Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones

Even though Barbara spent more of the book in on-page danger than Margerit, I tended to worry more about Margerit than her. I was fascinated with the way religion and magic seemed to be intertwined, even as I worried that Margerit was happily and blindly heading towards being declared a heretic. The setting had a definite sense of weight and depth to it, and the politics was intriguing, if occasionally confusing. She was expected to find a husband, manage his household, and bear his children, and instead the baron’s money opened up a path to all the things she’d really wanted (plus at least one thing she hadn't even considered). And there was Margerit, who, like The Goblin Emperor’s Maia, was abruptly thrust into the limelight by her changed circumstances. There was Barbara, who usually dressed as a man and was a skilled bodyguard and duelist. It reminded me strongly of Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, if that book had been written from the perspective of its women. I came very close to just pushing out three bulleted lists: What I Liked, What I Didn’t Like, and Things That Didn’t Fit Into the Other Two Categories. I hate writing reviews of things I actually enjoyed. Meanwhile, Barbara digs into the mystery of her own past. With Barbara at her side, Margerit pursues her heart’s desire: studying philosophy and theology at the university in Rotenek. However, Margerit’s efforts win her Barbara’s loyalty. Margerit is willing to do this, but her uncle, who still controls her life, isn’t willing to let her. He also left her Barbara, despite his promise to free her, and made it so that Margerit cannot free her before she (Margerit) comes of age without most of the baron’s fortune going to the Convent of Saint Orisul instead. She has no interest in attending balls or getting married, but that’s the direction in which her life seems to be going, until Baron Seveze dies and everyone learns to their shock that he has left her his entire fortune. Margerit is an orphan who was taken in by her aunt and uncle. Margerit Sovitre is the baron’s goddaughter, although he generally hasn’t been in her life much. She is now the baron’s armin (formal bodyguard/duelist). Her father lost everything due to his gambling debts and sold her to Baron Seveze when she was only a baby. Barbara knows she’s of noble birth but has no idea who her parents are. Chapters alternate between Barbara’s perspective and Margerit’s. Daughter of Mystery is f/f historical fantasy.ĭaughter of Mystery is set in the fictional European country of Alpennia, sometime in the early 19th century.

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones