled up with the stories of Sherlock Holmes, a fresh story to discover.  I had never heard the legend/story that Jolene was based on, and it was a real pleasure to have a fresh story and mythology to enjoy.  I loved the way everything was so connected too, Anna and her Glory were not limited to the traditional magic laws of her own people, she was included in the Earth magic that was native to the area too.  I also liked the flow and rhythm of the story - it wasn't rushed and it didn't drag on.  

It was also a treat to have a story set in America again - for some readers the Fire Rose is not part of the story because it was set in America and had a different publisher, but it was the first book that had the same 'world' and rules as the rest of the series.  Hopefully there are more books set in America as it broadens the series and makes it more interesting, fresh and new - a chance to explore stories from other places and cultures.  

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla
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