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Summary
Summary
When eighteen-year-old heiress Averie Winston travels to faraway Chiarrin, she looks forward to the reunion with her father and her handsome fianc,, Morgan. What she finds is entirely different from what she expected. She realizes that Morgan is not the man she thought he was; and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to another. Handsome Lieutenant Ket Du'kai is like no one Averie has ever met, and she enjoys every moment she spends with him, every delicious flirtation. Averie knows she's still engaged to another man, but she can't help but think about Lieutenant Du'kai, and she wonders if he feels the same.
Author Notes
Sharon Shinn was born in 1957. She is a novelist who writes combining fantasy, science fiction and romance. She attended and graduated from Northwestern University. She has published more than a dozen novels for adult and young adult readers. She works as a journalist in St. Louis Missouri. She is a frequent attender of science-fiction/ fantasy conventions such as ArmadilloCon26 and Capricorn 29 in 2009. Sharon Shinn donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University. Sharon Shinn won the William Crawford Award for Achievement in Fantasy and was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. A journalist who lives in St. Louis, Shinn is also the author of Archangel, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files, Wrapt in Crystal, and The Shape-Changer's Wife.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-A wealthy heiress, 18-year-old Averie Winston is betrothed to Colonel Morgan Stode, whom she has loved since she first laid eyes on him at the age of eight. When the opportunity arises for her to leave Aeberelle to join her father and Colonel Stode in Chiarrin, she jumps at the chance to see the world and leave her dull life behind. Her eyes begin to open on the voyage over with her friendship to Lieutenant Du'Kai. Many of their conversations revolve around other cultures, customs, and the imperialistic tendencies of the Aeberelle government; his own country of Xan'tai has been taken over by it. While visiting a Chiarrin marketplace, rebels attack and injure a native woman whom Averie has befriended. Averie offers Jalessa a job in her home and it is she who truly exposes her to a different way of life and point of view. The young woman comes to realize that her opinions on politics, her father, the military, and even her feelings for Morgan have changed. Even though the story takes place in a fictionalized setting, Shinn does an excellent job creating a parallel to the British Empire in its height of 19th-century imperialism. The characters are well developed and believable, and readers will certainly identify with Averie's determination and zest for life. Interestingly, the story opens with a journey in one direction and culminates with a different one entirely. Readers should enjoy this novel as it has something to offer to almost everyone-politics, romance, danger, friendship, and betrayal.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
For 17 years, Averie has lived the sheltered life of a rich general's daughter in her native land of Aeberelle, never questioning the source of her wealth or the ramifications of her father's invasions. However, when Averie leaves Aeberelle to join her father and fiance in Chiarrin, a foreign land under the occupation of her father's military, Averie cannot continue ignoring these questions and finds herself struggling with the ethics of invading another nation. Averie's confusion is magnified as she quickly becomes enchanted by Chiarrin's vibrant culture and befriends a dark and handsome soldier, who, although he serves her father, is truly a citizen of a land controlled by Aeberelle. Although presented as fictional settings, the lands are easily likened to familiar nations and the time period has the flavor of the late 18th century. However, because this text is not firmly tethered to reality, Averie's well-drawn headstrong is realistic. Thought-provoking with a sinuous thread of romance and danger that keeps it light and entertaining. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Averie is thrilled to visit Chiarrin, a colonized land her father oversees as general of the Aebrian military. As the foreign rhythms of her new life sweep her along, the general's daughter begins to question the ethics and wisdom of colonial governance, depicted as a rough parallel to British rule during empire days. She delves into the culture, strains against the fussy restraints of her era and social class, and finds herself drawn to an officer of non-Aerbrian descent. But it is an interesting young woman from the marketplace, Jalessa, who truly opens a window into Chiarrizi culture. As political resistance begins to threaten colonial rule, security becomes tighter, tensions rise, and the plot culminates in some rather shocking events. But Shinn, an author who smoothly crosses back and forth between adult and YA fantasy audiences, skillfully shepherds her tale to a satisfying, believable conclusion. This thoughtful romance with political overtones will prove irresistible to many readers.--O'Malley, Anne Copyright 2007 Booklist
