The Taste of Lightning

by Kate Constable

A thrilling adventure set within a storm of secrecy.Tansy, Perrin, and Skir could hardly be more different - a laundry-maid, a swordsman and a young Priest-King whose countries are at war. But their frantic escape from Arvestel thrusts them together. Pursued by soldiers, haunted by the Witch-Woman's sinister magic, they ride for their lives through hostile lands. To survive they must learn to trust each other, strip away the layers of deception that surround Skir, and challenge the tyranny of the Witch-Woman. But what will happen if all truths are revealed? And will the power of the Priest-King be enough to bring peace to the Threelands?'Constable's flavour of fantasy is fresh and full of heart. Politics, romance, magic - what more could you ask for? A beautiful and complex book.'Lili Wilkinson, Centre for Youth Literature

• ISBN13: 9781741148633
• Publish Date: 1 February 2007
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 31 March 2021
• Publish Country: AU
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Imprint: A&U Children
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://allenandunwin.com/browse/books/9781741148633

Reviews

[ladygrey]

I wish there were half stars because I'd certainly give this 2.5 stars. I just can't quite bring myself to give it 3. And it's not because it's a terrible book, I just didn't enjoy it that much.

The title was immediately intriguing. But the book was hard to get into. I found the writing rather rough and couldn't quite get around it. I never really fell into the story or got caught up in the world. Though, it was interesting with the Ten Powers I just wanted more; more magic and more development of the world and more interesting characters. Perrin was supposed to be charming and a pretty boy, which is completely my type, but I didn't fall for him at all. There was a lot of talking about him being charming and not much of him actually being charming. Tansy is a tough, brave, strong heroine that I never really loved or even rooted for. Skir, well there was potential there, and a few interesting things almost happened with him, but never seemed fully developed.

It had a great last line, though.