Shadowscent
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An Ember in the Ashes meets Indiana Jones in an electrifying, steal-your-breath away, supercharge-your-senses YA fantasy adventure.Across the Aramtesh Empire, scent is everything. Prayers only reach heaven on sacred incense, and perfumes are prized status symbols. 17-year-old Rakel has an uncanny ability with fragrances, but her skills aren't enough to buy her dying father more time. Ash bears the tattoos of an imperial bodyguard. When his prince, Nisai, insists on a diplomatic mission to an outer province, Ash is duty-bound to join the caravan. It's a nightmare protecting Nisai on the road. But it's even harder for Ash to conceal a secret that could see him exiled or executed. Rakel and Ash have nothing in common until smoke draws them to a field of the Empire's rarest flower. Nisai's been poisoned, flames devour the priceless blooms, and the pair have "suspect" clinging to them like a bad stench. Their futures depend on them working together to decipher clues, defy dangers and defeat their own demons in a race to source an antidote . . . before the imperial army hunts them down.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a land that values perfumes and poisons, a young woman with a knack for scents and a royal bodyguard with a dark secret join forces to heal a poisoned prince. Rakel's plan to become a master perfumer in order to support her ailing father is derailed when she's betrayed and pressed into indentured servitude. Bodyguard Ash will do anything to help his friend, Prince Nisai. After Nisai is struck down by an ancient poison, and Rakel and Ash are blamed for the attack, the two set forth to find the necessary components for an antidote, a search that takes them to every corner of their land. Remaining just one step ahead of the authorities, they must solve an intricate riddle in order to succeed and learn to trust each other along the way. This intrigue-laden fantasy debut gets off to a slow start, and the alternating perspectives aren't equally developed: Rakel's struggle and voice are more engaging than those of Ash, who remains something of a cipher until late in the tale, save for his infrequent panic attacks and mysterious affliction. Still, Freestonevividly evokes the feel and sensory details of an imagined desert kingdom, and the narrative's engaging quest plot sets things up nicely for a sequel. Ages 12 up.
