Innocence Lost by Patty Jansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Having finished Crux, then the prequel to this book, Whispering Willows, I was still not ready to go to sleep. So I thought I’d get started on this one. Yet, it was too short to do the job. I mean it did a good job getting me involved in the story and wanting to know more…then it ended. And the worst kind of ending! Yes, a cliffhanger! Argh! I hate those! Just as I finally am invested in the characters and outcome, it ends. The sad part of that trick is that if the next were free or even $.99 I would have grabbed it up and started reading. But this is just beyond my reach right now. By the time I remember that I need to read book two, I won’t care. Especially if it is long enough away to require a reread of book one. Note to self: Don’t do this when publishing my own books!
Now the story itself isn’t about the girl in the prequel, Loesie, though she plays a very pitiful part. I mean, you will pity that poor girl. Rather, it stars Johanna, a girl lucky enough to be a merchant’s daughter and high enough on the status scale to be invited to the ball. But Johanna wants nothing to do with frills and fashion of the day. She wants fun and adventure. Be careful what you wish for? She asks the question, if the aim for a young woman is to be married, why are so few of the married ladies happy. That attitude makes it well worth the read! Johanna is strong and cares about others. Cliffhanger be damned, she is worth learning more about. AND Johanna can ‘hear’ the willows just like Loesie. And she has more opportunities to do something about the warnings.
This is a bit of a cautionary tale about organized religion and reflects our own history of the witch trials. I found Ms. Jansen’s take on the subject refreshing. Again, that makes it worth the read. All in all, I think, if you can afford it, that this is a fun adventure and worth pursuing through the series.
Darswords 