The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

The Storyspinner (Keepers' Chronicles, #1)

by Becky Wallace

Drama and danger abound in this "intricately woven" (Shannon Messenger, author of the Sky Fall series) fantasy realm where dukes play a game for the throne, magical warriors race to find the missing heir, and romance blossoms where it is least expected.

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer's life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo's case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father's death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don't get along. But while Johanna's father's death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren't so sure.

The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess-the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren't the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up-girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.

With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything.

Reviewed by violetpeanut on

3 of 5 stars

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I'm a little torn about this one. I'm giving it an average three star rating because I read it quickly and generally enjoyed the read but there were some cliches and things that kept this book from being truly great.

The story itself is entertaining but not original. Magical and non-magical lands are separated by a wall. An important magical item stops working and prompts a quest to find the true heir, a lost princess. The princess doesn't know she's the princess and has been raised by people who aren't really her family. Along the way she meets a boy who she starts off hating but by the end of the book more amorous feelings have developed. All of these things have been seen before many times. That didn't stop me from reading or enjoying the journey, though.

The writing style is good; the book was easy to read and things flowed nicely. The pacing is good as well and keeps things moving along.

As for characters, I enjoyed Johanna. She's a strong character who's had to grow up fast to take care of her family. Rafi is stubborn and a little rigid so they bump heads a lot. Dom offers some comic relief. The other four characters. the Keepers, didn't feel as fleshed out to me. Jacare goes against the wishes of his council to find the heir and brings with him Leao, Pira and Tex. I never got a feel for Tex at all other than that he's a big guy with some kind of past. Leao is a naive boy with a man's body. Pira is a kick-ass woman who is all hard edges except when it comes to Leao. With him she becomes a horribly jealous witch. All 4 of these characters felt pretty flat to me.

The world building is ok. The descriptions are nice and there are some great details, but I felt like there wasn't enough history given for the reader to truly understand what had happened between these two parts of the world. Sure, we know why the wall went up and why the heir is not in her kingdom, but we don't know much else. I would have loved more development of the Keeper society as a whole in particular. I didn't understand much of it.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this book but was not blown away. If you're looking for the next Game of Thrones or Half a King, you will be sorely disappointed. If however, you're looking for a fun adventure, this may be right up your alley. I'm looking forward to the sequel and am eager to see how things develop for Johanna.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 March, 2015: Finished reading
  • 5 March, 2015: Reviewed