The Crown

The Pearls (Pearls and the Crown) A terrific book / a must read.

I've been a Deborah Chester fan since her Sword, Ring and Chalice trilogy came out. I learned of this new series and loved the first book but I was not prepared for how amazing it's sequal would be. One might think that after the first book Shadrael would be a bit softer, not so fast, within ten pages you find out that he is still as dark as ever but as the pages continue to turn you begin to see how much he has been changed by Lea...and more importantly how much he has changed her. These books aren't life changing novels, I don't expect people to compare these books to other fantasies like "Mists of Avalon" but these books are the feel good novels, ones not too in depth but more thrilling. The characters will draw you in. Action, romance, a dark knight missing a soul, a beautiful woman who cries pearls and the shadow gods trying to take back the land from the light-bringing emperor...what more could you want?

This book is the sequel to the duology The Pearls (Pearls and the Crown). If you read the first book, you will want to read this concluding book to see what happens to Lea and Shadreal. First, I think this book is mostly geared towards women readers of fantasy. At the heart of this story is the how our beautiful heroine redeems the tortured hero through the power of love. There are a lot of cliche's here. Lea is beautiful, blond haired and blue eyed. When she cries her tears turn to pearls!!! Our hero,Shadreal, is dark and tormented and has literally given his soul to evil. The chief villain is really, really bad. He is described as a Jabba the Hut like creature- morbidly obese and smelly! There is nothing ground breaking in this two book series. Just a pleasant read for women who like a bit of romance weaved into their fantasy,and enjoy tall,dark, and tormented heroes. I liked the fact that this book concluded the series and we did not have to wait another year for a trilogy.

Bravo, Deborah! Your conclusion to The Pearl was worth the wait and delivered everything I was looking forward to in The Crown -- quality fantasy, classic sorcery, realistic romance, and a hint of humor and bawdiness. I particularly appreciated the likening of Shradrael's self-destruction and withdrawals from using dark sorcery to that of an "addiction" because it lent a depth of relevance readers could identify with. The ultimate choice Lea faces between a cloistered, spiritually-harmonious life to that of one filled with sacrifice and painful risk for Shradrael was unexpectedly heart-rending and left my eyes admittedly moist! Also, it was refreshing that most of the book was devoted to the main characters, and not to a cast of secondary characters. The only aspect of Lea's and Shradrael's story that left me wanting was the degree of restraint regarding their passion. Permitting a little more physicality between Lea and Shradrael would have fully fleshed out the romance aspect. That is, adding a stronger punch of romance would not have potentially detracted from The Crown's credibility as a fantasy work because it so well-conceived and written. I highly recommend The Crown for readers who appreciate intelligent, original fantasy storytelling with a touch of romance from a leading female writer. The Crown is a thoroughly rich and satisfying experience! After devouring it in one reading, I am already eagerly anticipating the next installment. Any idea when that will be, Deborah?

Once he was a Praetinor in the Imperial Army, a hero held in high regard by all until he rebelled and was declared a rebel. Angry and bitter, he turned to Shadow (dark magic) but over time regretted his choice. Lord Shadrael is hired by the vile Vindicant Priests who practice blood magic. He is to kidnap the sister of the Emperor Caelan, Lea, who whosse ters turn into pearls. If Shadrael brings her to their compound in brother's province of Ulinia, they will restore his soul to him. Lea is an innocent gentle person who practices good magic; she tries to persuade Shadrael not to turn her over to the Vindicants. He ignores her plea although he has come to care about her. After delivering her to the Vindicants, they betray him leaving him to die. His brother tries to save him and raise an army expecting the Emperor to invade while Lea is being used and abused. Shadrael tries to liberate Lea by bargaining with the devilish Vindicants; Lea does likewise with the man she has come to love. This is a fine blending of sword and sorcery with romantic fantasy. THE CROWN is Deborah Chester at her best. Shadrael is dark even more so when contrasted to Lea's light. He changes from sacrificing her to sacrificing himself as her goodness overwhelms his badness. Ironically she is willing to do the same to save his soul. The Vindicants cleverly turn the strengths of the pair caring about the other into a weakness better than Karl Rove ever did. Thus this is a character driven thriller as Shadrael begins to find redemption when he found love. Harriet Klausner