Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce (Young adult fantasy)

It’s been a while since I read Flora Segunda, but it hasn’t faded from my mind, which is a pretty good sign. It was entertaining enough, but ultimately seemed a little pointless–although the heroine did ultimately grow as a person, it didn’t feel like an important enough development to justify the rest of the story. It should have, because Flora definitely learned things about herself and about the world that she needed to know, but for some reason, it just didn’t have much impact on me. I think there was too much build-up at the beginning, which made it look as though the story was going in something of a different direction than it seemed as though it would at first.

The world-building was pretty neat, with a strange mix of different time periods that worked surprisingly well. I don’t think it would have hung together in a more adult novel, but it was perfect for the light entertainment this book offers. There were a number of bizarre and endearning characters who made the story more interesting–the Dainty Pirate (sort of a Beau Brummell of the high seas) was a hoot, for example.

I wasn’t enthralled by Flora Segunda, but I liked it enough that I’m going to keep my eye out for the sequel, Flora’s Dare, which is due to be released on Monday.

Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Tygers of Wrath, Ysabeau S. Wilce