Dawn Cook, Princess at Sea

Princess at Sea

Dawn Cook

Ace, August 2006, $7.99, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0441014240

Tess, third in line to the throne at Constenopolie, is also apprentice to a player. Players are the real powers behind the throne, using the royals as chess pieces in what they consider a game of power. The magic they possess comes from venom of a Punta cat, a poison that they are able to tolerate, some better than others; darts are the players' weapon of choice against one another. Now Tess is doing nothing but acting as a mediator on the nuptial cruise of her sister the queen and her new husband.

When pirates take over the ship, Tess manages to kill three before they seize her and the royals. The pirates intend to ransom the rulers but they want vengeance for the three deaths Tess caused. They throw her into a pit with a punta cat that bites her before she escapes. In a stupor she links minds with Jeck, the captain of the king's guard, and he is able to magically heal her. When she awakens, her powers are stronger but more unpredictable and her body is producing the venom on her own so that anyone hitting her with a venom dart would probably kill her. After escaping from the pirates, she now must find a way to rescue her sister and her husband.

Dawn Cook is one of the most creative fantasists writing today. Her characters are all fully developed and totally believable, hero and villain alike. Her real talent lies in her ability to create an imaginary world with its own cultures and make the audience feel as if the place and people are real. There is enough action, adventure and romance in PRINCESS AT SEA to appeal to even the most discerning fantasy lover.

Harriet Klausner