Tracing The Stars

TracingTheStars.com was provided a free copy for an honest review.

Nobility continues the same Futuristic Regency style that Eva Caye seems to have mastered and uses for all the books in this series. Nobility, at 200,000 words, is long. It is a very involved story, focusing on the life of Matthieu Sinclair, who is next in line to take the throne as Emperor. It follows him as he attempts to find his footing, find someone (trust)worthy to be his wife and etch out the fine line between the duties of his nobility and the goals he has for his own life.

The writing style is clearly regency. It is formal, and at times can feel a bit heavy or stuffy, at least to me as I am not a particular fan of Regency. In fact, I rather detest regency style in any form, including 'futuristic'. There is just something about this series and the way Eva Caye does it, however, that I find myself continuing to read, intrigued by the characters, world and story she has created. Also, if you are looking for a book that has political maneuvering, sabotage, courtly events, an imperial, stately flavor, and royal mannerisms out the wazoo - this book has all of the above.

It is clear from the writing that Eva Caye has created a very solid, understood and in depth universe for her series. From political families and factions to planets and other-worldly cultures, this book drips with world-building and detail. Sometimes, this can cause issues with pace and I did end up reading this book in several different spread-out sittings, taking notes along the way. There is comedy, romance, some action and adventure and some science fiction sprinkled around, but sometimes the scenes in between these and courtly discussions felt slow.

I think if this had just been regency with pacing issues, I would have given it three stars. The fourth star was earned by creating a rich universe filled with interesting characters, unquestionable continuity and for making a genre I loath (regency) palpable for a science fiction and contemporary fiction reader like me. The book is also without error, grammatically speaking, and one can tell it was polished to a shine in this regard.