One of the first barriers in a book is how much exposition are you willing to wade through to get to the story. Every book takes a little bit of investment. It’s learning the author’s world, adapting to their writing rhythms, and getting through the set up.
Fran Wilde’s first novel Updraft provided 20 pages of work and 340 or so of good reading. I slogged through the details of her world building wanting a bit more character at first and a little more action. The rite of passage sabotaged was a good early bit, but the book doesn’t really take off (sorry) until we start unraveling the mystery. The stakes fall short at the beginning.
That said, once the book started, it had me hooked. I soared with the hero and her mentor/enemy/friend. I cheered for the little novices, especially that trouble maker Moc…
