Review: Report From The Unreconstructed Romantic
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
"Witchfinder" is a splendid tale! (I don't often stay up 'way past bedtime to finish a story, but I did this time.) Time well spent!Full disclosure: For reasons unbeknownst to me, Sarah Hoyt sent me an "eArc" of "Witchfinder." Lest I be accused of posting a "bought-and-paid-for" review, please note that I have purchased my very own "Kindle" copy!A couple of small points: The use of the term "Fairyland" struck me as being a bit too light a term for what is shown to be a rather grim realm. "Faerie" might have worked better to my ear, but that's really a matter of style. I'll also note that "Fairyland" becomes much less noticeable as one goes along. And I noted "Seraphim" as being plural for a single person's name; that seeming miscue (it isn't) is quite nicely finessed, indeed.All the preceding are minor points, really.Ms Hoyt has succeeded quite well in delineating the characters, and in finding interesting (to say the least) situations into which to drop them. The tribulations of being half-elven, while perhaps not totally original, c.f., Elron Half-Elven in Tolikien's LOTR, are quite inventive. The idea that everything comes with an associated cost strikes me as being an excellent device, e.g., Gabriel gives up being part-human, and Nel gives up her home for duty (and later severely bends that duty by ... [buy the book]).The ending and resolution of all the threads may be criticized by some as being rushed, but I don't think so. The tension is built all through the story by events taking place quite close togeter, and seemingly, closer together as time went on. The relatively breakneck conclusion seemed to me to be quite appropriate.As a totally unreconstructed romantic, a TUR -- I like stories with happy endings --  I was delighted with how and where everybody ended up. The good guys won, the bad guys got their just comeuppance, and the world was -- more or less -- put right.(But you knew I'm a TUR, right?)