swan_tower | the reviews begin (Reply)

With Doppelganger starting to make its way out into the world, I took some time today to do what any sane first-time novelist does: I googled myself again. Which let me cross paths with this delightful review by Sue Burke on the website Fresh Fiction (review header -- "Brilliant debut fantasy novel with a shocking ending"):

A fully realized new world, Ms. Brennan's first novel is a brilliant read. The conclusion is a humdinger I never saw coming and literally stopped reading and said "Wow!" when it hit me. With likable characters, good world building and a story arc that keeps you wanting more, everything fits together nicely and comes to a satisfying conclusion for characters and readers alike.

That's the tail end of the review, following a few paragraphs about the early plot of the novel. In a similar vein, I don't think I ever actually linked to this other, equally delightful review I found a while back, from a woman named Jenica who read an ARC of the book. Relevant pull-quote:

In sum, the characters are engaging, the concepts of magic, goddesses, souls, and religious history are familiar but never derivative, and the society they live in is an interesting take on high fantasy. A wonderful read with a really satisfying resolution. And, just maybe, there's more?

So far, so good. Haven't gotten any trade-publication reviews yet; if those turn out half so well, I'll be pleased.