Evaine's Books, Books and More Books

I thought Persona was a fascinating book with a fascinating premise and I went into it hoping that the characters lived up to the premise and luckily, they pretty much did.  

I saw the book mentioned by one of the authors I follow on Twitter (I get a lot of good recs this way, I have to say) and since I had enjoyed Valentine's The Girls at the Kingfisher Club I figured I could do worse than give it a try.  :)  

Persona is an interesting look at the world of diplomacy in the near future where the face or Face of diplomacy is just that - a pretty face, a young face, a person groomed for the job and handled once there, a celebrity more than a diplomat.  It's a future where the paparazzi - now called snaps - are even more intrusive and even frightening.  

It made me think of a Bourne novel, only 1/3rd the length.  :)

The two main characters, Suyana, the Face of the United Amazonia Rainforest Confederation and Daniel Park, a runaway turned paparazzi, are both young and both have secrets and both are in danger.  Both are likable and believable, I thought - even though I found them young.  *LOL*  I'm old, so hardly a surprise there.  

One thing that's odd about Valentine's writing is that I find it almost trying to be edgy and clever and while I usually hate that, somehow it works for me here.  I felt the same way with Kingfisher Club.  

Persona is the first of The Persona Sequence and its follow-up Icon, comes out at the end of June according to the publisher and I will be picking it up.  I need to find out what happens - Persona was only the beginning.