The ruler of Ombria has died and his great-aunt, Domina Pearl wastes no time in taking over as his young son's regent. Lydea, his mistress, must find a way to protect the poor prince, Kyel, even though she's been kicked out of the palace with only the clothes on her back. With the help of Mag, a mysterious girl who serves a sorceress known as Faey, and the bastard son of the ruler's younger sister, Ducan, Lydea unravels the mystery of the shadow Ombria and reaches out from her lowly position as an innkeeper's daughter to protect not only the prince, but Ombria itself.
Impression: Wow. Just . . . wow. McKillip is the author I want to be (in my own voice, of course, and probably a bit more actual description, but still the author I want to be) with thick, rich sentences full of texture; depth of character and setting; and a tale that is deep and bautiful.
The story itself is an unexpected, imaginative, engaging tale. Unexpected and imaginative in that it's a unique world and the events that happen fit perfectly within this tale but are not events I've encountered elsewhere. She took some very famililar basic elements and turned them into something never seen before. Her ending, even more unexpected than the rest of the story, leaves you wondering what really happened, but doesn't leave you disatisfied. It's just an incredible story incredibly written.
This book must be reread because there's no way to get it all in one sitting. It's one of those books, the ones that are so layered that rereading it again and again reveals something new every time. It is well worth the price of even a hardbound or quality paperback, editions I do not buy too often because of the price. I've already ordered more of her novels, including an oop recommended by the friend who introduced me to McKillip. And I'm really looking forward to reading them. A lot.
