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The Shamer Chronicles #1

The Shamer's Daughter

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Dina has unwillingly inherited her mother's gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions simply by looking into someone's eyes. To Dina, however, these powers are not a gift but a curse. Surrounded by fear and hostility, she longs for simple friendship.

But when her mother is called to Dunark Castle to uncover the truth about a bloody triple murder, Dina must come to terms with her power--or let her mother fall prey to the vicious and revolting dragons of Dunark.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

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About the author

Lene Kaaberbøl

78 books772 followers
Jeg kom til verden på Rigshospitalet i København d. 24.3.1960. Overlægen var i kjole og hvidt - han var blevet afbrudt midt i en gallamiddag - men min søster siger, at det er da ikke noget, hendes fødselslæge var i islandsk nationaldragt. Nogen vil mene at det således allerede fra starten var klart at jeg var et ganske særligt barn. Andre vil sikkert påstå at min mor bare var god til at skabe pludselige gynækologiske kriser.

Jeg blev altså født i København, men det må nok betragtes som en fejl, for min forældre er jyske, min opvækst foregik i Jylland (mestendels i Malling ved Århus), og jeg betragter mig i dag som eksil-jyde på Frederiksberg, på det mine jyske venner omtaler som Djævleøen (Sjælland).

Jeg har skrevet altid, eller i hvert fald lige siden jeg nåede ud over »Ole så en so«-stadiet. Som hestetosset teenager skrev jeg bøgerne om Tina og hestene (de to første udkom da jeg var femten, den fjerde og sidste da jeg var sytten). Som 18-årig opdagede jeg Tolkien og Ringenes herre, og derefter Ursula K. LeGuins trilogi om Jordhavet, og lige siden har mit bog-hjerte banket for eventyr og drageblod og verdener, der ligger mindst tre skridt til højre for regnbuen eller Mælkevejen, og under alle omstændigheder et pænt stykke fra den asfalterede danske virkelighed.

I dag, cirka 30 bøger senere, er jeg stadig lige så håbløst vild med at skrive som jeg altid har været. Og selv om jeg har været en lille smuttur i krimi-land og skrevet en kriminalroman for voksne - læs mere på ninaborg.dk hvis du har lyst - så er jeg bestemt stadig børnebogsforfatter og har stadig hang til magiske momenter!

Personal
Name Lene Kaaberbøl
Born 1960, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Education: Århus University, degree (English, drama). Hobbies and other interests: Playing pentanque.

Addresses
Office—Phabel & Plott ApS, Laksegade 12, St.th, DK-1063 Copenhagen K, Denmark.

Career
Novelist. Formerly worked as a high school teacher, copy writer, publishing company editor, cleaning assistant, and riding teacher. Phabel & Plott ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark, owner and writer.

Honors Awards
Best Disney Novel Writer of the Year award, Disney Worldwide Artist Convention, 2001, for five "W.I.T.C.H." series novels.

Associated Names:
* Lene Kaaberbol (English)

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5 stars
3,345 (31%)
4 stars
4,075 (38%)
3 stars
2,483 (23%)
2 stars
558 (5%)
1 star
223 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 581 reviews
Profile Image for Miranda Reads.
1,589 reviews166k followers
December 9, 2020
3.5 stars
description

But no. Not me. Not the Shamer's daughter.
In Dina's world, there are Shamers. She is one of them, and so is her mother.

Just by looking you in the eyes, a Shamer has the power to elicit dark confessions and make you feel crippling guilt. (Though Dina, aged 11, must also use words rather than just her eyes (until her powers grow)).

Shamers are often outcasts of society - after all, who wants to be friends with someone who is constantly making you feel guilty??

Dina's mother is called away to perform her Shaming duties (aka someone was murdered and she finds out who did it) and Dina is left alone with her siblings (non-Shamers) and her dog, Beastie (also not a Shamer).

And things go well, at first.

But then a strange man shows up, claiming her mother was in danger.
I did not even think of hesitating or refusing to come despite the fact he was a stranger and Beastie had barked at him.
And so Dina follows, leaving everything she's ever known behind.

Immediately she finds herself embroiled in a coverup beyond her wildest comprehension - with the fates of her mother and so many more hanging in the balance.

Will she save her mother? Will she even save herself?
Strictly speaking, it wasn't really Cilia's fault I was bitten by a dragon.
So, this book had good bones - just a few things that took me out of it that brought it down.

First of all - I was really intrigued by the concept of a Shamer.

I felt like that was something that could have been explored in so many ways...but it ended up being a fairly average YA. Girl has powers, girl must save everyone, girl rescues X, Y, and Z...etc...

So, on that perspective - it was good but not stunning.

The thing that really threw me off was Dina.
Beneath my ordinary warm skin I had become a statue, a girl of ice, hard and clear and motionless. She was waiting.
Sounds like a typical eleven-year-old, right? RIGHT?

Anyway, it was almost beyond weird to hear Dina talk and think because by-gosh, she sounded upper teens. So many times I would literally forget that she was eleven.

I suppose she did see at least a LITTLE like an eleven-year-old...just about everything that went wrong came from Dina making a VERY OBVIOUS bad decision.
It was probably stupid. But I couldn't help myself.
Strange, omnious man says her mother is in danger? OK! LET'S GO!!

Learns dragon blood can give people bonus powers? Nudges the flask of it towards the evil "dying" man.

Etc.

It's just...come on kid. Use your head!

Other than that, I did rather enjoy this book. It had such an interesting concept and it truly was a fun book to sink into.

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All quotes come from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication


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Profile Image for Katrine B..
8 reviews
December 29, 2010
This was my first real fantasy book. I read it when I was about 9 or 10 and in the beginning I made my mother read it out loud - one chapter each night.
One day I got really excited about it, but then the chapter ended and my mother told me to go to sleep.

When I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the next chapter and what might happen, I ran downstairs, "stole" the book and finished it in one night. I got so caught up I forgot everything about time, school the next day - even my own existence. I just had to finish it - had to know what else was going to happen.

I've read it several times afterwards and it's only made it better. Even though it's a child's book and I feel to old to read it again I actually considered to borrow it yesterday.

Ok, well. This book is pretty amazing. Even though it's a child's book (or YA, some might say) I think it has a great vocabulary and language. I most certainly learned some new words when I read it - And this is the book that made me want to write.
It's not predictable at all and the creativity Lene Kaaberboel was in possession of when she wrote this is remarkable. It really is a true fantasy - and not the same kind you see today where every fantasy is filled with vampires and love.

*SPOILER*
The dragons and Dina's ability to see other's shame really caught me up. When Dina's is captured by Drakan I felt so sorry for her and angry with Drakan.
I like all of the characters - especially Nico, who is supposed to be the hero, but still is very realistic and has flaws like everybody else.

I would recommend this book to every fantasy-lover out there. Children, teenagers and grown ups - be enlightened by this book!

(NOTE: English is not my 1st language. I do my best - please don't comment it.)
Profile Image for Toni.
516 reviews
September 8, 2019
Review to come.

Thank youbto Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Profile Image for Elze Kmitaite.
137 reviews178 followers
December 26, 2020
Vaikystės nostalgija 9000. Žiauriai gera knyga. Žiauriai fainas vertimas. Geriausias knygos pasirinkimas šįmet :D
Profile Image for Kay.
389 reviews36 followers
May 8, 2013
I actually didn't dislike this book as much as the rating would imply; The Shamer's Daughter is a quick, fun read and the idea of the "Shamer", while not totally revolutionary, is fresh and engaging. But while The Shamer's Daughter is an enjoyable read, it suffers from a bland heroine and a shade of the "but I'm not like other girls" brand of sexism that I've come to loathe in middle grade and young adult fiction.

Dina Tonnerre is the daughter of the Shamer, a woman who can look into the eyes of anyone and know all their secrets, and who can make them feel all their shame. She's inherited her mother's powers, and as such she has no friends other than her sometimes insufferable family. Things are pretty okay at the outset of the book, then things start to go wrong and Dina finds herself caught in the midst of a gruesome murder and politics and also dragons. The story flows well, and is evenly-paced and interesting, though there's a lot of the characters sitting around and doing nothing. A fair amount of conflict is generated by Dina just kind of being an idiot, which is fair enough since she's a really scared ten-year-old, but is frustrating anyway.

Dina herself is likable in some ways, but she's wise beyond her years which sometimes makes her feel less like a character and more like the author's mouthpiece. I failed to connect with any of the characters who peppered the story, though they were unique enough. I think part of the problem with the narrative was its brevity; Dina spent far too much time alone in her own head for me to get any feel for the secondary characters, and Dina herself was a rather flat character. I do think there's plenty of room for growth in the sequels, so I have hope.

The book does throw around a fair amount of gendered slurs which is pretty jarring in a book that reads like it's intended for children. I probably wouldn't mind so much if words other than "bitch" or "slut" were being used, but they aren't and that makes me, as an adult reader, pretty uncomfortable. I also found Dina's blaming of spoiled Cilla for her misfortunes pretty irritating. It's partially excusable because she's obviously an upset child and it's maybe meant as a flaw but really, can we blame the ruthless male antagonist for the stuff that is actually his fault and not a child? There's nothing in the book that really made me go "wow, that was gross" but there was an overall sense of unease with the way certain events were handled.

Still, the book was fun enough and I'll be picking up the sequels from the library. Hopefully some of my issues with The Shamer's Daughter will be ameliorated as Dina grows as a character and the series grows more complex.
Profile Image for Nina ✿ Looseleaf Reviews ✿.
146 reviews61 followers
March 14, 2018
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What a cool concept! The Shamer's Daughter follows eleven-year-old Dina, who is the daughter of something called a Shamer. Shamers' powers, which are inherited genetically, allow the Shamer to look anyone in the eye and force them to relive all of their shameful memories and confess their bad deeds.

The Shamer's gift is rare and the few around, like Dina's mother, are called on to settle legal disputes. This turns south when she is called to prove a man guilty in the matter of a royal murder - and the royal family doesn't like when she turns the blame on them.

When I picked up The Shamer's Daughter at the library, I didn't know it was targeted at such a young audience. Since the main character is 11, I'm assuming that the target audience is probably 8-12. I can understand a lot of the two-star reviews I'm seeing from fellow adults like myself, but I can see my younger self loving this book.

It's one of those YA books that straddles the lines of the genre. There is legitimate danger, graphic descriptions, foul language, and all those edgy things that neonates love to feel mature in reading.

However, the reason it wasn't too interesting to me as an adult was how simple characters and relationships were. Everyone Dina met was either a friend or a foe, and once someone was a friend, they were automatically a part of the "hero team" and a main character, no questions asked.

Had to give it a three-star since I'm sure younger kids would love it, though it wasn't my cup of tea. I'd suggest passing it on to an advanced young reader who loves fantasy.
Profile Image for Nikoleta.
724 reviews332 followers
July 28, 2015
Το βιβλίο της Αισχύντρα δεν νομίζω τελικά ότι είναι και τόσο παιδικό. Άμα εξαιρέσουμε την πού νεαρή ηλικία της πρωταγωνίστριας, αυτό που μένει είναι ένα ξεκάθαρα ενήλικό βιβλίο. Δεν συγκαταλέγετε στα κλασικά φάντασυ κατά την γνώμη μου, διότι αισθάνθηκα καθ’ όλη την διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης, ότι όλο του το θέμα είναι μια αλληγορική αναπαράσταση του δικού μας κόσμου. Ναι, έχει δράκους, ιππότες και μάγισσες, αλλά και τι με αυτό; Το διάβασα όλο με μια διάχυτη μελαγχολία. Διότι η Αισχύντρα, βλέπετε, έχει μία δύναμη η οποία, σε κάνει να κοιτάζεις μέσα σου κ να βλέπεις αυτό που είσαι πραγματικά, δεν είναι τυχαίο ότι στο βιβλίο όλοι όσοι κοιτούσαν αυτό τον ύπουλο καθρέφτη ένιωθαν –τουλάχιστον- το αίσθημα της ντροπής…Αυτή είναι κ η ενήλικη σκληρότητα του βιβλίου, κ αυτό είναι το δεδομένο που με κάνει να αναρωτιέμαι πόσο παιδικό θα μπορούσε να είναι ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο; Πόσα θα μπορούσε να κατανοήσει ένα παιδί για ενοχές και επαίσχυντη ντροπή κ πόσο θα το έκανε να προβληματιστεί εν τέλει; Μου άρεσε; Δεν μου άρεσε; Ακόμα δεν το έχω ξεκαθαρίσει μέσα μου. Αν μη τι άλλο, όμως, είναι ένα ξεχωριστό βιβλίο.
Profile Image for Laura.
53 reviews
July 11, 2019
Rating: 5 stars

Plot: 5
Characters: 4.5
Writing style: 4.5

Lene Kaaberbøl's "The Shamer Chronicles" was one of my favourite childhood series!
Thankfully it's as good as I remember. I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to my nostalgic memories of it.
"The Shamer's Daughter" is a story about a young girl Dina, who inherited a gift of "shaming" from her mother. Shamer's powers allow the Shamer too look into someone's eyes forcing them to relive all their shameful memories and making them incapable of lying.
After Dina's mother was called to Dunark castle to uncover the truth about a dreadful crime things went south quickly. Dina came after her and had to figure out a way out of the mess. Oh and did I mention there's dragons?!
This story has a wonderful worldbuiding, quite complex characters for a children's book and such a unique premise.

[LTU]
Įvertinimas: 5 žvaigždutės

Siužetas: 5
Veikėjai: 4.5
Rašymo stilius: 4.5

Lene Kaaberbøl „Dina, Gėdytojos duktė“ knygų serija buvo viena mėgstamiausių vaikystėje!
Džiaugiuosi, kad perskaičius dabar paliko tokį patį įspūdį. Skaitydama vaikystėje ir paauglystėje mėgtas knygas visada nerimauju, kad nuvils ir sugadinsiu nostalgiškus prisiminimus.
"Dina, Gėdytojos duktė“ - tai istorija apie vienuolikametę Diną, kaip ir mama, turinčią „gėdytojos“ galią. Pažvelgusios į akis Gėdytojos gali priversti prisiminti viską, dėl ko žmogus gėdisi ir priversti pasakyti tiesą.
Dinos mamą iškvietus į Dunarko pilį atskleisti žiauriaus nusikaltimo, viskas pasisuka netikėta linkme. Mergaitei tenka keliauti iš paskos ir ne tik gelbėti mamą ir save, bet ir aiškintis nusikaltimą. Ir dar, ar minėjau, kad yra drakonų?!
Knygoje sukurtas nuostabus pasaulis, kaip vaikiškai knygai pakankamai sudėtingi veikėjai, o „Gėdytojos“ idėja be galo įdomi ir unikali.
Profile Image for Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff.
1,682 reviews149 followers
April 27, 2023
I read this many years ago the first time, in the library at school and loved it. Now i have the books myself and having fun yet again.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
16 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2014
--Just a caution: this review has a couple of less-than-polite words in it. If you don't want to see them, you probably shouldn't read this... and you probably shouldn't read The Shamer's Daughter, either.--

I wasn't sure about The Shamer's Daughter when I decided to purchase it (something I hardly ever do without reading the book first), but it sounded interesting and GR seemed to think I would like it, so I took a chance, and I'm glad I did.

The things I liked:

1) The concept of "Shamer's Eyes." This wasn't something that I'd seen before, and I thought it was a really neat idea, to be able to look into someone's eyes and force him or her to think about the things of which he or she is ashamed.

2) The fact that Dina already knows about her gift at the beginning of the story. As an HP fan, I'm not opposed to the "young person finds out he/she has supernatural powers" plot line, but it's nice to bypass the "big reveal" and get straight into the story from time to time.

3) The description, especially of places--I found that I could easily picture Dina's surroundings in my mind.

4) Kaaberbol doesn't shy away from "icky" things like blood, pus, urine, and vomit. I find that children's authors tend to gloss over or completely ignore these aspects of human life, and it often makes no sense, considering that many children's fantasy stories are set in Middle Ages-esque villages and castles, which (gasp) didn't have indoor plumbing, and in which people (gasp) slaughtered animals and (gasp) didn't necessarily have nice manners. Kaaberbol's characters bleed, pee, and puke, and it makes them seem more human.

5) The relationship between Dina and . I found it especially touching when . I thought it added a nice level of depth to Dina's character, and it makes you wonder if Dina's mother ever used her power the same way, and if she even knows that it's possible. It hints that Dina may have more command of her Shamer's eyes than her skilled mother even does, and I hope that I get a glimpse of a grown-up Dina in full command of her power later in the series.

6) Strong female characters who are treated the same as their male counterparts are always a plus, and The Shamer's Daughter has its share. What I really liked is that this story manages to have a strong female lead but not stray into "Rah-rah girl power" territory. Females have weapons; females are expected to do difficult and dirty work; females don't gasp and shriek at the sight of blood; females are intelligent, but you don't get the sense that this is supposed to be an extraordinary thing. Dina doesn't go through any type of "transformation" from ignorant, innocent farm girl to brave, my-gender-be-damned warrior--you just get the sense that she was, is, and will always be Dina, and that it's never occurred to her to do or not do certain things because she's a girl. That's the best kind of "girl power," in my opinion--not giving girls the sense that being brave, smart, and capable requires some kind of extraordinary effort to be "different" from other girls, but the sense that girls just are all of those things and more.

The things I liked less:

1) The uncomfortable insertion of the word "slut" into a children's book. I feel like this was probably just the result of translation, but I was kind of taken aback during the scene in which one of the characters says it. I mean, the scene isn't a nice one, and yes, one would imagine that that kind of language would be used, but here we are, in a book that doesn't even use words like "crap," which I believe most people find less offensive than "slut," and suddenly one of the characters busts out with "slut." I'm not prudish about language, and I don't advocate withholding books from children because they use "bad words," but I can see how unwary parents might skim through this book, find the overall language acceptable for their children, and then be shocked when one of their children comes up to them and asks what a slut is, or, worse, suddenly yells it on the playground. So, overall, this book is a nice one for kids, but be prepared to have a discussion about why we don't use that word in polite company if you're intending to give the book to a child.

2) Dina's somewhat unrealistic tendency to trust people. Yes, she's a little girl, but after some of the things that have happened to her, you would think she would need a little bit more to go on than, "I just felt like I could trust so-and-so." I mean, It just seems like Dina, who really ought to know from the beginning that people who seem nice can do some really evil things, takes some pretty hard knocks and yet goes on trusting people, and not all of that can be readily ascribed to the fact that she's just a child.

3) The pacing of the story is pretty fast and the dialogue is pretty simple, which is to be expected in a children's book. This isn't exactly a criticism, then, but more of a caution for adult readers just coming to the series. Things are going to move right along, the dialogue is going to be straightforward, and the important parts of the story are going to be a touch predictable. Your heart probably isn't going to pound with the suspense of it all, because you have a sense of what will and won't happen in a children's book. That said, it's still interesting, and, like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't gloss over the "icky" parts, so it's a bit more PG than your average children's story.

Overall, I would recommend this story to kids and adults alike, and I intend to either find or purchase the rest of the series (which seems to be a bit hard to find... what a--ha, ha--shame).
Profile Image for Canni.
23 reviews3 followers
June 30, 2013
Kan lige så godt springe ud i det med det samme: JEG ELSKER DEN HER BOG!!!

Skammerens Datter er virkelig en af mine absolut mest elskede og læste bøger! Tror jeg har læst den her serie mindst lige så mange gange som Harry Potter, hvis ikke flere! Kan den næsten til hudløshed, men den har en bestemt 'feel', som gør, at man ikke keder sig og nemt kan læse den om og om igen!

Hele grund ideen tiltaler mig, da det ikke er noget man har set før, hverken på dansk eller engelsk. Lene Kaaberbøl har skabt en verden, som på én måde minder om en middelalderlig tid, men som på den anden er noget af en anden verden!
Jeg har været fan af Lene Kaaberbøl næsten siden jeg kunne læse og Skammerens Datter gik lige ind hos mig.

Strengt taget var det vel ikke Cillas skyld, at jeg blev bidt i armen af den drage. Det er nok bare en tilfældighed, at hun bestemte sig for at smide en spand vallei hovedet på mig, netop den dag manden fra Dunark kom.
Men hver gang min venstre arm gør ondt ... hver gang jeg savner Lindehuset og pæretræerne og hønsene vi havde dér ... så bliver jeg gal på Cilla én gang til.


At starte en bog sådan her er efter min mening fuldstændig genialt! Man lover læseren en drage i første linje, selvom de først dukker op i kapitel 4 og selve biddet faktisk ikke finder sted før et sted i kapitel 11.
Men man pirrer nysgerrigheden med det samme og det kan jeg kun sige er en stor fordel! Èn, jeg faktisk ikke husker at have set nogen gøre Kaaberbøl det efter.

Sproget er fantastisk, helt igennem. Man føler virkelig, at man sidder foran den knapt 11 årige, besynderlige pige, med en personlighed så stærk, at den skinner igennem siderne. Man ser hende lyslevende foran sig hele tiden, sammen med alle de billeder, hun fortæller om.
Lene Kaaberbøl forstår at skabe stolthed og styrke i en person, som er plaget mest af afmagt og ensomhed i begyndelsen. Hun ser ikke sine øjne som en gave, men som en forbandelse. Hun har ingen venner og ingen i landsbyen, hvor de bor vil se hende i øjnene. Så er det svært at være normal, når man er 11 og alt man ønsker er at passe ind.

Alle karakterne i Skammerens Datter er gennemtænkte, godt beskrevne og de bærer alle historien videre. En personlig favorit er Nicodemus Ravens, som er arving til fyrstetronen i Dunark.
Han er en person som man hurtigt får stor medfølelse med. Han er stadig bare en stor dreng, men bliver behandlet som den værste forbryder og ødelagt. Mere indeni end udenpå velsagtens.
Men hans personlighed skinner alligevel igennem og jeg kom personligt til at holde mere og mere af ham, jo mere jeg læste!

Kunne nævne en hel bunke andre som er fantastiske: Melussina, Mester Magnus, Melli, Drakan og Rosa er bare nogle af dem.
Denne bog er et must for enhver fantasy elsker!
Profile Image for Robin.
280 reviews12 followers
May 23, 2016
How did this book get past me when it was first published? The premise is described in the trailer for the novel: Dina is the daughter of the Village Shamer, a woman who can read the truth in people through looking at their eyes. Quite literally, when you are looking into her eyes, you are rendered incapable of lying, and she can see how you really think, feel, and behave, even in your most private moments. This makes her very useful for law enforcement, obviously, but also tremendously unpopular in social settings for equally obvious reasons. Our heroine, the daughter, has inherited the gift herself, though at the beginning of the novel it sure does not FEEL like a gift to her. Hard to have friends and be part of the group when you have this "gift."

This book has many things I liked: a realistic setting (medieval-ish, and maybe somewhere rather like northern England or Scotland in, say, the 1100s or so?) and a likable heroine who is NOT perfect. Then there's mystery, and people striving for power, and real dragons who are nasty and relentlessly awful, and a hero boy (Nico) who is also likable and flawed and who (for once) does NOT save the day for the girl. In fact, at one point, she rescues him.

A little politics, some nasty fighting, a close-to-dying experience or two, and a bit of female friendship, and this book has everything a middle school kid, (male or female) might want.

Loved that this did not end on a rosey happy syrupy sweet note. I was amazed to find that this was originally written in Danish, and translated into English: nicely done! It flows beautifully. Note to parents: there are a handful of words that some might find offensive, such as slut and whore. They are used by nasty people behaving in mean ways, and are clearly not encouraged to be used by the readers. But they are in there. Also, the villain is a true sociopath and his mother, Lady Death, creeped me out. But their motivation for what they do in the book is utterly realistic and believable.

I found the mother to be a character truly worth emulating: honest even when it may cost not only her own life but her child's as well, and truly not interested in what other people think of her. Dina begins to see this as the book progresses, and also finds that the burdonsome gift she has inherited might also be a blessing as well. The Widow Petri is much the same way: good to the core, and mature.

I'm just amazed I did not brush up against this series before now, as it was published in 2002. Looking forward to finding the sequels.
Profile Image for Mar.
145 reviews1 follower
Read
May 21, 2024
I first read this book series when I was around 11 years old and has reread it multiple times since then. I enjoy it a lot. I feel like every time I reread it - a bit older than the last time - I notice new things. It means a lot to me and has been dear to me for so many years now.

2024: skammarens dotter vil alltid være i mitt hjerte
Profile Image for Belinda.
1,331 reviews227 followers
June 21, 2018
4,75 stars - English hardcover - I have Dyslexia -
Found a note in a notebook about this novel : Dina has a gift. Like her mother, a gift she does not want. Was in the story in a second and could not put the book down until it was finished. Go Dina! 🦋🍀🌸🌼
Profile Image for Ylva.
7 reviews
August 20, 2018
Hade jag läst denna som 12-åring hade jag avlidit av den litterära upplevelsen 🙏🙏
Profile Image for Amie's Book Reviews.
1,652 reviews172 followers
July 3, 2019
"Birches is not a big Town, but we do have a smithy, an inn, and the mill ... not to mention eleven different houses and farms of varying sizes... In almost all the houses were families, and almost all of the families had children, some as many as eight or ten. You would think, with so many to choose from, that it would be possible for me to find a friend or two, or at least some playmates. But no. Not me. Not the Shamer's daughter. Two years ago I could still sometimes play with Sasia from the inn. But then it became more and more difficult for her to look me in the eyes, and after that, things became kind of difficult. Now she avoided me completely, just like everyone else."

Dina wants to be like everyone else. However, try as she might, it is impossible for people to treat her normally. She has Shamer's Eyes.

Dina's mother is a Shamer and Dina is already showing traits of the Shamer she will become.

" I knew that it would be so much easier for them if I simply stayed away. But I hadn't asked for the damned Shamer's eyes; I couldn't help being my mother's daughter... Didn't I have a right to be here? Someone to talk to, someone to be with..."

Author Lene Kaaberbøl has created a brand new world peopled with both good and evil characters and has brought to life the idea of a Shamer - a person who can read your mind and detect any and all actions you are ashamed of. That power brings people face to face with the shame they feel and can (and often does) bring grown men to their knees. A Shamer can also tell truth from lies and her services are often called upon to determine a person's guilt or innocence in criminal matters.

That talent and the repercussions of seeing inside someone's heart and mind are what gets Dina and her mother involved in matters of which they would rather have stayed out of.

The concept of a Shamer is unique and after reading THE SHAMER'S DAUGHTER, I completely understand why this book series has garnered Lene Kaaberbøl fans around the world, of which I now count myself among their number.

The target audience for this book series is middle grade to young adults, but I am forty six years old and I enjoyed reading this tale immensely, and as such, I am labelling THE SHAMER'S DAUGHTER as good for all ages.

With characters readers will be invested in and a fast paced plot full of action and the entire tale being essentially a story of good versus evil, I rate this book as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

* Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.*

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Profile Image for María Estrada.
Author 24 books80 followers
March 20, 2019
This book was amazing! I enjoyed the depiction of magical realism, magic, and dragons. The unique use of dragons in the story got me hooked. Dina as a strong protagonist is a true joy, and the world Kaaberbøl has created was masterfully crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed going on this journey with Dina (and Nico), and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It has been a long time, since I have enjoyed binge reading a book and look forward to getting the rest of Kaaberbøl’s books. I am passing this book along to my son (9), who I know will love the series.

Readers of all ages, if you want to sink yourself into a great tale, The Shamer’s Daughter is the book for you. (Also, according to the author, the e-books are coming!)
Profile Image for Lotta Söderlund.
227 reviews6 followers
February 26, 2025
Denna bok har jag lyckats köpa inte en utan TRE ggr! 😂 Jag måste ha känt på mig att jag skulle gilla den och nu har jag läst den, och jag hade rätt. Tyckte mycket om denna bok. Spänning, drakar, goda och onda människor. Och Skämmerskor, som kan få en att se det man skäms för om man ser dem i ögonen. Rekommenderar varmt!
Nu ska jag se till att läsa de andra böckerna i serien. Ser fram emot att följa karaktärerna och se hur det går för dem.
Profile Image for Lauren Stoolfire.
4,701 reviews295 followers
July 30, 2025
The Shamer's Daughter (The Shamer Chronicles #1) by Lene Kaaberbøl is absolutely a new favorite young YA fantasy of mine. The fantasy element of this is really cool. I wish I had read this years ago. Heck, I wish it was even on my radar back when it was new. I hope I can read book two, The Shamer's Signet, soon!
Profile Image for Kine Albrigtsen.
482 reviews36 followers
January 15, 2022
Intenst til å være barnebok! 🤯 Men jeg likte den, jeg. Ekstra poeng for Mari Maurstad som oppleser!
Profile Image for Γιώργος Δάμτσιος.
Author 43 books298 followers
November 10, 2018
Πέρασα δύο πολύ ευχάριστα απογεύματα μαζί του.

Το πολύ θετικό είναι πως, αν και είναι κυρίως young adult βιβλίο, που ανήκει ξεκάθαρα στα fantasy, μέσα του κρύβονται και πολλά ενδιαφέροντα κοινωνικά μηνύματα και προβληματισμοί. Νομίζω ότι έτσι γίνεται ''για όλα τα γούστα''.

Βασικό: Άρεσε εξίσου (ίσως και περισσότερο) στη 13χρονη ανιψιά μου, από την οποία και το ''τσίμπησα!''
Profile Image for Iben Frederiksen.
331 reviews217 followers
November 25, 2015
Imagine people lowering their heads when you walk by, not out of respect, but out of fear of meeting your gaze. That is what it's like for the Shamer's daughter Dina, who has inherited her mother's gift, although to her, it seems more like a curse. A Shamer is someone who can look into another persons eyes and see every wrongdoing that person has done - as long as they are ashamed of it. This gift is useful when it becomes unsure whether or not someone has commited a crime, Dina's mother will simply look into their eyes, and see every foul thing they have ever done, so that justice can be insured.

When Dina's mother is called to the city Dunark, to find out whether or not the next to be ruler of the town is guilty of the murders on his father, his late brother's wife and her two children. Dina's life as a Shamer begins, as she too is called to Dunark, after her mother failed to see the arrested, Nicodemus Ravens, commiting the murders. But though he was found covered in blood, and with the knife in his hand, is he the killer, or does someone else stand to benefit from all of this?

Many years ago I had to read this book for school, and I still remember how obsessed with it I was. Unfortunately it took years before I could get my hands on the second book in the series, and by then I had forgotten much of what had even happened in the first book.

Two days ago, I saw the film adaptation of the Shamer's Daughter, and it made me want to read the book immediately and hopefully finish the series this time. And I must say, the book is much better than I could remember. It is very well written, very well desrictive without being too detailed. The characters are great, raw and they seem like real people, who are not entirely good or evil but somewhere in between.

The lead character Dina, is very relatable and very real, and although she's only ten years old in the first book, the story can easily be enjoyed by people twice her age and older. My mother has read and loved these books, and has recommended them to her friends. Although this book is somewhat meant for middle grade children, it deals with very adult subjects, and everyone regardless of their age, would get something out of reading this book.

also.... DRAGONS!!
Profile Image for Trish.
315 reviews7 followers
January 18, 2009
Sarah picked this book out and I decided to read it since she didn't. I knew I could read it in less than a day and then tell her if it was worth it or not. Now I know that she would most likely enjoy it. I'm glad that here is a new series for her to read... anything to get her head out of Eragon yet again.

What I like about the book is how the reader grows with the characters. In the beginning, there's so much mystery and childlike innocence about the world and not knowing what is going on. As the story progresses, the characters find in themselves the ability to overcome their weaknesses and their weaknesses turn out to be their strengths.

The only flaws I noticed about the book is the use of the word "pee". It's supposed to be set in some kind of medieval time with knights and castles and then the word appears and throws you back on your couch in the real world. It's good, however, for comic relief. Also, I noticed that having the main character pass out from exhaustion or illness is a good way to move the time line of the story along. Not a bad way to avoid the dreary details of getting from one setting to the next.

The biggest message of the book is probably the importance of truth, trust and friendship. Everyone wants to know the truth, to know they can trust another person, and to have friends. It makes betrayal all the more a grievous sin and the lack of conscience all the more evil.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series because the first book was like Chapter 1 for me. Also interesting to note that English is not the author's first language -- I couldn't tell.
Profile Image for Bookphenomena (Micky) .
2,893 reviews544 followers
July 7, 2019
THE SHAMER’S DAUGHTER leans more towards middle grade reading than YA but it is an engaging story with an unusual special-power characteristic that I’ve not come across before in fantasy literature.

Dina was the daughter of a shamer and in this fantastical kingdom, shamers were used to get a confession for heinous crimes. So while people were frightened of shamers, they were also respected from a distance. Dina had inherited her mother’s gift.

What started off as 11 year old Dina making sense of her young life and altered friendships since her gift had manifested, quickly merged into an intruiging tale that put her family at risk. There were dragons, prisons, friendships and deceit. Dina’s gift was put to the test and she showed a tenacious ability to problem-solve and survive.

This is a fast-paced read, quite exciting and definitely appealing to a younger YA market and middle grade readers. This is a series starter that is likely to leave readers ready to jump into the next books. With books 2&3 being published imminently and book 4 on it’s way, there won’t be a long wait for the story to evolve. THE SHAMER’S DAUGHTER has a visually catching cover that has a theme caught by the following books.

Thank you Puskin Press for the finished copy to review. This review can be found on A Take from Two Cities Blog here.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
268 reviews53 followers
April 9, 2017
Dette er vel en af den slags bøger, man bare skal have læst når man elsker at læse, og godt kan lide fantasy. Derfor skammer (Hehe) jeg mig også en lille smule over, at jeg aldrig har læst den før nu. Men det er der blevet rådet bod på nu.
Jeg ved slet ikke hvor jeg skal starte eller hvad jeg skal sige. Der er ikke så meget andet at sige end at jeg elsker den! Den overgik klart mine forventninger, som jeg havde fået bygget op, fordi den er så populær og omtalt.
Jeg kan rigtig godt lide Dina, hun bliver kastet ud i en farefuld handling, selvom hun overhovedet ikke har lyst. Men hun manner sig op, og får tingene gjort, for at redde sin mor. Der er flere steder i bogen, hvor jeg har utrolig ondt af hende, hun er jo ikke mere end ti år gammel! Dragerne! Åh ja drager! Jeg elsker dragerne. De er tilpas uhyggelige og klamme, og jeg kan nemt forestille mig dem.
Skrivestilen er rigtig god, den er let og flydende, og gør at man bare flyver igennem bogens handling.
Og så igen, hele det miljø bogens handling foregår i, er lige mig, jeg elsker den type bøger!
Lige nu sidder jeg bare og ærgre mig gul og grøn over at jeg ikke har de næste bind i serien!
Men der er vel ikke så meget mere at sige, end at få læst bogen, hvis I endnu ikke har gjort det. Den er fantastisk!
Profile Image for Stine Holt.
66 reviews15 followers
January 30, 2022
Et kærkomment gensyn med Dina. Jeg var en smule ængstelig for, om jeg mon havde ophøjet bogen siden jeg læste den, da den udkom for 15 år siden, men mine anelser havde heldigvis ingen belæg. Jeg nød at høre Kaaberbøl læse op, og tiden fløj afsted med hendes stemme i mine ører.
Profile Image for Nadia Hansen.
217 reviews7 followers
November 30, 2023
en klassiker fra min barndom og den holder altså bare 🤷‍♀️
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