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Safe-Keepers #1
The Safe-Keeper's Secret
Damiana is safe-keeper in the small village of Tambleham. Neighbors and strangers alike come one by one, in secret, to tell her things they dare not share with anyone else, knowing that Damiana will keep then to herself. One late night, a mysterious visitor from the city arrives with an unusual secret for the Safe-Keeper—a newborn baby. Damiana, who is expecting her own child, agrees to take the foundling. She names him Reed and raises him side by side with her daughter, Fiona. Ad the years pass and the two children grow into teenagers, they must come to terms with who they are—and who they may be.
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2004
66 people are currently reading
5007 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Shinn
58 books2,284 followersI’ve been writing stories and poems since I was eight years old. My first poem was about Halloween: "What is tonight? What is tonight?/Try to guess and you’ll guess right." Perhaps this inauspicious beginning explains why it took me till I was in my thirties to sell a novel. It occurred to me early on that it might take some time and a lot of tries before I was able to publish any of my creative writing, so I pursued a degree in journalism at Northwestern University so I’d be able to support myself while I figured out how to write fiction.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
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October 2, 2014This is a mixed review, and I don't know what number of stars to give this book. Normally, I just wouldn't review it in those circumstances, but this time, the issue is too important for me not to talk about it in public.
So.
This is a beautifully written book, with wonderful characters, in a series that I otherwise adored. (The Truth-Teller's Tale is one of my very favorite books this year!) 10 pages into reading this one, I was in a Happy Book Daze.
….Until the first introduction of a character with chronic illness. A friend of the heroine's family is married to a woman with severe fatigue and chronic pain, caused by a terrible accident in the past. The wife, Victoria, is perfectly pleasant to everyone, but she tires quickly and can't take full part in all the social activities.
And oh, does EVERYONE feel terrible for the poor man who's married to her! (He married her after her accident, btw, because he loved her, and he has never complained about her physical limitations). The heroine herself says that if she'd been him, she would have preferred Victoria to have been killed in the accident rather than come back to him disabled. The others shush her quickly, but only because she's been unkind, not because they disagree with her.
Later in the book, it's revealed that - shock, horror! - even though Victoria always claimed she couldn't cope with pregnancy and children, actually - a Truth-Teller confirms this! - she physically could have managed to bear a child without lasting injury. So the only conclusion drawn by the other characters and the text is: what a selfish cow! How could she be so selfish as to not get pregnant, when she knows that her husband wanted children so much? After all, it wouldn't actually have killed her!
Yes. That really is the exact reaction.
Now, I have a chronic illness, too (M.E./CFS), which leads to intense fatigue and physical limitations. I don't have chronic pain, thank God, but even without that, I have to tell you: pregnancy was an intense challenge for me because of my illness. Raising little kids and dealing with sleepless nights, with M.E., is incredibly hard. And I have no pain issues to make the difficulty even worse! I can't imagine how much harder pregnancy and childbirth would be for someone dealing with chronic pain.
For me, in my personal situation, all of that difficulty is 100% worthwhile because I wanted children so badly. But the idea that a woman with chronic fatigue and pain is not allowed to decide that that difficulty is NOT worthwhile to her? That making that choice makes her a terrible, selfish person?
Honestly, I almost put the book down at that point. But I kept reading, because I so hoped that there would be some turnaround at the end. I kept thinking that that first scene (where the heroine said that if it were her, she'd rather the person she loved was killed than became disabled) would lead to an ending where the guy she really did love would become disabled and she'd realize that what mattered was him, not his physical abilities. (Or that she would have to deal with disability herself, and learn from that.)
That never happened.
Eventually, Victoria dies and everyone is so, so happy for her husband, finally no longer chained to a disabled wife. Just to be clear, he hadn't even been a physical caretaker for her - he was a rich merchant, so they'd hired helpers who did the physical work of looking after her. And everyone says that Victoria loved her helper and treated her like a daughter.
Just to be extra-clear, there is never a single moment when Victoria is shown or reported to be saying anything mean or unpleasant to anyone, ever. She just says at various points that she needs to lie down and rest, which leads - every time - to the heroine and all the other characters looking at her husband with great sympathy. Indeed. Your wife can't keep going and having fun? How terrible and hard for you. You're certainly much to be empathized with, unlike her.
People sometimes, piously, express pity for Victoria in this book. They never, ever feel any empathy for her, and neither does the text incite the reader to feel it.
Making it worse, there's a bit of a theme of chronic illness in this book - at another point, a woman says, oh, she's just terribly weak and frail…and the heroine realizes that that woman's chronic illness is completely imaginary, just used to get out of doing unpleasant things.
Another time, a woman (one who's not even an important enough character to get a name) pleads a headache to get out of the hard work that everyone else is doing that day, but then of course she recovers quickly once it's dinner time and everyone wants to party.
At that point I almost started to laugh in disbelief.
I did finish the book. The writing is beautiful, as I said before, and as always with Sharon Shinn. The characters are well-drawn, and there's an enormous amount of fun stuff in this novel.
But I'll be giving it away next time I go into town. And reading it, as a woman with a chronic illness, made me feel like I was getting slapped, again and again and again.
Sharon Shinn is one of my very favorite writers, and I'll continue to read her other novels, because I've loved every other book of hers I've read. That issue has never been repeated in any other works she's written, and this is an older book, not necessarily representative of her current work.
But I was really, really disappointed by this one.
So.
This is a beautifully written book, with wonderful characters, in a series that I otherwise adored. (The Truth-Teller's Tale is one of my very favorite books this year!) 10 pages into reading this one, I was in a Happy Book Daze.
….Until the first introduction of a character with chronic illness. A friend of the heroine's family is married to a woman with severe fatigue and chronic pain, caused by a terrible accident in the past. The wife, Victoria, is perfectly pleasant to everyone, but she tires quickly and can't take full part in all the social activities.
And oh, does EVERYONE feel terrible for the poor man who's married to her! (He married her after her accident, btw, because he loved her, and he has never complained about her physical limitations). The heroine herself says that if she'd been him, she would have preferred Victoria to have been killed in the accident rather than come back to him disabled. The others shush her quickly, but only because she's been unkind, not because they disagree with her.
Later in the book, it's revealed that - shock, horror! - even though Victoria always claimed she couldn't cope with pregnancy and children, actually - a Truth-Teller confirms this! - she physically could have managed to bear a child without lasting injury. So the only conclusion drawn by the other characters and the text is: what a selfish cow! How could she be so selfish as to not get pregnant, when she knows that her husband wanted children so much? After all, it wouldn't actually have killed her!
Yes. That really is the exact reaction.
Now, I have a chronic illness, too (M.E./CFS), which leads to intense fatigue and physical limitations. I don't have chronic pain, thank God, but even without that, I have to tell you: pregnancy was an intense challenge for me because of my illness. Raising little kids and dealing with sleepless nights, with M.E., is incredibly hard. And I have no pain issues to make the difficulty even worse! I can't imagine how much harder pregnancy and childbirth would be for someone dealing with chronic pain.
For me, in my personal situation, all of that difficulty is 100% worthwhile because I wanted children so badly. But the idea that a woman with chronic fatigue and pain is not allowed to decide that that difficulty is NOT worthwhile to her? That making that choice makes her a terrible, selfish person?
Honestly, I almost put the book down at that point. But I kept reading, because I so hoped that there would be some turnaround at the end. I kept thinking that that first scene (where the heroine said that if it were her, she'd rather the person she loved was killed than became disabled) would lead to an ending where the guy she really did love would become disabled and she'd realize that what mattered was him, not his physical abilities. (Or that she would have to deal with disability herself, and learn from that.)
That never happened.
Eventually, Victoria dies and everyone is so, so happy for her husband, finally no longer chained to a disabled wife. Just to be clear, he hadn't even been a physical caretaker for her - he was a rich merchant, so they'd hired helpers who did the physical work of looking after her. And everyone says that Victoria loved her helper and treated her like a daughter.
Just to be extra-clear, there is never a single moment when Victoria is shown or reported to be saying anything mean or unpleasant to anyone, ever. She just says at various points that she needs to lie down and rest, which leads - every time - to the heroine and all the other characters looking at her husband with great sympathy. Indeed. Your wife can't keep going and having fun? How terrible and hard for you. You're certainly much to be empathized with, unlike her.
People sometimes, piously, express pity for Victoria in this book. They never, ever feel any empathy for her, and neither does the text incite the reader to feel it.
Making it worse, there's a bit of a theme of chronic illness in this book - at another point, a woman says, oh, she's just terribly weak and frail…and the heroine realizes that that woman's chronic illness is completely imaginary, just used to get out of doing unpleasant things.
Another time, a woman (one who's not even an important enough character to get a name) pleads a headache to get out of the hard work that everyone else is doing that day, but then of course she recovers quickly once it's dinner time and everyone wants to party.
At that point I almost started to laugh in disbelief.
I did finish the book. The writing is beautiful, as I said before, and as always with Sharon Shinn. The characters are well-drawn, and there's an enormous amount of fun stuff in this novel.
But I'll be giving it away next time I go into town. And reading it, as a woman with a chronic illness, made me feel like I was getting slapped, again and again and again.
Sharon Shinn is one of my very favorite writers, and I'll continue to read her other novels, because I've loved every other book of hers I've read. That issue has never been repeated in any other works she's written, and this is an older book, not necessarily representative of her current work.
But I was really, really disappointed by this one.
April 23, 2017
The Safe-Keeper's Secret is a quiet, thoughtful YA fantasy, set in a medieval kingdom where a few people have magical powers:
• Safe-Keepers guard people's secrets. Frankly I'm still a little hazy on why you need an official secret-keeper, but apparently some people in this world find it very useful).
• Truth-Tellers always tell the truth--sometimes without even knowing how they know a particular fact to be true.
• There is one Dream-Maker at a time in this kingdom, a person has the power to grant the wishes of random people she comes in contact with as she travels about. Understandably, the Dream-Maker is a very popular person. The current Dream-Maker is a woman who's had deep sorrow in her own life, though granting others' desires brings her some comfort. She doesn't control who gets their wishes granted--the magic decides that on its own--but it's always fascinating when it happens.
The Safe-Keeper's Secret begins with a mystery: a man delivers a baby to the Secret-Keeper of a small town, entrusting her with the secret of who the baby is until the child is older. The Secret-Keeper raises this baby together with her own child, who was born at about the same time. The story follows these two children, Fiona and Reed, as they grow up and deal with the day-to-day struggles and mysteries in their lives, trying to figure out who they really are and what they want to become. Actually, Fiona is completely certain of what she wants to become: a Safe-Keeper like her mother. But is that really who she is meant to be?
Like its sequel, The Truth-Teller's Tale, this book explores the impact of secrets and truths, primarily through the eyes of Fiona as she grows from a young girl to a young adult. There's not a whole lot of action, romance or adventure to be found here, but it's a touching and pleasant tale with just a minor element of fantasy.
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
• Safe-Keepers guard people's secrets. Frankly I'm still a little hazy on why you need an official secret-keeper, but apparently some people in this world find it very useful).
• Truth-Tellers always tell the truth--sometimes without even knowing how they know a particular fact to be true.
• There is one Dream-Maker at a time in this kingdom, a person has the power to grant the wishes of random people she comes in contact with as she travels about. Understandably, the Dream-Maker is a very popular person. The current Dream-Maker is a woman who's had deep sorrow in her own life, though granting others' desires brings her some comfort. She doesn't control who gets their wishes granted--the magic decides that on its own--but it's always fascinating when it happens.
The Safe-Keeper's Secret begins with a mystery: a man delivers a baby to the Secret-Keeper of a small town, entrusting her with the secret of who the baby is until the child is older. The Secret-Keeper raises this baby together with her own child, who was born at about the same time. The story follows these two children, Fiona and Reed, as they grow up and deal with the day-to-day struggles and mysteries in their lives, trying to figure out who they really are and what they want to become. Actually, Fiona is completely certain of what she wants to become: a Safe-Keeper like her mother. But is that really who she is meant to be?
Like its sequel, The Truth-Teller's Tale, this book explores the impact of secrets and truths, primarily through the eyes of Fiona as she grows from a young girl to a young adult. There's not a whole lot of action, romance or adventure to be found here, but it's a touching and pleasant tale with just a minor element of fantasy.
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
June 8, 2008
Damiana is a safe-keeper. The people in her village can come to her and trust her with their secrets and unburden their hearts with the safety of knowing that she will never gossip or tell what they have told her. She lives with her daughter Fiona, and her foster-son Reed, brought to her door by a king's messenger the night Fiona was born. Fiona plans to be a safe-keeper like her mother, while Reed finds that his interests lie in apprenticing with a merchant in the next town over. When Damaiana falls ill and dies, she leaves her final secret with Fiona. It is a secret that will, over time, unravel to change the future for Fiona and Reed both.
This is a quiet fantasy. It takes place in a small English-feeling village and never goes much farther than the next village over. The book is all about Damiana, her children and their friends and their quiet life as they grow and learn and change, and even the twist ending is not loud and shocking, but like the final piece of a puzzle clicking quietly into place. Jo Walton has a poem about the quiet things in life, the things that usually fall between the lines in stories, overe here (http://papersky.livejournal.com/24372...). I think Shinn has accomplished that. She's found a compelling story in everyday life, a tale that stays in my head that isn't about saving the world or doing anything big or loud, but is rather about living life and becoming the person you want to be. I loved this book, every quiet minute of it.
This is a quiet fantasy. It takes place in a small English-feeling village and never goes much farther than the next village over. The book is all about Damiana, her children and their friends and their quiet life as they grow and learn and change, and even the twist ending is not loud and shocking, but like the final piece of a puzzle clicking quietly into place. Jo Walton has a poem about the quiet things in life, the things that usually fall between the lines in stories, overe here (http://papersky.livejournal.com/24372...). I think Shinn has accomplished that. She's found a compelling story in everyday life, a tale that stays in my head that isn't about saving the world or doing anything big or loud, but is rather about living life and becoming the person you want to be. I loved this book, every quiet minute of it.
August 4, 2019
Nope. Nope. Nope.
I could have given this title a higher rating for the writing style alone, which is pretty solid and highly readable. But I’m so turned off by so many aspects of the story itself that I have to give it a single star. The writing style and the short page length made this a quick read, but not an enjoyable one.
There are two glaring problems with this story. The first might be considered a spoiler, so skip that if you want.
SPOILER SPOILER
So, there is a heavy suggestion that Reed and Fiona, who are not blood related but who have been raised as siblings from birth, are going to end up together romantically. And it’s not just suggested. It’s treated as perfectly normal and almost expected. Um, I’m sorry, but that just isn’t something I can get excited about. Blood-related or not, familial love doesn’t just turn into romantic love. Nor should it.
END SPOILER END SPOILER
Second, Fiona, our protagonist, is absolutely awful towards a woman with chronic fatigue and pain, a woman who is otherwise pleasant and kind to all. But Fiona constantly derides her in her thoughts and pities her “poor husband” for being “shackled” to such a frail woman. Are you kidding me? I found this attitude completely disgusting. And while the other characters aren’t as harsh, they seem to harbor similar feelings and never really chastise Fiona. How am I supposed to like or care about characters like this?
Now that I think about it, I have a third issue. While I thought the idea of Safe-Keepers and Truth-Tellers was interesting, I had a problem with many of the secrets that were being kept. I felt many of the central secrets did more harm than good, and I didn’t think the characters acted in a believable way when the truth was revealed. I also had a hard time accepting that someone could turn a blind eye to child abuse, for example, just because it’s their job to not tell. Sorry, not a good message.
Apart from those problems, much of the story was just kind of boring. The story follows Fiona, who I’ve already explained I had problems with. But when she wasn’t being bratty and unkind, she was almost devoid of any real personality. The book told me she was happy at times, but it never felt like she was happy. I couldn’t really connect to her, so I couldn’t invest too much in what happened to her.
It’s times like this that I have to wonder if I’ve read the same book everyone else has. I see lots of four and five-star reviews, and I’m honestly a bit troubled that more of these readers weren’t bothered by the things I was. But of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Maybe it’s a question of timing. It’s an older book, and maybe I would have liked it more when I was younger. But I’d like to think not.
As I said, the writing style itself was good, and I’ve seen several reviewers mention that the author’s other books are much better. But the way I feel about this one, I don’t see myself reading the others anytime soon.
I could have given this title a higher rating for the writing style alone, which is pretty solid and highly readable. But I’m so turned off by so many aspects of the story itself that I have to give it a single star. The writing style and the short page length made this a quick read, but not an enjoyable one.
There are two glaring problems with this story. The first might be considered a spoiler, so skip that if you want.
SPOILER SPOILER
So, there is a heavy suggestion that Reed and Fiona, who are not blood related but who have been raised as siblings from birth, are going to end up together romantically. And it’s not just suggested. It’s treated as perfectly normal and almost expected. Um, I’m sorry, but that just isn’t something I can get excited about. Blood-related or not, familial love doesn’t just turn into romantic love. Nor should it.
END SPOILER END SPOILER
Second, Fiona, our protagonist, is absolutely awful towards a woman with chronic fatigue and pain, a woman who is otherwise pleasant and kind to all. But Fiona constantly derides her in her thoughts and pities her “poor husband” for being “shackled” to such a frail woman. Are you kidding me? I found this attitude completely disgusting. And while the other characters aren’t as harsh, they seem to harbor similar feelings and never really chastise Fiona. How am I supposed to like or care about characters like this?
Now that I think about it, I have a third issue. While I thought the idea of Safe-Keepers and Truth-Tellers was interesting, I had a problem with many of the secrets that were being kept. I felt many of the central secrets did more harm than good, and I didn’t think the characters acted in a believable way when the truth was revealed. I also had a hard time accepting that someone could turn a blind eye to child abuse, for example, just because it’s their job to not tell. Sorry, not a good message.
Apart from those problems, much of the story was just kind of boring. The story follows Fiona, who I’ve already explained I had problems with. But when she wasn’t being bratty and unkind, she was almost devoid of any real personality. The book told me she was happy at times, but it never felt like she was happy. I couldn’t really connect to her, so I couldn’t invest too much in what happened to her.
It’s times like this that I have to wonder if I’ve read the same book everyone else has. I see lots of four and five-star reviews, and I’m honestly a bit troubled that more of these readers weren’t bothered by the things I was. But of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Maybe it’s a question of timing. It’s an older book, and maybe I would have liked it more when I was younger. But I’d like to think not.
As I said, the writing style itself was good, and I’ve seen several reviewers mention that the author’s other books are much better. But the way I feel about this one, I don’t see myself reading the others anytime soon.
February 5, 2020
Short and sweet. A novel of domestic types of magic. Family and friends gathering together for the births of children, holiday gatherings, tragedy and love blended together as it always is in life. Secrets told and secrets kept and the truth coming out when it needed to most.
June 22, 2022
I can see the draw of this sort of cozy domestic novel, but I was too distracted by the worldbuilding, which can't seem to decide if it's faux medieval or faux eighteenth century or . . . I just don't understand how the economics and tech level and political structure of anything we're shown fits together. Little things kept throwing me off, like the village witch offering hot chocolate to kids.
I was also annoyed by two significant character traits/plot points:
1) The central romance is between an adopted brother and sister who have been raised together since they were born. No one seems to think this is weird or unhealthy. No one. ADOPTED SIBLINGS ARE REAL SIBLINGS. Thanks.
2) One of the protagonist's main flaws is deep discomfort with disability, which manifests as hostility (to the point of thinking they're either lying or would be better off dead) toward multiple chronically ill characters and an inability to comfort/tend to her dying mother. It's a plausible character trait. It's consistently applied. Her opinions are not generally supported as "correct" by other characters (there's one moment when she thinks Thomas, whose magical gift is to always tell the truth, is about to tell Robert that is wife is lying about her inability to have kids and glares daggers at him so he won't say it, but I don't actually think that's what he is going to say--I think what she stops him from saying is what he says later in the novel, that Robert already has an unknown-to-him kid by someone else). And yet I still found this unpleasant enough to jar me out of the cozy domestic mood that the novel was otherwise trying to set, especially since the character never grows to question her beliefs.
I was also annoyed by two significant character traits/plot points:
1) The central romance is between an adopted brother and sister who have been raised together since they were born. No one seems to think this is weird or unhealthy. No one. ADOPTED SIBLINGS ARE REAL SIBLINGS. Thanks.
2) One of the protagonist's main flaws is deep discomfort with disability, which manifests as hostility (to the point of thinking they're either lying or would be better off dead) toward multiple chronically ill characters and an inability to comfort/tend to her dying mother. It's a plausible character trait. It's consistently applied. Her opinions are not generally supported as "correct" by other characters (there's one moment when she thinks Thomas, whose magical gift is to always tell the truth, is about to tell Robert that is wife is lying about her inability to have kids and glares daggers at him so he won't say it, but I don't actually think that's what he is going to say--I think what she stops him from saying is what he says later in the novel, that Robert already has an unknown-to-him kid by someone else). And yet I still found this unpleasant enough to jar me out of the cozy domestic mood that the novel was otherwise trying to set, especially since the character never grows to question her beliefs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2021
Not perfect. It's an almost perfect little community, in an almost perfect vaguely medieval kingdom, with almost perfect little people... but I get the impression that if the herbalists or other 'witch' types don't approve of you, you're sol.
But there is a lot of joy here. And some diversity of perspectives and ambitions. And some wisdom. I have loved many other books by Shinn and will finish this trilogy. In fact, I read this now because years ago I read one of the others and I've been wanting to read the whole trilogy together ever since.
I don't know which of you, my goodreads friends & followers, to recommend this to. The only comparison I can make is this: when some ppl have described some of the books by Jo Walton, I got the impression they'd be something like what this turned out to be. I prefer this to what those turned out to be, however.
I know, this is a lousy review, not helpful. If you're wondering whether to add it, ask... I can probably guide those of you I know as individuals, or those of you who can tell me what makes you consider/ hesitate to add this.
---
Second read, forgot about the above review. Here's today's review:
It's not possible to fairly review these three books separately. Theoretically they can stand-alone, and in the past I've read them separately, but this week I read all three in order and it's a much richer experience.
And so this review is for all three. Readers very sensitive to spoilers may not want to click through, but any spoilers are mild and therefore most of you go right ahead and view.
I think one of the reasons I like this trilogy so much is that they are, in the end, gentler reads. They acknowledge that there is darkness in the world, but the stories are more filled with joy and optimism than drama or conflict.
Also the writing is graceful, lucid, and sometimes downright beautiful.
Notes from first book:
"What made today special?" might work better than "What did you learn today?" or even "What was the best part of your day?"
In both this and the third book, the young people are asked about their wishes and dreams. When they say they are happy and don't really have any, a wise adult pronounces that they'll have more as they mature. That seems backward to my experience: as a child I had so many desires and dreams... and now I have none except to see my sons established on their own happy & healthy paths.
But there is a lot of joy here. And some diversity of perspectives and ambitions. And some wisdom. I have loved many other books by Shinn and will finish this trilogy. In fact, I read this now because years ago I read one of the others and I've been wanting to read the whole trilogy together ever since.
I don't know which of you, my goodreads friends & followers, to recommend this to. The only comparison I can make is this: when some ppl have described some of the books by Jo Walton, I got the impression they'd be something like what this turned out to be. I prefer this to what those turned out to be, however.
I know, this is a lousy review, not helpful. If you're wondering whether to add it, ask... I can probably guide those of you I know as individuals, or those of you who can tell me what makes you consider/ hesitate to add this.
---
Second read, forgot about the above review. Here's today's review:
It's not possible to fairly review these three books separately. Theoretically they can stand-alone, and in the past I've read them separately, but this week I read all three in order and it's a much richer experience.
And so this review is for all three. Readers very sensitive to spoilers may not want to click through, but any spoilers are mild and therefore most of you go right ahead and view.
I think one of the reasons I like this trilogy so much is that they are, in the end, gentler reads. They acknowledge that there is darkness in the world, but the stories are more filled with joy and optimism than drama or conflict.
Also the writing is graceful, lucid, and sometimes downright beautiful.
Notes from first book:
"What made today special?" might work better than "What did you learn today?" or even "What was the best part of your day?"
In both this and the third book, the young people are asked about their wishes and dreams. When they say they are happy and don't really have any, a wise adult pronounces that they'll have more as they mature. That seems backward to my experience: as a child I had so many desires and dreams... and now I have none except to see my sons established on their own happy & healthy paths.
September 8, 2008
I read this when it first came out, and went back to re-read, since I recently discovered that there are more in this series. I was reminded of what a lovely, warm writer Sharon Shinn is, though not in a totally wish-fulfillment kind of way, because in many ways this is a book about coping with sadness, anger, and loss.
January 16, 2011
This is a beautifully written series. I like her characters and the worlds she puts them in. Some of the content was adult stuff tho. Not for the younger reader. 16 and up
October 12, 2022
I’m torn. I love Sharon Shinn, I love this books sequel, and the writing in this one is beautiful, but there are two glaring flaws: romantic storyline between two characters raised as siblings which I hate and the main characters lack of empathy for a woman struggling with chronic illness (a couple characters actually but it’s most overt with one). These problems aren’t present in any of Shinn’s other books I’ve read so I’m surprised to see them here. I just didn’t really love any of the characters though there were some heartfelt moments that made me feel something. Sorry Sharon Shinn, I still love your other stuff!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2021
This book is marketed as an YA, but I think it is much more suited to an adult reader. A quiet, unassuming coming of age book, it is much deeper than any teenager could appreciate. There are no battles there, no angst, no particular adolescent stupidity. No rioting hormones. Just a girl growing up in a small town in an imaginary kingdom. The only nod to the fantasy genre is the unusual, subtle magic of that world.
At first glance, Fiona, the protagonist, is not sympathetic. She is very reserved. She feels deeply but doesn't wear her emotions on the outside, like most people. She has trouble dealing with others' illnesses, real or imaginary, and she has no tolerance for whiners.
Some reviewers are unhappy with her because she doesn't show any regard for her sickly neighbor, but I can't but sympathize. I dislike people who complain incessantly about their assorted aches and pains (like the aforementioned neighbor) and I have trouble dealing with disability too, maybe because I have one as well and hate it. I don't feel sorry for myself because of it. Why should I feel sorry for others like me? I have a problem - I deal with it. When the others bemoan their poor health, it feels to me like a grab for attention, to invoke pity and guilt in everyone around them, but it makes me angry instead. I avoid whiners and I sense a kindred spirit in Fiona.
This book is not 'delightful' or an easy read, but it is powerful and engaging and it makes you question many of your assumptions. Despite its quiet plot-line, at no time did I feel bored or wanted to abandon the story. Its inner turbulence more than makes up for its deceptive outer calm, and I enjoyed accompanying Fiona on her complicated journey of emotional self-discovery.
Note: I dislike the existing cover of this book so much I'm tempted to create a new and better one for it. It would be a mock cover, of course, as I have no connection to any publisher, but I like making 'pre-made' book covers for imaginary books, and I think I'll enjoy making a mock cover for this real book.
At first glance, Fiona, the protagonist, is not sympathetic. She is very reserved. She feels deeply but doesn't wear her emotions on the outside, like most people. She has trouble dealing with others' illnesses, real or imaginary, and she has no tolerance for whiners.
Some reviewers are unhappy with her because she doesn't show any regard for her sickly neighbor, but I can't but sympathize. I dislike people who complain incessantly about their assorted aches and pains (like the aforementioned neighbor) and I have trouble dealing with disability too, maybe because I have one as well and hate it. I don't feel sorry for myself because of it. Why should I feel sorry for others like me? I have a problem - I deal with it. When the others bemoan their poor health, it feels to me like a grab for attention, to invoke pity and guilt in everyone around them, but it makes me angry instead. I avoid whiners and I sense a kindred spirit in Fiona.
This book is not 'delightful' or an easy read, but it is powerful and engaging and it makes you question many of your assumptions. Despite its quiet plot-line, at no time did I feel bored or wanted to abandon the story. Its inner turbulence more than makes up for its deceptive outer calm, and I enjoyed accompanying Fiona on her complicated journey of emotional self-discovery.
Note: I dislike the existing cover of this book so much I'm tempted to create a new and better one for it. It would be a mock cover, of course, as I have no connection to any publisher, but I like making 'pre-made' book covers for imaginary books, and I think I'll enjoy making a mock cover for this real book.
August 4, 2020
I loved it! Intrigue, family and knowing one's self. Adorable and I will read the other books. Good for young readers (preteen maybe)
January 29, 2022
A beautiful narrative style that's soft, lyrical, and comforting; a lackluster story.
I can't say there's nothing about this book that I enjoyed, but there was far more that troubled me. As much as I liked the ideas about the magic of the Truth Tellers and Safe Keepers, both roles come with moral challenges that the story only partially addresses. When Fiona realizes that her mother has to keep secrets that are deeply hurtful in some way, like those about abuse or other crimes, she suffers pangs of conscience and an anger that her mother can't/isn't doing anything about those harmful situations. I thought that was great, and later on was glad to see that she skirted the edges of her own Safe Keeper position in order to help someone in need without betraying the secret directly; but even if Fiona "saved" the girl in trouble, there was no justice for her, as the trouble she was in went unpunished, and the girl's mother seemed very blithely uncaring that her husband might go on to molest other young girls, the implication being that they don't matter because they're not family. And I'm not okay with that.
Another issue is the incredibly ableist attitudes of most of the characters, which I found surprising and disturbing. At this point I've read most of Shinn's catalog of works, with only some of the most recently published that haven't crossed my path yet. And I genuinely don't remember any of them being this ableist. One of the minor characters is described as weak and frail due to an accident when she was younger. Her fiance marries her anyway, despite her telling him she doesn't believe she could ever bear children, because of her health--he insists he marries her for love and will live with the disappointment of not having children. When truths and secrets come out later in the story, it becomes clear that a) she probably could have safely had kids, and b) having a kid was the husband's deepest wish. So everybody in that marriage was suffering, and fair enough, but the blame is laid entirely on the disabled wife for her selfishness and frailness. Everyone who knows them sees the husband as the nobly suffering victim of his situation, while ignoring the actual physical pain of the wife, and whatever presumable emotional trauma she dealt with from being branded as the disappointing wife who the husband so nobly endures. Fiona, our main character, immediately hates the wife because of this situation and says some pretty awful things about her. I thought at first that it would be a character flaw of hers that got resolved somehow later, but no, everybody else goes along with it, and the ending makes it very clear that the wife was in the wrong.
Which, in a larger sense, is also pretty misogynistic, because the story definitely looks down on a woman who doesn't want to be a mother. Yes, apparently she lied about her ability to be one and that's not great, but since the couple's childlessness is the source of the husband's suffering and that's treated more seriously by the narrative that the wife's actual pain...yuck. Just yuck, all around.
There are other problems with the ending, too. I figured out some of the secrets revealed, but not all of them--I'm not convinced that one in particular wasn't a total ass-pull that would have been impossible to determine ahead of time. But despite all these dreams being granted and all this secret knowledge shared, somehow the ending still feels incomplete, and the preview chapter for the next book seems to be dealing with entirely new characters, so I'm not sure any further resolution would be forthcoming if I kept reading. I don't think I will.
I can't say there's nothing about this book that I enjoyed, but there was far more that troubled me. As much as I liked the ideas about the magic of the Truth Tellers and Safe Keepers, both roles come with moral challenges that the story only partially addresses. When Fiona realizes that her mother has to keep secrets that are deeply hurtful in some way, like those about abuse or other crimes, she suffers pangs of conscience and an anger that her mother can't/isn't doing anything about those harmful situations. I thought that was great, and later on was glad to see that she skirted the edges of her own Safe Keeper position in order to help someone in need without betraying the secret directly; but even if Fiona "saved" the girl in trouble, there was no justice for her, as the trouble she was in went unpunished, and the girl's mother seemed very blithely uncaring that her husband might go on to molest other young girls, the implication being that they don't matter because they're not family. And I'm not okay with that.
Another issue is the incredibly ableist attitudes of most of the characters, which I found surprising and disturbing. At this point I've read most of Shinn's catalog of works, with only some of the most recently published that haven't crossed my path yet. And I genuinely don't remember any of them being this ableist. One of the minor characters is described as weak and frail due to an accident when she was younger. Her fiance marries her anyway, despite her telling him she doesn't believe she could ever bear children, because of her health--he insists he marries her for love and will live with the disappointment of not having children. When truths and secrets come out later in the story, it becomes clear that a) she probably could have safely had kids, and b) having a kid was the husband's deepest wish. So everybody in that marriage was suffering, and fair enough, but the blame is laid entirely on the disabled wife for her selfishness and frailness. Everyone who knows them sees the husband as the nobly suffering victim of his situation, while ignoring the actual physical pain of the wife, and whatever presumable emotional trauma she dealt with from being branded as the disappointing wife who the husband so nobly endures. Fiona, our main character, immediately hates the wife because of this situation and says some pretty awful things about her. I thought at first that it would be a character flaw of hers that got resolved somehow later, but no, everybody else goes along with it, and the ending makes it very clear that the wife was in the wrong.
Which, in a larger sense, is also pretty misogynistic, because the story definitely looks down on a woman who doesn't want to be a mother. Yes, apparently she lied about her ability to be one and that's not great, but since the couple's childlessness is the source of the husband's suffering and that's treated more seriously by the narrative that the wife's actual pain...yuck. Just yuck, all around.
There are other problems with the ending, too. I figured out some of the secrets revealed, but not all of them--I'm not convinced that one in particular wasn't a total ass-pull that would have been impossible to determine ahead of time. But despite all these dreams being granted and all this secret knowledge shared, somehow the ending still feels incomplete, and the preview chapter for the next book seems to be dealing with entirely new characters, so I'm not sure any further resolution would be forthcoming if I kept reading. I don't think I will.
June 2, 2017
I have never read any of Sharon Shinn's young adult books before, and I was glad when this one held up to my expectations of her writing. The Safe-Keeper's Secret isn't filled with action and adventure -- there are a few ongoing mysteries throughout the novel, but most would consider this a slow book. However, I read more for the characters than the plot, so I really liked this story.
As always, Shinn has created a brilliant world. It's seems much the same as England in the 1100's, except magic exists and there are certain people who do odd jobs. There are Safe-Keepers who are obligated to listen to people's secrets and keep them, Truth-Tellers who always tell the truth no matter what, and one Dream-Maker, whose mere presence may make a person's deepest wishes come true. I thought this was a unique spin on things and really enjoyed learning about these different jobs and the people who perform them.
Most of all, however, I loved the characters. This book is mainly about life and the relationships that we form throughout our lifetimes. I got to know Damiana, Reed, Fiona, and all the others as if they were my own family and was interested in what they were doing and what their dreams were, even if the action was simple. Also, with Fiona's mother and aunt being Safe-Keepers, and then becoming a Safe-Keeper herself, there is a good bit of intrigue woven in.
Halfway through (if even that far), I figured out what was going to come about at the end, but figuring out the mystery wasn't really the point of the novel, I think. Rather, it's about Fiona coming to terms with who she is as an individual, what she wants to do with her life. This is a lovely story about the meaning of love and family. I highly recommend it.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
As always, Shinn has created a brilliant world. It's seems much the same as England in the 1100's, except magic exists and there are certain people who do odd jobs. There are Safe-Keepers who are obligated to listen to people's secrets and keep them, Truth-Tellers who always tell the truth no matter what, and one Dream-Maker, whose mere presence may make a person's deepest wishes come true. I thought this was a unique spin on things and really enjoyed learning about these different jobs and the people who perform them.
Most of all, however, I loved the characters. This book is mainly about life and the relationships that we form throughout our lifetimes. I got to know Damiana, Reed, Fiona, and all the others as if they were my own family and was interested in what they were doing and what their dreams were, even if the action was simple. Also, with Fiona's mother and aunt being Safe-Keepers, and then becoming a Safe-Keeper herself, there is a good bit of intrigue woven in.
Halfway through (if even that far), I figured out what was going to come about at the end, but figuring out the mystery wasn't really the point of the novel, I think. Rather, it's about Fiona coming to terms with who she is as an individual, what she wants to do with her life. This is a lovely story about the meaning of love and family. I highly recommend it.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
April 13, 2012
Safe-Keepers can be trusted to never reveal a secret. So it's no surprise that when a royal bastard needs to be hidden, a Safe-Keeper would be the logical place to hide the child. When the royal messenger who left the infant in the dark of night with the Safe-Keeper is found dead by his own hand a few miles away, the secret that the baby boy who was left behind becomes more of an open secret. The Safe-Keeper decides to raise the child with her own daughter who was born that night. But what happens when the King can't have any more children, and starts looking for the child who may be his son?
Sharon Shinn develops an interesting idea here. There are people in this society who are responsible for keeping secrets until they need to be told, people who have a mythical ability to know and tell the truth, and people whose presence grants the dreams of others. One of the things about any system of magic is that it should come with a cost. Dream Makers have lives of sorrow and challenge, Truth Tellers are generally feared and unwelcome, but the Safe Keepers don't seem to have that same cost, other than having to keep horrible secrets. It seems a little unbalanced, though that may be because their powers are the weakest.
The idea is intriguing, and I liked the development of the characters, but the plot was a little weak, especially the ending that wrapped up all the different story lines in about 15 pages so neatly that Martha would call it a good thing. It sort of felt like she was only allowed to write a certain number of pages, and got so carried away that she had to slap an ending on as quickly as possible. The idea is interesting enough that I'll seek out other books in this series - I believe they are shared world rather than character - to see what other stories unfold.
Sharon Shinn develops an interesting idea here. There are people in this society who are responsible for keeping secrets until they need to be told, people who have a mythical ability to know and tell the truth, and people whose presence grants the dreams of others. One of the things about any system of magic is that it should come with a cost. Dream Makers have lives of sorrow and challenge, Truth Tellers are generally feared and unwelcome, but the Safe Keepers don't seem to have that same cost, other than having to keep horrible secrets. It seems a little unbalanced, though that may be because their powers are the weakest.
The idea is intriguing, and I liked the development of the characters, but the plot was a little weak, especially the ending that wrapped up all the different story lines in about 15 pages so neatly that Martha would call it a good thing. It sort of felt like she was only allowed to write a certain number of pages, and got so carried away that she had to slap an ending on as quickly as possible. The idea is interesting enough that I'll seek out other books in this series - I believe they are shared world rather than character - to see what other stories unfold.
November 8, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, and I am actually quite surprised at that fact. There are several elements in this book that I typically despise in other novels, but for some reason, this time it didn't bother me.
For one, nothing much really happened. It starts off with a baby being secreted away to the house of a Safe-keeper who happens to be giving birth to her own child. The two children (Reed & Fiona) grow up together as brother and sister, and the story follows them at age 10 and again from age 16-18. During this time, one major event occurs and everything else seems to be just filler. Like I said, usually I would find this incredibly aggravating. But this time, it worked for me. I enjoyed being able to experience their childhood in an idyllic fashion and meander along with them as they tried to figure themselves out as adolescents.
The second thing that should have bothered me but didn't as much as I thought it would was the
This was also a very predictable read. All the revelations that happened in the last 10 pages were ones that I already had figured out (except for one). Nothing was really a surprise, but again, I didn't really mind.
For one, nothing much really happened. It starts off with a baby being secreted away to the house of a Safe-keeper who happens to be giving birth to her own child. The two children (Reed & Fiona) grow up together as brother and sister, and the story follows them at age 10 and again from age 16-18. During this time, one major event occurs and everything else seems to be just filler. Like I said, usually I would find this incredibly aggravating. But this time, it worked for me. I enjoyed being able to experience their childhood in an idyllic fashion and meander along with them as they tried to figure themselves out as adolescents.
The second thing that should have bothered me but didn't as much as I thought it would was the
This was also a very predictable read. All the revelations that happened in the last 10 pages were ones that I already had figured out (except for one). Nothing was really a surprise, but again, I didn't really mind.
February 12, 2012
Highly recommended for anyone who loves mythic fiction and fairy tales. Like many books in this genre, this was marketed as YA, but is really a book for all ages - at no point did I feel that it was 'juvenile' in any way, although it does have a definite 'coming-of-age' theme.
Set in a rural (English? Medieval?) village, it posits a world where each village has a Safe-Keeper and a Truth-Teller, and somewhere, in the world, there is a Dream-Maker.
Fiona's mother is a Safe-Keeper - a person whom everyone entrusts with their secrets, who is bound never to tell them, no matter what - and Fiona desires nothing more than to follow in her footsteps. However, the local Truth-Teller - a person who is similarly honor-bound to say nothing but the truth, and to tell even the hard and difficult truths - tells her that such is not her destiny.
Beautifully written and emotionally satisfying, the novel follows Fiona and her family through hard times and hard decisions.
There are two sequels to this book, but this works as a stand-alone novel, complete in itself.
Set in a rural (English? Medieval?) village, it posits a world where each village has a Safe-Keeper and a Truth-Teller, and somewhere, in the world, there is a Dream-Maker.
Fiona's mother is a Safe-Keeper - a person whom everyone entrusts with their secrets, who is bound never to tell them, no matter what - and Fiona desires nothing more than to follow in her footsteps. However, the local Truth-Teller - a person who is similarly honor-bound to say nothing but the truth, and to tell even the hard and difficult truths - tells her that such is not her destiny.
Beautifully written and emotionally satisfying, the novel follows Fiona and her family through hard times and hard decisions.
There are two sequels to this book, but this works as a stand-alone novel, complete in itself.
July 29, 2018
I think Sharon Shinn may be my new favourite author! I loved the gentle, sweet mood of this, all the homely things she describes, and the meals shared with family and friends. I also found the idea of a safe-keeper, a truth-teller and a dream-maker intriguing and original. The way the story spans a number of years (as it does in Summers at Castle Auburn, too) makes you feel as though you've really grown and journeyed with the characters, despite the book itself being fairly short in length.
February 15, 2021
I'm a huge Sharon Shinn fan - I've read and collected most of the many books she's written and count her among my all-time favourite authors. She's a masterful writer who crosses and mixes many different genres in unique ways so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, the first in a YA trilogy. It's a gentle, lovely slice-of-life tale about growing up, grief and having (and making) wishes come true!
Damiana is the Safe-Keeper for her small village of Tambleham. Folk tell her secrets and she keeps them, at least until a Truth-Teller is magically compelled to speak them:
"'It was a help. You don't know it yet, but sometimes the weight of knowledge is almost too much to bear. Sharing it with one other living soul is enough to ease your burden. Even if no one else ever learns of it. Even if nothing changes.'" (Elminstra to Fiona, 57)
One dark night, as Damiana is birthing her own child, a strange rider turns up at her door and entrusts a baby to her care, via her sister. When the rider's body turns up, there's no hiding his visit (). As rumours of a royal bastard spread throughout the small town, it seems this is one secret she can't keep - but she holds her silence and lets the townsfolk think what they will.
Damiana's daughter Fiona thinks she knows her future. She wants to be a Safe-Keeper like her mother, and devotes herself to learning silence and herbal cures, but her mother's boyfriend - a brutally honest Truth-Teller - tells her she's unsuited for the job as her need to right wrongs is too strong. Damian's son Reed, meanwhile, is Fiona's polar opposite: restless, lively and plagued by wanderlust. He tries his hand at a different profession nearly every season, trying to find his true purpose and a place to belong.
As Fiona has her convictions about herself and her future challenged and Reed seeks a cure for his rootlessness, Damiana falls ill and both have to learn how to build new lives that look nothing like they had imagined.
It is wondrous how much affecting emotion Shinn is able to pack into this slim tale. Similarly, in nearly all of her works, she manages to create complex and meaningful religions and spiritual practices and this story includes one of her most appealing: the Wintermoon festival, illustrated in the cover art.
Akin to Christmas, Wintermoon is a time for friends and family to visit and feast. They also make a special wreath together, woven from different types of branches - "oak for strength, birch for beauty, cedar for serenity, evergreen for steadfastness, rowan for faith" (76) - adorned with personal tokens (like gold thread for wealth) to symbolize each individual's wish for the coming year.
This wreath hangs over the fire place during the celebrations and is then burnt in a big bonfire on Wintermoon night, releasing the hopes, prayers and wishes of all for the coming year.
For in this world, in addition to Safe-Keepers and Truth-Tellers, there also lives a singular Dream-Maker, whose own life is all sorrowful disaster but whose presence magically grants impossible wishes. The current Dream-Maker is a friend of Damiana's family but she cannot direct her magic, or choose which wishes to grant.
Nevertheless, after several Wintermoons spent together, all the characters in this small circle have their hearts' desires granted, in surprising and wonderful ways.
I only wish this story was longer! The ending did feel a little abrupt to me. Great twist though, and it makes me excited to read more about this unusual magic system in the next book, The Truth-Teller's Tale!
Damiana is the Safe-Keeper for her small village of Tambleham. Folk tell her secrets and she keeps them, at least until a Truth-Teller is magically compelled to speak them:
"'It was a help. You don't know it yet, but sometimes the weight of knowledge is almost too much to bear. Sharing it with one other living soul is enough to ease your burden. Even if no one else ever learns of it. Even if nothing changes.'" (Elminstra to Fiona, 57)
One dark night, as Damiana is birthing her own child, a strange rider turns up at her door and entrusts a baby to her care, via her sister. When the rider's body turns up, there's no hiding his visit (). As rumours of a royal bastard spread throughout the small town, it seems this is one secret she can't keep - but she holds her silence and lets the townsfolk think what they will.
Damiana's daughter Fiona thinks she knows her future. She wants to be a Safe-Keeper like her mother, and devotes herself to learning silence and herbal cures, but her mother's boyfriend - a brutally honest Truth-Teller - tells her she's unsuited for the job as her need to right wrongs is too strong. Damian's son Reed, meanwhile, is Fiona's polar opposite: restless, lively and plagued by wanderlust. He tries his hand at a different profession nearly every season, trying to find his true purpose and a place to belong.
As Fiona has her convictions about herself and her future challenged and Reed seeks a cure for his rootlessness, Damiana falls ill and both have to learn how to build new lives that look nothing like they had imagined.
It is wondrous how much affecting emotion Shinn is able to pack into this slim tale. Similarly, in nearly all of her works, she manages to create complex and meaningful religions and spiritual practices and this story includes one of her most appealing: the Wintermoon festival, illustrated in the cover art.
Akin to Christmas, Wintermoon is a time for friends and family to visit and feast. They also make a special wreath together, woven from different types of branches - "oak for strength, birch for beauty, cedar for serenity, evergreen for steadfastness, rowan for faith" (76) - adorned with personal tokens (like gold thread for wealth) to symbolize each individual's wish for the coming year.
This wreath hangs over the fire place during the celebrations and is then burnt in a big bonfire on Wintermoon night, releasing the hopes, prayers and wishes of all for the coming year.
For in this world, in addition to Safe-Keepers and Truth-Tellers, there also lives a singular Dream-Maker, whose own life is all sorrowful disaster but whose presence magically grants impossible wishes. The current Dream-Maker is a friend of Damiana's family but she cannot direct her magic, or choose which wishes to grant.
Nevertheless, after several Wintermoons spent together, all the characters in this small circle have their hearts' desires granted, in surprising and wonderful ways.
I only wish this story was longer! The ending did feel a little abrupt to me. Great twist though, and it makes me excited to read more about this unusual magic system in the next book, The Truth-Teller's Tale!
January 31, 2023
This book makes me so sad because I LOVE Sharon Shinn but I really didn't like this one.
The Safe-Keeper's Secret has a simple plot. In this world, you have (1) safe-keepers that can be told secrets they never tell; (2) truth-tellers that always tell the truth and never lie; and (3) dream-makers that suffered horrible tragedies but now make dreams come true (and there is only one dream-maker at a time).
So that sounds fine, like a nice, cozy fantasy. But the world-building was so off. I could not get a feel for what era this was supposed to be. I assumed it was a quasi-medieval type world, like Shinn's other books, but little details kept throwing me off. The village kids go to school. They have birthday parties where everyone brings them presents. The village witch makes hot chocolate. It was incredibly distracting.
As the other reviews have mentioned, the main romance is between two teenagers who were raised together as brother and sister although they are not related by blood, and no one in the book questions this. That's just icky. And, it was icky in 2004 (when this book was written), too. Also as the other reviewers have mentioned, a disabled/chronically ill character is vilified (and her husband is the victim who she can't give sons to). This plot point is questionable, but it was handled so callously, I couldn't get over it.
The simple, cozy plot never progresses, and when the story builds up to the conclusion, there's absolutely no tension or resolution. Everything is set up so nicely that you know exactly where the story is going and what the "twist" is. I have recently learned that a lot of people like books like that, but I am not one of them.
2.5 stars rounded up because of my love for Sharon Shinn.
The Safe-Keeper's Secret has a simple plot. In this world, you have (1) safe-keepers that can be told secrets they never tell; (2) truth-tellers that always tell the truth and never lie; and (3) dream-makers that suffered horrible tragedies but now make dreams come true (and there is only one dream-maker at a time).
So that sounds fine, like a nice, cozy fantasy. But the world-building was so off. I could not get a feel for what era this was supposed to be. I assumed it was a quasi-medieval type world, like Shinn's other books, but little details kept throwing me off. The village kids go to school. They have birthday parties where everyone brings them presents. The village witch makes hot chocolate. It was incredibly distracting.
As the other reviews have mentioned, the main romance is between two teenagers who were raised together as brother and sister although they are not related by blood, and no one in the book questions this. That's just icky. And, it was icky in 2004 (when this book was written), too. Also as the other reviewers have mentioned, a disabled/chronically ill character is vilified (and her husband is the victim who she can't give sons to). This plot point is questionable, but it was handled so callously, I couldn't get over it.
The simple, cozy plot never progresses, and when the story builds up to the conclusion, there's absolutely no tension or resolution. Everything is set up so nicely that you know exactly where the story is going and what the "twist" is. I have recently learned that a lot of people like books like that, but I am not one of them.
2.5 stars rounded up because of my love for Sharon Shinn.
August 3, 2023
I enjoyed this, but I took a star off for the way chronic illness is viewed by the main character. I'm not saying the author feels the same way, but the main characters ruthless ideas about disability and chronic illness are not corrected over time so that's frustrating in what was otherwise an interesting cozy read. A lot of reviewers didn't like the fact that the romantic pairing was between two unrelated young people who were raised as siblings. This does not bother me; the incest taboo is about blood relationships. The characters didn't become romantically involved until long after they knew there was no blood relationship between them, so I didn't find that upsetting. There could be endless debate about whether the concept of a secret keeper in society is a good one or not. In my view it is not; people who do wrong should have to face the consequences in the open if the wrong is serious enough, but perhaps many people would feel the opposite given things like priests not being able to report what they hear in confession even when that may involve a serious crime. This could be a great topic for debate for young adult readers, and it would be fascinating to sit in on that discussion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
This is the third time I’ve read this book because I just love it so much. It’s a wholesome story with wonderful characters and I know I will be reading this book again within the next few years because I can’t help but come back to it every so often.
September 12, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5
July 25, 2021
Interesting world with people who are for the community safe-keepers, truth-tellers, and dream makers. Fun plot twists and great characters. This book took longer for me to be hooked, but I enjoyed it and I appreciate clean fantasy reads for YA.
May 15, 2023
This had some interesting worldbuilding ideas, but there were a few things about it that just really, really bothered me (especially its treatment of a woman who has a chronic illness) and there were enough moments that turned me off so that I ended up not really liking the book as a whole.
November 12, 2008
This was my first read by Sharon Shinn, so I did not know what to expect. Overall, I enjoyed the premise of the story as well as Shinn’s writing style. It intrigued me how the story progressed introducing new characters and finding out how everyone is interconnected to each other. Most especially, the relationship between Fiona and her (non)brother, Reed, tugged at my heartstrings. Ultimately, unfortunately, I was disappointed with the ending; I felt as though it was too clean: everyone was happy (those you cared about, anyway), there weren’t any open issues lingering, clean-cut…to the point…finished. Upon finishing the book I thought, “Well wasn’t that nice for everyone?”
Though the conclusion of the book left me feeling less than impressed with the story, I found that Shinn worked many different “life lessons” into the story. The one which I enjoyed most of all was illustrated between Reed and Fiona: Fiona wanted to be a Safe-Keeper as long as she could remember while Reed was content with jumping from job to job to job trying to find a good “fit” for himself. Fiona’s argument was that Reed needed to settle down and make a decision even though he was content with the process. Is this not the case with most of us? From a very young age we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” How are we supposed to know what we want to be? And if we did, would it be the same thing a few years later?
I enjoyed the process Reed experienced in choosing a life for himself. He went out into the “world” and simply tried different things. Each worked for a while, but ultimately none were the right fit for him. His ultimate choice in the end does not come as a surprise (well, not to me at least) and, in retrospect, each of his experiences helped prepare him for his final decision. Conversely, Fiona new what she wanted to be and attempted to tailor herself to meet the “requirements” of that job. Pursuing other avenues, about which she was passionate, became “side jobs” for her even though she seemed to enjoy them more. Realizing certain secrets about herself put into question her whole purpose (even though she lectured Reed about not being defined as an individual as opposed to whom you are related).
We will discuss this book in our book club this month. I am looking forward to doing so because there are many aspects of this book which have multiple layers. Perhaps after doing so I will have a greater appreciation for the story, but until then, I enjoy the underlying themes a whole lot better.
Though the conclusion of the book left me feeling less than impressed with the story, I found that Shinn worked many different “life lessons” into the story. The one which I enjoyed most of all was illustrated between Reed and Fiona: Fiona wanted to be a Safe-Keeper as long as she could remember while Reed was content with jumping from job to job to job trying to find a good “fit” for himself. Fiona’s argument was that Reed needed to settle down and make a decision even though he was content with the process. Is this not the case with most of us? From a very young age we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” How are we supposed to know what we want to be? And if we did, would it be the same thing a few years later?
I enjoyed the process Reed experienced in choosing a life for himself. He went out into the “world” and simply tried different things. Each worked for a while, but ultimately none were the right fit for him. His ultimate choice in the end does not come as a surprise (well, not to me at least) and, in retrospect, each of his experiences helped prepare him for his final decision. Conversely, Fiona new what she wanted to be and attempted to tailor herself to meet the “requirements” of that job. Pursuing other avenues, about which she was passionate, became “side jobs” for her even though she seemed to enjoy them more. Realizing certain secrets about herself put into question her whole purpose (even though she lectured Reed about not being defined as an individual as opposed to whom you are related).
We will discuss this book in our book club this month. I am looking forward to doing so because there are many aspects of this book which have multiple layers. Perhaps after doing so I will have a greater appreciation for the story, but until then, I enjoy the underlying themes a whole lot better.
October 13, 2016
Sharon Shinn is one of my comfort read authors. I don't find her books particularly ground-breaking and they don't make me think too hard but they're comforting to read and I enjoy slipping into the worlds she creates. This one though kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, which is a shame as there were parts I really liked.
The book is really more world building then plot heavy, as nothing much happens beyond two characters growing up and discovering their place in the world. Fiona and Reed are the children of the village Safe-Keeper Damiana, though Reed isn't actually her son but a child left on her doorstep as she was giving birth. And they grow up, there are some sorrows in their lives and at the end the big secret of parentage is revealed leaving an opening for the sequel to further explore what happens next.
The world building is interesting, there are Safe-Keepers, Dream-Makers, and Truth-Tellers. All magical positions. Truth-Tellers cannot lie, and often know the truth of things unbidden. Dream-Makers can make wishes come true simply by being around those wishing. The Safe-Keepers keep secrets, all manner of things that people tell them and they will not reveal. And it's the Safe-Keepers where some of my distaste comes from. In this society they act very much like priests hearing confession, they bear the burdens of those terrible truths that people need to tell and there is no danger that those terrible secrets will be revealed. In order to show just how much a Safe-Keeper will keep a secret it's revealed that one of the secrets Damiana keeps is that a woman abuses her children, like leaves them bloody and tied to a door abuses them. But she doesn't tell anyone until that woman is dead. I, obviously, have a lot of issues with this. Especially as it's presented as a neutral thing, not good not bad, just neutral. Not my favorite.
The other thing is a bit more spoilery and it has to do with the romance that Shinn develops in the story between Fiona and Reed. I don't like it, and I think it's gross. I know they aren't technically blood-related, but even so they were raised as siblings.
As I said, Shinn's books are generally comfort reads, and aside from those two issues, this one isn't really that different. I liked it enough to think about picking up the next book in the series, but it's not my favorite work of hers.
The book is really more world building then plot heavy, as nothing much happens beyond two characters growing up and discovering their place in the world. Fiona and Reed are the children of the village Safe-Keeper Damiana, though Reed isn't actually her son but a child left on her doorstep as she was giving birth. And they grow up, there are some sorrows in their lives and at the end the big secret of parentage is revealed leaving an opening for the sequel to further explore what happens next.
The world building is interesting, there are Safe-Keepers, Dream-Makers, and Truth-Tellers. All magical positions. Truth-Tellers cannot lie, and often know the truth of things unbidden. Dream-Makers can make wishes come true simply by being around those wishing. The Safe-Keepers keep secrets, all manner of things that people tell them and they will not reveal. And it's the Safe-Keepers where some of my distaste comes from. In this society they act very much like priests hearing confession, they bear the burdens of those terrible truths that people need to tell and there is no danger that those terrible secrets will be revealed. In order to show just how much a Safe-Keeper will keep a secret it's revealed that one of the secrets Damiana keeps is that a woman abuses her children, like leaves them bloody and tied to a door abuses them. But she doesn't tell anyone until that woman is dead. I, obviously, have a lot of issues with this. Especially as it's presented as a neutral thing, not good not bad, just neutral. Not my favorite.
The other thing is a bit more spoilery and it has to do with the romance that Shinn develops in the story between Fiona and Reed. I don't like it, and I think it's gross. I know they aren't technically blood-related, but even so they were raised as siblings.
As I said, Shinn's books are generally comfort reads, and aside from those two issues, this one isn't really that different. I liked it enough to think about picking up the next book in the series, but it's not my favorite work of hers.
November 6, 2020
Loved this book except for everything about Victoria.
July 26, 2019
This was a really lovely book. I've had all three sitting on the bookcase for a while, so I added this first one to my 19 in 2019 challenge. (19 was way too many and I won't get it done, but I like having a list of books I haven't got to for various reasons so I think I'll try 12 in future as that's one a month.) I was pleased when it came up on the spinner, as I had a good feeling about it. I was right.
It's an interesting set up - people who keep secrets, people who only tell the truth and one single person who has a life of hardships but can make the dreams of others come true. Shinn creates this work delicately and beautifully and we see the implications of these things on the main characters of the book. In the end, it is about dreams coming true in unexpected ways and truths coming out that change the perspective compared to what one assumed that truth was previously.
Gentle and lovely and recommended.
A small content warning for a character death because it upset me, but that's for a totally personal reason. Check the spoiler tag if you want to know who:
It's an interesting set up - people who keep secrets, people who only tell the truth and one single person who has a life of hardships but can make the dreams of others come true. Shinn creates this work delicately and beautifully and we see the implications of these things on the main characters of the book. In the end, it is about dreams coming true in unexpected ways and truths coming out that change the perspective compared to what one assumed that truth was previously.
Gentle and lovely and recommended.
A small content warning for a character death because it upset me, but that's for a totally personal reason. Check the spoiler tag if you want to know who:
November 24, 2008
I love fantasy, can't explain why, just do. What I really liked about this fantasy novel was how different it was. It wasn't a book about sword fights or magical creatures. It was a book about people who were very real and believeable. To me the fantasy world that Sharon Shinn created was so believeable that it felt like it could be in a different time and place and have been real. I also have to admit I love books and movies with twists. I felt like her twist was on parr with M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and The Sixth Sence for the way it totally changed everything at the end of the story. Of course unlike those books it was a happier twist. I have heard complaints that the end was too perfect, but hey, I like fantasy! What can be more of a fantasy then everyone ending up happy!
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