I left this review sitting in drafts for months because it inadequately expressed my like for the book, but since the book is currently on sale for $1.99 in preparation for the sequel’s release, perhaps the price can do much of the persuasion with minimal help from me. Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans The Burnished
In this round of revision, I unraveled the mystery of my repeated notes to “mention a train.” Trains are technologically appropriate for the worldbuilding, but no one rides one in this story, and Past Me harped on it an awful lot for it to be only a handy size comparison for one creature.
I’m at the point of revision where I’m unconfident any word means what I think it means. Cue looking up big, snooty words¹ like “rife” and “meander.” Spellcheck randomly putting a red squiggly under “extent” didn’t help. And spellcheck approves “troublemaker” but not “troublemaking,” so does or does not the latter need a space? A