C. R. Daems

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Shadow Sisters series. I borrowed this as an audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: I borrowed this through Audible on a whim and wasn't sure what to expect. I was surprised to really enjoy this. This isn't just a story about a worthless girl trying to find her way as an assassin but it is bigger than that. This is about a girl trying to balance her life between the family she yearns for and the job she is amazingly good at.

Ryana is despised by her show more family for being a girl and quickly sold off to an old woman who is part of the Shadow Sisters (a group of spies and assassin). Ryana trains hard because she is desperate to please the Shadow Sisters. When she is sent on an impossible mission to find out where missing Shadow Sisters are going, she uncovers and even larger plot. Even more surprising, she discovers family, friendship, and a whole world outside of the Shadow Sisters confines.

Ryana as a character is definitely the star of the show. She is incredibly capable as an assassin and spy, but doesn't really want to be good at killing people. She is, at heart, a sweet, smart, and earnest girl who is forced into making living by lying and killing and she ends up being really good at it. The tight-knit relationships she forms with the gypsies that she travels with is heartwarming and entertaining. The lengths she goes to to protect her new found "family" is heartbreaking at times. Ryana has no sense of self protection and constantly throws herself into dire situations with no thought for her life or health.

There is a complex plot around the missing Shadow Sisters here and that is woven around Ryana trying to travel with (and protect to some extent) the gypsies. Watching her gain some sense of both herself and of the broader world was fun. There is plenty of action as well. I did think the world-building and plot were a bit weak, but Ryana mostly made up for that.

There are some more serious elements in this story too. The persecution of the gypsies is discussed quite a bit, and casual violence towards women is commonplace. It's sorrowful how assumed all of the violence against women is, even though many of the characters in the story scorn those who overpower various women throughout. I would hate to be a woman living in this world; they must live in constant fear. I did think some of the scenes where Ryana gained access to high ranking people were a bit unbelievable but I guess this is a fantasy story. I really enjoyed where this story ended.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. The narration was pleasant to listen to and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I am happy I read this. This is a strangely heart-warming, and sometimes vicious, story about a unwanted young girl who becomes a very good assassin and spy but wants more from life. There are some wonderful characters, a good plot, and lots of action. Right now I don't plan on reading the second book because it is no longer available on audiobook through Audible, and I really loved how this book ended...I don't really see the need to read another book in this series. While I loved Ryana as a character the world-building and plot were a bit weak. show less

Question how do you determine good or bad in any given situation? This first question is the beginning of many other questions you must ask yourself while reading Women of Power. The basic energy called Qi is much like chakra points on your body. Qi is of the earth which can bring you a peace that is acquired thru meditation or simple observation of known facts. Qi'advisor is someone who takes given facts or information and forms it into observations that you may or may not like to hear. show more Qi'Nisha is a qi'advisor unlike any other before her or after her. Qi'Nisha tells you the hard truths and doesn't care about the outcome based on her observations. She makes you think outside the box with such clarity that is frightening to behold. Yet resoundly she shows you what must be done whether you like her answers or not. Qi'Nisha tries to help Duke Sandar understand what is going around him and hopefully prevent further war and blood shed. The Sands people have taken the Royal Scepter in the hopes of causing war among the people of Rhybac. Can Qi'Nisha navigate her way thru being qi'advisor? Will Duke Sandar listen to Qi'Nisha? Can war be prevented? What are The Sands people will to do? Who will be chosen king? Your answers await you in Women of Power.

This book was interesting on so many levels; many of which I can't seem to explain to myself at this point in time. I truly loved the thought process Qi'Nisha used through out the book because outside the box thinking isn't one of my strong suits. The knowledge Qi'Nisha bestowed to those around her made this book so very enjoyable from beginning to end. I honestly recommend this book to anyone who ia an analytical thinker or type of person. I was so very engaged in this book that I just could not stop at one page or one chapter. show less

Laying the Odds is an entertaining fantasy by J.R. Tomlin and C.R. Daems. It's a quick read, but has most everything a fantasy lover will love. There's magic, evil, power struggles, and a protagonist who wants nothing of any of it, yet is dragged in anyway.

Wrai isn't a typical young, naive fantasy hero. He's fully grown with a daughter being raised by a friend. He's jaded, a gambler and a thief. He doesn't really care about the "good of mankind," he only wants to do what is good for himself show more and his daughter. Yet he's pulled into the fray when he steals a pendant that is full of powerful magick from his father. Wrai slowly matures into a true fantasy hero through this story, yet his edges are still rough which keeps him interesting to read about.

The rest of the characters in the book could have used a bit more fleshing out for my liking. I found it difficult to feel much for anyone but Wrai. However, the storyline was smoothly written and easy to follow. The ending left me a little wanting, but it seems obvious there will be a sequel. I enjoyed reading Laying the Odds and think most fantasy readers will as well. show less

This review was written for LibraryThing Members giveaway.

I liked :
• That the protagonist was a more mature character rather than the often seen near-child prodigy. That he had family responsibilities and had to be dragged into "adventuring" by the scruff of the neck.
• The mage travelling with Wrai. We don't get a picture of a whole magic system, but what we do see contributes to a coherent picture of a relatively low-fantasy world where mages pack some firepower but with quite drastic show more limits and cost. Nothing tremendously original but it works.
• The interactions among that group were quite nice overall (see caveat below regarding female characters though).

I felt ambivalent about :
• A tendency to justify Wrai's basic decency of character despite his choice of an occupation as a gambler and professional cheat that felt a bit awkward. As if there was some sort of conflict at play between the trope of the fantasy rogue as a sometime somewhat shady character who feels like the world owes him a living even if he is not a totally horrible person overall, and sterner (real-world ?) considerations on the matter. But we don't really know if it's supposed to be Wrai's inner conflict with his own morality / the dominant morality of his world, or the author trying to pre-emptively appease hypothetical readers objecting to a fictional supposedly sympathetic hero routinely cheating other people out of their money for a living.
• An environment that except for a couple adequately lively inns/taverns felt like a rather generic piece of countryside with details standing out only as they become relevant to the action. It gets a bit better in the city later on.

I didn't like :
• A gruesome lack of proofreading (as of the version received on June 2011 through LibraryThing Member Giveaway). Or rather, proofreading of the variety that goes through a basic spellchecker because, well, the words used do exist, but stills leaves out plenty of fairly eye-watering kinks.
• The story alternates between the merry band of Wrai & Co, and some mages going through the motions of being powerful and mysterious and pulling strings behind the scenes. The latter felt unfortunately very flat to me.
• That the female characters felt like little more than thinly disguised plot devices. The daughter is there as a justification for her father's need to make money by means fair and foul, and his care of her as "proof" that he's a nice guy. I'm not sure she even gets a description or is seen interacting with anyone. The other main female character seems to have little more purpose than to fall in love with Wrai and get abducted when convenient to get the men in the band moving. show less