Michael Skeet

I received this through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This an enjoyable read. It is the second book in the series started with The Poisoned Prayer. It is set a few years after the first, and is also a fantasy/adventure/romance set in an alternate France. The nobility use "prayers" to produce magical effects, but peasants with magic are considered cursed. It features the previous heroine's cousin and a group of fabric smugglers. Several characters from the first book are also featured in this one, but I don't think there would be any problem reading this as a standalone. Lots of fun.… (more)

Skeet writes a wonderfully swashbuckling narrative, featuring Lise de Trouvaille, a strong female protagonist set against the background of Paris (France) in the 17th-Century. The story completely engaged me from the gripping scene in the opening with an attack by a loup-garou, support from Rafael, duc de Bellevasse , through to intrigue, treachery, and high adventure in a corrupt medieval city.

For me, “Poisoned Prayer” provided Robert de Vimoutiers’ backstory and introduced the novel’s concept of Blessings and the use of prayers. The author develops an historically reflective French aristocracy able to wield powerful control of the victim with these magical prayers. However, Skeet’s novel never descends into a juvenile flurry of spell-casting fights, and remains a sophisticated balance of these mental abilities, sword fights, clever repartee and high-level politics.

A Poisoned Prayer is a prequel to A Tangled Weave, my having read the latter novel first. This reading sequence did not diminish my enjoyment of either story; however, if you have the opportunity, I recommend reading the books in publication order. Aspects of the world Skeet builds are not so clearly evident in the second book, since he quite rightly does not go overboard reiterating the basis of how this 17th-Century society operates.… (more)