Shannon C.’s review of The Queen’s Bastard (Inheritor’s Cycle, Book 1) by C.E. Murphy
Historic fantasy released by Del Rey 29 Apr 08

C.E. Murphy, whose urban fantasy is, I’m told, very good, certainly has a gift for storytelling. Her narrative voice is smooth, and the prose is lovely without extending that extra notch into purple, and I found the book engaging. Unfortunately, I feel as if I’ve read this story before.

Belinda Primrose is the bastard daughter of Queen Lorraine Walter of Aulun. Raised by her father, Lord Robert Drake, the queen’s spymaster, she is molded into a secret tool used by her mother for the good of the crown, acting mostly as an assassin. However, her latest assignment is to venture to the city of Lutetia, the capital of neighboring Gallin, where, under the guise of Lady Beatrice Irvine, she is to insinuate herself into Queen Sandalia’s court. Sandalia is heir to three kingdoms, and holds much animosity toward Lorraine, whose country has adopted religious reformation. If Belinda, disguised as Beatrice, can ferret out Sandalia’s plots, that’s all to the good. But she never counts on discovering the Witchbreed power she has inherited.

As I said above, I really liked the storytelling here. Murphy really knows how to pace herself, and while I can’t say I couldn’t put this book down, I did enjoy it while I was reading it. I generally like political intrigue, and it really is nice to read about a heroine occasionally who isn’t a trembling virgin. In fact, Belinda revels in her bisexuality, which I still find amazingly refreshing.

Despite all that, though, I didn’t like Belinda. She never particularly resonated with me, and I was bothered by the fact that everything she sets out to do she manages with great aplomb. I kept waiting for an ax to fall, and when it finally did and she got the bitch-slap she so richly deserved, I didn’t really think she’d suffered enough.

Speaking of suffering, I was intrigued by Belinda’s romantic interest, Sandalia’s son Javier. He seems like a pretty nice guy who nonetheless has had an extremely privileged life. His three best friends, a merchant’s son, a young nobleman, and a girl from the streets, all look to him as leader, and his relationships with them shift in subtle ways thanks to Belinda’s machinations. I felt horrible because by the end of the book it’s Javier who has lost a great deal. I’d like to see more of his PoV in the next book in the series, and I’m hoping his story arc is not as destined to end tragically as it sort of looks like it might.

The secondary characters are fairly compelling, particularly the ones we didn’t see much of in this book. Lorraine seems like an especially interesting woman, and Eliza, Javier’s friend from the streets, is definitely a tragically drawn character who I hope gets much more screen time. Most compelling of all is Robert Drake, Belinda’s father, who may have secrets of his own, although from what I pieced together from memories Belinda read from him, I suspect that there’s no way he can reveal his secrets without them being very much on the cheesy side.

I did see the similarities in style between this book and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel trilogy, of which I’ve read the first two books. In fact, I felt at times that Murphy was trying too hard to emulate an idol, and falling just short of the mark. Also, the book draws heavily on Tudor-era Europe, and at times I found that distracting. I didn’t really get a sense of the uniqueness of this world, or how it differed from ours except in very small, inconsequential ways.

I feel this review may be a tad too nitpicky considering the fact that I enjoyed the book for the most part. I definitely do intend to read the next books in the series, and I would recommend it with reservations to someone who likes their fantasy a bit more on the realistic side. This book has certainly made me eager to start some of Ms. Murphy’s other books which I have languishing on the TBR.

Grade: C+

Summary:
In a world where religion has ripped apart the old order, Belinda Primrose is the queen’s secret weapon. The unacknowledged daughter of Lorraine, the first queen to sit on the Aulunian throne, Belinda has been trained as a spy since the age of twelve by her father, Lorraine’s lover and spymaster.

Cunning and alluring, fluent in languages and able to take on any persona, Belinda can infiltrate the glittering courts of Echon where her mother’s enemies conspire. She can seduce at will and kill if she must. But Belinda’s spying takes a new twist when her witchlight appears.

Now Belinda’s powers are unlike anything Lorraine could have imagined. They can turn an obedient daughter into a rival who understands that anything can be hers, including the wickedly sensual Javier, whose throne Lorraine both covets and fears. But Javier is also witchbreed, a man whose ability rivals Belinda’s own . . . and can be just as dangerous.

Amid court intrigue and magic, loyalty and love can lead to more daring passions, as Belinda discovers that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You can read an excerpt here.