Ilse Zhalina is the daughter of one of Melnek's more prominent merchants. She has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege. Many would consider hers a happy lot. But there are dark secrets, especially in the best of families. Ilse has learned that for a young woman of her beauty and social station, to be passive and silent is the way to survive. When Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realizes that he is far crueller and more deadly than her father could ever be. Ilse chooses to run. This choice will change her life forever. And it will lead her to Raul Kosenmark, master of one of the land's most notorious pleasure houses...and who is, as Ilse discovers, a puppet master of a different sort altogether. Ilse discovers a world where every pleasure has a price and there are levels of magic and intrigue she once thought unimaginable. She also finds the other half of her heart.
Passion Play (River of Souls)
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"Passion Play, indeed. Passionate, articulate, clever, this book sings right along. Byzantine politics seldom combine so well with great characters. A marvellous debut novel." (Patricia Brigs, New York Times Bestselling Author)"
About the Author
BETH BERNOBICH comes from a family of story tellers, artists, and engineers. She juggles her time between working with computer software, writing, family, and karate. Her short stories have appeared publications such as "Asimov's, Interzone, Postscripts, Strange Horizons," and "Sex in the System." She lives with her husband and son in Bethany, Connecticut. "Passion Play "is her first novel.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Born into a wealthy merchant family in the city of Melnek, Therez Zhalina lives a stifling existence where women are not expected to express opinions. She dreams of escape to the capital city of Duenne, but the possibility of war and its consequent effect on trade leads her father to barter her away in marriage to the head of the City Council who can grant lucrative contracts but has a cruel reputation. When her father refuses to listen to her concerns, Therez sees no other choice but to escape, sneaking out of the house and taking a wagon train to Duenne in the hope of starting a new life.
Instead she finds herself betrayed and forced to make a terrible choice that leaves her gravely ill in the city of Tiralien. She's given refuge by Lord Raul Kosenmark, a former adviser to the king who now lives in exile, running a house of pleasure for the city's elite. Therez takes the name Ilse and starts to rebuild her life, working in the house's kitchen and growing closer to Kosenmark, who admires her quiet intelligence. Bu the closer she gets to him, the more she learns about the intrigue that runs through the house and of matters that go to the heart of the nation and its security.
Beth Bernobich's novel is a quiet but compelling fantasy that focuses on character development but brings in political machinations, magic and intrigue. This is very much Therez's story - how her experiences (at times brutal and horrifying) shape her and how she comes to be embroiled in this world. As such, the political elements are brought in slowly as Therez gradually gets brought in - similarly, the relationship between her and Kosenmark is a slow-burner that doesn't develop until the final third.... Read more ›
Instead she finds herself betrayed and forced to make a terrible choice that leaves her gravely ill in the city of Tiralien. She's given refuge by Lord Raul Kosenmark, a former adviser to the king who now lives in exile, running a house of pleasure for the city's elite. Therez takes the name Ilse and starts to rebuild her life, working in the house's kitchen and growing closer to Kosenmark, who admires her quiet intelligence. Bu the closer she gets to him, the more she learns about the intrigue that runs through the house and of matters that go to the heart of the nation and its security.
Beth Bernobich's novel is a quiet but compelling fantasy that focuses on character development but brings in political machinations, magic and intrigue. This is very much Therez's story - how her experiences (at times brutal and horrifying) shape her and how she comes to be embroiled in this world. As such, the political elements are brought in slowly as Therez gradually gets brought in - similarly, the relationship between her and Kosenmark is a slow-burner that doesn't develop until the final third.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By StarPlayer
Format:Hardcover
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
Ilse has learned that for a young woman of her beauty and social station, to be passive and silent is the way to survive when Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realizes that he is far crueller and more deadly than her father could ever be. Ilse chooses to run. This choice will change her life forever........
I found the rape section distressing. I was surprised by it, not being aware that the heroine was raped. Having read the book I have come to the conclusion that the author did not need to go into as much details has she did to enhance the story. It was unnecessary. I will not be reading book 2.
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
********************************************* SPOILERS *********************************************
Ilse has learned that for a young woman of her beauty and social station, to be passive and silent is the way to survive when Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realizes that he is far crueller and more deadly than her father could ever be. Ilse chooses to run. This choice will change her life forever........
I found the rape section distressing. I was surprised by it, not being aware that the heroine was raped. Having read the book I have come to the conclusion that the author did not need to go into as much details has she did to enhance the story. It was unnecessary. I will not be reading book 2.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By DebB
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
Why did it surprise me?
I think because of the blurb:
"... her flight leads her to [...] one of the land's most notorious pleasure houses..." and
"...a world where every pleasure has its price..."
so I sort of assumed this was going to be a Shade of Grey (and no, I haven't read it!) initiation into sexual pleasure sort of book. Which I though might do for a quick read. So I started reading this with the wrong mindset - not helped by thinking I'd picked up a Keri Arthur book from my to-read pile, so I was wondering where the werewolves and vampires were,:-)
However, I soon realised I was reading something quite different to my expectations. This is a fairly classic fantasy - young girl flees family pressure, only to learn that life is very unsafe outside her family home, discovers herself, discovers she has determination and strength, finds friends, a man, gets involved in a big, dangerous game of politics and treason... The book is all from Therez/Ilse's point of view, which means we don't learn why others do as they do, even the significant others, and at times I really wanted to know more about some of the other characters, who, because we only see them through Therez/Ilse's often uninformed eyes, end up having no real depth.
Ms Bernobich has created a believable world. There are a lot of names to take in, and I struggled to remember who was who, and who was significant and who wasn't. The early scenes draw you in and firmly place Therez at the centre of the book. Later scenes describing her escape do not make easy reading - there's nothing gratuious here, but when a young girl is at the mercy of men, there's no pleasant way to write what happens, and for me, it was clear where matters were heading, which made for uncomfortable reading.... Read more ›
I think because of the blurb:
"... her flight leads her to [...] one of the land's most notorious pleasure houses..." and
"...a world where every pleasure has its price..."
so I sort of assumed this was going to be a Shade of Grey (and no, I haven't read it!) initiation into sexual pleasure sort of book. Which I though might do for a quick read. So I started reading this with the wrong mindset - not helped by thinking I'd picked up a Keri Arthur book from my to-read pile, so I was wondering where the werewolves and vampires were,:-)
However, I soon realised I was reading something quite different to my expectations. This is a fairly classic fantasy - young girl flees family pressure, only to learn that life is very unsafe outside her family home, discovers herself, discovers she has determination and strength, finds friends, a man, gets involved in a big, dangerous game of politics and treason... The book is all from Therez/Ilse's point of view, which means we don't learn why others do as they do, even the significant others, and at times I really wanted to know more about some of the other characters, who, because we only see them through Therez/Ilse's often uninformed eyes, end up having no real depth.
Ms Bernobich has created a believable world. There are a lot of names to take in, and I struggled to remember who was who, and who was significant and who wasn't. The early scenes draw you in and firmly place Therez at the centre of the book. Later scenes describing her escape do not make easy reading - there's nothing gratuious here, but when a young girl is at the mercy of men, there's no pleasant way to write what happens, and for me, it was clear where matters were heading, which made for uncomfortable reading.... Read more ›
Format:Hardcover
The setting of "Passion Play" was enough to get me to pick up Beth Bernobitch's debut novel -- a sort of medievalish Renaissanceish Italy-Spainy kind of world. But there was also a lot in it that nearly made me put it down, ranging from the cliches of the fantasy genre to the flimsy storyline (which has more than enough time to flesh itself out).
Therez Zhalina is the daughter of a rich but unhappy merchant family. Then she meets the much older man that her father has decided for her to marry, and freaks out because he's even nastier than her father. So, like any rebellious princess, she changes her name to Ilse and runs away. Big mistake: she finds out that there are things that are much, much worse in this world.
She eventually finds her way under the wing of Raul Kosenmark, a castrati brothel-owner, and discovers that Raul is far more important and dangerous than he appears. He's forming his own "shadow court," and Ilse soon becomes wrapped in this world of court intrigue, secrets and shadowy magic...
"Passion Play" is a textbook example of a book that has lots of awesome ideas -- reincarnation as fact rather than belief, a Mediterranean fantasy world, court intrigue, a feisty heroine seeking her place in the world. But somehow... it just never gels into the brilliant Sherwood-Smith-by-way-of-Robin-Mckinley book it tries to be.
Part of this is because Bernobich never fleshes out her world quite as much as she could. There were so many parts of it that could have been explained just a LITTLE more, like countries and people never seen by the readers, and court intrigue conducted by proxies. Bernobich has the skeleton of an elaborate, earthy-yet-elegant plot in this book, but she isn't able to quite enthrall us with the flesh.... Read more ›
Therez Zhalina is the daughter of a rich but unhappy merchant family. Then she meets the much older man that her father has decided for her to marry, and freaks out because he's even nastier than her father. So, like any rebellious princess, she changes her name to Ilse and runs away. Big mistake: she finds out that there are things that are much, much worse in this world.
She eventually finds her way under the wing of Raul Kosenmark, a castrati brothel-owner, and discovers that Raul is far more important and dangerous than he appears. He's forming his own "shadow court," and Ilse soon becomes wrapped in this world of court intrigue, secrets and shadowy magic...
"Passion Play" is a textbook example of a book that has lots of awesome ideas -- reincarnation as fact rather than belief, a Mediterranean fantasy world, court intrigue, a feisty heroine seeking her place in the world. But somehow... it just never gels into the brilliant Sherwood-Smith-by-way-of-Robin-Mckinley book it tries to be.
Part of this is because Bernobich never fleshes out her world quite as much as she could. There were so many parts of it that could have been explained just a LITTLE more, like countries and people never seen by the readers, and court intrigue conducted by proxies. Bernobich has the skeleton of an elaborate, earthy-yet-elegant plot in this book, but she isn't able to quite enthrall us with the flesh.... Read more ›
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