The daughter of one of Melnek’s more prominent merchants, Ilse Zhalina has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privile...
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Nov 04, 2010
Sherwood
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Oct 22, 2010
Jennifer
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Jun 13, 2011
Carolyn
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I really enjoyed this novel, with a few quibbles. First, I really like the magic system in this, and I love the fact that people can remember pieces of their past lives and that they have past and future lives is an accepted fact. Its very rare to see the concepts of past lives and reincarnation handled in such a matter-of-fact way. It's not mystical, it's not difficult, and it's not a secret or a big thrilling reveal. It's referenced several times throughout the book, and I really liked that as
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Oct 27, 2010
Laurie
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A teenaged Therez Zhalina is considered chattel by her wealthy, merchant father. Once she learns of her marriage contract her father has arranged, she decides to run away from home. She is able to join a caravan and changes her name to Ilse. Unfortunately, the caravan owner has his own agenda and takes advantage of 15 year-old Ilse. She escapes and ends up at a pleasure house owned by Raul Kosenmark, a duke.
This is one book where the title will fool you. I felt no passion More...
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Sep 30, 2010
Jessica
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I won this from a GR giveaway! YAY!
Passion Play is a story about Therez who is about to be sold into marriage by her father to an older, very cruel man. She tries to tell her father that she doesn't want to marry this man and why, but her father dismisses her concerns and tells her the wedding will happen whether she wills or no. After she reaches out to her brother and finds no help from him either she decides to run away. To live life on her own terms. This is the story of her adv More...
Passion Play is a story about Therez who is about to be sold into marriage by her father to an older, very cruel man. She tries to tell her father that she doesn't want to marry this man and why, but her father dismisses her concerns and tells her the wedding will happen whether she wills or no. After she reaches out to her brother and finds no help from him either she decides to run away. To live life on her own terms. This is the story of her adv More...
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Mar 27, 2011
Alice
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When I first spotted this book back in October 2010, it caught my interest with its gorgeous cover. Then I found out that it was recommended for fans of Jacqueline Carey (who I absolutely love) --- I knew then that I had to read "Passion Play" by Beth Bernobich.
"Passion Play" is the story of Ilse Zharina, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who chooses to run away rather than stay and marry a man she despises.
Along her journey away from her home she is More...
"Passion Play" is the story of Ilse Zharina, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who chooses to run away rather than stay and marry a man she despises.
Along her journey away from her home she is More...
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May 23, 2011
Sarah
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Dec 13, 2010
Yune
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I was unimpressed: by the characters, by the world-building, by completely unnecessary elements that felt as though they were tossed in to make the book seem unusual.
You know the story -- a noble girl runs away to avoid marriage to an older man, arranged by a stern father. The part you probably won't recognize is where she gets caught by those with ill intent, and who ill-use her.
I didn't get a good sense of Therez before all this happened. I appreciated that the author was More...
You know the story -- a noble girl runs away to avoid marriage to an older man, arranged by a stern father. The part you probably won't recognize is where she gets caught by those with ill intent, and who ill-use her.
I didn't get a good sense of Therez before all this happened. I appreciated that the author was More...
Dec 05, 2010
Lielabell
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Oct 28, 2010
Felicia
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Oct 25, 2010
Edward
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Passion Play is a strong start for a new fantasy series by Beth Bernobich. It kept me up to the wee hours of the night, compelling me to see how events turn out. As any first book in a series, it ended with some major plotlines open, making me wish that I could click “BUY NOW” and get book two right away. However, there was a measure of completion to one journey for the main character. Living a privileged life of a wealthy merchant’s daughter, Therez Zhalina finds herself suddenly a bargaini
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Oct 01, 2010
Melanie
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When most people think of passion, they think of strong love (or hate), or a great love for an activity (my passion for watching hockey, for example. GO CAPS!). Those who are religious, educated in theater history, or who just remember when The Passion of the Christ came out, know it is also a term for martyrdom. In different ways, beth_bernobich's novel encompasses all of these (though maybe not the strictest sense of the last).
Passion Play does not cover more of the adventures of More...
Passion Play does not cover more of the adventures of More...
Mar 05, 2011
Libby
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When I read the jacket blurb on Passion Play, I thought it would be the typical girl runs away from horrible marriage book. I can't begin to tell you how glad I was(and am!) to be wrong. This is supposed to be Beth Bernobich's first book. However, she handles her characters and plot elements with such skill and confidence that the reader is sucked into the story by the end of the first page. For those of you who enjoy world-building, the texture and detail of the setting of this book is unusuall
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Jan 24, 2011
Meghan
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I wanted to enjoy this book more. I ultimately found it an entirely unsatisfactory object, neither fish nor fowl, like a fishstick dipped in BBQ sauce.
It started out promising on both fronts. I liked the worldbuilding well enough, especially the mythological story of Lir and Toc. As a romance, it seemed fairly iconoclastic to make your heroine refreshingly sensible and your hero a bisexual eunuch (I don't spend a lot of time in romance fandom, so maybe I'm being unfair to them, bu More...
It started out promising on both fronts. I liked the worldbuilding well enough, especially the mythological story of Lir and Toc. As a romance, it seemed fairly iconoclastic to make your heroine refreshingly sensible and your hero a bisexual eunuch (I don't spend a lot of time in romance fandom, so maybe I'm being unfair to them, bu More...
Oct 14, 2010
Mieneke
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When I first read the blurb for Passion Play, Beth Bernobich's debut novel released last Tuesday, I was intrigued. I'd read some glowing praise for Ms. Bernobich's short story work on Fantasy Book Critic and Liviu cited Passion Play as one of his top five anticipated novels for 2010. So when the opportunity arose to win an ARC in a giveaway at the TOR/Forge blog, I jumped at it. And to my amazement and excitement I actually won. My first ARC ever, I was so excited I squee-ed all over the house!
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Oct 01, 2010
J.Elle
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My emotions ran the gamut with this book.
I found the book to be very enjoyable. The storyline was good. Therez/Isle runs away to escape being forced into marriage with an evil man. She buys space on a caravan headed to a far-away city, but she is taken advantage of and eventually, ends up poor, broken and near-death on the steps of a pleasure house. She is taken in, nursed back to health and given a job. Ultimately, she falls in the love with the pleasure house owner, a duke, an More...
I found the book to be very enjoyable. The storyline was good. Therez/Isle runs away to escape being forced into marriage with an evil man. She buys space on a caravan headed to a far-away city, but she is taken advantage of and eventually, ends up poor, broken and near-death on the steps of a pleasure house. She is taken in, nursed back to health and given a job. Ultimately, she falls in the love with the pleasure house owner, a duke, an More...
Jan 03, 2012
Karen
rated it:
Passion Play, Beth Bernobich[return]This was one of two books I read this week which shared some underlying themes, including the effects of war, class conflict, personal growth, and the power of love. (Don't scoff at that last.) Despite some very dark moments, the protagonist grows and changes, on a journey that's worth your time to follow.[return]Our young heroine is a naive but not particularly spoiled merchant's daughter. When he summarily arranges her marriage to a man that she fears, s
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Feb 09, 2011
Ranting
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http://www.rantingdragon.com/passion-pla...
Passion Play is the first book in the Erythandra series. We are introduced to Therez Zhalina (later Ilse), the daughter of a well-to-do merchant. She lives a privileged life but is dependent on the continued vitality of her father’s business. To ensure the family’s continued wealth and station, Therez’s father promises her hand in marriage to an older man, Theodr Galt, who is poised to help the Zhalina family.
Based on the rumors More...
Passion Play is the first book in the Erythandra series. We are introduced to Therez Zhalina (later Ilse), the daughter of a well-to-do merchant. She lives a privileged life but is dependent on the continued vitality of her father’s business. To ensure the family’s continued wealth and station, Therez’s father promises her hand in marriage to an older man, Theodr Galt, who is poised to help the Zhalina family.
Based on the rumors More...
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Jan 16, 2011
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Oct 04, 2010
theDormouse
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Sep 23, 2010
Aubrey
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Jun 30, 2010
Liviu
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Passion play was my most expected debut of the second half of the year so i came to it with extremely, extremely high expectations; and they were mostly satisfied though the book was not quite what i expected it to be based on the pre-release blurb and other marketing material.
The comparison with Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Dart debut is somewhat misleading because that novel was an epic saga with a large cast and with romantic and explicit elements on the side in some ways, while P More...
The comparison with Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Dart debut is somewhat misleading because that novel was an epic saga with a large cast and with romantic and explicit elements on the side in some ways, while P More...
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Aug 24, 2011
Jenne
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Ok, I started out absolutely loving this.
But then it did this thing where...okay--there are two main things that make books interesting, right? There is Plot, and there is Character.
And in a perfect world, both of these should be equally awesome, and you would have a book like, say, The Sparrow.
Or sometimes, one or the other is the main thing, so you might have a book that's all plot, e.g. Beau Geste, or one that's all character, e.g. Weetzie Bat.
An More...
But then it did this thing where...okay--there are two main things that make books interesting, right? There is Plot, and there is Character.
And in a perfect world, both of these should be equally awesome, and you would have a book like, say, The Sparrow.
Or sometimes, one or the other is the main thing, so you might have a book that's all plot, e.g. Beau Geste, or one that's all character, e.g. Weetzie Bat.
An More...
Jun 07, 2010
Lexie
rated it:
I read Passion Play through in one sitting. I saw the book advertised for an author signing at Book Expo and knew I had to have it. The cover is gorgeous, the synopsis sounds tailored for my interests and most importantly, I wanted to read it.
The book starts out giving us a a good sense of what home life is like for Ilse (and to avoid confusion, her name is originally Therez, but she changes it when she runs away). An imposing restrictive household, a society that doesn't leave y More...
The book starts out giving us a a good sense of what home life is like for Ilse (and to avoid confusion, her name is originally Therez, but she changes it when she runs away). An imposing restrictive household, a society that doesn't leave y More...
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Apr 07, 2011
Marilyn
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Feb 04, 2011
Kindle-aholic
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I had a lot of trouble staying interested in this one, and mostly skimmed to the end. It started off strong, with a lot happening. Very traumatic things happen to the heroine in the beginning. A warning: she is basically forced to become a whore for a caravan and its not all fade to black. Other things happen (don't want to be spoilery) and then everything slows down. In part, this is good, because the heroine has a lot of healing to do (she doesn't just bounce back). On the other hand, it is v
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Sep 23, 2010
Rosalind M
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This book was NOT what I expected at all, another case when I should have paid heed to the old adage of not judging a book by its cover. Despite the "romantic" title and imagery, the book focuses on the layers upon layers of secrets one man has created to stay true to the cause he devoted himself to as a child (wholly voluntarily or not) and how Therez/Ilse is swept into his web of political intrigue and impending violence. Bernobich has successfully snared my interest with new twists
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Oct 22, 2010
Michael
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From the back cover of the ARC:
Ilse Zhalina is the daughter of one of Melnek's more prominent merchants. She has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege. Many would consider hers a happy lot: but there are dark secrets, especially in the best of families. Ilse has learned that the way for a young woman of her beauty and social station to survive us to be passive and silent.
When Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realiz More...
Ilse Zhalina is the daughter of one of Melnek's more prominent merchants. She has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege. Many would consider hers a happy lot: but there are dark secrets, especially in the best of families. Ilse has learned that the way for a young woman of her beauty and social station to survive us to be passive and silent.
When Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realiz More...
Oct 01, 2010
Bree
rated it:
I'm delighted to have won this ARC, but I have a mixture of feelings after reading it. Like most books containing violence, parts of this book are difficult to digest. The main character, Ilse (aka Therez), runs away from home to escape a forced marriage with a man she fears. Of course, she pays a price in her journey and finds that she escaped one type of terror only to face another. Eventually, however, she finds a temporary home away from home, which is also the point where I found myself
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Sep 28, 2010
Kelly
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I was excited when I won this book through a GR giveaway (thanks!!!). Initially, I expected a romance novel, judging from the cover, title and description. I was a little hesitant at first because that is not my genre of choice. It was pleasantly surprising then when I discovered that this novel was not a romance novel, but a fascinating read about a girl and her will to be more than just a pawn.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Though I found myself wishing for a quicker pace m More...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Though I found myself wishing for a quicker pace m More...
