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The Soprano's Daring Duke by Susanne Dunlap #Review

  Susanne Dunlap's Regency novel, The Soprano's Daring Duke is her second double dilemma story. You can read my review of the first here:  The Dressmaker's Secret Earl A princess with a scandalous secret. A duke desperate for a wealthy bride. A debutante torn between duty and passion. Newly widowed Princess Adelheid Kinsky thought she was free—until she learns of her abusive late husband’s final betrayal. The son she believed dead, the illegitimate child of a forbidden love, still lives. To secure his future, she must marry within a month—without revealing the truth. Her best prospect? The Duke of Hartland, a notorious rake drowning in debt. Meanwhile, Hartland sets his sights on Olivia Fontenoy, an heiress whose fortune could solve all his problems. But innocent Olivia dreams of music, not marriage, and seizes the chance to perform in disguise at the King’s Theatre—unwittingly ensnaring everyone she knows in scandal. As deception and desire collide, Olivia finds...

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

All the Birds in the Sky took me on a wonderful journey. It crosses genres, being a mix of Science Fiction and Fantasy. The two central characters are both well drawn and stand for the tension which is at the centre of the book, between magic and science. Patricia, a witch, and Laurence, a gifted scientist meet when they are both struggling to fit in at school and form a friendship which helps each other survive a fairly brutal time. The story follows them as they part, then meet in adult life, when their two worlds, that of magic and science, collide. 

As we follow Patricia and Laurence as their lives intersect, we see them grappling with ideas which go beyond their own fate. We see them mature and grow up as events unfold and as they try to make sense of their existence. The book is filled with quirky details and twists in the story which can take you by surprise. As the world appears to head for the apocalypse, magic and science are interwoven throughout the roots of the apparently impending disaster. Humanity is viewed as either the cause or solution of the catastrophe and the place of man within nature is questioned.

In an article which can be found on The Book Smugglers  website, Charlie Jane Anders discusses books which have influenced her in writing this book. She highlights Quest stories like John Langland's medieval Piers Plowman and Doris Lessing's Martha Quest where there is a search for  fulfilment. Chaucer's Parlement of Foules (Parliament of Birds) plays a role in the opening chapter. Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes a wry look at an apocalyptic future. Having read this, I can see where the depth of ideas is rooted. 
 

 In short: an absorbing look at a pre- apocalyptic world and a clash of ideas and solutions with an interesting sub plot.

 I received a copy of the book from the publishers, Titan Books, prior to publication,

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