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Vassal
Who holds your loyalties?
Tir Athair still battles the north, and refugees still face torture for trying to flee oppression. As heiress to Fief Collum, Aislin knows her position is tenuous. She adheres to even the most unjust laws so her liege cannot revoke her land. When her uncle sends six burly men to work on her fief, she is wary of his intentions and their identities. All of the men have secrets, especially Darrion, whose own secret could get her executed simply for giving him a place to live. As the Earl of Edurne exerts control, Aislin must make a decision she has long avoided. Soon she is trapped between her liege, an illegal brotherhood, and a monarchy that keeps no laws to control either. Aislin must decide whether to fight or keep hiding. And as she learns the truth about those she loves, she must decide who holds her loyalties.
Tir Athair still battles the north, and refugees still face torture for trying to flee oppression. As heiress to Fief Collum, Aislin knows her position is tenuous. She adheres to even the most unjust laws so her liege cannot revoke her land. When her uncle sends six burly men to work on her fief, she is wary of his intentions and their identities. All of the men have secrets, especially Darrion, whose own secret could get her executed simply for giving him a place to live. As the Earl of Edurne exerts control, Aislin must make a decision she has long avoided. Soon she is trapped between her liege, an illegal brotherhood, and a monarchy that keeps no laws to control either. Aislin must decide whether to fight or keep hiding. And as she learns the truth about those she loves, she must decide who holds her loyalties.
- GenresFantasy
421 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2014
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Marissa Ames
13 books18 followersUsing details from a lifetime of research, Marissa Ames entertains both adults and teens with tales of action, adventure, and a little romance. Her novels Minstrel and Vassal immerse readers into the medieval-based fantasy world of Tir Athair. She is currently working on Huntsman, the third novel in the Tir Athair series, and collaborates with many worthy writers on diverse anthologies. In her real life, she manages a day job, a husband and two teenage children, and an entire urban farm just a mile south of downtown Reno, Nevada, in the United States. You can follow her blog at http://www.marissaames.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 20, 2014
Author's note: I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought I had waited too long to read Marissa Ames' first novel in the Tir Athair series, Minstrel, but by happy coincidence, I finished it just before the sequel, Vassal, was released, so I didn't have to wait long between books. Ames makes bold choices thematically and stylistically with her second book, setting it long enough after the first one that everyone from the first book is dead, referred to rarely, and only in an historical context. Also, while Minstrel focused quite a bit on nation-building, bringing a feel reminiscent of Stephen R. Lawhead in interactions with new civilizations to the north, Vassal is much more of a romance (although not a bodice-ripper), bringing us a more intimate story, while at the same time, widening the reality of Tir Athair.
Vassal focuses on Aislin, a woman trying to navigate a very narrow path of making her own decisions in a world where women are rarely given that opportunity. She has essentially inherited her father's lands, but holds onto them in large part because of two men - Sully, an old family friend with enough influence and money to provide assistance, wanted or not, and Warrick, the Earl to whom she is a vassal, who wants nothing more than to bed her and make her the next in a long series of wives, and who lets her hold on to her lands as a means of controlling her.
Into Aislin's life comes Darrion, ostensibly hired by Sully to help her with manual labor, but who harbors secrets about himself, Sully, and the true nature of the refugees that the King is so determined to wipe out. To protect her from Warrick's advances, Darrion and Aislin wed, although it's a loveless sham of a marriage (or is it?). Herein lies the "romance" part of the book, and Ames does a nice job of drawing out the will-they-or-won't-they without overly belaboring the point, slowly drawing us more into larger conflicts than the one between Aislin and Darrion.
Vassal shows that Ames has range as a writer, in addition to skill. She brings verisimilitude to the stories of life on a farm, drawing from her own experience, without making the book a how-to manual. The struggles of a woman in a very male-dominated world is a strongly feminist tale, without pounding the reader over the head.
On the negative side, there were some parts of the storyline near the end that lost me a bit (I wasn't quite sure how one of the characters got out of some challenging situations they found themselves in), and that part of the book could have used a little more room to breathe, in my opinion, but overall, Vassal was a quite entertaining read. Because of the time jump from Minstrel, if you get a copy of this, you won't be lost if you want to just leap in and read, but the world is richer if you know more of the whole story.
I thought I had waited too long to read Marissa Ames' first novel in the Tir Athair series, Minstrel, but by happy coincidence, I finished it just before the sequel, Vassal, was released, so I didn't have to wait long between books. Ames makes bold choices thematically and stylistically with her second book, setting it long enough after the first one that everyone from the first book is dead, referred to rarely, and only in an historical context. Also, while Minstrel focused quite a bit on nation-building, bringing a feel reminiscent of Stephen R. Lawhead in interactions with new civilizations to the north, Vassal is much more of a romance (although not a bodice-ripper), bringing us a more intimate story, while at the same time, widening the reality of Tir Athair.
Vassal focuses on Aislin, a woman trying to navigate a very narrow path of making her own decisions in a world where women are rarely given that opportunity. She has essentially inherited her father's lands, but holds onto them in large part because of two men - Sully, an old family friend with enough influence and money to provide assistance, wanted or not, and Warrick, the Earl to whom she is a vassal, who wants nothing more than to bed her and make her the next in a long series of wives, and who lets her hold on to her lands as a means of controlling her.
Into Aislin's life comes Darrion, ostensibly hired by Sully to help her with manual labor, but who harbors secrets about himself, Sully, and the true nature of the refugees that the King is so determined to wipe out. To protect her from Warrick's advances, Darrion and Aislin wed, although it's a loveless sham of a marriage (or is it?). Herein lies the "romance" part of the book, and Ames does a nice job of drawing out the will-they-or-won't-they without overly belaboring the point, slowly drawing us more into larger conflicts than the one between Aislin and Darrion.
Vassal shows that Ames has range as a writer, in addition to skill. She brings verisimilitude to the stories of life on a farm, drawing from her own experience, without making the book a how-to manual. The struggles of a woman in a very male-dominated world is a strongly feminist tale, without pounding the reader over the head.
On the negative side, there were some parts of the storyline near the end that lost me a bit (I wasn't quite sure how one of the characters got out of some challenging situations they found themselves in), and that part of the book could have used a little more room to breathe, in my opinion, but overall, Vassal was a quite entertaining read. Because of the time jump from Minstrel, if you get a copy of this, you won't be lost if you want to just leap in and read, but the world is richer if you know more of the whole story.
September 21, 2014
Set in a fictional medieval world where certain gifted people are born with powers of magic that allow them to heal and to destroy, Vassal mainly tells the story of two people: a woman who is trying to insure justice by working within the laws of the land and a man who is trying to create a more just world by fighting against the laws of the land. Aislin is a young vassal whose father’s death has left her vulnerable to the depravations of the powerful lord who oversees her fiefdom. Unable to refuse his insistence that she marry, she compromises and chooses to marry a man that she hopes will not interfere with her plans to restore her lands and protect the peasants under her care. Her new husband, Darrion, is a powerfully gifted man who is fighting his own battles and claims to have little interest in usurping Aislin as the true leader of his new wife’s lands.
Ames is a talented writer who does an excellent job showing how good people can work against their own best interests when they do not know whom to trust and whom to fight. Cruelty, injustice, and tyranny threaten to destroy Aislin and Darrion’s chance to become loving partners, and the betrayals of others often put them in the unfortunate position of distrusting each other. The true villains were not always the ones I suspected, and Ames has a superb skill for redeeming the seemingly irredeemable and credibly creating characters who use a mask of moral superiority to disguise or excuse their own misdeeds.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book which also had the perk of leaving me thinking for days. I look forward to more tales of Tir Athair.
Ames is a talented writer who does an excellent job showing how good people can work against their own best interests when they do not know whom to trust and whom to fight. Cruelty, injustice, and tyranny threaten to destroy Aislin and Darrion’s chance to become loving partners, and the betrayals of others often put them in the unfortunate position of distrusting each other. The true villains were not always the ones I suspected, and Ames has a superb skill for redeeming the seemingly irredeemable and credibly creating characters who use a mask of moral superiority to disguise or excuse their own misdeeds.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book which also had the perk of leaving me thinking for days. I look forward to more tales of Tir Athair.
September 21, 2014
Disclaimer - I received an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I don't normally read Fantasy books but after reading the previous books (Minstrel & Darrion) by Marissa Ames I became hooked on the world of Tir Athair and was very excited when I heard that she was releasing a second novel.
Within the first few pages I was hooked again. Set many years after Minstrel the story focuses on the life of one woman, Ailsin, and her struggle to keep her independence in a world where women are second class. Her life becomes complicated when her peaceful farming life is embroiled within the civil war that is currently raging through the country by the introduction of Darrion, a gifted individual who turns her world upside down.
With well developed characters and believable settings, once again Marissa Ames has produced a page turner of a book. My only problem is waiting for the next in the series.
I don't normally read Fantasy books but after reading the previous books (Minstrel & Darrion) by Marissa Ames I became hooked on the world of Tir Athair and was very excited when I heard that she was releasing a second novel.
Within the first few pages I was hooked again. Set many years after Minstrel the story focuses on the life of one woman, Ailsin, and her struggle to keep her independence in a world where women are second class. Her life becomes complicated when her peaceful farming life is embroiled within the civil war that is currently raging through the country by the introduction of Darrion, a gifted individual who turns her world upside down.
With well developed characters and believable settings, once again Marissa Ames has produced a page turner of a book. My only problem is waiting for the next in the series.
June 10, 2015
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.
Marissa Ames’ Vassal gives us a window into the life of Aislin, orphan, lady of a fief more or less by tolerance under the abusive lord whose ward she is. Aislin keeps her head down and obeys the laws, insane as they sometimes appear, trying to keep her people safe and fed and herself far from any official notice. Violence is racking the kingdom apart, magic users are hunted and registered to the point where concealing one is an offense punishable by torture, and Aislin’s unpleasant overlord is looking at her to be his latest wife. If that weren’t enough, a group of strange men have turned up from nowhere to work on her fief. It doesn’t take lengthy acquaintance for Aislin to get the feeling that they’re going to be trouble, but even she doesn’t guess how much.
Vassal is a wonderful example of the epic fantasy genre. The storytelling is evocative, but the characterization is where the story truly shines. This story focuses on a group of people who won’t give up on what they believe in, no matter the dangers, and no matter the odds. The world the story is set in frames the interactions perfectly, providing drama and action in plenty. Marissa Ames’ characters have worries that are very understandable, flaws that made them worthy of sympathy, and humorous moments that made me laugh out loud. I found it a really enjoyable read, the kind of book that you find yourself thinking about afterwards – definitely recommended for the fantasy readers out there.
Marissa Ames’ Vassal gives us a window into the life of Aislin, orphan, lady of a fief more or less by tolerance under the abusive lord whose ward she is. Aislin keeps her head down and obeys the laws, insane as they sometimes appear, trying to keep her people safe and fed and herself far from any official notice. Violence is racking the kingdom apart, magic users are hunted and registered to the point where concealing one is an offense punishable by torture, and Aislin’s unpleasant overlord is looking at her to be his latest wife. If that weren’t enough, a group of strange men have turned up from nowhere to work on her fief. It doesn’t take lengthy acquaintance for Aislin to get the feeling that they’re going to be trouble, but even she doesn’t guess how much.
Vassal is a wonderful example of the epic fantasy genre. The storytelling is evocative, but the characterization is where the story truly shines. This story focuses on a group of people who won’t give up on what they believe in, no matter the dangers, and no matter the odds. The world the story is set in frames the interactions perfectly, providing drama and action in plenty. Marissa Ames’ characters have worries that are very understandable, flaws that made them worthy of sympathy, and humorous moments that made me laugh out loud. I found it a really enjoyable read, the kind of book that you find yourself thinking about afterwards – definitely recommended for the fantasy readers out there.
February 22, 2015
DNF at 26%
I really enjoyed the first book, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me, mostly because I just couldn't stand the characters. Aislin is the type of heroine who is billed as a strong female protagonist but actually comes across as an immature, tantrum-throwing child. Her inability to be civil and her incredibly childish whining whenever she doesn't get her way is not endearing in the slightest. Darrion and her uncle Sully aren't much better, as they alternate between being condescending and cryptic and hopeful that Aislin will get a personality makeover and start caring about what happens to the magic users. Pretty much all that's happened in the plot so far is that Aislin has complained and fought against everything the two men try to do, even when their actions are in her own best interest. Her maid would have made a more interesting heroine - at least she doesn't sulk all the time.
I really enjoyed the first book, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me, mostly because I just couldn't stand the characters. Aislin is the type of heroine who is billed as a strong female protagonist but actually comes across as an immature, tantrum-throwing child. Her inability to be civil and her incredibly childish whining whenever she doesn't get her way is not endearing in the slightest. Darrion and her uncle Sully aren't much better, as they alternate between being condescending and cryptic and hopeful that Aislin will get a personality makeover and start caring about what happens to the magic users. Pretty much all that's happened in the plot so far is that Aislin has complained and fought against everything the two men try to do, even when their actions are in her own best interest. Her maid would have made a more interesting heroine - at least she doesn't sulk all the time.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews