I finished this novel and now I feel a little funny. The first half of it nailed a setting so well that I had a crystal image of its eastern-European castle, its dark but sweet characters entangled in some rather innocuous occult and supernatural goings-on. But then Egan forces a second, disconnected story arc into the mix (the fairy-tale-esque adventures of the protagonist in the medieval castle are being ghost-written by some convict in a prison writing class). Egan kind of takes you along, introduces some very curious events and characters, and then drops you on your ass. I can’t really say much more without spoiling stuff (and I still do recommend reading this, it’s an enjoyable read).

For quality of writing I’d probably give this novel **. But since it is so fun to read, I’m going to give it ***1/2 overall.