I can tell from the first book, Aries, that the new series by Gemma Jones, The Zodiac Queen, is going to be a keeper. It was a quick read, which was both good and bad. It was good because I was able to read it quickly, but bad because it left me wanting more.
I thought that the author did a good job of establishing the concept without it seeming too farfetched. I did have a hard time determining the setting because it is one of those books that has both contemporary references (such as a clothing line) but also some more archaic or historical aspects (the virgin bride, a fictional island). None of this distracted me from the story.
The author was also careful to keep the Zodiac theme throughout, which I appreciated. A few were that there were 12 members of the Zodiac Brotherhood; she had to stay with each of them for one month; there were 12 stories in the building on the island, and so on. That attention to detail made the story more interesting.
The relationship between Liam (Aries) and Novalee was unique. As the Chancellor, Liam had a little more power over decisions, but there were some things that he couldn’t change. Novalee was in a difficult situation and will have to find her way when her protector (which he essentially became) isn’t able to help her. She is also strangely attracted to one of the brothers who seems to despise her, which will cause some political intrigue between the members of the Brotherhood.
All of this made for a great start to the series, which (assumedly ) will have 12 installments. If they are all this short, they should come rather quickly, which makes for happy readers.
