The
people of Renthia are dependent on the spirits who make crops
grow and cooking fires burn. But the spirits hate the humans
and kill them when they can. Thus, the people depend upon
the one person who can control the spirits completely: the
queen. And the present queen of Renthia seems to be one of
the most powerful of all. But things aren't right in Renthia.
People are dying. And the queen may have secrets that her
people could never guess -- secrets that kill. I really enjoyed
the way the author handled the "spirits," who seem
to combine all the qualities of elemental spirits and fae
and demons into one interesting collection. I also enjoyed
the depth of characterization. The author took very seriously
the goal of giving every character something to want. The
conflicts felt real and are sometimes heart-rending. One of
my very favorite things about the book is the balanced description
of the sexes in Renthia. This is a society where all people
really are seen as quite equal and that's refreshing, especially
in fantasy novels. Some of the big surprises at the end weren't
particularly surprising to the reader, though they were compelling
to watch unfold just the same. From the very beginning, you
could guess what at least part of the end would be, but that
didn't keep the journey through the story from being interesting.
A new interpretation of some old fantasy tropes that made
the whole book feel surprisingly fresh. I liked it. I'll watch
for the second book with eagerness.
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