Reader and Raelynx

by Sharon Shinn

Ace Books; $24.95, 420pp

Another terrific novel of the Twelve Houses, this time Shinn ratchets up the tension by throwing in war—one that has been brewing throughout the other three novels in this series.

In the midst of this escalating strife, Cammon, the orphaned mystic Senneth and her friends discovered in the first novel is really coming into his own here. His empathetic powers have become vital to the other mystics in his group, Senneth, Justin, Donal, Tayse, Ellynor and Kirra. He can feel approaching danger for his six comrades and more importantly any that which threatens King Baryn, his Queen Valri and his daughter Amalie.

Ah, Princess Amalie. She is the heart of this story. Though there are battles and confrontations and drama, the main thread of this tale is Cammon and Amalie’s growing love for the other. A love, of course, that on the surface would be impossible to allow. He is a nameless orphan, and she is the future Queen of all Gillengaria.

But because he can sense danger and has proven his worth over and over, Cammon is commanded to shadow the princess at any public function. While the other six friends work to bring together as many mystics as possible to confront the amassed armies of mercenaries and foreigners, as well as traitors, pulled together by Halchon Gisseltess and his fellow conspirator Rayson Fortunalt, Cammon is left in the capitol city of Ghosenhall to vet the continuous stream of suitors for the 19-year-old princess. And though the Queen, who is highly protective of Amalie usually plays chaperone, the two do get their moments alone. And one is just priceless. Naïve and sheltered, Amalie has no idea about the physical side of marriage. She also claims she has no idea of what a naked man looks like (Having, apparently, not even seen any naked statues). And so Cammon blithely shows her one cold afternoon out in the wilds of a garden, far from any prying eyes. He literally strips down naked and shows her his body. Amalie gives him a good once over, asks questions and then Cammon dresses. No innuendo and no sex. A wonderful way to handle a delicate subject!

This is one of my favorite novels of this series, because of the focus on Cammon and Amalie. The war is a big issue, of course, and the battles are huge. But Coralinda Gisseltess, the woman who has pulled together the followers of the Pale Mother and is leading them personally to join up with the rebels, plays a very small part in this book. Each villain, though, does get their come-uppance and Coralinda and Senneth get to fight it out in a fantastic duel.

And all the loose ends are tidily taken care of, including Cammon and Amalie’s affaire d’amore. I assume this is the last of the books in this series. But I certainly hope it is not the last of Shinn’s novels set in Gillengaria! - Sue Martin