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Rethana's Surrender
Rethana Chosardal’s life in hiding is over, and she has no one but herself to blame. A foolish choice leaves her in the power of the same vengeful clerics who slaughtered most of her family when she was but a child. Worse, the soldiers also seize her best friend and her frail little sister.
Allasin, the clerics' leader, recognizes in Rethana the Blessing of comori, magical energy that can manipulate the elements. Rethana has always craved the power her birthright can bring, but Allasin will only teach her if she serves him in intrigues she cannot hope to understand. Yet this cold, cruel adversary gives her glimpses now and then of a warmer soul--of a master she could fall in love with.
Rethana is torn between two men: the hometown protector who loved her as a girl and the conqueror who loves her as a woman. As civil war threatens, Rethana must choose between her power and her past. Knowing that a reckless act has already cost her the life she once loved, this new choice may well tear her fragile heart apart. How much more will she surrender to protect her precious, dying sister?
Rethana's Surrender is the first book in the Legends of the Light-Walkers. Approximately 100,000 words.
Allasin, the clerics' leader, recognizes in Rethana the Blessing of comori, magical energy that can manipulate the elements. Rethana has always craved the power her birthright can bring, but Allasin will only teach her if she serves him in intrigues she cannot hope to understand. Yet this cold, cruel adversary gives her glimpses now and then of a warmer soul--of a master she could fall in love with.
Rethana is torn between two men: the hometown protector who loved her as a girl and the conqueror who loves her as a woman. As civil war threatens, Rethana must choose between her power and her past. Knowing that a reckless act has already cost her the life she once loved, this new choice may well tear her fragile heart apart. How much more will she surrender to protect her precious, dying sister?
Rethana's Surrender is the first book in the Legends of the Light-Walkers. Approximately 100,000 words.
310 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2012
7 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Cantrell
27 books20 followersCourtney Cantrell is a speculative fiction author mainly obsessed with epic and paranormal fantasy.
As of 2019, Courtney has completed twelve novels, seven of which are published; she has also published an anthology of fantasy short stories.
Courtney lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, their daughter, their cat, and a deeply held passion for coffee and chocolate. She blogs at courtcan.com and connects with readers and fellow writers as @courtcan on Twitter.
As of 2019, Courtney has completed twelve novels, seven of which are published; she has also published an anthology of fantasy short stories.
Courtney lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, their daughter, their cat, and a deeply held passion for coffee and chocolate. She blogs at courtcan.com and connects with readers and fellow writers as @courtcan on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 28, 2012
I grew up reading high fantasy. It was my only genre. I absolutely loved swords and sorcery, and even as a child I was devouring David Eddings and Ursula LeGuin, Roger Zelazny and Terry Brooks, Patricia McKillip and Anne McCaffrey. These were the artists who not only captured my imagination and filled my every moment of free time, they also inspired me to become a writer.
But somewhere along the way (and before the Lord of the Rings movies and the Harry Potter books made fantasy "cool"), I got disillusioned. I "grew up." I decided adventure fantasy--like cartoons and comic books--was just something for kids. I gave it up. I walked away from the genre for ten years (as both a writer and a reader).
Then I stumbled across this book. It had a different name at the time and it was packaged together with the sequel, but this story is the one that turned everything around for me. This story showed me vivid, high fantasy with deeply interesting storytelling. It showed me real-life sacrifice in a larger-than-life setting. It made me love characters (and subplots) that I didn't want to like at all, and it left me feeling like I'd met real people and been real places, when all I'd really done was read a book.
That's what fantasy is supposed to do. That's what READING is supposed to do. This book reminded me of those things. Since then I've discovered half a dozen new and amazing adventure fantasy authors. (I've also revived my own long-forgotten fantasy and turned it into a bestselling trilogy.) I can probably recommend a hundred books worth reading in the genre, but when it comes to engaging characters and immersive environment, I can't recommend any more highly than Rethana's Surrender by Courtney Cantrell. Pick it up, and fall in love.
But somewhere along the way (and before the Lord of the Rings movies and the Harry Potter books made fantasy "cool"), I got disillusioned. I "grew up." I decided adventure fantasy--like cartoons and comic books--was just something for kids. I gave it up. I walked away from the genre for ten years (as both a writer and a reader).
Then I stumbled across this book. It had a different name at the time and it was packaged together with the sequel, but this story is the one that turned everything around for me. This story showed me vivid, high fantasy with deeply interesting storytelling. It showed me real-life sacrifice in a larger-than-life setting. It made me love characters (and subplots) that I didn't want to like at all, and it left me feeling like I'd met real people and been real places, when all I'd really done was read a book.
That's what fantasy is supposed to do. That's what READING is supposed to do. This book reminded me of those things. Since then I've discovered half a dozen new and amazing adventure fantasy authors. (I've also revived my own long-forgotten fantasy and turned it into a bestselling trilogy.) I can probably recommend a hundred books worth reading in the genre, but when it comes to engaging characters and immersive environment, I can't recommend any more highly than Rethana's Surrender by Courtney Cantrell. Pick it up, and fall in love.
July 5, 2012
Rethana's Surrender is about Rethana caring for her sister, dealing with interpersonal conflicts between herself, her townsfolk, and the ruling clerics, and learning magic.
The good:
The book deals with some social issues, particularly the sexist double standards that many women face, in a way that should be more present in more works.
The system of magic is well done. It seems to be well thought out and have a fairly subtle effect on the plot and the world rather than just being deus ex magicka.
The focus on relationships and emotions lets the reader get immersed into Rethana's confusions and triumphs.
Many books have a larger than life protagonist who is able to overcome all obstacles due to their birthright, power, exceptional intellect, skill, or strength. Rethana is very human and subject to human limitations. She has an edge over the average person and is courageously headstrong, but it doesn't feel like she is much stronger than anyone else. It is nice to see a human protagonist.
The bad:
I often felt left in the dark when reading. Part of this was an awkward passage of time, where it wasn't always clear how much time had passed after a break in the narrative. Part of this was the language. In the first part, it's hard to deal with the speaker's accents. After that, there are a lot of words in the cleric's language sprinkled in, and I get the sense that Rethana knows a lot of the words and, in some cases, the reader was even told what the words meant, but I could never keep track of more than two or three of them. As a result, even though the story was told in the first person, it had much of the awkwardness of a third person narrative where the reader never quite feels immersed into the world.
Rethana's emotional state seems more repetitive and less developed. She has internal emotional conflicts regarding romantic relationships, loyalty to her sister, and desire to rebel and go to her family versus desire to learn and stay with the clerics. Each of these conflicts feels about the same at the end of the book as it did towards the beginning even though there are plenty of events and opportunities for emotional development. Rethana is confused and courageous at the beginning and confused and courageous in roughly the same ways at the end.
The worldbuilding and action are both light. That is, the focus of the book is on emotional issues to the exclusion of all else. The world seems like it probably has some unique flair, but we only get to learn about a small part of it, so it has a cookie-cutter medieval fantasy feel (religious ruling class, small towns with some larger cities, hereditary elemental magic without much mechanical explanation, some wandering nomads and witches). And there are only about four different parts of the story, two of which have any action in them.
Overall, I feel like there's a lot there and that there will be some interesting relationships and events in the second book, but the first book doesn't develop much to a satisfying conclusion.
The good:
The book deals with some social issues, particularly the sexist double standards that many women face, in a way that should be more present in more works.
The system of magic is well done. It seems to be well thought out and have a fairly subtle effect on the plot and the world rather than just being deus ex magicka.
The focus on relationships and emotions lets the reader get immersed into Rethana's confusions and triumphs.
Many books have a larger than life protagonist who is able to overcome all obstacles due to their birthright, power, exceptional intellect, skill, or strength. Rethana is very human and subject to human limitations. She has an edge over the average person and is courageously headstrong, but it doesn't feel like she is much stronger than anyone else. It is nice to see a human protagonist.
The bad:
I often felt left in the dark when reading. Part of this was an awkward passage of time, where it wasn't always clear how much time had passed after a break in the narrative. Part of this was the language. In the first part, it's hard to deal with the speaker's accents. After that, there are a lot of words in the cleric's language sprinkled in, and I get the sense that Rethana knows a lot of the words and, in some cases, the reader was even told what the words meant, but I could never keep track of more than two or three of them. As a result, even though the story was told in the first person, it had much of the awkwardness of a third person narrative where the reader never quite feels immersed into the world.
Rethana's emotional state seems more repetitive and less developed. She has internal emotional conflicts regarding romantic relationships, loyalty to her sister, and desire to rebel and go to her family versus desire to learn and stay with the clerics. Each of these conflicts feels about the same at the end of the book as it did towards the beginning even though there are plenty of events and opportunities for emotional development. Rethana is confused and courageous at the beginning and confused and courageous in roughly the same ways at the end.
The worldbuilding and action are both light. That is, the focus of the book is on emotional issues to the exclusion of all else. The world seems like it probably has some unique flair, but we only get to learn about a small part of it, so it has a cookie-cutter medieval fantasy feel (religious ruling class, small towns with some larger cities, hereditary elemental magic without much mechanical explanation, some wandering nomads and witches). And there are only about four different parts of the story, two of which have any action in them.
Overall, I feel like there's a lot there and that there will be some interesting relationships and events in the second book, but the first book doesn't develop much to a satisfying conclusion.
November 29, 2013
This rating is more of a 3.5 stars, but I always round up on my ratings.
I've read both books, and I will start by saying that if you get this book because it is free you will have to get the second book if you get into this story. The problem is getting into this story. The dialect, names, and foreign language make it really hard to get into, but once you sit down and work at it and you get a little in it gets better.
I enjoyed the dimensions to the characters. I made a lot of guesses and connections in this story using foreshadowing. I won't tell you what they are, but I will tell you the character made none of the guesses and connections I made. She was clueless. She couldn't see the bigger picture the way I could. And it was refreshing to have a character I sometimes felt was extremely thick headed.
It is not often that an author gives every character multiple dimensions, and in this story no one is that evil. I felt that the main point of this story is the character relations, and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the way the connections were woven and pulled, stretched, and sometimes broken. And the characters stayed true to themselves. Especially the main character. She never became brilliant. She was strong magically, but because she didn't have a lot of training she wasn't always that great and she makes a lot of stupid errors.
My main complaint was the dialogue at the beginning and the constant switches in font size. Maybe that was just the ebook copy I bought, but the constant change in font size kept jerking me out of the story.
But, even as I type this I will say the two books should be thought of as one. I read the first book in less than a day and the second one the next book. If you are like me and have to buy the second book if you buy the first then this part of the review is especially pertinent to you. Only keep reading if you want to read my review on the second book as well with zero spoilers.
And in the second book I realized that I started to feel rushed and there were concepts I was having trouble grasping because the author rushed them in a giant rush for the finish.
I felt like the end was rushed and forced. The big reveals were all revealed at once in a sudden info dump. I found myself disappointed after the amount I enjoyed the first part of the novel. The first half was as good as the first book. Once the main conflict is introduced it just slowly gets rushed, goes down hill and eventually has the rushing slippery slope has a bump where leading up to the climax I was extremely intrigued and enjoyed what the author was doing until, suddenly climax over, big reveals dumped all at once. And wrap everything up. boom. I was left feeling disappointed.
So yes. I would still suggest these books. i still enjoyed them, and maybe if I hadn't already guessed everything in the info dump I wouldn't have been as disappointed, and maybe the character's decisions disappointed me. I can't quite put a finger on it. My best suggestion is if you get past the beginning you will probably like it.
I've read both books, and I will start by saying that if you get this book because it is free you will have to get the second book if you get into this story. The problem is getting into this story. The dialect, names, and foreign language make it really hard to get into, but once you sit down and work at it and you get a little in it gets better.
I enjoyed the dimensions to the characters. I made a lot of guesses and connections in this story using foreshadowing. I won't tell you what they are, but I will tell you the character made none of the guesses and connections I made. She was clueless. She couldn't see the bigger picture the way I could. And it was refreshing to have a character I sometimes felt was extremely thick headed.
It is not often that an author gives every character multiple dimensions, and in this story no one is that evil. I felt that the main point of this story is the character relations, and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the way the connections were woven and pulled, stretched, and sometimes broken. And the characters stayed true to themselves. Especially the main character. She never became brilliant. She was strong magically, but because she didn't have a lot of training she wasn't always that great and she makes a lot of stupid errors.
My main complaint was the dialogue at the beginning and the constant switches in font size. Maybe that was just the ebook copy I bought, but the constant change in font size kept jerking me out of the story.
But, even as I type this I will say the two books should be thought of as one. I read the first book in less than a day and the second one the next book. If you are like me and have to buy the second book if you buy the first then this part of the review is especially pertinent to you. Only keep reading if you want to read my review on the second book as well with zero spoilers.
And in the second book I realized that I started to feel rushed and there were concepts I was having trouble grasping because the author rushed them in a giant rush for the finish.
I felt like the end was rushed and forced. The big reveals were all revealed at once in a sudden info dump. I found myself disappointed after the amount I enjoyed the first part of the novel. The first half was as good as the first book. Once the main conflict is introduced it just slowly gets rushed, goes down hill and eventually has the rushing slippery slope has a bump where leading up to the climax I was extremely intrigued and enjoyed what the author was doing until, suddenly climax over, big reveals dumped all at once. And wrap everything up. boom. I was left feeling disappointed.
So yes. I would still suggest these books. i still enjoyed them, and maybe if I hadn't already guessed everything in the info dump I wouldn't have been as disappointed, and maybe the character's decisions disappointed me. I can't quite put a finger on it. My best suggestion is if you get past the beginning you will probably like it.
July 6, 2012
Well, much like Aaron I have been reading high fantasy all of my life and have really enjoyed it. This book took a few pages to get into, with the language and accents at the first (I don't like Huckleberry Finn for the same reason). I had to stumble through the first part, but I am glad I did.
The Story cleaned up,became really engaging and hard to put down. I have always loved the "budding magic" angle of fantasy and Courtney's take on that was really interesting. I also thought the writing was better and much cleaner than Colors of Deception. I also liked the end, just enough to be satisfied with this book, but ready to read the next.
I am looking forward to the next book and beyond, I have always loved the long epics when you can follow a character for several thousand pages.
Good job Courtney!
The Story cleaned up,became really engaging and hard to put down. I have always loved the "budding magic" angle of fantasy and Courtney's take on that was really interesting. I also thought the writing was better and much cleaner than Colors of Deception. I also liked the end, just enough to be satisfied with this book, but ready to read the next.
I am looking forward to the next book and beyond, I have always loved the long epics when you can follow a character for several thousand pages.
Good job Courtney!
August 13, 2012
In her "Demons of Saltmarch" series, Courtney Cantrell showed an adept talent for worldbuilding and visual imagery in prose, and using those rare skills, has turned to writing an epic fantasy novel.
And there was much rejoicing.
I loved being immersed in land and cultures that were exotic without being incomprehensible, intriguing me with their descriptions instead of being spoon-fed to the reader as usually happens. Rethana is a heroine who isn't the usual supergirl...she has secrets and a lot to learn, which made her very refreshing. I especially liked the way Cantrell shows her relationship with her sister, it is delicately crafted.
Knowing in advance that this is merely the first of (I hope) several books in this series, I knew not everything would be resolved, but after finishing it, I was stunned at how far it seemed Cantrell had taken the reader on this magical journey.
And there was much rejoicing.
I loved being immersed in land and cultures that were exotic without being incomprehensible, intriguing me with their descriptions instead of being spoon-fed to the reader as usually happens. Rethana is a heroine who isn't the usual supergirl...she has secrets and a lot to learn, which made her very refreshing. I especially liked the way Cantrell shows her relationship with her sister, it is delicately crafted.
Knowing in advance that this is merely the first of (I hope) several books in this series, I knew not everything would be resolved, but after finishing it, I was stunned at how far it seemed Cantrell had taken the reader on this magical journey.
January 3, 2015
It happens to be FREE on Amazon Ebook version at the time of this review.
I enjoyed Rethana’s Surrender. Courtney Cantrell is a new author for me and I found I really liked her writing style. The main character is a strong, yet flawed young woman. There are various struggles, twists and turns, and many obstacles to overcome. I think the language and the way the characters speak bring a smile to my face, there is some humor inserted throughout the book. The first book finished in a good place, leaving the rest of the story unfinished, but at a good junction. I am ordering the second book right away. I can recommend this book for teens and up. I give the book a solid 4 stars.
I enjoyed Rethana’s Surrender. Courtney Cantrell is a new author for me and I found I really liked her writing style. The main character is a strong, yet flawed young woman. There are various struggles, twists and turns, and many obstacles to overcome. I think the language and the way the characters speak bring a smile to my face, there is some humor inserted throughout the book. The first book finished in a good place, leaving the rest of the story unfinished, but at a good junction. I am ordering the second book right away. I can recommend this book for teens and up. I give the book a solid 4 stars.
February 2, 2014
Well, I'm thoroughly hooked on this series. I do hope I can find a way to get ahold of book two!
Rethana's Surrender has a fantastic strong female protagonist in Rethana and a rich world with intriguing magic and roiling political undercurrents. But it's the writing that really makes this book. Cantrell's writing in this book is truly compelling, making every action scene crackle and every emotion-laden moment moving. The slam bang finish definitely has me hungry for more. I MUST know what happens next!
Rethana's Surrender has a fantastic strong female protagonist in Rethana and a rich world with intriguing magic and roiling political undercurrents. But it's the writing that really makes this book. Cantrell's writing in this book is truly compelling, making every action scene crackle and every emotion-laden moment moving. The slam bang finish definitely has me hungry for more. I MUST know what happens next!
August 4, 2012
An absorbing tale of another world and a young woman whose life is changing drastically. The author does a good job of keeping the language differences consistent throughout. In this first book we only begin to see the structure of the world and the different factions within it. I was sorry to see this book end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to follow Rethana's story.
June 26, 2012
This was a good book. The only thing I could say as negative was trying to understand the accent of some of the characters.
January 29, 2013
It was a little confusing at the beginning but after a couple chapters, I can't put this book down!
May 23, 2013
???? Left me with too many questions
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews