"Maledicte" by Lane Robbins

First and foremost, I have to say that the cover for "Maladicte" by Lane Robbins-- a Venetian mask entirely surrounded by black feathers-- is one of the most nicely designed covers on a paperback I've seen in years.

Unfortunately, the story itself doesn't quite live up to the stylish art. The plot itself is simple enough: a young orphan, Miranda, has her best friend, Janus, snatched from her by the nobles of a dissolute, neo-Renaissance court. In order to take her revenge on the man who stole him, she makes a pact with the (supposedly dead) goddess of revenge, Black-Winged Ani, and enters the courts as the hot-headed heir of the foreign noble Baron Vonetti. Masquerading as a boy, her entire life revolves around her plots to regain her former friend and kill the man who took him from her.

I really expected a light, graceful and extremely carefully plotted tale of delicious intrigue. Instead, "Maledicte" is full of violence and badly-written characters-- so much so that the main character quickly becomes anathema to the reader. The dialogue is forced and strangely disjointed, sounding as though large chunks are missing, and there isn't really an enjoyable character in the whole novel. The courts are not interesting or well-described enough to hold one's attention, and the whole story comes to a crashingly unsatisfying ending. In short, this one had great potential but fell so far short of the mark I really can't recommend it.