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A review by melindamoor
Echo in Emerald by Sharon Shinn
4.0
This book was better, more tense & exciting than Book 1, [b:Echo in Onyx|42206191|Echo in Onyx (Uncommon Echoes, #1)|Sharon Shinn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552939137l/42206191._SX50_.jpg|65821417] with a fantastic heroine.
While part of a series, all 3 books can be read as standalones.
Emerald
"In the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, many of the highest nobles are attended by one or two or three echoes—creatures who look exactly like them, who move with them in perfect synchronicity, but who have no thoughts or volition of their own. They are considered gifts from the triple goddess, who created them generations ago when war and murder put every noble’s life in danger; when assassins could not be sure which identical body was the true lord or lady, many fewer deaths occurred. Now, echoes are primarily a symbol of wealth and status."
Whenever you take a Sharon Shinn book, you can be sure of the following literary trademarks:
- great writing & characters
- detailed & unique world-building with well-defined politics, religion and geography
- intriguing plot (no armageddon or epic quest, though)
- believable, solid romance(s) that are not all-consuming (thankfully)
In Book 1, Echo in Onyx, we were offered a story through the eyes of Brianna, maid to a noblewoman with echoes and much of the time I was as confused and ignorant as her concerning the meaning, function and effect of echoes to an individual's life.
It helped a lot that the current story is told from the POV of Chessie, a street urchin in Camarria, who happens to have 2 echoes herself, though she is most keen to hide this fact from everyone around her and with good reason. We learn very early on in the story (so I won't put this under the spoiler tag) that she is actually the daughter of the most feared man in the Kingdom: Malachai Burkin, the King's main inquisitor. BUT we do not know all there is to know about Chessie's turbulent childhood. Further secrets will arise eventually that puts her in deadly danger and maybe the succession of the kingdom in jeopardy. It is all related to an attempt to murder the Crown Prince.
The investigation is conducted by Lord Dezmen from Pandrea, a high noble with impeccable reputation and a staunch supporter of the crown. (On a secondary note, apart from these 2 politically well-grounded reasons, why Lord Dezmen was chosen is anyone's guess, for most of the story he was clueless, skill-less & helpless and to me it is quite a lot of "less".)
Chessie's boss, Jackal, a kind of mafia-leader, who trades in favours, information and when necessary, lives, sends her to warn the Lord that some sinister forces want to make sure he fails. By chance, Chessie also manages to save Lord Dezmen's life and becomes embroiled in the tangled web of intrigue and investigation.
I absolutely loved Chessie's character: she is a survivor and had to go through a lot of ordeals to stay alive, but while she got damaged in the process, she never gave up and she didn't get embittered or become a cynic. I also liked the character of Jackal. He was very intriguing and much more interesting than the generic and bland Lord Dezmen who was the only thorn in this lovely rose of a novel for me and quite a big one.
However, the story is exciting and tense throughout the book with revelations just at the right places (though some of them you can guess for yourself) raising the stakes of the political game always higher.
While part of a series, all 3 books can be read as standalones.
Emerald
"In the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, many of the highest nobles are attended by one or two or three echoes—creatures who look exactly like them, who move with them in perfect synchronicity, but who have no thoughts or volition of their own. They are considered gifts from the triple goddess, who created them generations ago when war and murder put every noble’s life in danger; when assassins could not be sure which identical body was the true lord or lady, many fewer deaths occurred. Now, echoes are primarily a symbol of wealth and status."
Whenever you take a Sharon Shinn book, you can be sure of the following literary trademarks:
- great writing & characters
- detailed & unique world-building with well-defined politics, religion and geography
- intriguing plot (no armageddon or epic quest, though)
- believable, solid romance(s) that are not all-consuming (thankfully)
In Book 1, Echo in Onyx, we were offered a story through the eyes of Brianna, maid to a noblewoman with echoes and much of the time I was as confused and ignorant as her concerning the meaning, function and effect of echoes to an individual's life.
It helped a lot that the current story is told from the POV of Chessie, a street urchin in Camarria, who happens to have 2 echoes herself, though she is most keen to hide this fact from everyone around her and with good reason. We learn very early on in the story (so I won't put this under the spoiler tag) that she is actually the daughter of the most feared man in the Kingdom: Malachai Burkin, the King's main inquisitor. BUT we do not know all there is to know about Chessie's turbulent childhood. Further secrets will arise eventually that puts her in deadly danger and maybe the succession of the kingdom in jeopardy. It is all related to an attempt to murder the Crown Prince.
The investigation is conducted by Lord Dezmen from Pandrea, a high noble with impeccable reputation and a staunch supporter of the crown. (On a secondary note, apart from these 2 politically well-grounded reasons, why Lord Dezmen was chosen is anyone's guess, for most of the story he was clueless, skill-less & helpless and to me it is quite a lot of "less".)
Chessie's boss, Jackal, a kind of mafia-leader, who trades in favours, information and when necessary, lives, sends her to warn the Lord that some sinister forces want to make sure he fails. By chance, Chessie also manages to save Lord Dezmen's life and becomes embroiled in the tangled web of intrigue and investigation.
I absolutely loved Chessie's character: she is a survivor and had to go through a lot of ordeals to stay alive, but while she got damaged in the process, she never gave up and she didn't get embittered or become a cynic. I also liked the character of Jackal. He was very intriguing and much more interesting than the generic and bland Lord Dezmen
Spoiler
who, of course becomes Chessie's love interest. Sharon Shinn likes to balance her lovers: if one is noble than the other must be of humble origins, though in Chessie's case, this is not as straightforward.However, the story is exciting and tense throughout the book with revelations just at the right places (though some of them you can guess for yourself) raising the stakes of the political game always higher.