TBR

Story:
Forentel is the daughter of the High Judge (her mother) and the commander of the kings army (her father). Her father wants to marry her off so that he can cement his alliance with other nobles in the city that think it is time for the ailing king to turn over the throne to his ambitious older son, Mirta. Erba is the younger son of the king and dreams of exploring far away lands in search of fame, riches, and adventure. He has no interest in dealing with the politics that come with the throne. Erba and Fortnell are brought toghether when both of their former lives are ripped away from them, Fortnell through the murky secrets in her parents past and Erba through the treachery of his brother. Together they must face shifting alliances , the treachous peoples of the desert, and their own predjuices to find the destiney that awaits them in the legendary city of Dreffir where the secret of Forentel ever increasing power will be revealed.
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This was a pretty good fantasy read. As far as I can tell this is a stand alone book meaning that you don't necessairly need to any other of the author's books to understand this one. It is a step above of the usual kid discovers that he/she has amazing powers and they go onto save the day. The characters in this book are mostly (understandbly) tired, confused, and scared as they seem to be being dragged along by something they cannot control. This book also does deal with prejudice as the main characters come from one nation (virsat) that has conquered another (tidar) and the conquered nation is seen as second class or worse. The characters grapple with their feelings as their preceptions change. As in real life not everything gets instantly better, it takes work. All in all I would recommend this to any one who likes a little depth to their characters and likes a fantasy that is set in a different world but deals with issues in this one. As a plus it does seem like a stand alone book.
m.a.c ( )