by Sharon Shinn
October 2010
Ace Hardcover
A world in which people believe that five essential elements rule all things and guide their lives.
Don't be fooled by the title of this book. Rather than scaling a mountain only to push her readers off, Sharon Shinn takes you on a ride down an easy, peaceful river with occasional rapids, but never anything more violent than a touch of whitewater. No race to the waterfall. No careening over the edge only to be dashed to bits by the rocks at the bottom. Sometimes it really bothers me when authors (*cough* Robin McKinley *cough*) do this; however, this time I very much enjoyed the ride.
Zoe Ardelay is living peacefully in a village, mourning the death of her father when a man comes from the capital and declares she is to be the fifth wife of the king. Zoe has other things in mind, however, and she walks away from the promise of her new life to blend into the crowded streets of the capitol. But what she learns about herself and her powers, and the darkest secrets of the kingdom forces her to take part in the political facade and intrigue running rampant throughout the palace. I love the depth and design of the world that Shinn has created for Troubled Waters. I only hope that someday she will remove this novel from her list of standalone fiction on her website and place it in a series. There is definitely room (and demand) for more of Zoe's world.
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