SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
An orphan raised at a stable, Syeira bonds with a mare named Arwin who has her two foals taken away. Together, the two set off to rescue them and for the first time she leaves home. Along the way she meets many interesting people and faces much danger.
OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS
Syeira isn't particularly brave or strong, but Arwin pushes her to leave home and eventually risk her life. Besides the loves of horses, the love of her late mother also gives her strength. She ends up being forced into an adventure she never intended. But this only serves to make her more realistic.
Blacklock Davy is the man who originally captured Arwin and her foals. And eventually he is the one who chases after Syeira when she gets the foals back.
Lord Ran of Stormsythe, rules the city of Swabban. He has forced all of its inhabitants from inventing amazing and wonderful things into building him fighting machines. He dreams only nightmares and this seems to have driven him mad.
Grulla, the Fighting Crone, is who Syiera is sent to stay with at the Thurkport stables when she reveals she has no place to stay. She and Syiera share a love of horses. Although she acts gruff and blunt, she is actually very fond of Syiera.
Marlow the spicetrader is a man whom Syiera meets in Thurkport. He helps her locate the stables.
PACING
The story does start rather fast. By the end of chapter one, Syeira has decided to help Arwin escape and and left home for good. But from there, the story is often more about meeting characters who can help her then moving fast. Which is fine, but if you are looking for an action packed story, this is not it. There are a few scenes where danger threatens and Syeria is running for her life, but these scenes are few enough for you to appreciate them.
JUST SYEIRA & ARWIN THE MARE
Throughout the story, Syeira meets many different characters, all of which contribute to her growth or help her in some way. Grulla and Marlow being the only two that end up being a bigger part. But they are much older than her. I would have liked her to have one character that she met along the way that was someone of her own age and stuck around. Although I think Marlow and Grulla became like foster parents, and its hinted that she will see them again in the end. And perhaps the author thought since Syeira was an orphan, this was the most important type of relationship to develop.
HISTORY OF CHARACTERS
I thought it was important to mention that both Marlow and Grulla are given a history to explain their characters. Marlow recalls that he never married and had children, so it's obvious he is alone in life, and probably used to it. But for some reason he feels called to help Syiera, and likes her, against his better judgment.
Grulla, on the other hand gets a long, extended history which she reveals to Syeira herself. Because of this, Grulla feels real, and I was generally interested in her story and how she got the way she was.
SIR GEMYIND-SPOILERS
Traveling through the woods, Syeira comes across an older man who cannot retain short-term memories, but remembers his childhood very well. It turns out he has taken a drug, a flower called “pale Madeleine” and this eventually caused short-term memory loss. But it allows you to return to your older memories and live them all over again. I found Gemynd's story original and interesting. Also, I got to see Syeira tempted to use the drugs, even after seeing the horrible side affects. It really made her relatable.
OUR VILLAIN-VAGUE SPOILERS
For the most of the story, finding the foals is our goal, and we have no villain. It's simply a race against time, as the foals will be taken beyond her reach. Eventually, Davy becomes our villain. And then Ran. I found Ran's story of an island of nightmares eerie and haunting. And that scene is one of the favorites. But a part of me wishes that Syiera had more interaction with him, as he is villain of the last portion of the book.
ONLY A DREAM
Syeira is lulled into a trap by a creepy, talking bird. He tells her its his job to hunt down dreams, like herself. This scene was creepy and fascinating, and we actually start to wonder if Syiera is real at all. Jamison has a gift for such eerie writing. The bird, the Strike, is written particularly well. All he does is talk, and yet he is so detached and disturbing that he becomes the most hated character in the story. Even more so then the insane Ran.
SCENT PICTURES
Arwin the Mare can communicate with Syeira. The mare blows out through her nose and Syeira can experience memories of the horse. This is one thing that helps them develop a special bond, as Arwin isn't too sure of her new rider.
ORIGINALITY
One aspect of the book I especially like was the originality. Scent pictures, a herb that can create synonyms in your mind, a mechanical city, an island of nightmares and a talking bird. It never feels like a basic fairy tale, even though there are fairy-tale elements. Perhaps because it follows no set pattern. There may be a talking bird, but no magical explanation is given. We don't know if Syeira believes the story that Ran gives her, about the island of nightmares. Or if she just thinks he is crazy. Anything seems plausible.
DAVY & SYEIRA-SPOILERS
Eventually, Davy is an ally and he hints that he knows more about Syeira then he lets on. He tells her that her name is a gypsy name. And although we don't hear him say it, in the next part of the story, Syeira says he said that he would tell her everything. Which means that apparently he knew all about her and her history. But then he dies and we learn no more.
Syeira is distraught when this occurs. And so was I. I suppose the point was for her to move one and realize she didn't need to know her past, because she had a future. But Davy's only use was to be her rescuer, and it was this that made him feel rather two-dimensional. He just wasn't in the story enough for me to get to know him. Which is sad, considering how deep Grulla's character was. A mystery was set off when Davy spared Syeira's life, so I was expecting some sort of big reveal. When he died, I felt robbed.
EXPLICIT CONTENT- SPOILERS
Punishment from the King is to have one's ears cut off. We are told that Davy had this happen to him.
CONCLUSION
Jamieson creates a likable heroine, and a unique world. Small parts of the story will entrance you, and most of the time I was so interested I didn't mind the slower pacing. It was really only the ending that I found lacking, particularly the use of Blacklock Davy. I would also have liked another character that was near her age. I give “The Blue Roan Child” three and a half stars.
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