(Paperback)

Lindan Rathan, with his long girly locks and freakish 6'5 frame comes off more like Frankenstein and Fabio's lovechild than a heroic figure. His soultwin (a concept that still leaves me gagging) is, naturally, tall, beautiful, with long raven-colored hair and, of course, unlimited supplies of bravery. Maurynna is supposedly so wonderfully clever that she's sped through the ranks to become ship's Captain at a young age, fighting off storms and hordes of pirates, but she doesn't have the sense the gods gave her. After her initial introduction there isn't a chapter that goes by where she isn't crying, sobbing or weeping about how she misses the boyfriend who's done nothing but lie to her from the moment he's met her. The stuff of timeless romance indeed.

Romantic elements never ruined a good fantasy but here it overwhelms every other plot. All the behind the curtains plotting about the succession, the machinations of the Fraternity of Blood, even the prince's poisoning, become secondary to the lovebirds. Even more unforgivable, Lindan's early dalliance with Sherrine is far more believable, more entertaining, and far less sickening than that between him and Maurynna. At least with he and Sherrine there was a flirty coyness and intelligent repartee that made them seem like a three-dimensional couple. There is absolutely zero chemistry between the soultwins; when they aren't kissing they're professing or being adoring. It's like witnessing the nauseating public displays of a teenage couple at a mall and not being able to escape. Not only do they never actually stop to get to know each other, Linden spends the better part of the time withholding vital information about her own life from her 'for her own good'. The final straw for me is when he finally beds his ladylove; knowing what he does could very well kill her, he lets his hormones get the better of him and then has the audacity to justify what he's doing by saying she should have protested. Wow, what a catch!

The supporting cast has little else to do in the interim but coo over their cuteness or warn Linden what he's doing could endanger Maurynna's life and then laughingly shrugging it off when he does it anyway. Maylin is the only character with any sense in her when it comes to this man and you wish she'd just knock her cousin unconscious and tie her up in a closet so you could get back to reading the story that is actually supposed to be at the forefront. I found myself taking Sherrine's side more often than not, she's got a horrible mother and too many brains to fit in at court and when she seduces a man she winds up clicking with he throws her over for some bubble-headed nitwit he's only attracted to because of the dragon sleeping inside of him. That's gotta hurt more than the 'we can still be friends' line.

Griping aside, I did eat this book up at every free moment I had because the pacing and the few non-mushy moments were well done. I don't particularly like cole slaw but I ate this up by the warm, squishy cupful. Two and a half stars for the characters that didn't set my teeth on edge, the structure, and the potential for better things the author shows. Just please, Ms. Bertin, abandon Linden and Maurynna in sugar-cube happiness valley and lay off reading the love stories.