I tried, I really did, but I could not finish reading Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis’s By Slanderous Tongues. I was in the mood for a fantasy read and received a few recommendations on Yahoo! Answers, and Lackey was recommended by more than one. I know she’s really popular, so I was hopeful when I picked up the book at the library. I thought the premise behind By Slanderous Tongues sounded interesting: already a pawn in the mortal world, the young Elizabeth is also part of a dangerous plot being planned by the Unseleighe Sidhe.
The plot has potential, but I learned more about Elizabethan fashion than I did about the characters and their motivations. Everyone in this novel seems to wear slashed sleeves–the reader gets a full description of what each character is wearing… or not wearing in each scene. Titania’s rosy nipples made quite an impression.
I’ve read reviews that say that this novel is not indicative of Lackey’s usual storytelling, so I’ll give her another try, but I think I’ll check out Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest first.
