She commands bees, deciphers spells, and survives on instinct. In a world of necromancers and goblins, Lady Maris is chaos wrapped in honey and venom.
Mistress of Bees appears to be a collection of short stories that tell the tales of Lady Maris Goselin.
Overview
Maris grew up on the streets, and she learned how to survive by any means necessary. She has had to lie, cheat, steal, and then some. Because of this, she doesn’t make many friends. But she has her bees. They protect her and obey her bidding. With some practice, she is also able to decipher spells.
Her world is filled with necromancers, shapeshifters, goblins, and more. Pair that with Mari’s rough and tumble personality, and you get some wild stories.
Positives
Maris’ world is unique and complex. I have never encountered a world with both necromancers and goblins. There aren’t many authors with the courage to blend mythologies. I personally love it.
Maris isn’t your typical morally sound, perfect heroine. She is aggressive, vengeful, a borderline sex addict, and probably an alcoholic too. Not the kind of girl you take home to your mother. She pushes away anyone who gets close, if they don’t die first. But there is a side to her that wants to be better. We get glimpses of her being remorseful for her impulsive reactions. I love these types of characters; they reflect the complexities of being human.
Negatives
Let’s start with the biggest problem, the structure. It is so difficult to read as an average reader. I like complex plots, but it isn’t good when I have to keep rereading sections because the author shifts timelines without my notice. These splits are only identified by a subtle paragraph space.
You spend the whole book weaving between different points in the past in no structured order. Then you get the random dual narrative in one of the stories. It got exhausting having to work so hard just to read the book; I lost most of the enjoyment.
Recommendations
I managed to make it through Mistress of Bees purely on my interest in the main character. If she weren’t as intriguing to me, I would have given up. It’s two stars for me. I would have absolutely loved it if they had simply reworked the stories into their chronological organization. There are many great things, such as the reflections Maris makes when recalling a memory. But it’s overshadowed by the constant jumping around without clear distinctions.
I received a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy(ARC) of the book for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own and reflect my genuine reading experience. Receiving the ARC did not influence my evaluation, and I was not compensated for this review.
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