Review - Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light

I really enjoyed Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light. It's the first book by Tanya Huff I've ever read, so I didn't really know what to expect. The plot itself is simple and an old one -- the Dark fights the Light. A good one, of course, but not terribly original. The main attraction of this one is the characters: the mentally disadvantaged female lead, Rebecca; the Bard questioning his sexuality, Roland; the Hindu(?) social worker, Daru; the pretty boy Adept of the Light, Evan. In standard fantasy, at least, these are pretty new characters, and they're well-written and fun. I enjoyed Roland's subplot of coming to terms with his feelings about Evan a lot, although I wish there'd been more between them because it'd have been a lovely relationship to read about.

Fairly predictable and not terribly original in plot, but a fun enough read which doesn't require much thinking.