GREEN

A stylish and intimate fantasy from Lake (Escapement, 2008, etc.).

The story concerns a young girl, sold from her tiny farming village to a mysterious stranger and trained to be a consort to a sinister duke. Given the name Emerald by her captors, she stubbornly calls herself Green, and later becomes a blade-wielding assassin. Lake infuses the book with first-person intimacy, particularly the early scenes, when Green is separated from her homeland. Her journey from child victim to heroic, independent woman is well told, and Lake displays a keen insight into the emotional world of Green and his other powerful female characters. The adventure story at the heart of the book yields some breathtaking fight scenes. The plot is perhaps less complex than it could be, but Lake makes up for it with intensity and page-turning momentum.

An action-packed tale.