Reviews of Mélusine
Publisher's Weekly starred review:
Reviewed 2005-07-11
Set in the wondrous city of Melusine, Monette's extraordinary first fantasy novel focuses on two captivating characters from two very different worlds: Felix Harrowgate, a powerful magician at the court of Lord Steven Teverius, and Mildmay the Fox, a cat burglar who has been trained as an assassin. When Felix falls prey to the unscrupulous machinations of a man who's plotting to destroy Melusine, he's left nearly mad, unable to clear his name or explain his actions. Mildmay, on the other hand, undertakes a simple burglary, thinking it will lead to a bit of extra flash that will keep him going for more than a few days. Instead, the burglary opens the way to a series of unfortunate events that force Felix and Mildmay into a partnership neither of them could have anticipated or desired. Jacqueline Carey provides a blurb, but those readers expecting a knock-off of that author's Kushiel series will be happily surprised. Monette resembles Carey only insofar as she, too, is a highly original writer with her own unique voice. Agent, Jack Byrne at the Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency. (Aug.)
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Booklist starred review:
Mildmay the Fox, resident of the Lower City in Melusine and cat burglar by profession, at first tells a little story of hocuses (wizards) and why any thinking person should beware them. Moderately decent Mildmay has steered clear of hocuses since murdering one (hey, a trained assassin's gotta earn a living). Good idea, considering there's a death curse on him set to activate if he gets within spitting distance of the Mirador, Melusine's stronghold of magical power. ?A social world away, in the Mirador, Felix Harrowgate is a stylish, well-liked wizard traveling in circles of wealth, power, and nobility. Responsible for Felix's polish and status is his former keeper, the malevolent charmer Malkar, whose ideas of teaching inflicted scars on Felix's body and mind that induce intermittent descents into madness. Thrown together on the lam, Felix and Mildmay discover how much they have in common, beginning with a shocking blood bond and the fact that neither clearly recalls coming to Melusine as children. Subsequent adventures take them far from their city, through a country in which far-from-friendly magic lies under rocks and sea and haunts marsh and tower. While Monette's story engages, her characters deserve a standing ovation. Mildmay's off-color personality and often wickedly funny narration keep the story and the other characters fresh. Perspective shifts between Mildmay and Felix make Mildmay the cat burglar visible and take us into the lightless crevasse of Felix's madness. Paula Luedtke
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Farren Miller reviewed Mélusine for the August Locus, and Farah J. Mendlesohn reviewed it for the July Interzone (and many thanks to Ms. Mendlesohn for allowing me to post her review).
There are also, of course, a range of reviews up at Amazon and other places around the web. If you're interested, I've been doing my best to track them here.
