Review Detail

A slapdash romp about a slave girl caught up in the plights and plots of a persecuted people and the sinister warlords with low self-esteem looking to squash dissent for good. Persephone has always been a slave, and when a bizarre turn of events sees her riding off into the sunset in the company of an insistent chicken thief, she's not sure what to make of her purchaser (rescuer?), the enemies he is so desperate to avoid, or the refugees of which he is a part, who hang their hopes on a prophesied savior and true king who will overturn the current tyranny. In other words, it has all of the makings of a classic YA trilogy, complete with secret identities, animal companions to the rescue, and villains we love to hate.

I was reminded of Juliet Marillier's Shadowfell, but painted larger and louder, with a melodramatic audacity that had me laughing and also concerned for Persephone's sense of self-preservation (there might be none?). She and Azriel tend to make their plans on the fly. Bluffing and chaos ensue. Gotta admire the spunk, although in later scenes, I felt it lessened the sense of danger when all that stood between them and disaster was an easily disproven cover story.

From their first meeting, Persephone and Azriel have great banter, and the opening chapters nicely balance humor and tension as they have lots of time to sharpen their tongues. However, when their journey developed into more delicate situations, I had trouble understanding the comedic line. Bluster and sass risk coming across as blunders and stumbles when there's lives on the line. But, I'll admit that I often struggle with comedy, and readers who enjoy a larger-than-life, sometimes cheeky or irreverent approach to problem solving will enjoy the various scenarios and how our protagonists must extricate themselves.

So strap on your knives and hang on to your chickens. It's going to be a wild ride.