Pace-wise, this is a leisurely story, stretching over more than a year. Theodora - a stranded scholar - is hired by a noble sorceror, Ran, and gets tangled in his business and family affairs while trying to earn a ticket back to her previous planet.This is a story which I like primarily because I like the heroine (skeptical, dogged, reluctant to be vulnerable), and it's definitely a story for those who like a big dose of world-building, and a bunch of minor problem-solving and self-discovery of the protagonist, rather than relentless hammering of action. It also has a melancholic aspect, rather than one of those good guy beats bad guy books.The relationship between Theo and Ran is one which will have readers wanting to strangle Ran on more than one occasion - but he makes up for it in the end, the smug git. :)
