A Sorcerer’s Treason

A Sorcerer’s Treason (2002) Sarah Zettel

Bridget Lederle has inherited her father’s job as a lighthouse keeper on Sand Island, a job that is perfect for her, not only because she is shunned by much of the community, but also because she has a sight that often shows her when danger lurks. When she rescues a sailor from the rocky shores, he knows of her sight and wants her to return with him, where her power is needed.

I really liked this book. I’m often wary of books that take someone from our reality and place them in a different reality, but I liked the way Sarah Zettel worked things. Part of it may have been because the book was set in 1899, so both settings were somewhat foreign.

Bridget is a wonderful heroine; she is strong and stands up for herself and those around her. More importantly Sarah Zettel’s villains are also excellent–their motivations are understandable, and I felt sympathy for them, and understood how they could have ended up on the path they took.

I love complicated villains.

The magic use in this book fascinated me. Magic is created by creating intricate knots, be it with string, hair, rags, wire–anything that can be tied or braided. It was unique, simple, and reasonable.

Even the cover is good. It showed the heroine, with braids and knots to represent the magic use, but didn’t depict any particular scene, so it gave you an idea about the book, without giving things away.

There are, as of now, three Isavalta novels, however they are not written as a series where a continuing story runs through three books, but instead are complete novels in and of themselves. I really with that more authors would write like this. Often I have time to read one book, but not an entire trilogy or series, and so books like this are perfect.

You can read A Sorcerer’s Treason without having to immediately read The Firebird’s Vengeance to find out what happens with the story line, although you’ll probably want to, because you’ll want to read more about Bridget. That reason alone makes this a good book, however the writing and the story and the characters are also good, which makes this an excellent book.
Rating: 9/10

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