Daughter of the Empire

Daughter of the Empire, by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts

Publisher: Harper Voyager.

Publication date: First published May 19, 1987 - Epub edition 2012.
Category: Political fantasy novel

Setting: Alien Japanese/ Chinese country)

Source: I spotted book two, Servant of the Empire, in my local newsagent and had a read of the blurb. I was intrigued and went looking for the first book.

Under the green tinged sun of an alien world called Kelewan, Mara listens as the gong counts away her life as the daughter of the Acoma, at its end she will be made a servant of Lashima, Goddess of the inner light.

The ceremony is sharply halted by a harsh urgent cry of a man she has known since birth. Keyoke, the Acoma force commander is seen rushing up the stoned pathway towards her, grave news is given quickly prohibiting the now last living heir of the Acoma to undertake the vows that would bind her to the temple.

Mara must now bring her house back from the brink of destruction and does so with advisers Keyoke and Nacoya by her side, she overcomes immediate destruction of Acoma and bends tradition to enlist a strong force of grey warriors (masterless soldiers who had fallen from honour) to her curse. Not yet at full strength and still at risk from enemies, Mara’s learns of a new Cho-ja queen and bargains with the art-like creature and persuades it to move onto her lands with warriors that will ensure Mara’s houses survival. She endures the suit of a lesser enemy’s youngest son to ensure the Acoma name has an heir, and then she manages to dispose of her greatest foe in his own impregnable stronghold by the book’s end.

Daughter of the Empire took my breath away, the depth and twisting turns of the political slash fantasy novel had me enthralled.

Set in a world with many six legged creatures, and a man sized intelligent ant-like race, subservient to the Tsuranuanni Empire and its Lords.

For me it reads like a manga, for I imagine an Asian styled race that will do anything for honour of their house and name.

Mara’s character is to me spellbinding as she turns from frightened girl forced to grow up fast into a ruling lady of an ancient house. Mara is right away under attack from the Acoma’s ancient rivals the Minasawai whom have orchestrated the deaths of her father and brother during the Riftwar.

Despite its age this book is wonderful, and so is it’s sequels. The Empire trilogy will keep you enthralled for many days.

Love The Otaku Bookworm.

The Kinslayer

By Jay Kristoff

This review comes late and apologise for this but I have been a slave to another trilogy I started and quickly finished after I finished this book. My last post reviewed the Storm dancer the first book of the lotus wars series. I now review its sequel. The Kinslayer the second of the Lotus wars series.

In the after mass of The Stormdancer our heroin Yukiko has fallen into a deep desperation brought on by the fate of her beloved father, as a result her powers are spiraling out of control and she struggles to come to terms of the maelstrom of events that she and her Thunder tiger Buruu have just survived. Realising her powers are getting more out of control with her unstable moods Yukiko and Buruu must journey north in search of answers. Waylaid for most of the duration of the book Yukiko and Buruu find themselves dancing a deadly dance against tattooed monks, foreigners and Thunder tigers who all have their own agenda.

Meanwhile back into Shima the empire has been thrown into chaos and the only way to calm the waters and stifle the rebellion after the Shōgun’s death is to name the new Shōgun.

Hiro, the man that once seeked the hand of the stormdancer is now trapped in a political game to place him at the head of the empire. Set to wed the surviving sister Ashia of the Shōgun Yoritomo. Ashia daily wishes that she had been allowed to die after the beating her brother had given her. All the while the rebellion the Kage organization have set in motion with help of Yukiko, is now poised to attack the capital city with hopes to disrupt and maybe destroy the up and coming wedding to make Hiro Shōgun.

We meet new characters in the form of street rats Hana and Yoshi brother and sister who have lived and fought on the streets of the imperial city for most of their lives, both have been hiding a great secret all of their lives, like Yukiko the siblings can communicate with animals and this aids to their survival thus far in the brutal dance of the streets.

This book is brutal in its last few chapters Yoshi and Hana are swept up with the fight for rebellion against the guild and the Shōgun’s men, whilst they run for their lives from the Yakuza. At the end we are left wanting more answers and feel cheated for not having had more Buruu and Yukoki fighting against the wedding and aiding the rebels.

I loved the Siblings Yoshi (Mario brothers) and Hana (Can you get a more generic Japanese girls name?) but in my otauku heart of hearts, I loved the names and the ties I made with the characters through them. Allowing for them to be what they were and wanting more chapters surrounding Yoshi his lover and his kid sister who took up what I thought was Yukiko’s space whist she was off finding herself.

I wait for the next book with bated breath and just hope Jay Kristoff will be more gentle to our favourite characters… or maybe not *evil grin* And loving every second of it.

Love The Otaku Bookworm.