by Barb Hendee
Publisher: ROC, published by the Penguin Group, New York, N.Y.
ISBN: 978-0-451-41415-1
Released: May 2013
National bestselling author Barb Hendee presents a dark, fascinating new series set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga... the story of two sisters who will discover they have far more power than they ever envisioned...
In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Céline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop. Céline earns additional money by posing as a seer and pretending to read people’s futures.
But they exist in a land of great noble houses, all vying for power, and when the sisters refuse the orders of a warlord prince, they must flee and are forced to depend on the warlord prince’s brother, Anton, for a temporary haven.
A series of bizarre deaths of pretty young girls are plaguing the village surrounding Prince Anton’s castle. He offers Céline and Amelie permanent protection if they can use their "skills" to find the killer.
With little choice, the sisters enter a world unknown to them — of fine gowns and banquets and advances from powerful men. Their survival depends on catching a murderer who appears to walk through walls and vanish without a trace — and the danger around them seems to grow with each passing night.
One day, a young noblewoman, Rhiannon, comes by to have her fortune read as her father wants her to marry warlord Sub-Prince Damek. She wants to know if she will give him a son as noblemen expect that. Celine doesn’t remember the woman’s name in connection with her first reading at age 16, when a young man had his read. He had not given his name at the time. But what Celine doesn’t know as due to that first reading and this one, hers and the young man’s fortunes are all tied up together. At Rhiannon’s reading, Celine’s abilities her mother has as a seer comes into power and she finds that if the woman marries Damek, he will have her strangled after the birth of his son. Damek sends his tax collector and men to kill them and destroy their place, but they are saved by Jaromir, who heads Damek’s younger brother, Sub-Prince Anton. He was sent by Anton to do a service. It seems there are young, beautiful women being murdered in his kingdom, drained of all life and reduced to dry husks. Celine is asked to use her abilities as seer to read the women of the kingdom’s futures—to see who is next on the murderer’s list.
I enjoyed Barb Hendee when she wrote the Noble Dead Saga series with her husband. But going alone with this fantasy series, with touch of mystery, she really hit a winner out of the park with this (obviously) first book. I couldn't put the book down and finished in a day. If you prefer urban fantasy over fantasy, don’t worry as this fantasy reads like an urban fantasy, just set in medieval times, with a hint of romance, murder, and political intrigue.
Not like most fantasies which are large tomes, this one is a good and fast read. My favorite of the characters? Amelie and Jaromir. Not so much Celine, going hot and cold in how she acted. As for Anton, he needed more fleshing out, and hopefully in the next book it will be. Like to see more of the attraction both he and Celine are beginning to feel.
I give 5 sheep
Guest Reviewer: Author Pamela Kinney
About the author:
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ISBN: 978-0-451-41415-1
Released: May 2013
National bestselling author Barb Hendee presents a dark, fascinating new series set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga... the story of two sisters who will discover they have far more power than they ever envisioned...
In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Céline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop. Céline earns additional money by posing as a seer and pretending to read people’s futures.
But they exist in a land of great noble houses, all vying for power, and when the sisters refuse the orders of a warlord prince, they must flee and are forced to depend on the warlord prince’s brother, Anton, for a temporary haven.
A series of bizarre deaths of pretty young girls are plaguing the village surrounding Prince Anton’s castle. He offers Céline and Amelie permanent protection if they can use their "skills" to find the killer.
With little choice, the sisters enter a world unknown to them — of fine gowns and banquets and advances from powerful men. Their survival depends on catching a murderer who appears to walk through walls and vanish without a trace — and the danger around them seems to grow with each passing night.
One day, a young noblewoman, Rhiannon, comes by to have her fortune read as her father wants her to marry warlord Sub-Prince Damek. She wants to know if she will give him a son as noblemen expect that. Celine doesn’t remember the woman’s name in connection with her first reading at age 16, when a young man had his read. He had not given his name at the time. But what Celine doesn’t know as due to that first reading and this one, hers and the young man’s fortunes are all tied up together. At Rhiannon’s reading, Celine’s abilities her mother has as a seer comes into power and she finds that if the woman marries Damek, he will have her strangled after the birth of his son. Damek sends his tax collector and men to kill them and destroy their place, but they are saved by Jaromir, who heads Damek’s younger brother, Sub-Prince Anton. He was sent by Anton to do a service. It seems there are young, beautiful women being murdered in his kingdom, drained of all life and reduced to dry husks. Celine is asked to use her abilities as seer to read the women of the kingdom’s futures—to see who is next on the murderer’s list.
I enjoyed Barb Hendee when she wrote the Noble Dead Saga series with her husband. But going alone with this fantasy series, with touch of mystery, she really hit a winner out of the park with this (obviously) first book. I couldn't put the book down and finished in a day. If you prefer urban fantasy over fantasy, don’t worry as this fantasy reads like an urban fantasy, just set in medieval times, with a hint of romance, murder, and political intrigue.
Not like most fantasies which are large tomes, this one is a good and fast read. My favorite of the characters? Amelie and Jaromir. Not so much Celine, going hot and cold in how she acted. As for Anton, he needed more fleshing out, and hopefully in the next book it will be. Like to see more of the attraction both he and Celine are beginning to feel.
I give 5 sheep
Guest Reviewer: Author Pamela Kinney
About the author:
website-FB-twitter
Like most writers, I've worked at many jobs in my life, including teaching pre-school until I completed my master's degree in Composition Theory. Between 1993 and 2006, I taught college English while writing fiction on the side, some independently and some with my husband and life-long partner J.C.
Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.
We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.
J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.
In 2008, I sold the idea for the Vampire Memories series to our editor, Susan Allison, at Roc Books. I am so glad our books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.
Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.
We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.
J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.
In 2008, I sold the idea for the Vampire Memories series to our editor, Susan Allison, at Roc Books. I am so glad our books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.
Series
1. Dhampir (2003)2. Thief of Lives (2004)
3. Sister of the Dead (2005)
4. Traitor to the Blood (2006)
5. Rebel Fay (2007)
6. Child of a Dead God (2008)
Vampire Memories
1. Blood Memories (2008)
2. Hunting Memories (2009)
3. Memories of Envy (2010)
4. In Memories We Fear (2011)
5. Ghost of Memories (2012)
Noble Dead Saga 2 (with J C Hendee)1. In Shade and Shadow (2008)
2. Through Stone and Sea (2009)
3. Of Truth and Beasts (2011)
Noble Dead Saga 3 (with J C Hendee)1. Between Their Worlds (2012)
2. The Dog in the Dark (2012)
Tales from the world of the Noble Dead SagaHomeward, I: The Game Piece (2012)
Homeward, II: The Feral Path (2012)
Homeward, III: The Sapphire (2012)
Homeward, IV: The Keepers (2012)
Homeward, V: The Reluctant Guardian (2012)
Tales of Misbelief, I: The Forgotten Lord (2013)
Homeward: Captives (2013)
Homeward: Claws (2013)
Just bought and read :) Would have liked for it to have more detail and just more but was still an enjoyable short read. would liked to have spent more time with the characters .
ReplyDeleteWow I have a lot of books to catch up with. I sure would like to read this book.
ReplyDelete