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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Troubled Waters tells the tale of Zoe Ardelay who is called back to the royal city after the death of her father to become the king's fifth wife. The novel takes her on a journey to discover the depths of her power both mystically and of her personality.
This book contains many elements familiar to readers of Sharon Shinn's other novels. There is of course the very gentle romance that develops although with more suspicion on the part of the heroine than usual. There is also a genuine sense of mystery as Zoe tries to uncover all the secrets of her father. In particular like her Twelve Houses series this book has characters who have mystical abilities divided into specific groups in this case: earth, air, fire, water and wood. The author does her usual excellent job of weaving this mystical concept into all of the world building.
Set in a different world to any of her previous novels this one has some particularly enjoyable differences. The drawing of blessings, coins with certain symbols, is a theme throughout the book and is an interesting concept. You can have a look at the symbols assigned to each blessing on Ms Shinn's website. Another difference from the Twelve Houses is that everyone has a mixture of the five elemental traits and there is a lot of reference to characteristics of individuals as being more of one than another.
As to be expected with Ms Shinn all the characters are well drawn so that even minor characters have a depth to them. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would love to spend some more time exploring this world. I can only hope Ms Shinn writes a sequel.
This book contains many elements familiar to readers of Sharon Shinn's other novels. There is of course the very gentle romance that develops although with more suspicion on the part of the heroine than usual. There is also a genuine sense of mystery as Zoe tries to uncover all the secrets of her father. In particular like her Twelve Houses series this book has characters who have mystical abilities divided into specific groups in this case: earth, air, fire, water and wood. The author does her usual excellent job of weaving this mystical concept into all of the world building.
Set in a different world to any of her previous novels this one has some particularly enjoyable differences. The drawing of blessings, coins with certain symbols, is a theme throughout the book and is an interesting concept. You can have a look at the symbols assigned to each blessing on Ms Shinn's website. Another difference from the Twelve Houses is that everyone has a mixture of the five elemental traits and there is a lot of reference to characteristics of individuals as being more of one than another.
As to be expected with Ms Shinn all the characters are well drawn so that even minor characters have a depth to them. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would love to spend some more time exploring this world. I can only hope Ms Shinn writes a sequel.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
46 reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
An Excellent Beginning to a New Series
7 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a big Sharon Shinn fan, and this newest novel does not disappoint! Zoe Ardelay has been living in exile with her father since she was 13, and as the novel opens he has just passed away and a royal messenger arrives to bring her to the royal city and marry the king. In the new world of Welce that Shinn has created, there are 5 "traits" that must be in balance, and Zoe is of high birth and possesses the blood/water trait that is needed at the palace. As any reader of Shinn knows, though, her heroines rarely do exactly what they're supposed to. Zoe escapes from her escort and finds her own way once they reach the royal city, supporting herself while she figures out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. As is par for the course with Shinn, too, there is a love story arc woven in, though it is not the primary focus of the book. Zoe has to find her place as an aristocrat in this society, and unravel the mystery of why her father was banished and her mothers family cut all ties with her. (Or did they...)
While fans of the Twelve Houses series will find echoes of the same courtly intrigue and politicking, and while the world Zoe lives in reminded me quite a bit of the world of the Safekeepers Secret series (Shinn's lovely Young Adult trilogy), and even while Zoe herself brings to mind the contrariness of Tamar in "The Alleluia Files," the book is entirely separate from all of these. Rather than reading as a rehash of earlier work, it comes off as the best of Shinn's repertoire; she has really hit her stride.
One of my favorite parts of her novels has always been the background culture on which she structures her
storylines (the Gloria in the Samaria series, the solstice gatherings in the Safekeepers Secret series) and the in-depth background of this world is particularly charming--there are 'blessings' by which people guide their lives. Each child receives three blessings at birth that remain with them, while at any time one can visit a temple to pick a random blessing that is thought to give them divine guidance pertaining to thier lives at the moment. This is utilized in the novel both by showing how Zoe's life is shaped by her birth blessing of Power, and by her consultations periodically of the random temple blessings, but her blood/water trait (called Coru in the novel) leaves plenty of room for subsequent books pursuing other characters with different primary traits.
Bottom line: while some previous work has felt a little rushed ("Reader and Raelynx" struck me that way), this is a great stand-alone novel that also gives the reader hope for several new novels in this fascinating world.
While fans of the Twelve Houses series will find echoes of the same courtly intrigue and politicking, and while the world Zoe lives in reminded me quite a bit of the world of the Safekeepers Secret series (Shinn's lovely Young Adult trilogy), and even while Zoe herself brings to mind the contrariness of Tamar in "The Alleluia Files," the book is entirely separate from all of these. Rather than reading as a rehash of earlier work, it comes off as the best of Shinn's repertoire; she has really hit her stride.
One of my favorite parts of her novels has always been the background culture on which she structures her
storylines (the Gloria in the Samaria series, the solstice gatherings in the Safekeepers Secret series) and the in-depth background of this world is particularly charming--there are 'blessings' by which people guide their lives. Each child receives three blessings at birth that remain with them, while at any time one can visit a temple to pick a random blessing that is thought to give them divine guidance pertaining to thier lives at the moment. This is utilized in the novel both by showing how Zoe's life is shaped by her birth blessing of Power, and by her consultations periodically of the random temple blessings, but her blood/water trait (called Coru in the novel) leaves plenty of room for subsequent books pursuing other characters with different primary traits.
Bottom line: while some previous work has felt a little rushed ("Reader and Raelynx" struck me that way), this is a great stand-alone novel that also gives the reader hope for several new novels in this fascinating world.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Not quite as good as Mystics and Riders series
12 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Some of my favorite fantasy novels were the Mystics and Riders series. And I was expecting a lot from Troubled Waters, because Sharon Shinn created such realistic and engaging characters in that series, with plots that were both character and action driven. In Troubled Waters, I felt that the main character was hard to relate to. The decisions that Zoe made didn't seem consistent (even given that her character, governed by water, was supposed to be changeable). Zoe felt contrived to me. Also, although there was much detailed description, the story didn't come alive. It seem a lot of the author's focus was to develop the underpinnings of the world she was creating in this series (I'm assuming it will be a series). On the plus side, the concepts of the novel were extremely interesting. There are many fine characters, and a rich world in which to spin new plots. I can imagine the next book could be amazingly engaging and entertaining.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Audio version
13 Jan 2011
Format:Hardcover
Zoe Ardelay and her father, once the king's closest advisor, have been in exile for ten years. After her father dies, the king's new advisor, Darien Serlast, shows up in Zoe's village to escort her back to court because she's been chosen to be the king's fifth wife. At first Zoe is numb with grief and shock, but by the time they reach the capital city her "water" personality asserts itself and she begins to flow around the obstacles in her way -- obstacles such as Darien himself, a man of "wood" who's strong, stubborn, and immovable.
Filled with vivid characters, beautiful scenery, sweet friendships, surprising destinies, political intrigue, mystery, a slow satisfying romance, and an interesting take on personality types, Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn is a book that just feels good. I listened to the audio version produced by Audible Frontiers and read by Jennifer Van Dyck. It was 14 hours long, but I enjoyed it so much that I finished it over a weekend, which kind of annoyed my family. I even considered trying to extract myself from a couple of social engagements so I could spend time with Zoe instead.
Troubled Waters is definitely a romance -- and some of the verbal sparring felt a bit contrived, as if set up just to create that tension -- yet mostly the romance brews in the background as Zoe navigates her way through her changed world. Some readers won't believe in the romance, and others might feel that things work out too easily for Zoe, but I enjoyed this low-stress novel. It features a strong and likable heroine, a love-interest who's my kind of guy, a diverse supporting cast, a leisurely pace, and it focuses on a variety of human relationships. It is likely to appeal mostly to women.
Troubled Waters can be read as a satisfying stand-alone story, but there may be more books to come. If so, I'll definitely be picking them up. Meanwhile, I'll be trying out some more novels by Sharon Shinn.
Filled with vivid characters, beautiful scenery, sweet friendships, surprising destinies, political intrigue, mystery, a slow satisfying romance, and an interesting take on personality types, Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn is a book that just feels good. I listened to the audio version produced by Audible Frontiers and read by Jennifer Van Dyck. It was 14 hours long, but I enjoyed it so much that I finished it over a weekend, which kind of annoyed my family. I even considered trying to extract myself from a couple of social engagements so I could spend time with Zoe instead.
Troubled Waters is definitely a romance -- and some of the verbal sparring felt a bit contrived, as if set up just to create that tension -- yet mostly the romance brews in the background as Zoe navigates her way through her changed world. Some readers won't believe in the romance, and others might feel that things work out too easily for Zoe, but I enjoyed this low-stress novel. It features a strong and likable heroine, a love-interest who's my kind of guy, a diverse supporting cast, a leisurely pace, and it focuses on a variety of human relationships. It is likely to appeal mostly to women.
Troubled Waters can be read as a satisfying stand-alone story, but there may be more books to come. If so, I'll definitely be picking them up. Meanwhile, I'll be trying out some more novels by Sharon Shinn.
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