A terminally ill healer... Zivah was once her village's most promising young healer, mastering potions that altered both body and mind. But when she's conscripted to treat a battalion of grievously ill soldiers, Zivah contracts the deadly rose plague. Now she's doomed to a slow, solitary death, cut off from everyone she loves. A broken warrior... Dineas grew up fighting to free his people from the Amparan empire, but capture and torture have left him shattered. Though he's now escaped from the emperor's ...
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A terminally ill healer... Zivah was once her village's most promising young healer, mastering potions that altered both body and mind. But when she's conscripted to treat a battalion of grievously ill soldiers, Zivah contracts the deadly rose plague. Now she's doomed to a slow, solitary death, cut off from everyone she loves. A broken warrior... Dineas grew up fighting to free his people from the Amparan empire, but capture and torture have left him shattered. Though he's now escaped from the emperor's dungeons, he cannot outrun the lingering effects of his trauma. Zivah and Dineas share nothing but loathing for the empire and a deep-seated wish to be useful again. When they're presented with an unexpected chance to help their people, they're drawn to the opportunity, even if the perils are great. If Zivah can use her potions to remove Dineas's memories, he could infiltrate and undermine the imperial army. Success could bring the freedom they've longed for. Failure would mean death, or the loss of their very selves. As healer and warrior set off on the most dangerous mission of their lives, they navigate shifting allegiances, hidden assassins, and a disease that's left its mark on every aspect of their world. And as Zivah and Dineas's distrust for each other gives way to a growing attraction, the two must untangle their treacherous emotions before everything falls apart.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 366 p. Rosemarked, 1. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 366 p. Rosemarked, 1. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Having read Blackburne's Midnight Thief series, I already knew that I'm in for some good world building and great storytelling, and this first book in a new fantasy series certainly didn't disappoint. A fantasy world loosely based on the expansion of the Persian empire, Ampara is an empire that has taken over it's neighboring cultures.
Perhaps the highlight of this novel is how it presents the PTSD of Dineas, which also serves as the basis for the major arc if the plot - him going undercover as an amnesiac spy. Helping him infiltrate the Amparan military is Zivah, the other main character who, after saving a Commander from the rose plague, herself becomes infected and Rosemarked. She is a talented healer, and knows how to make complex concoctions, including the one that makes him lose his memory (he volunteered for it) so that his trauma wouldn't come in the way of his job.
Now, another thing to consider is the dehumanization of infected people in this world. They are treated as outcasts (think leprosy) and kept away from the general populace in a gated community, where it's a bit of anarchy going on. Meanwhile, Dineas enrols and becomes a loyal soldier of the very army he hates. From time to time, she brings him out of the amnesia and he can report, but it soon becomes apparent to him that the person he is when he is an amnesiac is different from himself. This brings out his questions of loyalty and feelings and how he can distinguish between them.
Meanwhile, there is also a romantic arc going on - the other Dineas starts falling for Zivah and she, despite knowing he's just a part of another person, starts having feelings for him. This makes things complicated as she definitely doesn't want to take advantage of him, yet for the sake of her mission, she can't keep away from him. Also she can't keep pushing him away without telling him the real reason - and the first Dineas, though slowly warming up to her and starting to respect her as more than just a Dara maiden, is not in love with her. Yet.
Zivah is still seeking out a cure, but she is also learning new techniques, understanding the virtue of patience but there is also the moral dilemma about how much she can use her skills as a healer to aid the mission while not causing harm to people. She is quite a force, too - like, imagine becoming a spy with no training and having to constantly balance the double lives you're leading!
I loved the fact that this book is both driven by the politics of the Amparan empire, yet also by the character arcs. It's an interesting story overall, and told through some really well written characters. One of my problems with it is maybe the inconsistency of the quarantine measures. I can't help it as a bio grad! Sometimes it comes across as very strictly enforced whereas sometimes they forget that people can be fomites, too, if not carriers! Also, there is the fact that despite the high stakes, these two get away with pretty much their whole mission quite smoothly?
Overall, a great start to the series and I'm eager for Umbertouched.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Disney-Hyperion, via Netgalley.
