Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #866699 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-02
• Released on: 2007-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 6–10—An unusually dark fantasy, skillfully told. In this third book in the series, Dina and her family have settled into a comfortable life of farming and trading. Her mother no longer uses her Shamer's gift of seeing the ugly truths hidden behind peoples' eyes, and Dina's own Shamer's talent has disappeared. Then her father, a Blackmaster who wields the Serpent's Gift of illusion and coercion, comes to claim his daughter. The family flees to a neighboring country where Dina's brother, Davin, and Nico, the usurped teenaged ruler of their homeland, break the repressive local laws and are sentenced to years in the royal prison. In this grim place designed to break the souls of its inmates, Davin learns to respect Nico, and Dina learns to see some good in her father. Dina and Davin's alternating first-person descriptions of the various threats to their family make for a fast-paced read. Prison scenes of physical and psychological abuse are absolutely chilling, all the more so because they sometimes involve children. The book can stand alone but will be more rewarding for readers of the first two books, who will recognize the characters' growing strength and maturity under often-brutal conditions.—Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 6-9. Kaaberbol's third book in the Shamer Chronicles, which began with Shamer's Daughter (2004), is every bit as entertaining and well written as its predecessors. The Shamer's family and Nico are on the run; Dina's father, Sezuan, a Blackmaster who commands the gifts of lie and illusion, has turned up at Yew Tree Cottage, bringing death and destruction with him. Trouble dogs the escapees, accelerating after they reach Sagisloc, where they become slaves for the Foundation. They are separated, stripped of their names and belongings, and hired out. When Nico and Davin are arrested, Dina attempts to secure Sezuan's aid in freeing them. Meanwhile, locked in the bowels of Sagisburg Castle, Nico and Davin, shackled with other prisoners, must work as fast as possible to avoid floggings and, even worse, torture staged for the entertainment of Prince Artos Draconis. The unique world Kaaberbol has created, her well-developed characters, fast-moving plots, and thoughtful examination of bravery and moral issues put this book, and the series as whole, in good standing alongside Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. Diana Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Awesome
I had read the first two Shamer books and had been uncertain as to actually reading The Serpent Gift. I am so glad that I did.

My praises and qualms:

- The entrance was a little slow, but the story swiftly picked up speed.
- The prose is alright -- not excellent -- and not dreadfully annoying.
- The characters were interesting and decently well developed.
- The story *flowed.*
- Even with two view points driving the book, Kaaberbol allowed only a little repeating of the same events.
- A pleasing mixture of humor and seriousness.

Overall, this book is more mature and engaging than the previous Shamer books. And now I await the publication of The Shamer's War!