The Fire Opal

April 30, 2007
Nebula-winner Asaro offers a tasty mix of love, action and intrigue in this romantic fantasy set in the same world as The Misted Cliffs (2005). Ginger-Sun, an innocent young priestess in the Dragon-Sun temple outside the village of Sky Flames, finds her loyalty to her people torn when a mysterious stranger is found badly injured outside of town. Using the fire opal gem her foreign grandfather gave her long ago, she’s able to heal the stranger, a handsome soldier named Darz Goldstone who comes from the “splendorous city of Quaaz.” But because such magic is taboo, Ginger-Sun is found guilty of witchcraft. Rescued from a terrible death by fire, Ginger-Sun must leave everything she knows and, with the guidance of a vision of the Dragon-Sun, trust that marrying Darz—and learning to accept her magical ability—is the right thing to do. Once again, Asaro skillfully blends romance with a solid fantasy scenario.

June 15, 2007
When a dead man is brought to Ginger-Sun, priestess of the Sun Dragon, she prepares to give him the rites of the dead until he proves to be very much alive. As she learns more about the soldier called Darz, she finds herself drawn to him against all the laws of the temple. When her enemies among the temple elders bring unfounded charges of witchcraft and lewdness against her, Ginger-Sun finds an inner strength and the magic of shadows to resist thembut at the cost of everything she has known. Asaro's "Skolian Empire" novels have established her as a skilled crafter of dynastic space opera. Her latest novel, set in the same fantasy world as "The Misted Cliffs", displays her talent for romantic fantasy and magical intrigue. Purchase where the author has a following.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.