Beguilement (The Sharing Knife Book 1) - Fantasy Romance Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold - Perfect for Fantasy Lovers & Book Club Discussions

This series not perfect, but it is close. It isn't as exquisitely mastered as her Chalion novels, but it possess a unique charm and classically good story telling.There is a lot to love here but the things that stand out are the characters, the world building, and the very interesting topics it covers.Dag and Fawn are about the most enjoyable two characters you could get to know. They are likeable, genuine, and above all they are dynamic. Rather than your more commonplace world that gets shaped by the characters you have characters who are constantly evolving in response to the world around them. They grow together.The world itself is very absorbing. The story takes place in a world abandoned by the gods and plagued by dread creatures called Malices. The world is populated by two very different peoples, Lakewalkers and Farmers. Lakewalkers are mage-alike hunter gatherers whose lives are devoted to the eradication of the malices, monsters that their own mage lord ancestors unleashed upon the world and they do so by sacrificing their own. Farmers are agricultural people descended from common folk and without power. They are also completely vulnerable to the Malices.Because of the differences between the two societies and the mutually held distance between them, there is a great deal of suspicion towards the lakewalkers for their magic and a great deal of condescension towards farmers for their powerlessness. It all makes for a gripping and interesting plot with hidden complexity.Despite my five stars, it is not perfect. The problem is that the four books are not written in such a way as to have a true climax where everything is neatly resolved by the end of the book. Usually you would want a plot arc per book which leaves you satisfied at the end of the book but leaves some stuff escalating for the next. The first three books have climaxes but not necessarily taking place in the same book. For example this first novel has quite a bit of action in the first third or so and the rest is world building and romance.This is not ideal and I am pretty sure the story just got too powerful and winding to wrap up nicely in an orderly way.Another issue is that there are a few parts so sappy it feels corrosive. Some lovey dovey stuff is best left between the couple even in a novel because it is hard to take it seriously after that. But there are only a few times and the rest of the romance is top shelf. Normally romance is only fun to read about in the chasing but Dag and Fawn manage to be romantically thrilling even after they have been together for some time.Its a very interesting and gripping story. It is the kind of story worth telling even if you can't be neat about it. You just really need to make sure you have all four of the books because by the end of book 4 everything is satisfactorily resolved.It is above all very enjoyable. To date I have read the series at least four times through and you don't come across something you love that much often.