Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Adiún has terrible luck with lovers. One has died, the other has been traded away to help the village, and he has no one left. Joining a troupe of acrobats, Adiún leaves his village in search of Devi, his old lover and best friend, hoping to save him from whatever fate has befallen him since he was sold. He searches in brothels and slave pens with the help of his new friends, but when he finally finds Devi, Adiún is afraid too many bad things have happened for Devi to trust again. Can he find a way to convince his lover that they can have a life together?

BOOK REVIEW:
I found this to be a refreshing read indeed! When I read fantasy, I usually look for the author to "tell the world into being,"so that the world the author creates feels real to me. Benoit did this with alacrity, using rich descriptives and a voice that seamlessly wove together a tale that drew me, as a reader, right along on the journey. The beginning of the story read like a folkloristic account, adding to the absorbing quality of the storytelling. Despite the fantasy setting, I found a certain degree of what felt like gritty realism, especially in the descriptions and accounts of the pleasure houses. The secondary characters had great depth and really came alive for me, especially Matti. Elements such as these transformed this tale from an enjoyable read to a powerful story.

I also found Benoit's method of conveying the emotional themes of this story effective. Adiún's journey, both figuratively and literally, engaged my emotions as I felt his alternating hope and despair as he looked for Devi. I identified with his discovery that the world was much bigger and diverse than he had thought. I keenly felt the combined joy, pain, and disillusionment when he found Devi and I rejoiced with Adiún when he finally realized who he was and what his purposed was meant to be.

The use of tarot card readings and the themes associated really added another layer of depth to the story in my opinion. I enjoyed Benoit's interpretation of the Eight of Pentacles card as an apprenticeship for Adiún. I saw this in his diligence and continued perseverance in his search for Devi. When Adiún realized at the end what his "apprenticeship" was for, what he was meant to master and who he was meant to be, I felt fulfilled and satisfied along with him.

If I had one criticism, it would be that the reunion/forgiveness scene between Adiún and Devi did not feel quite right. Perhaps it was because it felt rushed. Maybe it was because the author did not provide a way for the reader to know Devi as fully as we came to know Adiún. I would have liked to have explored the emotions regarding their relationship a little more fully, mainly on Devi's side. I would have liked to get to know Devi. Essentially, after reading that scene I just felt that I needed more.

On the whole, I found this story to be a cut above others I have read in the same genre. The phrasing was, at times, more academic than I expected, but the chosen diction added to the story without sounding pedantic. I might go so far as to say that this read is more a coming of age story or journey of self-discovery than a romance, at least for the majority of the tale. I would like to add here that I find myself hoping that the author will revisit the characters from this story in later works, most especially Devi. To me, Devi feels like he has so much more to tell. All in all, this story was highly satisfying and I definitely recommend it!

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