THE SHAMER’S DAUGHTER

A different kind of magic gives spark to this series opener. Dina, like her mother, is a shamer. Nobody in the village will be her friend—one look into Dina’s eyes will magically reveal all of the gazer’s shameful deeds. If she could, Dina would reject her magic. But when her mother refuses to use shamer power to condemn an innocent man, powerful enemies appear. Dina will need all her gifts to rescue her mother. With wrongfully accused Nicodemus—innocent, Dina knows, of his father’s murder—Dina must escape Dunark, now ruled by the wicked upstart Drakan and his dragons. Drakan is mysteriously immune to shame and Dina’s magic, and he needs to kill the rightful heir, Nicodemus, to consolidate his rule. Worse, he’s condemned Dina’s mother to death for witchcraft. Though plenty of plot threads are left for the next three series entries to resolve, Dina’s first volume comes to a satisfying conclusion. Standard fantasy spiced with likable characters and an intriguing new magical ability—eagerly awaiting volume two (Fantasy. 10-14)