Passion Play

River of Souls #1

by Beth Bernobich

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 privilege. She has wanted for nothing and many would consider her lot a most happy one. But there are dark secrets even in the best of families and Isle and the women in her family have learned that to be beautiful and silent is the best way to survive.

However, when Ilse finally meets the colleague of her father’s selected to marry her, she realizes that this man would lock in her a gilded cage. In her soul, she knows he is far crueler and more deadly than her father could ever be.

Ilse chooses to run from this life. Her choice will have devastating consequences and she will never be the same.

But she will meet Raul Kosenmark, a man of mystery who is the master of one of the land’s most notorious pleasure houses…and who is, as Ilse discovers, a puppetmaster of a different sort altogether. Together they will embark on a journey that will reshape their world.

Lush fantasy. Wild magic. Political intrigue and the games of seduction and treachery to gain control of a kingdom. PASSION PLAY is all of these and more. It is the journey of a woman who must conquer her passions in order to win all that she desires.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, High Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

367 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Beth Bernobich is a writer, reader, mother, and geek. She loves to tell stories.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a First Reads review.

The most important thing about telling a lie is to make certain its every detail is believable. If, under scrutiny, even a fragment of it breaks down, then the entire lie is exposed. Now, there is no 'lie' bigger than a work of fiction, especially a fantasy novel. Not only have the characters never existed, but their world does not, and has never, existed. But through the magic of suspended disbelief, we readily accept the validity of a novel's fictional world, and view as real and meaningful its characters and their actions, as long as every detail is believable.

Passion Play is two stories in one: the first is very good, the second is average. Story number one features a swiftly moving, well-written, enthralling plot, with a 15 year old girl as the winning protagonist for whom we root and with whom we suffer. So good were these first 100 pages that I had to force myself to put the book down. Unfortunately, after story number two began, I had to force myself to pick the book up.

What destroys Passion Play, where the 'lie' begins to break down, is the male lead, Lord Raul Kosenmark. When we first meet him, he is described as having a very high, feminine voice. Shortly after, we find out that, in order to prove his loyalty so that he might serve on the king's Inner Council, he underwent castration. As an adult. Five minutes of research would have informed the author that castration after puberty does not change the male voice. And since his condition, this error, is brought to the attention of the reader every chapter or two, there is no way to forget that what we are reading is not real.

What's unfortunate is that it is totally unnecessary to the plot. Remove every instance of Raul's eunuchism from the story, and nothing is lost. Return it, and nothing is gained. (In a world of magic, an oath of fidelity could have been enforced magically: One willingly accepts into one's body an infusion of magic that, like a bomb, may be detonated by the king at the first sign of treason.) Furthermore, we learn that Raul’s condition may be reversed through magic, which nullifies the value of that type of oath.

This is not, however, the book's only breakdown. In the last 200+ pages, Ilse, our heroine -- who is 16 now -- becomes the chief confidant and prime counselor to Lord Kosenmark (who is in a life or death struggle to prevent a war and save the kingdom). None of the other, older members of Raul’s inner circle seem to think her youth and inexperience in affairs of state is a problem. Yet this is the same girl who, but days before, was sorely distressed over the teasing and pranks of the mean girls who worked with her in Raul’s kitchen. But perhaps those other characters may be forgiven because, once out of the kitchen, Ilse thinks and behaves like a 25 or 30 year old woman. Since the author seldom mentions her age, the reader must constantly remind herself that Ilse is still a teenager.

After the excitement of the early chapters, the plot in the latter chapters drags to a halt. The most exciting thing that happens is opening the mail and attending the staff meeting afterward. Literally. And daily. Ilse is Raul's secretary (and later, his lover), so she examines all of his correspondence, much of which concerns the intrigues revolving around the “shadow court” he has established. Then she and Raul, and whoever else may be in-house that day, sit around and discuss the content of the letters. Except for one, hard-to-believe battle (Ilse, barely trained in self-defense, defeats two well-armed professional soldiers), the bulk of the action -- battles, murders, the machinations of Khandarr, the evil magician -- takes place off-stage, the reader learning about these things through letters. It is very hard to be concerned about threats to characters you've never met, or to fear a faceless foe. (Khandarr appears once, briefly and ineffectually, when he magically crashes a meeting, looks around ominously – in actuality, checking attendance – and then is shooed away.)

Bernobich's conversations flow easily and naturally, and, in the first part of the book anyway, the characters, even the minor ones, come to life. Her depictions of Ilse's rape and later love-making are tasteful, without undue details or sensationalism. For the most part, her prose is lively and free of cliches, though she frequently exhibits a first novelist's tendency towards verbosity: Raul “vented a sigh” (for 'sighed'); during sword exercises he “made a noncommittal noise” ('grunted'); at dinner, he “made a noise in his throat” (‘cleared his throat’); and early on, we come across the bane of poorly written juvenile fiction (or the pride of melodramatic parody) when Ilse sheds “hot tears”. These are common mistakes of a first-time novelist, and too often, sins of the genre, but the editors should not have allowed them to reach press.

The author mentions in her acknowledgments that it took her “many years to write” the book, that she “fumbled toward the story” she wanted to tell, and that one person advised her where to start, and another where to end, the novel. Passion Play is dedicated to the redoubtable Sherwood Smith who, Bernobich writes, read “draft after draft, giving me feedback on prose and plot and characters.” Toss in the editors she credits with supposedly saving her book from “all kinds of inconsistencies and infelicities”, and it’s clear that many share the blame for its problems.

At the end, when Ilse and Raul agree to separate for safety's sake (a questionable decision that feels contrived), I felt no sorrow, only joy that, for a few pages at least, I could again spend time alone with Ilse. If the sequel concerned only her, I would read it, although given that she and Raul will be miles apart, I fear the plot will once more involve opening endless amounts of mail.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm, I'm having a hard time rating this one. I feel like it's really a two star book, but on another level should get three because of being a first-time author. I feel like there's a ton of potential for the second book being AWESOME, this one kinda fell short of WOW for me.

THERE ARE SPOILERS SOME BELOW:

I enjoyed the heroine for the most part. The first third of the book had some brutal stuff in it (that judging from reviews put a lot of people off). I wasn't as offput by it, I thought it was quite interesting and well done actually, but there was a bit of false advertising here, because after some brutal sexual exploitation, the heroine ends up in a "pleasure house" working and THEN THERE IS ALMOST NO SEX! Seriously, practically no sexual stuff AT ALL regarding the people who work there, and only a tiny bit with the heroine later that was so "fade to black" it was ridiculous. I was puzzled as to why she would even set it in a pleasure house when it had little or nothing to do with the rest of the book. There was a TON to work emotionally in that location given the brutality the heroine faced, and what she would think of sex after such an experience being exploited. It felt like serious backpedaling to me, and a bit of false advertising because the promo blurbs had a lot of Jaqueline Carey comparisons. Don't get me wrong, I would have been fine without the sex in it, just felt like the ground was laid for a VERY different book.

Second, I was frustrated because the world the author built was EXTREMELY interesting, with magic and intrigue etc, but after the first third or so it turned into everyone TALKING about palace intrigue and we NEVER SAW ANY OF IT PRACTICALLY! So it turned into a bunch of talking about stuff, not DOING or SEEING stuff happen. Who cares about Baron whatsisface if we never see him?! Frustrating and made me skim a lot.

I thought the romantic lead guy (a castrato) was very interesting, and the relationship formed there had some intriguing stuff. The end twist with the two of them felt kinda weird and not natural, it only served to set up the sequel. At any rate, I'll definitely give the next book a shot, and I hope by book #2 the author will settle on a tone and setting and get more action going on so I care about the conflict a bit more.

[Wendy Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS BOOK SHOULD COME WITH A WARNING LABEL: Page 66 is where the gang-rape scenes start. I continued for another six pages and it only got worse, so that is as far as this review goes. I have NOT hidden this because it should be known in advance. It is a public service. If I had read it myself, I would never have picked up the book and the world would be a happier place. Everyone on Goodreads, you are welcome. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Plenty of fantasy has implied, threatened, or glossed-over scenes of violence against women. When it isn't glossed enough, like in Game of Thrones, I have my significant other pre-censor the questionable material for whether or not I will enjoy it vs. become too disturbed. (We agreed I would be too disturbed, so he summarizes.) But there's no way he's going to pre-censor a book called "Passion Play" about a merchant's daughter finding her true love in a pleasure house. Come on! Plus, what are the odds that it's really all that bad?

Let me tell you: This book goes the extra mile to realistically portray what would happen if a young, vulnerable 15-year-old girl runs away from being sold and instead falls into the hands of sex slave traders. It's basically "Taken" set in ye olde fantasy worlde and told entirely from the perspective of the one girl who died instead of Liam Neeson's daughter who lived. The heroine is taken advantage of, robbed, tricked, blackmailed, and sold into sex slavery. I hate myself for having picked up this book. I want to throw up for having read six additional pages. IT KEEPS GOING. At least in Clan of the Cavebear it's graphic for a page, then by the end of the chapter the heroine takes back control of her destiny. THIS BOOK GOES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. So many people praised it that I assume she will eventually give out comeuppance, but I can't possibly make it to that page, wherever the hell it is. THIS BOOK IS NOTHING LIKE KUSHIEL'S DART. I hate the author and will never read another word by her forever and ever, not even if she wins 10 Hugos and 50 Nebulas. Anne McCaffrey actually blurbed this novel! I WAS SO MISLED. Only Jay Lake, who wrote that it is "brutal," clearly read past the first chapter.

I want my good mood and settled stomach back.

Dear Publishers: Please make "EXTENDED CHAPTERS OF GUT CHURNING GANG-RAPE" as a sticker and apply it to all future novels that might sound inviting for me. Otherwise, prepare for another horrified review by a sickened reader who now wishes bad things on the author, editor, cover artist (I hate that you made this cover so beautiful! It is the 2010 US hardcover, by the way), and everyone associated for subjecting me to this misery. I was planning to have a nice Sunday evening of sweeping, epic fantasy with a love story! Now I'm looking at shot-gunning The Mummy, Star Trek, and maybe The Bourne Identity so I can paste over these horrible memories by some mindless (but well-made) action/comedy/violence in a completely different setting. Beth Bernobich: Never again. We are done. I wish you many future best-sellers and I will not contribute a single penny.

Star Trek I the remake: *hits play*

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy Review Barn

It is a rare thing for me to finish a novel and not have a good idea of what I think. I know people mull over a book for a time period before moving on to the next book; especially true of those who are then going to put their feelings down on paper. But it just isn’t my way, I like to start writing while the ideas are still fresh and while I may not know what I want to say about a book immediately I am always certain about at least my basic, overall impression.

Passion Play stumped me. Maybe because I can’t think of another book like it (something the author’s excellent book The Time Roads and it have in common). On the surface it is an epic fantasy about a kingdom in turmoil, nothing unique there. The focus on a single character throughout is also not uncommon. But at this juncture, one book into a trilogy, the protagonist proves to be someone sitting very much on the outside of all the major events. Which isn’t to say she isn’t living a life worth reading about, but thus far she isn’t ‘making history.’ Perhaps young Ilse will go on to great things that move kingdoms. Perhaps this is a story that takes the less spectacular path. Either way is fine by me, but after one book there is very little indication of which way that will go.

Ilse, still young at fifteen, makes a very rash move to start her journey. Perhaps her intuition was correct, perhaps not, but running from a forced marriage puts her in a horrifying situation. A trigger warning is needed here, Ilse will face a prolonged assault early in her journey that is not easy to read about. Her shock doesn’t fade in this story; it is not something she will just get over. Neither will she let it define her through, a fine balance that I feel is pulled off with brutal honestly and emotion. Her journey takes her from a rich man’s daughter (words chosen quite deliberately, for that is how her place in the world is defined early in life) to a beggar, to a lowly kitchen drudge in a brothel owned by a seemingly benevolent enigma named Raul.

This is a story about Ilse rising and remaking herself the way she prefers, with Raul providing support to her with support that others are unlikely to get. And after this somewhat disjointed transition the second half of the story takes over; one of intrigue and the aforementioned power struggle of a kingdom. Ilse’s background allows her an opportunity, and that opportunity puts her right in the middle of Raul’s dealings. Except it doesn’t, because Raul may be working some major intrigue but he is doing it so far form the center of this Kingdom’s power base that the results are hardly seen.

And here is where I come back to my uncertainly of what I think of the series thus far. While very readable, and with Ilse proving to be a very likable protagonist in the way she is rebuilding and growing, I am not sure the intrigue and espionage-like plotline involves much of anything. Ilse is never on the inside and when she finally is…Raul wraps up her role to keep her from danger. It isn’t quite that simple of course but ultimately that is the result. And I know this is a series and no ending is really an end but it felt like an end of sorts and a bit unsatisfying.

There is plenty here to make me want to read the next book. Ilse has a story worth reading and some of the background info we get on the building tensions in the kingdom are fascinating. Further books could prove that Passion Play is as much about set up as anything else, it could join a few books I look upon more fondly after reading their subsenquential volumes. Standing on its own through I think I just read a book that shines at its best and is never bad, but stumbles along the way.

3 Stars

Copy for review provided by the author.

[Laurie Garrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 from this one. Boring comes to mind. Where was the passion between Ilse and Raul? Or even Raul and Dedrick? Unfortunately, the time Ilse spent with the caravan evoked more emotion. Ilse didn’t know what she was getting herself into: It basically boiled down to rape.

There were many elements in this story that were left wanting. Raul is a eunuch, but his relationship with Dedrick is never fully explored. Yet, you assume both men are bisexual. You are led to believe Nadine is a lesbian. The magic aspects seem to be written in as a side note. Raul and Ilse fall in love, but they don’t have a HEA. I am confused. What kind of book is this?

Wait, I know. Wearisome fiction.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 aspect of the world. I liked the main character, she is a very strong person (and not in a She-Ra warrior woman way). She has core values and she holds to them, even if they are difficult or cause her pain. I'm not expressing this well, but I don't want to put a bunch of spoilers in here, so lets just say that I think she's a very strong character. I also just like the world she created here - there are all classes, there is a lot of political maneuvering, there is a level of gender egalitarianism and it seems to be a very tolerant society, both of which can probably be traced to the past-life aspect.

It might be hard to tell from quibbles listed below, but I did really enjoy this book. These things are pretty minor, overall to the entire plot, and I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. This has the feel of another long journey, both personal and geographic, like that taken by Phèdre in the Kushiel's Dart series. Since I loved Phèdre, I'm really looking forward to reading the continuing adventures of Ilse/Therez.

My quibbles:
I don't find her father to be that intimidating of a person. I get that he is supposed to be very verbally abusive of the family, and I'm not discounting that that is very harmful, but I feel that this part of the plot is very lacking. We barely see her father and witness very few interactions, so I'm not feeling the hate, as it were. Now, granted, I've done some academic work on domestic violence, and served as a volunteer for a DV hotline and a multi-family shelter for several years, so I have witnessed some terrible things up close and personal. But I really didn't get any feel that her father was so absolutely terrible, at least not enough to put herself in the position she did with the caravan, especially seeing his reaction when she tells him what happened to her and that she did it willingly to escape him, and in that he left her 1/3 of his estate when he died.

I'm also not seeing the huge threat that her new fiance is, we get an inkling that something is up when the previous engagement he had is cancelled by the girl's father at huge penalty, but again, I'm just not seeing it. I mean yes, I wouldn't want to marry him either, but with the torture and degradation she willingly subjected herself to, rather than go back to that situation? No, I'm just not seeing it. In my mind, she should have admitted defeat, gone back to her father, and lived to fight again another day. Heck, she could have married the guy so her family gets their deals, suffered through sex with him (instead of being raped daily by 30 men), and then run away, and she still would have been much better off than what ended up happening to her.
So, that part of her danger (father, fiance) feels very contrived. I'm also not liking the whole legend of the jewels thing. OK, I see that someone is going to go looking for them as we move along in the books, but the actual legend of what they do, and why anyone would want them, and what happened with them in the past feels like it doesn't quite fit. What's so great about them? All they seem to do is confer immortality - that's nice, but it doesn't win any wars. I liked the legend of how they were created, that had a very authentic ring to it, reminded me of the Greek/Roman myths of creation, but other than that, kinda fell flat. I'm hoping in future books that the author will fix this and really flesh the concept out well, and not just rely on mystical mumbo-jumbo about them.

A very little quibble is that the book flap refers to the main character of the book as 'Ilse', so for the first couple of pages, as we are introduced to 'Therez', I keep waiting for Ilse to be introduced. The reality is that the main character's name is Therez, and 'Ilse' is the name she takes when she runs away. This fault is all of the person writing the copy for the book jacket, however - they should have said her name is Therez and let us find out in the book that she changes her name to Ilse. I'm not marking this as a spoiler, because you figure this out in the first chapter of the book.

My final issue is with the maps in the front of the book. I love that the author took the time to provide us with maps, and normally they only add to the fun of the book for me, but in this particular case I found them to be very very frustrating. The characters kept referring to places and things that were not on the maps! I get that the maps will be the same for all the books, so they are a map of the 'important' places as viewed from the end of the series, BUT, some really major things happened on the way to some towns that they didn't bother to mark on the map. Other things were referenced in the book, like some giant ring of fire off their east coast, , that weren't indicated at all on the map. They kept referencing an empire, and some neighboring countries - none noted on the map! I found it very frustrating, because while I'm reading I keep my bookmark on the map page, to make it easy to flip back to it to reference it - and 9/10ths of what was mentioned in the text was not on the map. And, it's not like the country map is so crowded with information that it would be hard to fit more in, no...half of the countryside in the map is blank. = ( Argh!

[Aubrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a advanced reading copy of this book from the First Reads giveaway on Goodreads. The book was provided by Tor Publishing without charge.

There are very few occasions where rape needs to be described in a fiction/fantasy book - and when it is - there needs to be a "Trigger Warning" on the cover.

I can think of no circumstance when rape needs to be viscerally described in a book advertised as romantic fantasy.

One could argue (and many - unfortunately do) that rape is a fact of life, and as such, it is something that can be discussed in books. I argue, however, that rape causes pain and scars long after the event has ended. It is a trigger for many audience members who often hide the fact they were raped due to social stigma. Many victims blame themselves for an act of violence beyond their control. To see rape actively used and described in a fiction/fantasy book that is advertised as "romance" is disgusting. One can use the device of rape, and its resulting trauma, without vicariously sharing in the fantasy of a rapist.

One could also argue that the main character "gave her consent," and therefore, this was not rape, but whoring - and ultimately, her choice. Making a free choice to sell one's body for money, profit, or[insert your economy of choice here], is only applicable in circumstances where there is also a choice NOT to participate. A 15 year-old child, traveling alone, without protection, food, money, shelter, or a means to survive is not in a position to make a free choice - therefore - it was rape. And the rape was blamed on the victim - because she "gave her consent."

That said, the main character does make stupid choices. One would like to think that most heroines would be clever, witty, and charming. The author does an excellent job of portraying a fairly typical teenage girl who has grown up in a sheltered environment. She does not grant the child knowledge beyond reasonable exceptions. She allows the character to make mistakes, and suffer the consequences of those mistakes. The result is a believable character that has to honestly work for the changes in her life. This is a refreshing change of pace - and the salvation of the book.

There were a few places in the book that seemed to have editing errors. Chunks of information were missing. In a book that relies a great deal on "tell" instead of "show" - the omissions are a distraction that left me flipping backward to see if there was something I missed. I think that this is more of a reflection on the editor than the author however.

I am interested in reading the next book. I will be getting it from the library though. I would like to review it before I make the decision to purchase it.

[Fade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrible cover for such an excellent book.

So, the plot basics. It starts with what looks like a fairly standard fantasy trope: a young woman of a wealthy family runs away from an arranged marriage. But "running away" turns out to be much more complicated than it seems, and then it turns out that the story isn't really about the arranged marriage at all; that's merely the impetus for a whole cascade of complex events, in which our protagonist tumbles into, and then seriously starts acting proactively within, a much larger story. Politics abound; there is some magic, and some combat, but a great deal of this is highly plausible political work behind the scenes, where there's more paperwork and planning than sneaking and stabbing.

My caveats first: I found the politics confusing and difficult to follow, because I'm terrible at remembering names. This did, alas, occasionally leave me going "What? Who?" at some dramatic revelations, because I just didn't remember who the named people were. But that's my own poor memory for names, and shouldn't be taken as a criticism of the book itself. The book ends, if not on a cliffhanger, at least on what's clearly the close of one act in a play: the biggest plot threads are all deferred for later resolution.

There was also some serious, horrible rape within the book, which I did not know going in, and which was an unpleasant shock when it arrived.

But this is the best handling I've ever seen of rape in a work of fiction. (An awkward sort of sentence to write, but it's true.) There is no glamorizing, no dwelling on the details, no quick fixes, no cheap tropes for rescue or revenge that Solve The Problem. Horrible things happen, and they matter a great deal, but they do not define the protagonist.

Which gets to the heart of this book's strengths. Every character, however briefly appearing, is clearly a complex person with their own motivations, no matter how Good or Evil by the standards of the reader or the protagonist. The entire book deals with emotions and relationships--and the amazingly complex tangles they get into--with an unusual, breathtaking sensitivity and grace. Even the family relationships, which are so front-and-center in the first few chapters, and then off-screen for much of the rest of the story, are dealt with in a way that shows it's never so simple as the Cruel Parent and Nice Parent, or the Breach Of Family Trust, or...well, any of those usual cheap solutions.

I occasionally thought that this book was going to pull in one of the tired standard cliches. About recovery from rape, about the love of a good man, about showing up those who didn't believe in you, about revenge, about redemption. It did not. It has emotional depth that I cannot praise highly enough.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know, I really, really liked the first third of this book. I was very interested in the main character (Ilse) and her trials were nicely realistic and not glossed-over. However, after that point, the focus of the book suddenly changed to the political wrangling of the main characters - and that just wasn't nearly as interesting to me. It all felt so distant and removed from Ilse's life. We never, ever get to *see* any of the kings or courts that the scheming is about. There are mysterious 'jewels' that I'm still not entirely sure are mythical or real. Nearly all the exciting stuff happens off stage, and we are given instead endless scenes of writing and reading letters. Honestly, the middle felt like busy-work to throw the two main characters together so as to give them a reason to fall in love. After winning an ARC of this book here on Goodreads, I'm sorry I can't give it a better review, but I just couldn't. If the kings and other political players had just been given some face-to-face screen time, instead of leaving them so shadowy and indistinct, or if these events had seemed to threaten or affect Ilse in some real, tangible way, then I could have felt some genuine urgency about their resolution. As it is, I'm pretty sure I won't be bothering to pick up future volumes in this series.

[Cat Hellisen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly the book I was in the mood for.

In a way, I'd been avoiding Passion Play. I've known Beth online for a number of years, and while I knew she was a good writer (I'd read short stories of hers), I also liked her as a person, and that generally makes me antsy about reading someone's novels. There's always that awkward "oh god but what if I hate it?"

I'm so glad Tor finally made the ebook available in Africa, and that I took the chance. Because yes. This is the kind of fantasy I love - gorgeous worldbuilding, fluid sexuality, slow-burn romance, political and courtly intrigue, the simmering of potential war contrasted with a girl rebuilding her life and discovering who she is and what she wants.

I'm so glad that there are people still writing this kind of fantasy - Bernobich and Monette spring to mind - and I plan to go dig up some more because reading this made me realise just how much I love these kinds of stories. I will definitely be buying the rest of this series

And now for the slightly weird part of my not-a-review. (Ha!) If you enjoyed When the Sea is Rising Red, then go read this book. It's the kind of thing I *wish* I could write, and what WtSiRR could have been if I was a better writer.

[Jenne · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

And that's all well and good. The problem comes when a book (like this one) starts out as a Mostly Character book, and then switches over to Mostly Plot, and you're kind of left hanging and wondering what the hell all this political intrigue is about, and why you should care, and can we please hear more about Nadine?

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/passion-...


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 she hears about Galt’s broken engagement with another woman from a prominent family, Therez deduces that Galt is cruel. Her fears are compounded when she intuits a deep-rooted anger from his mere touch. Frightened by the prospect of a life trapped in a gilded cage with a probable monster, Therez decides to run away and assume the name Ilse.

An admirable heroine
Passion Play starts off strong. I felt I was right next to Therez/Ilse as she attempts escape her impending marriage and is forced into harrowing experiences while bargaining for passage. (Warning: there are multiple rapes in succession.) I admired Ilse because no matter how hard things get for her, she never regrets her decision to leave—that was the one choice she did get to make. No one should ever have to suffer so much for freedom, but freedom isn’t free, and Ilse remains dedicated to forging her own path.

A troubling romance
Ilse remains jobless until Duke Raul offers her a position in the kitchen of his pleasure house. Raul is by no means a conventional love interest, and the author made a gutsy choice in selecting him, which I admire. I even understand why, given Ilse’s escape experience, she may be drawn to Raul; but after everything I went through with Ilse, I felt she deserved better. She may be physically safe with Raul, but I found him condescending, cold, and oppressive. Certainly, there is room to grow as a character, and Raul may grow to deserve Ilse.

Problems with pacing
While Ilse’s adventures begin with a swift pace, once Raul decides to elevate her to a secretarial position, the book slows to a crawl. Ilse learns of political plots and far-off events through letters that she has to deliver and subsequent conversations with Raul. If letters and conversations about far-off events sound dull, well, they are. Unfortunately, this letter reading and event discussing encompasses more than one-third of the book, and is ultimately my reason for a low rating. By the time Ilse’s personal adventures pick up, including her dabbles in magic, it is too little, too late.

Why should you read this book?
Despite the book’s problems, the prose in Passion Play is beautifully written, and Ilse holds immense promise as the heroine. If you think you can handle the slow pacing in the middle, you could do a lot worse than Passion Play.

[Shana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a frustrating read. The alternate world this novel is set in was fun to read about--full of magic, strong women, an androgynous, bisexual love interest and brown-skinned characters. Yea! And I enjoyed the plucky protagonist, 15 year old Therez/Ilse, initially. But her complete cluelessness as she discovers her father's plan to marry her off and then tries to escape made her difficult to like. I also wasn't interested in reading the rape scenes early in the book (although they were crucial for character development) and just skimmed them. She has plenty of flashbacks later on so I didn't feel I'd missed anything. Survivor Ilse feels older and more compelling, although I had trouble identifying with a 16 year old. Once Ilse arrives at a "pleasure house", the story picks up and I enjoyed the middle third of the book as we follow her journey to heal and find a place for herself in her new home.

Unfortunately, after setting up a major political crisis, the book suffers from pacing issues in the last third. And the author did such a poor job of building a geopolitical picture of the world that it was hard to follow the story or understand what was at stake. I didn't even figure out that the main conflict was between two countries (and not a civil war) until the 3/4 into the book and thought one of the key locations characters were traveling to was a city instead of a magical realm until the last few pages.

A couple of reviews mentioned Ilse's bisexual love triangle. This was a real let down and not a reason to read the book. The lesbian friend-romance was so subtle is was basically nonexistent. Overall, the author struggles with building romantic tension, so it was probably a good thing there were no sex scenes in the book. Yes, despite the setting in a brothel, the lovely but trashy cover and a bizarrely racy description of "lush" "seduction" "passions" this is more a coming of age tale in a fantasy setting, not a romantic or erotic novel.

I probably wouldn't have finished this book if I hadn't won it from goodreads. There were several points in the story where I disliked the characters or found the story boring. But there was a lot of potential. I hope the author fleshes out some of the secondary characters--I loved kathe--in the next book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 adventure.

I think Passion Play was a great first book in a new series. Beth Bernobich set her characters and her story up very well, and I would definitely read the sequel. I would have liked it if there was something in the synopsis leading to the two names (Therez/Isle), that was confusing at first. Also maybe a little tag somewhere saying that this is the first in a series; I know G.R. says its #1 in a new series, but it would be nice to have this on the book as well.

With that said I think the first few chapters were hard to read through. The subject matter was quite a but darker then I had expected, and some of the things that Therez/Isle went through were very shocking, given there wasn't any warning. Although I don't know how Tor or the author could have put in a warning without giving things away.

I did like how Bernobich showed how hard it was for Isle to overcome the things that she went through. I thought that was incredibly accurate. I also liked the evolution of the character. Watching her grow from the pampered merchant's daughter at the beginning of the book, to the young woman she becomes was good.

I did not expect the love triangle she found herself in, nor half of the other things she went through during her transformation. This book was like getting on a bus and going for a ride.

I can't wait to read the next one.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This debut novel didn't really come together for me. It tells the story of a young woman forced into prostitution, but does not really deal with that event. Shortly after her ordeal, Therez is launched into a life of court intrigue and romance with Raul Kosenmark. However, the plot lacks forward momentum and tension. The conflict is difficult-to-understand, and I never really figured out who the bad buy was supposed to be, or what he was trying to do. I couldn't understand what the magical "jewels" had to do with anything, or how it would solve anything to find them. Raul's magical castration also seems to have no relevance, and worse, it's medically inaccurate. He is portrayed with the physical characteristics, perhaps, of a medieval castrato, though with the magical ability to experience intimacy. However, adult men who are castrated do not have high voices or other characteristics Bernobich assigns to Raul. Ultimately, the castration seemed an unnecessary, distracting, weird, and unpleasant plot element.

In the end, Therez/Ilse decides to leave Kosenmark for reasons that are again murky. Even though Kosenmark's former lover was killed after attempting a similar ploy, Therez is determined to leave Raul apparently to prevent herself being captured and killed? It didn't make sense. I won't be picking up the rest of the series.

One last note: I did not understand the title. Not only did it not really have anything to do with the book, but I am pretty sure the author doesn't know what a "passion play" is. It is a dramatization of the crucifixion of christ. Why would someone choose that as a title without consideration of the meaning and origin of the phrase?

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 Passion play is a romantic fantasy with two characters (she and he - though the he is a strange one indeed) and essentially nobody else of note. As such, I utterly loved it and the Eastern European naming (Yugoslavian mostly - since I cannot really discern between the various South Slav cultural influences, I use this as most appropriate) worked well for me, while the hints of the big picture were great so the series has a huge potential.

I hated that the book ended since i wanted more, while if there was one niggle I had was the use of third person narration instead of first person since the book has only one POV anyway and I love first person narration whenever it is possible to be used

Emotional, excellent but to be continued for full appreciation (A+)

[Erika Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I watched some tips from netgalley on how to make a better and more interesting review. For the most part it was some really great advice. For instance, it said no matter how you feel about something, you have to say why. You can't just say, "I loved it" or "I hated it" without giving the reader and to some extent the author some reason. It's just common sense. For one thing, author's aren't going to know what's working and what's not unless somebody tells them. The other piece of advice that stuck with me was don't tell spoilers. Don't ruin the book for people who haven't read it yet. Which is also really great advice. Lots of people read reviews because they want to know if they should read the book or if it will make them want to throw the book across the room in a fit of rage. Which has led me to my current conundrum, because I cannot tell anyone why I disliked this book so much without revealing important plot points. As it was a video from a highly respected reviewer, I didn't have the opportunity to ask what I was supposed to do in this situation. So I'm going to go with the trusty spoiler tag option that goodreads so helpfully provides for me. So, if you don't want spoilers, don't click on the spoiler tag. This is the best I can do for you at this moment.

This was regrettably the first book I finished in 2014, and it was a toss up between this one and the final Dexter novel as the first review of the year. Both were a disappointment, so I'm really glad I took a week off from reviewing last week to highlight the best of 2013.

So, Therez, who eventually changes her name to Isle, runs away from an arranged marriage based on a hunch she had that her intended not a good man. There were implications that he made his former betrothed disappear in an unsavory manner. The one bright spot in this book is that she isn't magically protected from all the bad in the world just because she's the protagonist. Bad things happen to her as a direct result of her impulsive decision to run away from home. The first fifty pages or so might be a little difficult for some readers to get past as a result, but the even brighter spot is that she is not magically cured of her trauma just because she met the hero. It takes pages and lots of therapy for her to recover from what happened to her.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that happened in the second half of the book that I am very outspoken about. The hero is an eunuch and openly bisexual, but neither one of these things really add to the plot. This review by Jennifer already brilliant outlines the problem with Lord Kosenmark's depiction as a eunuch, so I won't recover that territory. What bothered me more was the underlying thread that suggested that homosexual love should be pushed aside in favor of heterosexual love, even when in this case children are not possible in either relationship. Now, in the case of Ilse and Lord Kosenmark, I might have let it slide if only because they are the main focus of the book. Even if I never did feel the chemistry in their relationship and to me it felt like they just got together because the plot dictated it, I understand how the other man got pushed aside. Had it been an isolated incident, I might have even forgiven it. But Nadine strongly hints that she has feelings for Ilse, and her feelings are also pushed aside in favor of Ilse's relationship with Kosenmark. Also understandable since we are informed Ilse is straight. But it didn't end there. The former lover went to a dangerous location to spy for Lord Kosenmark and was subsequently killed. Not only killed, but his throat burst, in effect silencing him. As we never see him with any character other than Lord Kosenmark, it's difficult to tell if he's bisexual or gay, but the end result is still the same. The character exclusively in a homosexual relationship was not only killed as a direct result of his love, but was silenced at the same time. And that is the reason why I could not express my distaste for the book and back it up without revealing major spoilers.

Had the book gone a different route, I might have been mildly interested in reading the sequel. However, this one left me with a bad feeling that I don't want to repeat in another book.

[Mrs Giggles · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Passion Play was first released in hardcover back in 2010, it had a far more accurate cover art than this mass market paperback reissue. This particular cover indicates an action heroine in the usual "stare at my butt while I wield a dagger and glare angrily at you for staring at my butt" cover, when the heroine is less... exertive.

Therez Zalina is the daughter of an iron-willed and ruthless merchant who learns shortly after the story begins that she is to be married off to a guy that she finds unpleasant. She suspects that he has a cruel streak. Since his father rules the family, she has no support from her mother and her brother, while her beloved grandmother is dying. So she runs away. Anything and everything horrible that can befall a sheltered sixteen-year old girl on her own happens on our heroine, but she eventually stumbles into the care of our hero, Raul Kosenmark.

That's when Therez, who calls herself Ilse now, starts to reveal her awesomeness. Despite being new at everything, she excels in those everything until those other bitches are either jealous or in awe. Despite having a boyfriend, Raul is so mesmerized by Ilse's awesome hoochie and, of course, her spirit and intelligence until they both boink and, occasionally, spare a guilty thought for that boyfriend but not that it matters, since he's not awesome like Ilse. Ilse discovers that she is awesome at being Raul's sidekick in intrigue too - at least, Raul seems to think so despite her having no experience in it - and, eventually, she's on her way up just like Luke Skywalker's extending lightsaber.

Passion Play is a fantasy story in a Renaissance Europe-like setting, and for the most part, there is a somewhat interesting story here, even if it's one that doesn't break new grounds. But it's hard for me to get fully involved in this story because of several things.

This is basically a zero-to-hero kind of story, with me supposed to root for the heroine as she overcomes various adversities to emerge triumphant. Oh, and she gets the man too. But Ilse here ends up more like a sponge. She feels guilt, horror, and other emotions only for as long as the sentence lasts. Her emotions rarely linger over a realistic length of time no matter what kind of traumatic event befalls her, and there are many such traumatic events here. As a result, I never once feel that Ilse is a believable character. She's more like a cartoon heroine, and that may have worked well in another story. This story, however, is centered around the heroine, and as such, the heroine should feel real enough to engage my emotions. Ilse isn't that heroine. Because she shows little believable emotion, I never feel that there is any instance where she would fail or die. She gets raped, shot... whatever. It's hard to care when the writing makes Ilse such a deadpan monotonous character.

The romance isn't bad, but I end up feeling more sorry for that other guy than anything else. Then again, it could be because Ilse is such a wooden plank of a character, and Raul's falling in love with her seems more like a plot fixture than an organic development in the story.

The setting is also quite vague, and this is an issue because when the political intrigue elements come into play, I find it hard to understand why these things happen and why I should care. The world building is flimsy, with the author throwing things into the scenery without making these things come together to form a coherent idea of the whole setting. Most of the pivotal scenes take place off-stage, which only make things worse. At the end of the day, the whole drama boils down to, simply, Raul has ambitions, crap happens, but he and Ilse come out on top, yay - the end. The problem here is that the author throws exotic made-up names and such all over the place, but I never get the feel of the setting other than it's vaguely historical, so to speak.

Of course there is a sequel, but after reading this book, I find myself in no hurry to read that one. I wonder why.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 bargaining chip in the hands of her severe, and demanding father. Set to be married off to an man she just met who sets off every intuition and instinct in her that there is something cruel and dangerous, she instead flees the situation. Taking on the name of Ilse, she joins up with a caravan leaving at first light, and lives through a harrowing set of experiences, distancing herself from her past. She manages to make her way into the service of Lord Raul Kosenmark, where she begins the process of rebuilding herself into someone new, amid a world of intrigue and court politics.

This introduction to the world of Erythandra doesn’t tread softly. Bernobich impressively gives her characters license to fail, and to suffer the consequences of their failures. These are not the members of a stereotypical fantasy cast, who sweep onto the stage, defeat their enemies at every turn and walk away bumped, and bruised, but none-the-worse for wear. This is a world where characters may find themselves beaten, raped, emasculated, or murdered because of the choices they have made, and the situations in which they’ve found themselves. Despite all obstacles, the heroine turns events to her favor and gains control of her destiny. No longer just running from her past, or managing to survive in her present, she eventually reconciles her two selves and goes forth as Ilse Zhalina.

The writing is both rich and exacting, the details make Erythandra at once both familiar enough that a reader doesn’t feel lost, and at the same time gives a strong sense of how much more there is out there in the world to explore, if only there is time and enough books to do it. The real magic in the tale is in the layer upon layer of intrigue and detail, it slowly unfolds before a reader, drawing them deeper and deeper within the realm of the story.

I can’t wait for book two.

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's totally unfair to cloak a political book with a very weak fantasy storyline. I felt cheated into reading it. I stopped reading once the political bullshit got hot & heavy.

[reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Each time I thought of quitting, another tiny little spark of a promise of something interesting happening would convince me to go on. But it never delivered.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book would have been much better if the main character wasn't a bisexual man who owns a whore house. Odd, indeed.

[lielabell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, a book about a rich girl who runs away and ends up the second hand to a rich man who runs a brothel cum spy ring? That can go really wrong, really fast. And, for a little while in the middle, I was pretty sure it was. But I never should have doubted Bernobich. She pulled the whole thing off masterfully.

The book starts strong, with a fascinating look at Ilse's (Therez) world. There is a hint of intrigue in the way that her family interacts with their peers and I was sure that the book would be about the cut throat politics of the merchant class, but then Ilse makes her bid for freedom and the whole thing did a one hundred eighty degree turn.

First, that bid for freedom: Instead of the typical "poor little rich girl makes her escape with the aid of many selfless and noble friends" Bernobich went with the more honest, and quite frankly painful, "poor little rich girl gets slapped in the face with reality." Which I personally found to be extremely realistic take on what would quite likely happen to any naive, well bred girl who decided to strike out on her own.

With her dreams of an easy escape to the freedom of the capital city dashed, Ilse shows the first hints of the strong, unrelenting personality that characterizes the second half of the book. She faces down her mistakes and takes the hint of a chance provided to her to flee from a life that had become ten hundred times worse than the one she previously thought so terrible. Once again, in doing so Bernobich does not take the tried and true method. Ilse suffers horribly as she makes her way to her new destination. And when she reaches it, she isn't greeted by swarms of rosy-cheeked motherly types who just happened to be looking for a young companion or even helped by some kind hearted townsfolk. Instead Isle is viewed with suspicion and derision. In fact, when she finally does catch a break it is hard not to believe that the other shoe still hasn't dropped.

Which, of course, is because it hasn't. However, what does happen is yet again not the expected. And, while Isle does go on to a much happier, healthier life, it isn't until after proving that she is more than capable to deal with adversity and to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds.

Second, the love interest: Now remember how I said I had a Doubting Thomas moment? It was on account of the love interest. Raul is an exiled lord who has a tragic past. He's older, smarter and much more in tune with his sexuality than Isle. He's her mentor. Her protector. Her boss. And he has a sexy, powerful and attentive male lover. All of which had me frownie faced and thinking a lot about Kushiel's Dart.

But Bernobich played it well. She developed their romance in a way that was both believable and compelling. I found myself deeply invested in their relationship, to the point where I was as concerned as Ilse at the reappearance of Raul's estranged lover and reacted as badly as Raul when Isle made the painful, but necessary, choice to leave him.

Third, all that intrigue: A young, weak king. A powerful, manipulative mage as an advisor. The threat of war with nothing but the determined efforts of a loyal, but uninfluential, lord to stop it. Sounds like pretty standard fare, right? It's not. I mean, yes, there are the predictable moments where things go wrong and important letters are confiscated and friends and allies end up dead, but the way the plot unfolds in is no way bland or easily foreseeable.

Just like in everything else, Bernobich cuts through the tried and true and comes up with brilliant ways to twist the plot. Some much so that I hated to see this book end. And the end. OMG. Yes, it is the first in the series, so of course everything is left hanging. Ilse is in a new city with no idea who will be a friend or a for. There is her unwanted but unavoidable separation from Raul. The chance of developing her magical skills and the tantalizing promise of the hunt for a key item that might be able to force all sides to step back from war. SO MUCH FUN STUFF. To say I can't wait for the next book is putting it lightly.

A full five stars - and I would give more if I could.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off before I even start the review, I’m sorry I didn’t read this sooner. It’s an absolutely delightful book and I do wish I had started it as soon as I received it.

I was a little hesitant to give this a full five star rating because it's something I don't give out lightly, but when it came down too it I just enjoyed it way to much to give it a mere four.

The beginning is a bit slow and I had a hard time getting into it, but once I got around chapter three and the set up was nearly completed I realized that this was going to be something wonderfully written and deeper then I had first realized. The title is a little misleading I think though. When you pick up a book named Passion Play and read the description they give, you get the picture that this is going to be one of those novels with a lot of elicit scenes and romances with some sort of noble and sexy scoundrel. Maybe not quite erotic novel but fairly close. That’s honestly not the case here. Now, there are some parts that warrant that this be read only by adults or those mature enough to handle the situations but it's not erotic in nature or distasteful. This book centers more around intrigue, there is a good deal of politics as well, and of course Ilse’s progress in making a life for herself.

Therez, or better known as Ilse (which I'm guessing is pronounced similar to e-lease), is the sort of main character that does what she has to in order to survive her situation. It may not be pretty and she may not like it but if it means she can get one step closer to the freedom she so craves she’ll do it. Early on you want more for her character, you feel horrible about her situation and when she does get a better opportunity you hope it only gets better. I connected with her pretty quickly thanks to the fact that the story starts off right before everything gets kick started. There is no long explanation of things or backgrounds because the way the author writes there is simply no need. I adored Raul and while his situation calls for pity at times he is a worthy counterpart to Ilse. The chemistry between the two comes off as genuine and progresses at a believable rate, as does the character development. It actually takes the time to explain things when needed but doesn’t bog you down all at once, unlike so many other fantasy novels that involve political unrest and threats of war.

I think that the ending is really the only thing that made me a tad upset.It’s not an actual cliff-hanger but it’s fairly close to one, and cliff-hangers are my literary enemy. I can’t wait to find out if the choice that Raul and Ilse made was the right one and if it will turn out in their favor.

I do highly recommend this to fantasy lovers, and for those who enjoy romance novels I’m sure you’ll enjoy this too if you into with the knowledge that this does not solely center on their relationship. If you are curious about the story but don't want to commit Tor has a short story that serves a prequel for free on there site called River of Souls. I've yet to read it, but I'm sure it'll give you a good sense of the writing style.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 young women many choices and a restlessness to leave and do something more. To find a path in life that she can be happy with. If her father hadn't pushed her hand, I truly believe Ilse would have run away regardless. Her father's ideals and her own were vastly different and with no allies to back her up, I still think she would have run away. Her plan may have been less hasty however and more thought out.

Ilse's journey from her city is...traumatizing to say the very least. She's young (not yet 16), sheltered and has no idea what the real world can be like. The stories she has heard from her father's friends and her brother don't prepare her and her naivety is almost painful to read about. Choices she makes haunt her throughout the rest of the novel; plaguing her dreams and making her fretful during waking hours. Bernobich's handling of the post-traumatic stress Ilse feels is subtle and heart-wrenching. Everyone she meets is suspect and she's scared of revealing too much lest they turn out to be like those before.

Kosenmark, and his household, is a unique place. A pleasure house for certain, but it seeks to pleasure not just the body, but the mind as well. His courtesans are singers, dancers, board game players and musicians. They tell stories and charm with more than their bodies. Raul himself is enigmatic for the better part of the book. Pieces of his backstory filter out, at times when the information is completely necessary for Ilse to know, but we don't see a true Raul until near the very end. Gaurded, clever and quick to judgments, he's also a paranoid man with good reason to fret for his life. His bantering with Ilse seem to bring him as much pleasure as the games he plays with his long time lover.

In the last third of the book something transpires between Raul and Ilse that I'm a little uncomfortable with. Its not their relationship, but accusations made that made me a little leery of the deepening affection between the two. I could just be a naturally suspicious person however.

The other characters are, for the most part, well developed. I wish we had learned more about some of the serving girls (Lys and Rosel, for example) and I hope we see more of the courtesan Nadine and certain misconceptions are remedied. The second book is due out in 2011 and the third is due out in 2012 (according to the author's website). I'm looking forward to learning more about Erythandra and the hinted at destiny for Ilse.

[Benni · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/passion-...

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 she hears about Galt’s broken engagement with another woman from a prominent family, Therez deduces that Galt is cruel. Her fears are compounded when she intuits a deep-rooted anger from his mere touch. Frightened by the prospect of a life trapped in a gilded cage with a probable monster, Therez decides to run away and assume the name Ilse.

An admirable heroine
Passion Play starts off strong. I felt I was right next to Therez/Ilse as she attempts escape her impending marriage and is forced into harrowing experiences while bargaining for passage. (Warning: there are multiple rapes in succession.) I admired Ilse because no matter how hard things get for her, she never regrets her decision to leave—that was the one choice she did get to make. No one should ever have to suffer so much for freedom, but freedom isn’t free, and Ilse remains dedicated to forging her own path.

A troubling romance
Ilse remains jobless until Duke Raul offers her a position in the kitchen of his pleasure house. Raul is by no means a conventional love interest, and the author made a gutsy choice in selecting him, which I admire. I even understand why, given Ilse’s escape experience, she may be drawn to Raul; but after everything I went through with Ilse, I felt she deserved better. She may be physically safe with Raul, but I found him condescending, cold, and oppressive. Certainly, there is room to grow as a character, and Raul may grow to deserve Ilse.

Problems with pacing
While Ilse’s adventures begin with a swift pace, once Raul decides to elevate her to a secretarial position, the book slows to a crawl. Ilse learns of political plots and far-off events through letters that she has to deliver and subsequent conversations with Raul. If letters and conversations about far-off events sound dull, well, they are. Unfortunately, this letter reading and event discussing encompasses more than one-third of the book, and is ultimately my reason for a low rating. By the time Ilse’s personal adventures pick up, including her dabbles in magic, it is too little, too late.

Why should you read this book?
Despite the book’s problems, the prose in Passion Play is beautifully written, and Ilse holds immense promise as the heroine. If you think you can handle the slow pacing in the middle, you could do a lot worse than Passion Play.

Benni received a review copy of this book courtesy of Tor.

[Heather Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passion Play is the first in a fantasy trilogy (but soon to be completed by a fourth story) set in a complex and imaginative pre-industrial secondary world whose linguistics has Slavic and Germanic resonances but which is not a direct analog for any specific historic culture. The most overt fantasy elements are supplied by magical practices and artifacts that can do anything from speed healing to granting functional immortality. As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced in passing to hints and references to a sweeping scope of history and politics, both internal and external: competing factions at court, shifting foreign alliances, threats from abroad and within. If all this sounds a bit nebulous and generic, the specifics of the setting are crisp, vibrant, and fractally detailed, though the overall shape of both the world and plot follow well established paths.

The story follows Therez, daughter of a well-to-do mercantile family whose dreams of a chance to travel to the capitol are cut short by an unexpected arranged marriage. As any proper heroine would, she runs away from home to escape the arrangements and seek her own destiny. After initial misadventures, she finds a refuge and home with Lord Kosenmark, who runs something of a shadow court in a desperate attempt to guide the king away from Bad Advisors and resulting disaster. This first volume of the set fulfils the role of extended training montage as Therez (now going by Ilse) gains the skills, knowledge, and confidence that presumably will serve her well later in the series. The story...let’s say “pauses” rather than “ends” with her embarking on a new position and adventure while Larger Forces set in motion the peril that presumably will fill up Book 2. This is very definitely a first book in a series and it shouldn’t be considered a spoiler to note that it doesn’t stand by itself as a complete story.

The setting includes a realistic diversity of characters and sexualities. There’s a strong focus on female characters, not only in the use of Ilse as viewpoint character. But about a quarter of the way through the book I was ready to throw it against a wall (except I was reading on my iPad, so not so much with the throwing) for the use of a particular trope that is a bit over-used in dislodging fantasy adventuresses from their initial starry-eyed view of the world. The particular trope provides a powerful motivation for Ilse’s situation and reactions, but that doesn’t erase the problematic nature of it in the larger genre picture. (OK, enough coyness, I’m talking about gang-rape.)

Overall, I enjoyed the world-building and the characters. I approve of the way exposition is doled out sparingly and in-line with the action. This is a well-written and mature work, despite my personal distaste for the one aforementioned plot element, and the further books in the series are lined up in my to-read queue, though not perhaps at the top of the list currently.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, many thanks to Cat who told me to go read this book. I was not disappointed at all. Passion Play is a glorious, slowly unfolding fantasy epic that drew me into a world so well realised it left me breathless.

Central to the plot is Ilse Zhalina, the daughter of a well-to-do merchant, whose disastrous attempt to run away from an arranged marriage brings her to the doorstep of the pleasure house owned by Raul Kosenmark, and into a world of intrigue.

First off, there were so many things that I loved about this novel. A big one for me was that so many of the characters were clearly non-Caucasian. [Does big happy dance for that—no blue-eyed, blond-haired damsels in sight.] Another big thing for me that made me extremely happy was the fluidity of sexual preference. In fact, traditional gender roles are blurred, as both men and women can take up soldiering as a career (about time too in fantasy). An intriguing element that Beth Bernobich blends in is the world’s cosmology, which hints at some sort of experience of past lives, and how magic, small and large, is an everyday occurrence and a skill that is learned (though wielded with some proficiency by those of obvious talent).

Okay, so the world building really worked for me. Bernobich’s writing is tactile, and I was left with a very definite sense of place. I could taste those pastries and smell the coffee, so to speak.

My only criticism against the novel is the way she compresses time. But this is understandably tricky because the novel covers two years, and of course to go into exhaustive detail that entire time would’ve resulted in a doorstopper that would have dragged. There was one spot where I felt the pacing jerked, but one only. And it honestly didn’t bother me too much because this entire novel is one glorious celebration of fantasy I’ll happily compare favourably to the likes of George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey.

Ilse as a character is resilient. Hats off to Bernobich for not wrapping her characters in cotton wool. Ilse’s choices are not always the wisest, and she gets hurt for her mistakes, and badly at the onset of the story. But she learns, and it is an absolute pleasure watching her come into her own. Raul is more of a cipher. Perhaps his greatest fault is his arrogance, and his propensity for secrets. But when he gives his love, he loves fiercely, and I’m curious to see whether he’ll step out of the shadows in the next novel and take a more active role.

Passion Play moves slowly, but every step of the journey is exquisite. If you’re looking for story that blends myth, magic and intrigue against a greater backdrop that hints at an epic past. And if you feel the same way I did, you’ll rush out and buy book two before you’re even done with book one.

[EA Solinas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The setting of "Passion Play" was enough to get me to pick up Beth Bernobitch's debut novel -- a sort of medievalish Renaissanceish Italy-Spainy kind of world. But there was also a lot in it that nearly made me put it down, ranging from the cliches of the fantasy genre to the flimsy storyline (which has more than enough time to flesh itself out).

Therez Zhalina is the daughter of a rich but unhappy merchant family. Then she meets the much older man that her father has decided for her to marry, and freaks out because he's even nastier than her father. So, like any rebellious princess, she changes her name to Ilse and runs away. Big mistake: she finds out that there are things that are much, much worse in this world.

She eventually finds her way under the wing of Raul Kosenmark, a castrati brothel-owner, and discovers that Raul is far more important and dangerous than he appears. He's forming his own "shadow court," and Ilse soon becomes wrapped in this world of court intrigue, secrets and shadowy magic...

"Passion Play" is a textbook example of a book that has lots of awesome ideas -- reincarnation as fact rather than belief, a Mediterranean fantasy world, court intrigue, a feisty heroine seeking her place in the world. But somehow... it just never gels into the brilliant Sherwood-Smith-by-way-of-Robin-Mckinley book it tries to be.

Part of this is because Bernobich never fleshes out her world quite as much as she could. There were so many parts of it that could have been explained just a LITTLE more, like countries and people never seen by the readers, and court intrigue conducted by proxies. Bernobich has the skeleton of an elaborate, earthy-yet-elegant plot in this book, but she isn't able to quite enthrall us with the flesh.

I will say that she has a talent for writing -- she's got a clean, warmly ornate style, and she doesn't shy away from the nastier aspects of her world, or the effects of running away (Ilse being nastily -- but not graphically -- raped by the caravan men).

And Ilse is a character who... is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Sometimes she comes across as a naive young girl who must stumble her way past her own traumas and fears; at other times, she comes across as a twentysomething woman in a teenager's body, who sometimes gains skills she shouldn't rightfully have. Kosenmark is a much more intriguing character, especially when we learn of his past.

"Passion Play" is a collection of intriguing yet undeveloped details that never quite gel into a satisfying book. Maybe Bernobich will improve with time, but this debut definitely has some beginner's flaws.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.marilynmuniz.com/2011/04/p...

Summary:

Therez looks forward to traveling to Duenne in the spring. Yet for her trip to happen, her father must secure contracts for the family business and status. After a business party at her home, she learns her father has agreed to marry her to a man she fears more than her father. She runs away from home when she realized her mother and brother agree with the marriage. She changes her name to Ilse to avoid her father’s agents.

She misplaced her trust in a man named Alarik Brandt who ruined her as they traveled to Duenne. She runs away from Brandt and finds herself at Lord Raul Kosenmark’s pleasure house. As she weaves her way into the life of the Lord Kosenmark, she realizes there is more at stake than her life.

Review

Structure of the Book

Overall the book is a decent read. The beginning is very brutal and will make some readers uneasy with Ilse being raped. Ilse does not use the word rape, but I cannot call it anything else. I needed to step away from the book, after reading her ordeals with the caravan and Brandt. The main problem is the long middle with no action. It drags on for page after page. With the introduction of magic and past lives, I expected more of this during this section. But none of it happened until the latter half of the book. Only the political intrigue kept me interested. Towards the end it picked up again. At the same time, it rushed through to fit everything in. The magic, mention of past lives, and her knife training all happen late in the book. There wasn’t time to fully enjoy any of it

Characters

In the beginning, Ilse goal was clearly stated but then it was lost during the middle part of the book. At the end, she regained a goal but not one I’m convinced of. Also I expected passion from her based on the title, but I was left cold from her actions and thoughts. She remained a victim throughout the story.

Raul did not strike me as a romantic interest at all. He is everything Ilse wanted to run away from. He controlled those around him for his own needs. The romantic connection between the two of them happened toward the end of the book. Then his courtship of Ilse was rushed and left me unconvinced.

Final Thoughts

Novel felt uncompleted because the middle ended too late. The characters did not grow because of it, and the ending rushed to fit everything in. The only part worked out was the political aspect. I will pick up the second book for this series because I want to know how Raul and Ilse will prevent a war in the kingdom.