Review Detail

Reader reviewed by librariane

Note: the author is Danish, so the language is a little more edgy than most American authors writing about 10 year olds. Most of it feels natural, though.

Dina has inherited her mothers giftshell be a Shamer when shes of age. This means when she looks someone in the eye, they see all their past crimes and pettiness, thus bringing shame. Its a way to solve crimes and to stop injustices. But it all goes wrong when Dinas mother is called to the castle in Dunark to solve a triple murder, and the she finds the accused innocent. The bastard brother Drakan has taken over and decided the accused (Nico) must die (no matter what the Shamer says), along with the Shamer, her daughter and anyone else who helps Nico, the next in line for the throne. This is a thrilling adventure, and
only book one of a set of chronicles (looking forward to reading the rest!). The characters
are a bit unbelievable, but you like them, and forgive the author for making a 10 year old
feel like shes 16 or 20. It moves quickly, and readers may not be able to figure everything
out before it happens, thus leaving a few surprises.