20 November, 2009

Book Review: The Pearls by Deborah Chester



Book One of the Pearls and the Crown

Shandrael is a man without a soul. His Emperor has betrayed him, his gods have left him and he is not a happy camper. Then his brother comes up with a plot to save their homeland. A land Shandrael has foresworn as there is no loyalty but to the army; an army that dishonorably discharged he and his men. Brooding fuck.

Lea is beauty, light and joy. She is on a mission to her homeland to oversee the Holdenthal festival. And no one seems to be listening to her, even though she is the sister of the Emperor and has powers of her own. Sounds like she is whiney, but she isn’t. I think I like her.

It looks like we have a typical story of redemption here. Good girl tries to save the bad boy. But is it really that simple? The Emperor has been betrayed, but is it his sister that has betrayed him? Shandrael and Lea aren’t the only folks in this tale and it seems there may be a deeper game being played out.

Tune in sometime in the future where I will answer the questions of…

  • Why do strong women do stupid things even when they know better?
  • Will a gladiator slave turned King always be looked down upon?
  • When will “the government” realize that trying to suppress old religions just never works?
  • Why must brooding men be pretty?

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