This book.. was not what I expected

Rosemary for Remembrance and Rue for Repentance are the first two books in the series by Felicity Pulman. At first, I thought it was going to be the usual Sherlock Holmes mysteries, with detectives, clues, the unsuspected culprit subtly appearing in the beginning of the story... but no. This series is set in the medieval times, and Janna is far from a detective. Just a rather observant, strong-willed herbalist with revenge on her mind.

The story is fast paced, twisting all the way until you finally "click." That is, understand the reason for the lies, the "murder," and the ravaging villagers who burned down Janna's home in their rage. But it is this twisting - making you guess and then proving your hypothesis wrong - that makes the story so interesting and fast paced till the end. Not to mention not-put-down-able. (I was reading this at 1 am!) And Janna's quick temper and accusative attitude just makes it all the more interesting. Instead of being annoyed at her stupidity, her accusations actually made the story even more absorbing. Because her guess, was pretty much, my guess. Of who the culprit was, that is. And her accusations make you go "YES! THAT'S IT"... until you find out that you/Janna was wrong. Oops.

Of course, Janna's rash actions often gets her in trouble. But that's okay, after all, she isn't really a detective. Just trying to figure out the truth behind the murder... of her mother. And most of all, it's her will to hold on, that strength in her character - to survive and to bring justice to the injustice - that makes you want to cheer her on.

Overall, this was one of the best mysteries I've ever read. A mystery with an interesting storyline woven within.

- Carmen