Creatures of Will and Temper

This is an interesting book and I mostly enjoyed it. I found it pretty unpredictable, and I'm sure I'll read it again.

I don't remember why I wanted to read it, apart from seeking out SFF with queer characters. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray 25+ years ago and had to head to Wikipedia to refresh my memory about the plot. But I do remember the sensuality of that book, and in that way, this one is a great homage. I was expecting somewhat more sensory imagery, but it's definitely there. The idea of pursuing pleasure is central to the plot.

Evadne and Dorina are both fully three-dimensional characters. Neither of them is always easy to like, yet I found myself always cheering for them. Their conflict with each other is completely understandable. I started off disliking Evadne a lot, but over the course of the story, I felt like I came to understand her. She's at odds with the world; it makes her angry when people see her accurately, sometimes, because she's ashamed of who she is. Dorina starts off comfortable with herself, and I enjoyed her romance and character arc in general, which is really about celebrating who she already is. Content warning She is 17 when she gets together with her love interest, who is about 35. I thought that was all fine, within the context of this story, but YMMV.

Both heroines are very smart. There is no idiot ball in this book, even though not every character knows everything that's going on at every point. When it makes sense for them to guess something, they do, maybe even a little before they should. They're also both very brave and daring.

Evadne is heterosexual and cis (there aren't any explicitly trans people in the book), and she's also gender nonconforming. Dorina is a lesbian and there are other LGB characters as well. I appreciated the general sense of queer acceptance in this book; even the villains aren't especially homophobic, although they do say a few nasty things on the topic. I also really liked that none of the female characters were threatened with sexual violence, although I thought Evadne was probably afraid of that at a few points.

On the negative side, this book has some pacing issues. I felt bogged down reading the first two-thirds, which is mostly about Evadne and Dorina's ideas of how other people feel about them. They're in this exciting setting, and the reader knows there's supernatural stuff happening. But it felt almost like a family drama for a while, which is not a genre I like. Still, the promise of fantasy elements and my inability to predict the plot kept me continuing through any dull parts.

Also (major spoiler) I did not like the ending much. I think Evadne paid too high of a price. Maybe I'll change my mind after thinking it over, though.

Overall, I liked this and will read more by this author. I am weak and I don't especially like reading about female characters coming to terms with the terrible hand life has dealt them. This isn't that kind of book at all, which I found refreshing.