Schloss Valkuriz by Felicia N. Cheung


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm torn, I think I would rather give this book two and a half stars, but I rounded up to three. Schloss Valkuriz is the story of a young woman, Iara, who meets the handsome Lord Kessler. He invites her to his castle where she begins to fall in love with him, but all the while she is haunted by dreams of a former love, which she cannot remember.




Cheung really is a gifted writer, but I found parts of her work seemed to be overly elaborate, focusing more intently on the poetic aspect of the writing rather than the development of character and plot. For example, here is an excerpt:




"The quaint countryside in which the castle of Schloss Valkuriz lay possessed a quiet charm and distinctive air within its borders wherein the luxuries of its surroundings lay bare. Adorned by picturesque forests on all sides, the castle stood in the heart of Leicestershire and seemed to be the centerpiece of all creation. Even the sun seemed to shine more brilliantly on this part of the country, so much more so that the schloss was constantly bathed in the refulgence of a thousand rays. The rare flora and exotic verdure that blossomed there gave the whole a feeling of precious awe. Iara marveled at the loveliness of the scenery and calculated in her mind the complexity of maintaining such pulchritude."




I don't mind in-depth imagery, but rather than showing us about the character's human nature she takes a couple pages and spews out their characters like a resume. It really has such potential. I kept reading because the mystery involved is really a fantastic idea, but presented in a broken and somewhat confusing manner. I wanted more dialogue, more interaction between characters. I wanted to feel what the characters felt, and to know the intimately, but Author never gave me enough to build upon. I was merely told the story, not shown it. I definitely would read more from this author as she continues to grow and improve her story-telling.






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