Daniel Homan's The Queen of Hearts has an intriguing premise
and concept. A dictator rules through use of a demon that marks and then hunts
down anyone who kills - a society in which laws against murder can actually be
enforced.
Even more intriguing, the book is set in a world with
twentieth-century technology - cars, planes and electricity mingle with magic.
Here's the problem. Homan's work reads as if somebody told
him it would be cool to set a secondary world, epic fantasy in a place with
modern technology. I actually got halfway through the book before I even
noticed there was technology. It has no bearing on the story other than a token
"Let's flee in a car" scene. None. Instead of making use of the
setting, it's pure window dressing.
The book is also written in present tense, which Homan
almost pulls off. Almost. He doesn't do the job Suzanne Collins did (she
managed to keep me from noticing for close to an entire book), but it's not
bad. For people less inclined to have their teeth set on edge by present tense
in general, it probably won't be a bad thing at all.
Oh, and it would have been better, a lot better, without the
weird prologue. The story itself was interesting, but overall I found The Queen
of Hearts better in its idea than its execution.
Three stars.
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