Take a photo of a barcode or cover
latad_books 's review for:
Kalyna the Soothsayer
by Elijah Kinch Spector
alyna Aljosanovna is from a long line of soothsayers, though she lacks the gift. She lives and travels throughout the four kingdoms of the Tetrarchia, primarily because the family needs to ply their trade, but people, though enamoured by the idea of soothsaying, often turn on the trio because of fear, keeping the family constantly moving to stay ahead of trouble. To keep the family fed, Kalyna has masqueraded as the soothsayer, using, at times, her father's visions, but others, mostly just well-crafted readings of people's words, and sometimes outright lies.
Though her bad-tempered and coldhearted grandmother can probably still see the future, she prefers to keep mum on the subject, while constantly emotionally abusing Kalyna for killing her mother at her birth, and for lacking the family gift. Kalyna's kind and loving father continues to have visions, but his lack cohesion, and require much interpretation, though his latest is fairly unambiguous, showing the utter physical destruction of the Tetrarchia and most of its people within three months.
Shortly afterward, Kalyna, her father and grandmother are kidnapped by Lenz, the spymaster of Prince Friendhelm of Rotfelsen (one of the four kingdoms) because of her supposed soothsaying ability. Kalyna knows that she must now run the most dangerous con of her life, while escaping Tetrarchia in time to save her family and herself.
Lenz wants her help foretelling the future so that the Prince can maintain his position and the King is kept from harm. To do this, Kalyna must get to know various ministers and higher-ups in the army so she can let Lenz know who's might try to assassinate the King, all while wondering how long she can keep her many lies to Lenz and others straight so that her father will stay alive (she's not so sure she wants her grandmother safe). Through careful observation, and a number of strange conversations with the many factions, Kalyna slowly unravels many of the intricate plots, after some false assumptions and starts, to reveal that there is much more going on in Rotfelsen, including an ancient danger, which is likely the cause of her father's dire prediction.
Kalyna won my heart almost immediately after I met her. She's smart, unsentimental (except about her father), witty, clever at reading people and crafting what they want to hear, and fast with her sickle (women aren't allowed swords in this world). She's got a healthy amount of self-preservation, and will do her best to talk herself out of bad situations, and when she can't, well, there are her fists and her sickle….
Kalyna is a wonderfully complicated person, who, though empathetic, won't hesitate at using someone if it means she can protect those she cares about. She is observant and cynical, and though she makes many mistakes in Rotfelsen's Court, and sometimes steers others in poor or dangerous directions, her aim is averting the massive disaster her father saw coming.
I absolutely loved Kalyna, and the amusing tone of her narration. I also loved the complicated relationships and many machinations swirling around her, wonderfully fleshing out this part of the Tetrarchia. Kalyna gets to know many important players in Rotfelsen, and it's through the many odd conversations she has that Rotfelsen is revealed to be full of political intrigue, while also giving the reader a great sense of the type of people in this kingdom.
Although much of this book is occupied with political scheming, Kalyna does have her heart touched by a few people, and even develops feelings for two. Despite gaining her freedom thanks to her actions, Kalyna is on the move again, a little wiser, and more confident of herself after all that she accomplished. It's a great place to wrap this book up, though I know she's headed for another part of the Tetrarchia, where I hope we get more of Kalyna's fast-thinking and cunning on display.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Erewhon Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Though her bad-tempered and coldhearted grandmother can probably still see the future, she prefers to keep mum on the subject, while constantly emotionally abusing Kalyna for killing her mother at her birth, and for lacking the family gift. Kalyna's kind and loving father continues to have visions, but his lack cohesion, and require much interpretation, though his latest is fairly unambiguous, showing the utter physical destruction of the Tetrarchia and most of its people within three months.
Shortly afterward, Kalyna, her father and grandmother are kidnapped by Lenz, the spymaster of Prince Friendhelm of Rotfelsen (one of the four kingdoms) because of her supposed soothsaying ability. Kalyna knows that she must now run the most dangerous con of her life, while escaping Tetrarchia in time to save her family and herself.
Lenz wants her help foretelling the future so that the Prince can maintain his position and the King is kept from harm. To do this, Kalyna must get to know various ministers and higher-ups in the army so she can let Lenz know who's might try to assassinate the King, all while wondering how long she can keep her many lies to Lenz and others straight so that her father will stay alive (she's not so sure she wants her grandmother safe). Through careful observation, and a number of strange conversations with the many factions, Kalyna slowly unravels many of the intricate plots, after some false assumptions and starts, to reveal that there is much more going on in Rotfelsen, including an ancient danger, which is likely the cause of her father's dire prediction.
Kalyna won my heart almost immediately after I met her. She's smart, unsentimental (except about her father), witty, clever at reading people and crafting what they want to hear, and fast with her sickle (women aren't allowed swords in this world). She's got a healthy amount of self-preservation, and will do her best to talk herself out of bad situations, and when she can't, well, there are her fists and her sickle….
Kalyna is a wonderfully complicated person, who, though empathetic, won't hesitate at using someone if it means she can protect those she cares about. She is observant and cynical, and though she makes many mistakes in Rotfelsen's Court, and sometimes steers others in poor or dangerous directions, her aim is averting the massive disaster her father saw coming.
I absolutely loved Kalyna, and the amusing tone of her narration. I also loved the complicated relationships and many machinations swirling around her, wonderfully fleshing out this part of the Tetrarchia. Kalyna gets to know many important players in Rotfelsen, and it's through the many odd conversations she has that Rotfelsen is revealed to be full of political intrigue, while also giving the reader a great sense of the type of people in this kingdom.
Although much of this book is occupied with political scheming, Kalyna does have her heart touched by a few people, and even develops feelings for two. Despite gaining her freedom thanks to her actions, Kalyna is on the move again, a little wiser, and more confident of herself after all that she accomplished. It's a great place to wrap this book up, though I know she's headed for another part of the Tetrarchia, where I hope we get more of Kalyna's fast-thinking and cunning on display.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Erewhon Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.