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Uncommon Echoes #1
Echo in Onyx
A Murder and a Masquerade
Brianna loves her new job as maid to Lady Marguerite. Like many high nobles, Marguerite is attended by echoes, silent creatures who look exactly like her and move in perfect synchronicity. News soon comes that Marguerite has been invited to the royal city as a potential bride for the crown prince. Brianna is delighted to accompany Marguerite to the city—and perhaps get a chance to continue her own flirtation with Nico, one of the king’s inquisitors.
Then, disaster strikes on the road when they come under attack. The brutal assault forces Marguerite and Brianna to concoct a desperate plan. Their subterfuge just might work—but only if Brianna can keep Nico from learning the truth. And only if Marguerite can give up her own secret, doomed romance.
And all that’s at stake—is the very future of the kingdom.
Brianna loves her new job as maid to Lady Marguerite. Like many high nobles, Marguerite is attended by echoes, silent creatures who look exactly like her and move in perfect synchronicity. News soon comes that Marguerite has been invited to the royal city as a potential bride for the crown prince. Brianna is delighted to accompany Marguerite to the city—and perhaps get a chance to continue her own flirtation with Nico, one of the king’s inquisitors.
Then, disaster strikes on the road when they come under attack. The brutal assault forces Marguerite and Brianna to concoct a desperate plan. Their subterfuge just might work—but only if Brianna can keep Nico from learning the truth. And only if Marguerite can give up her own secret, doomed romance.
And all that’s at stake—is the very future of the kingdom.
406 pages, ebook
First published March 21, 2019
201 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Shinn
58 books2,277 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
July 18, 2022
"In the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, many of the highest nobles are attended by one or two or three echoes—creatures who look exactly like them, who move with them in perfect synchronicity, but who have no thoughts or volition of their own. They are considered gifts from the triple goddess, who created them generations ago when war and murder put every noble’s life in danger; when assassins could not be sure which identical body was the true lord or lady, many fewer deaths occurred. Now, echoes are primarily a symbol of wealth and status."
Whenever you take a Sharon Shinn book, you can be sure of the following literary trademarks:
- great writing
- detailed & unique world-building with well-defined politics, religion and geography
- intriguing plot (no armageddon or epic quest, though)
- believable, solid romance(s) that are not all-consuming (thankfully).
In general Echo in Onyx delivers on all fronts. While IMO it does not compare to my favourite Shinn novel, Troubled Waters and I had some issues with the book, it provides intrigue & entertainment in spades.
The overall backstory to plot: there is unrest in the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, a friction between East & West. The 3 Western provinces (Orenza, Empara, Alberta) are always plotting, possibly to break away & form a separate Kingdom.
In order to appease them, King Harald decides to break off the engagement between Crown Prince Cormack & Lady Vivienne from Thelleron (an Eastern province) and sends his son to visit all 3 Western provinces and invite eligible ladies of high noble families to the capital where he might choose on of them to marry.
Lady Marguerite from Orenza (with 3 echoes of her own, just like the Prince) is among the invited ladies and a very strong candidate for Cormack`s attention. Too bad that she is far from willing as she seems to have a secret lover.
The story is told from the POV of Marguerite`s faithful & devoted maid, Brianna. And while I understand the literary reason why Sharon Shinn chose her restricted, 1st person POV to make it more personal & so as not to give away everything at once and to make the plot more dramatic this way, I couldn`t help feeling that it could have been done differently. But maybe it`s just that I personally don`t like when stories only offer a 1st person narrative. (Yes, I should get over that.)
As Marguerite, accompanied by her 3 echoes and Brianna, is travelling to the royal city of Camarria, calamity strikes and they have to act and make decisions that will not only change their lives, but may bring death to them all.
They need to conceal a crime and the fact that Brianna is courted by Nico, apprentice to the King`s Inquisitor, the infamous & dreaded Malachai makes it all the harder for them.
I found the concept of echoes superweird in some instances I still don`t get this, even though some more detailed explanations are offered in Book 2.
Still, there is a nicely buit-up pattern of the 3 books in the series now.
In this one, we are offered the POV of a character who has no echoes herself, but by a series of accidents, ends up impersonating an echo for her mistress.
In Book 2, Echo in Emerald, we'll be given the POV of a main character, having echoes and Book 3 Echo in Amethyst will be told from an echo's POV.
The History and the People
The Kingdom of the Seven Jewels consists of seven provinces, each signified by a particular gemstone.
The seven provinces and their gemstones are:
Sammerly: garnet
Banchura: sapphire
Thelleron: citrine
Pandrea: opal
Alberta: amethyst
Empara: emerald
Orenza: onyx (red, black, white)
November 3, 2019
Sharon Shinn has penned some of my favorite books on the planet. However, Echo in Onyx is not destined to be amongst them: this is midling Sharon Shinn - pleasant to read, with a comfortable fantasy world to slip into, and smooth storytelling that makes it easy to keep flipping pages.
The central premise is rather peculiar. In this world, the nobility are born with echoes, silent clones that have no will of their own but can take an inconvenient arrow or cup of poison for their principal. The echoes live with and mimic their person precisely, sleeping, eating, etc. at the same time. It does make fancy occasion seating / dancing / marriage arrangements tricky, as people can have anywhere between one and three echoes.
Everything else feels like classic Shinn. Brianna is the main character, a level-headed and sensible girl who seizes an opportunity to serve as lady's maid to the Lady Marguerite...and finds her new mistress kind and her position agreeable. This is not an ideal formula for drama, and in fact, drama takes a good long time to show up. In the interim, there is shopping (are there any Sharon Shinn books *without* bustling marketplaces?), flowers, dresses, trips to the temple, and periodic run-ins with an attractive and mysterious nobleman who might be a spy. (Yet he somehow has abundant time to spend flirting and buying flowers!)
It's all very chatty and pleasant, and I never mind spending time in Shinn's fantasy worlds. Suspension of disbelief does become an issue once the plot thickens and the courtly intrigue kicks in. Apart from the weird concept of echoes, Echo in Onyx is not particularly memorable, and Brianna feels like the most archetypal of Shinn's sensible and capable heroines. I miss the pigheaded Rachel and the volatile Zoe.
I don't regret buying Echo in Onyx new for lack of other options, but finished it 24 hours ago without hopping on Amazon and ordering the next two. It's a shame my library doesn't have them and is unlikely to carry self-published books, because they're shaping up to be the kind of series I'd be happy to borrow without feeling the need to own.
The central premise is rather peculiar. In this world, the nobility are born with echoes, silent clones that have no will of their own but can take an inconvenient arrow or cup of poison for their principal. The echoes live with and mimic their person precisely, sleeping, eating, etc. at the same time. It does make fancy occasion seating / dancing / marriage arrangements tricky, as people can have anywhere between one and three echoes.
Everything else feels like classic Shinn. Brianna is the main character, a level-headed and sensible girl who seizes an opportunity to serve as lady's maid to the Lady Marguerite...and finds her new mistress kind and her position agreeable. This is not an ideal formula for drama, and in fact, drama takes a good long time to show up. In the interim, there is shopping (are there any Sharon Shinn books *without* bustling marketplaces?), flowers, dresses, trips to the temple, and periodic run-ins with an attractive and mysterious nobleman who might be a spy. (Yet he somehow has abundant time to spend flirting and buying flowers!)
It's all very chatty and pleasant, and I never mind spending time in Shinn's fantasy worlds. Suspension of disbelief does become an issue once the plot thickens and the courtly intrigue kicks in. Apart from the weird concept of echoes, Echo in Onyx is not particularly memorable, and Brianna feels like the most archetypal of Shinn's sensible and capable heroines. I miss the pigheaded Rachel and the volatile Zoe.
I don't regret buying Echo in Onyx new for lack of other options, but finished it 24 hours ago without hopping on Amazon and ordering the next two. It's a shame my library doesn't have them and is unlikely to carry self-published books, because they're shaping up to be the kind of series I'd be happy to borrow without feeling the need to own.
April 15, 2019
This is the very first audiobook I have ever listened to while doing nothing in particular — just sitting around, listening to it. I almost always need something else to do with my hands and eyes while listening to an audiobook, but this time I listened to several hours’ worth while just sitting on the couch.
The world in this trilogy is almost free of magic, except for the echoes. It’s not really Regency, but is strongly Regency-flavored, so it’s going to feel familiar to the reader. Except for the echoes. Imagine what it would be like to have two or three or four near-identical copies of you following you about every moment and echoing your every move and pose and gesture. Imagine what it would be like, watching aristocrats go about their lives in triplicate. Echoes don’t speak and are generally thought to have no real separate identities or thoughts; they are just physical echoes of their originals.
So that’s the world: Regenty-ish, with echoes.
Now, Brianna, the protagonist, has had such a nice, smooth, happy childhood. She certainly has never faced a big challenge. When she moves to the city, she quite easily lands a plum job as lady’s maid to Lady Marguerite, the governor’s daughter, who is kind, sensitive, lonely, and quite willing to treat her maid pretty much as a friend, so Brianna’s life seems set to continue on its nice, smooth, happy path forever. Marguerite, by the way, has three echoes. And a secret.
Then Marguerite, along with various other eligible young ladies, is invited to the capital in a sort of reality-show situation – the heir to the throne is expected to choose a bride. The decision will be complicated by political maneuvering behind the scenes, but neither Brianna nor the reader is all that aware of (or interested in) those machinations. The story remains tightly focused on the human relationships – principally Brianna’s relationship with Marguerite and Brianna’s relationship with Nico – a servant of the crown whom she meets rather early in the story and who will play an important role as the story moves forward. Perhaps it may seem fraught if I mention that Nico is an inquisitor; like a cross between a detective and a secret policeman.
The story unrolls from there. I’m dying to describe various plot points in detail, but I will restrain myself. I will, however, just mention that:
a) Driving to St Louis last weekend, I exclaimed aloud as I encountered a really important plot twist. I will say, this was not exactly unforeseeable. But I did not foresee it.
b) On Monday, while walking the dogs, I came to a complete halt in astonishment and alarm. This was at the moment Brianna stood up during dinner, in case you listen to or eventually read the book and want to know.
c) Yesterday, I arrived at work at the exact moment Nico discovered the truth about, um, things. That was not a great spot to have to pause the audiobook for the day.
d) You should totally give this book a listen if you like audio at all — especially if you already know you like Sharon Shinn’s books.
One final note: This story ties up perfectly and completely – it had to, because the protagonist and surrounding characters are going to change with the next book. There is a hook for the next book right at the end, but it doesn’t count as a cliffhanger.
The world in this trilogy is almost free of magic, except for the echoes. It’s not really Regency, but is strongly Regency-flavored, so it’s going to feel familiar to the reader. Except for the echoes. Imagine what it would be like to have two or three or four near-identical copies of you following you about every moment and echoing your every move and pose and gesture. Imagine what it would be like, watching aristocrats go about their lives in triplicate. Echoes don’t speak and are generally thought to have no real separate identities or thoughts; they are just physical echoes of their originals.
So that’s the world: Regenty-ish, with echoes.
Now, Brianna, the protagonist, has had such a nice, smooth, happy childhood. She certainly has never faced a big challenge. When she moves to the city, she quite easily lands a plum job as lady’s maid to Lady Marguerite, the governor’s daughter, who is kind, sensitive, lonely, and quite willing to treat her maid pretty much as a friend, so Brianna’s life seems set to continue on its nice, smooth, happy path forever. Marguerite, by the way, has three echoes. And a secret.
Then Marguerite, along with various other eligible young ladies, is invited to the capital in a sort of reality-show situation – the heir to the throne is expected to choose a bride. The decision will be complicated by political maneuvering behind the scenes, but neither Brianna nor the reader is all that aware of (or interested in) those machinations. The story remains tightly focused on the human relationships – principally Brianna’s relationship with Marguerite and Brianna’s relationship with Nico – a servant of the crown whom she meets rather early in the story and who will play an important role as the story moves forward. Perhaps it may seem fraught if I mention that Nico is an inquisitor; like a cross between a detective and a secret policeman.
The story unrolls from there. I’m dying to describe various plot points in detail, but I will restrain myself. I will, however, just mention that:
a) Driving to St Louis last weekend, I exclaimed aloud as I encountered a really important plot twist. I will say, this was not exactly unforeseeable. But I did not foresee it.
b) On Monday, while walking the dogs, I came to a complete halt in astonishment and alarm. This was at the moment Brianna stood up during dinner, in case you listen to or eventually read the book and want to know.
c) Yesterday, I arrived at work at the exact moment Nico discovered the truth about, um, things. That was not a great spot to have to pause the audiobook for the day.
d) You should totally give this book a listen if you like audio at all — especially if you already know you like Sharon Shinn’s books.
One final note: This story ties up perfectly and completely – it had to, because the protagonist and surrounding characters are going to change with the next book. There is a hook for the next book right at the end, but it doesn’t count as a cliffhanger.
September 3, 2019
Sharon Shinn really failed her characters in this one
As are all of Shinn’s books, this was well-written, with solid world-building and inviting main characters. That’s the completely positive aspect. On the less positive side, to me, Brianna felt like all of Shinn’s recent heroines, and I am beginning to wonder if Shinn can write a unique main character anymore.
She used to be able to—the MCs in the Thirteen Houses series were distinct and had their own voices. The women in the first book of the Elemental Blessings series began as very different personalities, but I wonder now if their voices began to blend once they got their own books. And here is Brianna, someone who is so recognizable as a Shinn heroine: she’s honest, loving, loyal, levelheaded, comfortable in her sexuality and clear about who she is and who she is not... And it all just felt so familiar...
That familiarity could be a good thing for readers who want to feel instantly comfortable with a new main character, but for me, it made the book feel too much like I’d read it before. the I missed the journey of getting to know the person at the heart of the story.
There was one thing that bothered me about the plot and became especially problematic in the last half of the book. Unfortunately talking about it is a spoiler, so please stop reading here if that’s a problem.
SPOILER:
Why on earth did no one in the story ever say a word about the fact that it was partly the king’s own fault his son Jamison was dead? The king allowed Jamison to repeatedly rape noblewomen and then made excuses for him. The king failed in his duty to protect the women of the kingdom from this vicious predator because the king loved his son so much (or perhaps because he hated his wife and knew that defending Jamison would enrage her).
Of course no one was going to tell the king himself that he was at fault, but I was shocked that no one mentioned the king’s hypocrisy in crying out for vengeance against the (inadvertent) murderer of his son when the king couldn’t be bothered to hold his son accountable for his own much worse crimes. The only real crime Marguerite committed was hiding the body, and she wouldn’t have done even that if she hadn’t been terrified of the king’s reaction.
Sharon Shinn is very much an upholder of women, so it surprised me a great deal that she allowed all of her characters to act as though the king was right to hold his son blameless and treat Marguerite as a vicious murderer when she was guilty of nothing more than being Jamison’s latest victim.
At any rate, unlike the rest of Shinn’s work, this isn’t a book I’ll ever reread. The glaring injustice at the heart of this story is completely unaddressed, making the book too representative of our ongoing rape culture. We get enough stories like this on the news, I don’t want also to read a book from a favorite author in which the victim is punished while everyone looks on silently. The fact that Marguerite, only by the grace of the Goddess, lived through her execution doesn’t fix the raging injustice of her judicial murder. I never thought Sharon Shinn would write a story that failed its main character this badly. Now that she has, I will have to reconsider that favorite author designation.
As are all of Shinn’s books, this was well-written, with solid world-building and inviting main characters. That’s the completely positive aspect. On the less positive side, to me, Brianna felt like all of Shinn’s recent heroines, and I am beginning to wonder if Shinn can write a unique main character anymore.
She used to be able to—the MCs in the Thirteen Houses series were distinct and had their own voices. The women in the first book of the Elemental Blessings series began as very different personalities, but I wonder now if their voices began to blend once they got their own books. And here is Brianna, someone who is so recognizable as a Shinn heroine: she’s honest, loving, loyal, levelheaded, comfortable in her sexuality and clear about who she is and who she is not... And it all just felt so familiar...
That familiarity could be a good thing for readers who want to feel instantly comfortable with a new main character, but for me, it made the book feel too much like I’d read it before. the I missed the journey of getting to know the person at the heart of the story.
There was one thing that bothered me about the plot and became especially problematic in the last half of the book. Unfortunately talking about it is a spoiler, so please stop reading here if that’s a problem.
SPOILER:
Why on earth did no one in the story ever say a word about the fact that it was partly the king’s own fault his son Jamison was dead? The king allowed Jamison to repeatedly rape noblewomen and then made excuses for him. The king failed in his duty to protect the women of the kingdom from this vicious predator because the king loved his son so much (or perhaps because he hated his wife and knew that defending Jamison would enrage her).
Of course no one was going to tell the king himself that he was at fault, but I was shocked that no one mentioned the king’s hypocrisy in crying out for vengeance against the (inadvertent) murderer of his son when the king couldn’t be bothered to hold his son accountable for his own much worse crimes. The only real crime Marguerite committed was hiding the body, and she wouldn’t have done even that if she hadn’t been terrified of the king’s reaction.
Sharon Shinn is very much an upholder of women, so it surprised me a great deal that she allowed all of her characters to act as though the king was right to hold his son blameless and treat Marguerite as a vicious murderer when she was guilty of nothing more than being Jamison’s latest victim.
At any rate, unlike the rest of Shinn’s work, this isn’t a book I’ll ever reread. The glaring injustice at the heart of this story is completely unaddressed, making the book too representative of our ongoing rape culture. We get enough stories like this on the news, I don’t want also to read a book from a favorite author in which the victim is punished while everyone looks on silently. The fact that Marguerite, only by the grace of the Goddess, lived through her execution doesn’t fix the raging injustice of her judicial murder. I never thought Sharon Shinn would write a story that failed its main character this badly. Now that she has, I will have to reconsider that favorite author designation.
September 9, 2020
Ahoy there me mateys! I absolutely love Sharon Shinn and featured her works in me Broadside No. 2. I finished the Elemental Blessings series, was sad and then Matey Nicole @ bookwyrmknits told me that this YA series existed and of course I had to track it down. The author's website describes the world of these books as:
I read the three books back to back and enjoyed them. Just be forewarned about two things:
a) the echoes and how they work make no real sense; and
b) each plot is basically the same: young non-noble girl meets rich noble man, doesn't recognize him, insta-lust ensues, shenanigans ensue, happy ever after.
Now normally both of those things would irk me to no end. However, this is Sharon Shinn and I love her writing. Sure things don't make sense and these plots are super problematic but I still enjoy the world building and characters. Even if even the characters were kinda special snowflakes and things worked out for them rather easily. The echoes are a concept are fascinating and so I loved reading about them. Each book focuses on a slightly different aspect of echoes. Just don't think too hard about them cause inconsistencies abound. I needed a distraction from life and these worked perfectly for the mood and moment.
This were fun and fluff but I have no urge to own them. I also got them as part of Kindle Unlimited and so didn't have to pay the absurd ebook price for them. The concept is both the strongest and weakest part of the book. These are not her best books (in fact may be her weakest) and I wouldn't recommend them but I am so very glad I read them.
If ye be interested in any of Sharon Shinn's works, I suggest ye hoist those sails and visit her amazing website. Literally one of the best author websites I have ever seen. Arrrrr!
In the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, many of the highest nobles are attended by one or two or three echoes—creatures who look exactly like them, who move with them in perfect synchronicity, but who have no thoughts or volition of their own. Centuries ago during wartime, the echoes were a gift from the triple goddess, who bestowed them as a way to keep nobles safe from constant attempts at assassination. But what if an echo wasn't always exactly as it appeared . . .
I read the three books back to back and enjoyed them. Just be forewarned about two things:
a) the echoes and how they work make no real sense; and
b) each plot is basically the same: young non-noble girl meets rich noble man, doesn't recognize him, insta-lust ensues, shenanigans ensue, happy ever after.
Now normally both of those things would irk me to no end. However, this is Sharon Shinn and I love her writing. Sure things don't make sense and these plots are super problematic but I still enjoy the world building and characters. Even if even the characters were kinda special snowflakes and things worked out for them rather easily. The echoes are a concept are fascinating and so I loved reading about them. Each book focuses on a slightly different aspect of echoes. Just don't think too hard about them cause inconsistencies abound. I needed a distraction from life and these worked perfectly for the mood and moment.
This were fun and fluff but I have no urge to own them. I also got them as part of Kindle Unlimited and so didn't have to pay the absurd ebook price for them. The concept is both the strongest and weakest part of the book. These are not her best books (in fact may be her weakest) and I wouldn't recommend them but I am so very glad I read them.
If ye be interested in any of Sharon Shinn's works, I suggest ye hoist those sails and visit her amazing website. Literally one of the best author websites I have ever seen. Arrrrr!
March 11, 2023
Welcome to a world where the nobles all have beings who are an echo, a living shadow of themselves. Creatures who mimic your every move. Maybe! When Lady Marguerite is nearly raped by the King’s bastard som, her echoes and her maid Briana come to her rescue. Only to find themselves facing a whole new danger.
January 24, 2020
I never realised how fatigued I was with the pomp and the hyperbole of the fantasy genre, and also its saturation, untill I was tempted to give this book 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, it is very good: well-written, interesting plot, all characters, even the minor ones, three-dimensional and believable as real people. But objectively this is a solidly good novel that deserves 3,5 stars, not a great one that would prompt a 5 star review. The reason I rounded up (and was seriously considering rounding even more up) is how it shines in comparison to most other offerings in this subgenre not only in its originality, but, more importantly, in its moderation (for lack of a better word).
It is perhaps natural that, when hundreds of fantasy books have been released every year for practically decades, hitting upon a truly original concept is rare. Shinn has done this: the "echoes", or even something similar to them, is something that I have not seen written before. The setting, refreshingly, seems to be a Baroque-style era, magic and religion exist, but are not overpowering the plot. But more important than that is how the author chooses to avoid the most common cliches: the protagonists are neither heirs to the throne nor barely surviving in the gutter, instead we have one aristocrat, one middle-class professional and one working-class person. The latter, who is the main protagonist, is prortrayed reallistically: she has to work for a living, but she is not powerless or desperate. I loved that she come with established relationships and then developed new ones, in a reasonable pace, with the two secondary protagonists, one romantic, one not, that she had a life of her own and a lover and a "mission". The conflict is significant, but we are not immediately plunged into a "the fate of the world depends on this!!!" scenario; the author sets the background and then slowly raises the stakes to a reasonable level (one protagonist is in danger of her life, the others might suffer consequences, there are political ramifications around the resolution). Everyone behaves in a sane and reallistic manner, given their situation, and no one acts stupidly for no other reason than to further the plot. The pace was excellent and the length just what the tale needed and no more. In all, there was such a balance to the tone of the story, such moderation in the telling of it, that it acted as a soothing balm when I was groaning at the thought of reading another 600-page brick detailing the improbable histrionics of larger-than-life characters. I suppose that might make others find the book too tame, but I am going to buy the rest of the series as soon as I can.
It is perhaps natural that, when hundreds of fantasy books have been released every year for practically decades, hitting upon a truly original concept is rare. Shinn has done this: the "echoes", or even something similar to them, is something that I have not seen written before. The setting, refreshingly, seems to be a Baroque-style era, magic and religion exist, but are not overpowering the plot. But more important than that is how the author chooses to avoid the most common cliches: the protagonists are neither heirs to the throne nor barely surviving in the gutter, instead we have one aristocrat, one middle-class professional and one working-class person. The latter, who is the main protagonist, is prortrayed reallistically: she has to work for a living, but she is not powerless or desperate. I loved that she come with established relationships and then developed new ones, in a reasonable pace, with the two secondary protagonists, one romantic, one not, that she had a life of her own and a lover and a "mission". The conflict is significant, but we are not immediately plunged into a "the fate of the world depends on this!!!" scenario; the author sets the background and then slowly raises the stakes to a reasonable level (one protagonist is in danger of her life, the others might suffer consequences, there are political ramifications around the resolution). Everyone behaves in a sane and reallistic manner, given their situation, and no one acts stupidly for no other reason than to further the plot. The pace was excellent and the length just what the tale needed and no more. In all, there was such a balance to the tone of the story, such moderation in the telling of it, that it acted as a soothing balm when I was groaning at the thought of reading another 600-page brick detailing the improbable histrionics of larger-than-life characters. I suppose that might make others find the book too tame, but I am going to buy the rest of the series as soon as I can.
September 10, 2019
Very enjoyable. I am always amazed at the author's powers of invention.
This one has a bit of everything: a sweet romance, political intrigue, an unfortunate death, a perilous impersonation; all presented in a tension filled story that has a shattering climax. I was on edge for the majority of the book, worried to pieces over how the author could possibly avoid the tragic outcome that was building.
Well done, Ms Shinn.
Additional thoughts may follow...
This one has a bit of everything: a sweet romance, political intrigue, an unfortunate death, a perilous impersonation; all presented in a tension filled story that has a shattering climax. I was on edge for the majority of the book, worried to pieces over how the author could possibly avoid the tragic outcome that was building.
Well done, Ms Shinn.
Additional thoughts may follow...
December 1, 2020
I don't want to spoil this for anyone who might want to read it so basically I loved this but I think I would rather have read it instead of listened to it. The concept of an echo of a person following them around but also completely silent is, not gonna lie, creepy? Like pretty dang creepy. But I will say she thought about almost every aspect of how it would work, so good world building. I do have some questions about going to the bathroom but not, like, mechanical, mostly I just think talking about how every bathroom has four . . . chamber pots or whatever would have been some funny content.
Content warning for a rape scene in the middle.
Everything else is a spoiler.
Anyway, I loved the main romance plotline, Nico is a flipping dream. I loved the friendship between Brianna and Marguerite. (There may be spelling errors in those names but I listened to it instead of reading it myself, so.)
A solid showing from my friend ShaShi, and I'm excited that the other two are already available.
Content warning for a rape scene in the middle.
Everything else is a spoiler.
Anyway, I loved the main romance plotline, Nico is a flipping dream. I loved the friendship between Brianna and Marguerite. (There may be spelling errors in those names but I listened to it instead of reading it myself, so.)
A solid showing from my friend ShaShi, and I'm excited that the other two are already available.
December 7, 2020
Echo in Onyx started out quite solid but the pacing was so off, I did not enjoy finishing the book at all. I initially liked the concept of echoes and the capable heroine but the story just absolutely dragged and the characters became more and more frustrating.
1) The Big Bad Thing happened about a third into the book. Brianna and Marguerite work on a solution but this tension is held until the 80 percent mark. However, it got tedious and boring by then. I started skimming simply to finish the book - something I never, ever do - and by the end of the book I was happy it was over.
2) Brianna's almost blind loyalty to Marguerite was pretty grating at the end.
Will not continue with the series.
1) The Big Bad Thing happened about a third into the book. Brianna and Marguerite work on a solution but this tension is held until the 80 percent mark. However, it got tedious and boring by then. I started skimming simply to finish the book - something I never, ever do - and by the end of the book I was happy it was over.
2) Brianna's almost blind loyalty to Marguerite was pretty grating at the end.
Will not continue with the series.
January 5, 2020
Gah!!! Is it a 3 star or a 4.......I am just sad to give it only 3 but man, I was sad to read this and see some major problems. I love Shinn! Most of her stuff I own. The last couple sets of books have just been off and I was so hoping this one would be amazing, but it's got issues. First where is the emotion? There didn't seem to be much to pull me in. I couldn't like the main character Brianna much she just seemed like every other Shinn heroine without the heart! I don't know what it was. She seemed almost unhealthy loyal to Margarite almost in an obsessive way. She just met the girl but she is willing to die for her.....There was more emotion there then with Nico. I also love Shinn's stories because you can feel how much her love interests love each other without the sex. Sometimes I feel like sex is a cop -out. If you can believe two characters in a book love each other when they have never shared a touch, that is powerful writing. Seanna and her Ryder had amazing chemistry and never touched! Go read the Mystic and the Ryder if you really want an amazing Shinn that is pretty similar to this one, but with a lot more action and heart. ANYWAY! That is my problem with this. The Writing was great, the story was good. I LOVED the ending! Saved the whole book, I was going to give this 2 stars. The characters just feel flat, the love story fell flat. Just not sure if I will read the next but I have heard it is better then the first:}
Content; Rated pg 13
Sex; There is some making out the is not too detailed but you know they are going beyond just kissing. There is a sex scene between a male and female. Not too detailed....they detail the start and then fade. There is a girl/girl romance, they do have sex but you only know about it. There is a almost rape, that has a bit of detail.
Violence: There is murders... This is a fight that happens and people are killed in violent ways. There is a rape that is a bit violent, is short but has a bit of description. There are people who are killed by arrows.
Drugs: Some drinking by adult nobles. Someone does get drunk
Content; Rated pg 13
Sex; There is some making out the is not too detailed but you know they are going beyond just kissing. There is a sex scene between a male and female. Not too detailed....they detail the start and then fade. There is a girl/girl romance, they do have sex but you only know about it. There is a almost rape, that has a bit of detail.
Violence: There is murders... This is a fight that happens and people are killed in violent ways. There is a rape that is a bit violent, is short but has a bit of description. There are people who are killed by arrows.
Drugs: Some drinking by adult nobles. Someone does get drunk
March 11, 2021
Super spoiler summary:
Thoughts:
Thoughts:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2020
Enjoyable and pleasant! 🥰😊 So the vibe in this one is maybe Regency era England or a time during the French monarchy but before the royals were given the chop. But I got hold of a speculative story here where the ruling classes are magically born with clones of themselves. The clones aren’t birthed. They just appear. And most of them do everything with their host humans like they’re living mirrors. Visual echoes. Most are unable to make their own decisions. They just take up space. Permanent entourage for the members of the ruling class.
Our main character is not one of those fortunate persons. She is a personal ladies maid.
Sometime along her employment, a murder is committed, and our main character needs to be in multiple places at once to escape suspicion and capture. Luckily she is assisted by a handsome young man who is very very thoughtful and supportive and quite a rarity in the majority of all fiction. This is why I put lovey emojis in my review. Another reason for my heart faces is the princess who has hired our main character. She is kind and is involved in a forbidden love. But her affair is so sweet and innocent ...🥰☺️
Our main character is not one of those fortunate persons. She is a personal ladies maid.
Sometime along her employment, a murder is committed, and our main character needs to be in multiple places at once to escape suspicion and capture. Luckily she is assisted by a handsome young man who is very very thoughtful and supportive and quite a rarity in the majority of all fiction. This is why I put lovey emojis in my review. Another reason for my heart faces is the princess who has hired our main character. She is kind and is involved in a forbidden love. But her affair is so sweet and innocent ...🥰☺️
April 24, 2023
Sharon Shinn has the most amazing imagination. Her fantasies are always so unusual, and she always makes the stories work. This world, with its premise of certain people having "echoes" - mysterious beings who are copies of their masters or mistresses, is one of the strangest I've come across. There is no explanation for the why of their existence, but it's simply a reality of this world that can be incorporated into the story.
Brianna is a country girl who gets a job as maid to Lady Marguerite, a noble woman who has three echoes. Marguerite's father hopes to marry her to the Crown Prince Cormac, and she and other potential brides are invited to spend a month in the palace where Cormac will be expected to make his choice of bride. When disaster strikes, Brianna and Marguerite are forced into a dangerous deception, made all the more risky when Brianna falls in love with Nico, assistant to the Inquisitor, the man who is judge, jury and executioner for the king.
Shinn has woven a fascinating and suspenseful story of love and loyalty, with an ending that I found quite unexpected and creative. There are two more books in the series, and I'm looking forward to the next one to see what other interesting things she can come up with.
Brianna is a country girl who gets a job as maid to Lady Marguerite, a noble woman who has three echoes. Marguerite's father hopes to marry her to the Crown Prince Cormac, and she and other potential brides are invited to spend a month in the palace where Cormac will be expected to make his choice of bride. When disaster strikes, Brianna and Marguerite are forced into a dangerous deception, made all the more risky when Brianna falls in love with Nico, assistant to the Inquisitor, the man who is judge, jury and executioner for the king.
Shinn has woven a fascinating and suspenseful story of love and loyalty, with an ending that I found quite unexpected and creative. There are two more books in the series, and I'm looking forward to the next one to see what other interesting things she can come up with.
September 24, 2019
4.5 stars for the book / 3 stars for the audio narration
In the Regency-like world of the Uncommon Echoes series, a small percentage of the population, mostly members of the nobility but a few others as well, are attended by echoes, creatures who resemble them exactly, copy their gestures precisely, but cannot speak.
The echoes are conferred on these nobles by the triple goddess (her three aspects represent justice, mercy and joy) for reasons that only become clear as the story unfolds. Echoes have been around for centuries and have developed into a status symbol; one can be born with up to three, and the number you have is a factor in how exceptional you are considered.
The series is set in the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, seven provinces each represented by a different gemstone, but each ruled over by the same king. There is quite a bit of intrigue around the royal family, and the series introduces characters from a number of provinces and tracks their involvement in these goings-on. The books take place concurrently so many of the characters appear in more than one book.
This novel begins in the province of Orenza, where onyx is mined and is therefore the symbolic gem. Twenty-three-year-old Brianna is a country innkeeper’s daughter. She never knew her father, but she has a close relationship with her mother, who owns the inn.
Brianna is fascinated by stories about Lady Marguerite of Orenza. Though born in the same year as Brianna, Lady Marguerite leads a much different life. The day after her birth, Marguerite was gifted with three echoes. Not only that, but she is the daughter of the governor of Orenza.
Orenza is one of the three western provinces that frequently threaten the crown with rebellion and the king has recently decided to break the betrothal of his heir to Lady Vivienne of Thelleron (one of the loyal eastern provinces), in favor of marrying his son to a lady from one of the western provinces. Lady Marguerite is the rumored to be the most favored candidate for this position.
Brianna works hard in her mother’s inn, but dreams of expanding her horizons. Her heart was recently bruised, if not broken, by a lover who ran off to marry another girl. So when Brianna learns that her aunt Jean, second cousin to the governor’s housekeeper, heard that Marguerite needs a new maid and that Jean has secured Brianna an interview for the position, she is thrilled.
Brianna travels to Oberton, Orenza’s biggest city, in pursuit of this job. Her odds are slim, but she’s granted an interview anyway. Marguerite feels unwell that day and Brianna’s kindness and consideration win her the position despite her inexperience. The girls discover a similar taste in clothes and Brianna is creative in styling Marguerite’s hair, so Marguerite quickly comes to appreciate Brianna.
The two become close; at least, as close as employer and servant can be, and Marguerite even confides in Brianna that unlike most nobles, she can not only “release” her echoes, allowing them to control their own movements and gestures, but also tell them apart. She has even named them (Prudence, Patience and Purpose), though that would be considered beyond eccentric if other nobles knew.
Though the echoes are different from each other, they feel like an extension of her, Marguerite says. To lose one would be like having an arm or leg severed from the rest of her body.
There is one secret Marguerite does not confide to Brianna, but that Brianna eventually unravels: Marguerite has a secret lover. The lover’s identity isn’t known to Brianna; she only knows that Marguerite secretly corresponds with someone through the local temple, whose priestesses send messages to be delivered to other temples on a worshipper’s behalf.
Marguerite does not want to marry the prince, but her desires don’t matter to her parents or to the king. Her father is ambitious, and since there are few eligible, high-born girls from the western provinces, much less with three echoes, the same number Prince Cormack has, the king has bigger considerations than Marguerite’s happiness. So Prince Cormack is invited to visit Marguerite’s family.
Shortly before Prince Cormack’s arrival, Brianna runs into and flirts with an attractive man named Nico. Later, it’s revealed to her that Nico is in the employment of his uncle, the king’s inquisitor, Malachi Burken. Brianna knows that Malachi is a dangerous man, and by extension so is Nico. But she can’t do away with her attraction to him, and they continue to flirt in the following days.
When Brianna accompanies Marguerite to a temple, Nico sees them enter and correctly surmises that Marguerite may be corresponding with a secret lover. He warns Brianna that this correspondence must stop; he will keep quiet about it but Malachi’s spies will not. But although Marguerite promises Brianna that she will not pursue the relationship further, her visits to the temple continue.
Not too long after that, Marguerite journeys to the capital city of Camarria. So as not to offend other nobles, the king has invited other daughters of the nobility for a long stay, purportedly so Prince Cormack can choose a bride from among them.
Brianna accompanies Marguerite on the trip, but halfway there, something terrible happens that results in the death of one of Marguerite’s echoes and the implication of Marguerite in a very serious crime. Brianna and Marguerite know that if they arrive in Carmarria one echo short, Marguerite will be immediately identified as the criminal and she and perhaps Brianna, too, will be put to death immediately.
Brianna proposes a solution—she will impersonate one of Marguerite’s echoes. Since she and Marguerite are somewhat similar in appearance, this is possible, if she and the two echoes wear diaphanous veils. Marguerite is concerned for Brianna’s safety should the masquerade be uncovered, but Brianna is insistent, and Marguerite is desperate enough to accept her help.
So begins a daring deception. But can Brianna emulate the movements of Marguerite and her echoes flawlessly while staying at the royal palace for weeks, even as she makes sure she is viewed in the role of Marguerite’s maid in her free time? Can she fool everyone, even the man she’s coming to love? And will Marguerite, her echoes and Brianna survive or get caught?
I enjoyed Echo in Onyx a great deal. The book kept me in suspense throughout, making the tension both in the main plot and in the secondary thread about Brianna and Nico’s romantic relationship impeccable. Brianna’s good nature, her practicality and her affection for and loyalty to Marguerite shone through even when she was deceiving everyone else and that made her a very likable character.
Since the novel is written in first person, Marguerite’s thoughts and feelings are only delved into when she shares them with Brianna or when Brianna strongly suspects something. For that reason, there is a mysterious aspect to Marguerite until late in the novel, when it is finally revealed whether she is as loyal to Brianna as Brianna is to her.
This is a partial review. The complete review can be found at Dear Author, here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
In the Regency-like world of the Uncommon Echoes series, a small percentage of the population, mostly members of the nobility but a few others as well, are attended by echoes, creatures who resemble them exactly, copy their gestures precisely, but cannot speak.
The echoes are conferred on these nobles by the triple goddess (her three aspects represent justice, mercy and joy) for reasons that only become clear as the story unfolds. Echoes have been around for centuries and have developed into a status symbol; one can be born with up to three, and the number you have is a factor in how exceptional you are considered.
The series is set in the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, seven provinces each represented by a different gemstone, but each ruled over by the same king. There is quite a bit of intrigue around the royal family, and the series introduces characters from a number of provinces and tracks their involvement in these goings-on. The books take place concurrently so many of the characters appear in more than one book.
This novel begins in the province of Orenza, where onyx is mined and is therefore the symbolic gem. Twenty-three-year-old Brianna is a country innkeeper’s daughter. She never knew her father, but she has a close relationship with her mother, who owns the inn.
Brianna is fascinated by stories about Lady Marguerite of Orenza. Though born in the same year as Brianna, Lady Marguerite leads a much different life. The day after her birth, Marguerite was gifted with three echoes. Not only that, but she is the daughter of the governor of Orenza.
Orenza is one of the three western provinces that frequently threaten the crown with rebellion and the king has recently decided to break the betrothal of his heir to Lady Vivienne of Thelleron (one of the loyal eastern provinces), in favor of marrying his son to a lady from one of the western provinces. Lady Marguerite is the rumored to be the most favored candidate for this position.
Brianna works hard in her mother’s inn, but dreams of expanding her horizons. Her heart was recently bruised, if not broken, by a lover who ran off to marry another girl. So when Brianna learns that her aunt Jean, second cousin to the governor’s housekeeper, heard that Marguerite needs a new maid and that Jean has secured Brianna an interview for the position, she is thrilled.
Brianna travels to Oberton, Orenza’s biggest city, in pursuit of this job. Her odds are slim, but she’s granted an interview anyway. Marguerite feels unwell that day and Brianna’s kindness and consideration win her the position despite her inexperience. The girls discover a similar taste in clothes and Brianna is creative in styling Marguerite’s hair, so Marguerite quickly comes to appreciate Brianna.
The two become close; at least, as close as employer and servant can be, and Marguerite even confides in Brianna that unlike most nobles, she can not only “release” her echoes, allowing them to control their own movements and gestures, but also tell them apart. She has even named them (Prudence, Patience and Purpose), though that would be considered beyond eccentric if other nobles knew.
Though the echoes are different from each other, they feel like an extension of her, Marguerite says. To lose one would be like having an arm or leg severed from the rest of her body.
There is one secret Marguerite does not confide to Brianna, but that Brianna eventually unravels: Marguerite has a secret lover. The lover’s identity isn’t known to Brianna; she only knows that Marguerite secretly corresponds with someone through the local temple, whose priestesses send messages to be delivered to other temples on a worshipper’s behalf.
Marguerite does not want to marry the prince, but her desires don’t matter to her parents or to the king. Her father is ambitious, and since there are few eligible, high-born girls from the western provinces, much less with three echoes, the same number Prince Cormack has, the king has bigger considerations than Marguerite’s happiness. So Prince Cormack is invited to visit Marguerite’s family.
Shortly before Prince Cormack’s arrival, Brianna runs into and flirts with an attractive man named Nico. Later, it’s revealed to her that Nico is in the employment of his uncle, the king’s inquisitor, Malachi Burken. Brianna knows that Malachi is a dangerous man, and by extension so is Nico. But she can’t do away with her attraction to him, and they continue to flirt in the following days.
When Brianna accompanies Marguerite to a temple, Nico sees them enter and correctly surmises that Marguerite may be corresponding with a secret lover. He warns Brianna that this correspondence must stop; he will keep quiet about it but Malachi’s spies will not. But although Marguerite promises Brianna that she will not pursue the relationship further, her visits to the temple continue.
Not too long after that, Marguerite journeys to the capital city of Camarria. So as not to offend other nobles, the king has invited other daughters of the nobility for a long stay, purportedly so Prince Cormack can choose a bride from among them.
Brianna accompanies Marguerite on the trip, but halfway there, something terrible happens that results in the death of one of Marguerite’s echoes and the implication of Marguerite in a very serious crime. Brianna and Marguerite know that if they arrive in Carmarria one echo short, Marguerite will be immediately identified as the criminal and she and perhaps Brianna, too, will be put to death immediately.
Brianna proposes a solution—she will impersonate one of Marguerite’s echoes. Since she and Marguerite are somewhat similar in appearance, this is possible, if she and the two echoes wear diaphanous veils. Marguerite is concerned for Brianna’s safety should the masquerade be uncovered, but Brianna is insistent, and Marguerite is desperate enough to accept her help.
So begins a daring deception. But can Brianna emulate the movements of Marguerite and her echoes flawlessly while staying at the royal palace for weeks, even as she makes sure she is viewed in the role of Marguerite’s maid in her free time? Can she fool everyone, even the man she’s coming to love? And will Marguerite, her echoes and Brianna survive or get caught?
I enjoyed Echo in Onyx a great deal. The book kept me in suspense throughout, making the tension both in the main plot and in the secondary thread about Brianna and Nico’s romantic relationship impeccable. Brianna’s good nature, her practicality and her affection for and loyalty to Marguerite shone through even when she was deceiving everyone else and that made her a very likable character.
Since the novel is written in first person, Marguerite’s thoughts and feelings are only delved into when she shares them with Brianna or when Brianna strongly suspects something. For that reason, there is a mysterious aspect to Marguerite until late in the novel, when it is finally revealed whether she is as loyal to Brianna as Brianna is to her.
This is a partial review. The complete review can be found at Dear Author, here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
September 1, 2019
3.5 stars
Enjoyable though not necessarily romance but with romantic undertones.
Enjoyable though not necessarily romance but with romantic undertones.
October 26, 2019
Dammit this was good. It took me a little while to get invested and the premise is definitely one of Shinn’s weirder ones, but it sure damn well served as an excellent base for some good drama. Shinn definitely knows how to set up good tension and high stakes that make it really difficult to put her books down. For this one I actually lied outright to family members to ensure I could read just a little bit longer.
I follow Sharon shinn on Facebook, so I know it was taking her awhile to find a publisher for this series before she eventually settled on Amazon, which I must presume was a last resort, since the copyediting was almost nonexistent and such a deal means her books won’t be sold at many indie bookstores and b&n (a company with its own problems but is nonetheless a place many people go to browse for new reads). After finishing the book, I am thoroughly confused as to why no publisher picked this up. I want to know the idiot editors for whom a solid fantasy novel from a talented and long time successful author with a loyal fanbase wasn’t good enough, causing me to make a purchase from a disgusting company that I would like to see burnt to the ground before I die. I would like to punch those editors in the face and perhaps see them lose their jobs, because they obviously don’t know what they’re doing.
Okay rant over, onto book two.
I follow Sharon shinn on Facebook, so I know it was taking her awhile to find a publisher for this series before she eventually settled on Amazon, which I must presume was a last resort, since the copyediting was almost nonexistent and such a deal means her books won’t be sold at many indie bookstores and b&n (a company with its own problems but is nonetheless a place many people go to browse for new reads). After finishing the book, I am thoroughly confused as to why no publisher picked this up. I want to know the idiot editors for whom a solid fantasy novel from a talented and long time successful author with a loyal fanbase wasn’t good enough, causing me to make a purchase from a disgusting company that I would like to see burnt to the ground before I die. I would like to punch those editors in the face and perhaps see them lose their jobs, because they obviously don’t know what they’re doing.
Okay rant over, onto book two.
June 20, 2019
As with all Sharon Shinn books, the world creation is unique and interesting. I've loved all her books, with a particular place in my heart held for the *Twelve Houses* and Elemental Blessing series, as well as stand-alones like General Winston's Daughter. Being an avid Shinn fan and an old school Audible listener, I thought this would be a slam dunk, but I have been so put off by this series thus far. I am accustomed to Shinn's characters gorgeously balancing their virtues, vulnerabilities, and flaws, but this series' leads seem shallow - much more Twilight-esque than I have come to expect. There are also some holes within several relationships that I find hard to believe or overlook. So many thing I feel were unaddressed or quickly resolved that didn't reflect the attention to detail that makes her work top-shelf. Perhaps my tastes have changed. Perhaps Shinn has ungone some changes herself. Or maybe it's just that no one bats 100% always. It's worth the read (as with all her work) but I wish someone had warned me ahead of time. This is a different Shinn.
None writing related opinion: Did not love the narration.
None writing related opinion: Did not love the narration.
November 25, 2019
I found the premise of this series intriguing. I also had a number of questions about the echoes, and it seems the author had anticipated some of them, because several were answered during the book, including the why (how did they come about and why are they considered not quite fully human)?
I did have one problem (and I saw that other reviewers had the same issue):
The prose is very much her usual, very easy to read prose. Looking forward to reading more about the echoes in the next books.
I did have one problem (and I saw that other reviewers had the same issue):
The prose is very much her usual, very easy to read prose. Looking forward to reading more about the echoes in the next books.
January 19, 2022
Exceptionally well written. Intriguing world building, the whole of it began lovely and I adored it.
Then from mid-way, it began to increase in tension. And that made the whole second half of the book unbearable for me, until a tear-stained ending, that you can't convince me was happy, no matter what.
So I might try some of her other books, she is a very talented writer, but this one hurt.
Then from mid-way, it began to increase in tension. And that made the whole second half of the book unbearable for me, until a tear-stained ending, that you can't convince me was happy, no matter what.
So I might try some of her other books, she is a very talented writer, but this one hurt.
November 30, 2019
Much as I adore Sharon Shinn, this one didn’t quite have the charm of some of her other work
May 17, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up for generosity's sake and as a tribute to an author I don't think gets enough love. I'd call this middle-tier Sharon Shinn, solid and enjoyable, not as brilliant and satisfying as, say, Summers at Castle Auburn, or Troubled Waters, or any of the Twelve Houses books, but not as disappointing (for me) as Heart of Gold or Wrapt in Crystal.
For those in search of a heroine with traditionally feminine strengths, Brianna is your girl. I found her a bit bland in contrast to Senneth Brassenthwaite and Zoe Ardelay, but she's an agreeable protagonist and I liked her on the whole. Through her I gained a new appreciation for the job of lady's maid, as I saw just how much creativity and ingenuity goes into it, and I loved that her friendship with her mistress Marguerite stood firmly at the center of the narrative rather than being shoved to the sidelines the minute the romance kicked in.
Because each of the "Uncommon Echoes" books has a different protagonist, these books could be read in a pinch as stand-alones, but there is a larger political narrative that links the books and compels me to read ahead. King Harold is an effing scumbag who raised and enabled an entitled rapist brute, and I want to see karma grab him by the neck and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
For those in search of a heroine with traditionally feminine strengths, Brianna is your girl. I found her a bit bland in contrast to Senneth Brassenthwaite and Zoe Ardelay, but she's an agreeable protagonist and I liked her on the whole. Through her I gained a new appreciation for the job of lady's maid, as I saw just how much creativity and ingenuity goes into it, and I loved that her friendship with her mistress Marguerite stood firmly at the center of the narrative rather than being shoved to the sidelines the minute the romance kicked in.
Because each of the "Uncommon Echoes" books has a different protagonist, these books could be read in a pinch as stand-alones, but there is a larger political narrative that links the books and compels me to read ahead. King Harold is an effing scumbag who raised and enabled an entitled rapist brute, and I want to see karma grab him by the neck and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2020
Not sure what to think of this book. It’s good, for the most part. But it has some parts that really detract.
The plot is unique and original. I love the idea of echos. Though I’m not sure the reason for their existence really holds up. The world is also a neat blend of modern and regency —you’d think it wouldn’t work but it’s actually really nice, the world the character feels positive and hopeful. Brianna is such a great character: she’s upbeat and positive and really fun to read. There’s a man who the MC likes who is a nice but mysterious character —they went really well together. The princess and Brianna’s friendship is kind of awesome actually. The princess herself? She’s an understandably sad character. There’s also an LGBT storyline that I was glad didn’t turn into a trope. All in all, it has all the good bits to make a story good.
I throughly enjoyed this until the mid-way point, where they introduce the tragedy. I won’t give it up, but it feels just too dark for the world we’ve been introduced to. It was a jarring mid-way point plot. The result is a second half of a book that differs strongly from the first in terms of tone. There was angst and that feeling of “everything is going to sh*t” any minute. It also goes pretty repetitive which made it drag.
It does wrap nicely, which restores the happiness level of the book. But there’s just not much happening in the last 2/3rds.
The plot is unique and original. I love the idea of echos. Though I’m not sure the reason for their existence really holds up. The world is also a neat blend of modern and regency —you’d think it wouldn’t work but it’s actually really nice, the world the character feels positive and hopeful. Brianna is such a great character: she’s upbeat and positive and really fun to read. There’s a man who the MC likes who is a nice but mysterious character —they went really well together. The princess and Brianna’s friendship is kind of awesome actually. The princess herself? She’s an understandably sad character. There’s also an LGBT storyline that I was glad didn’t turn into a trope. All in all, it has all the good bits to make a story good.
I throughly enjoyed this until the mid-way point, where they introduce the tragedy. I won’t give it up, but it feels just too dark for the world we’ve been introduced to. It was a jarring mid-way point plot. The result is a second half of a book that differs strongly from the first in terms of tone. There was angst and that feeling of “everything is going to sh*t” any minute. It also goes pretty repetitive which made it drag.
It does wrap nicely, which restores the happiness level of the book. But there’s just not much happening in the last 2/3rds.
June 25, 2020
I'm a long-time fan of Sharon Shinn. I've read every book she's published except this Uncommon Echoes series. I was super excited to discover she has something newer.
This book isn't my favorite by her, but I like it. The concept of echoes (almost like clones, but much more than that) is intriguing. The echoes are almost like a magic system:
***Below could be considered spoilers if a person wanted to learn about echoes gradually...
Echoes only happen to people of at least some noble blood, new ones can sometimes form if necessary, they die when their original dies with their features becoming indistinguishable after death, they don't speak, they copy every action and facial expression of the original, the original may be able to transfer from one body to another, and they may or may not be "released" to behave independently. I'm looking forward to learning more about them as I read the rest of the series.
This book isn't my favorite by her, but I like it. The concept of echoes (almost like clones, but much more than that) is intriguing. The echoes are almost like a magic system:
***Below could be considered spoilers if a person wanted to learn about echoes gradually...
Echoes only happen to people of at least some noble blood, new ones can sometimes form if necessary, they die when their original dies with their features becoming indistinguishable after death, they don't speak, they copy every action and facial expression of the original, the original may be able to transfer from one body to another, and they may or may not be "released" to behave independently. I'm looking forward to learning more about them as I read the rest of the series.
April 9, 2019
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book.... Shinn is always fantastic at creating new worlds and societies, and this one didn't disappoint.
I'm not going to describe the whole story (other reviews will cover that just fine), but note that I really enjoyed the romance. Instead of a will they/won't they or Darcy-and-Elizabeth kind of story, the love story was simple and straight-forward, complicated only by the fact that our protagonist was keeping a crucial secret from her lover for Very Good Reasons, so the reader was left waiting for all the stories to unravel and figure out if the affection was stronger than the characters' moral codes.
I was disappointed in the legal system of their world, where "self-defense" was barely discussed as a viable reason for lethal force. I think I would've appreciated a little exploration of the moral ground - perhaps with the result not changing but the powers that be at least *recognizing* the defense argument (with perhaps it being unable to prove, thus the guilty verdict arising out of that and the cover-up?). I feel that we scraped the surface with the court ladies and the priestesses empathizing with the situation, but a conversation actually ADDRESSING it would have been nice.
Still, the book had lots of intriguing plot and set-up for fascinating world politics, and the idea of echoes was different from anything I'd ever read before. I think this is probably a 3 1/2 star book, but I'm rounding up this time. I look forward to reading it once it's available, as my brain processes read books differently from audiobooks, and there may be small things I missed along the way.
I'm not going to describe the whole story (other reviews will cover that just fine), but note that I really enjoyed the romance. Instead of a will they/won't they or Darcy-and-Elizabeth kind of story, the love story was simple and straight-forward, complicated only by the fact that our protagonist was keeping a crucial secret from her lover for Very Good Reasons, so the reader was left waiting for all the stories to unravel and figure out if the affection was stronger than the characters' moral codes.
I was disappointed in the legal system of their world, where "self-defense" was barely discussed as a viable reason for lethal force. I think I would've appreciated a little exploration of the moral ground - perhaps with the result not changing but the powers that be at least *recognizing* the defense argument (with perhaps it being unable to prove, thus the guilty verdict arising out of that and the cover-up?). I feel that we scraped the surface with the court ladies and the priestesses empathizing with the situation, but a conversation actually ADDRESSING it would have been nice.
Still, the book had lots of intriguing plot and set-up for fascinating world politics, and the idea of echoes was different from anything I'd ever read before. I think this is probably a 3 1/2 star book, but I'm rounding up this time. I look forward to reading it once it's available, as my brain processes read books differently from audiobooks, and there may be small things I missed along the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2021
wow I wasn't expecting that ending!!
March 7, 2025
Sharon Shinn knows how to craft a novel. It gets an extra star just for being an actually decent book in a sea of YA trash written for tiktok.
May 11, 2025
When I'm in the mood for a good fantasy romance with some plot, I read Sharon Shinn. And she doesn't disappoint! I like that her protagonists are always very sensible, and that the way she writes romance is very realistic - people just meet, feel some attraction and then actually take the time to flirt and have actual conversations and a natural evolution of the relationship.
I found the concept of Echoes interesting but somehow expected more from it.
I found the concept of Echoes interesting but somehow expected more from it.
January 5, 2020
Very unique!
September 16, 2019
NOTE: Review of the print edition
"I glanced up at him, feeling unwontenly serious. 'Does that happen? If you truly love one person, can someone else just appear in your life and suddenly abduct your heart? Against your will, against your wishes? Don't you have to be open to such a thing?'
He looked down at me, his expression as solemn as mine. 'I don't know much about it', he said. 'I don't know if a heart is ever safe. But I've never thought one could be stolen. Just given.'"
~ Brianna and Nico (70)
"All these people, living lives I would never know anything about. All these people, utterly indifferent to my own triumphs and tragedies, my wildest hopes, my darkest fears. What connects us to other human beings?" I wondered. Why do we choose to love some and wholly ignore others? What is it that leads us to care?" ~ Brianna (354)
The Uncommon Echoes series was first published as an audiobook trilogy on Audible. I don't enjoy being read to, so I was very excited that this series is now in print and very grateful that an amazing friend gifted me the print versions 😍
Although not quite as complex as her usual work, this is a quick-reading, entertaining story with an interesting idea that leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the later books.
Brianna, a country girl, becomes the Lady's Maid for Marguerite, a noblewoman with three Echoes - vapid, ghostlike clones that copy her every movement. Unable to speak, they only mimic human behaviour and seem to have no thoughts or agency of their own. They cannot stray far from their "original". Honestly, they are kind of creepy!
Historically, important nobles have been gifted with Echoes as a sort of insurance against assassination, with an old tale saying that a long ago King was able to transfer the soul of his "original" body into one of his Echoes when he was in peril. These days, the Echoes serve as ornaments and signs of status. The reigning King and King each have three. Most nobles have one, and a few have two. Three is considered unusual very desirable.
Marguerite is different from any noblewoman she knows in that she recognizes distinct personalities in all three of her Echoes, giving them each names that match their behaviours (Patience, Prudence and Purpose). The King's beloved bastard son, a misogynistic bully, tries to take advantage of Marguerite, setting in motion a series of events that results in the death of one of Marguerite's Echoes and finds Brianna playing a dangerous masquerade as the missing clone.
A forbidden romance, an intriguing religion (that of the Triple Goddess, with three facets of Joy, Mercy and Justice) and questions of loyalty abound. I really liked Brianna, with her fondness for flowers and her talent with a needle, and her love interest Nico Burken, nephew to the Inquisitor Malachi Burken - the most feared man in the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels.
Minor quibbles:
Great first book in what promises to be a wonderful trilogy!
Readers completely new to Sharon Shinn - who is one of my all-time favourite authors and someone I recommend often to fantasy fans - might want to consider starting with Summers at Castle Auburn(standalone) or Mystic and Rider, the first in the Twelve Houses series.
"I glanced up at him, feeling unwontenly serious. 'Does that happen? If you truly love one person, can someone else just appear in your life and suddenly abduct your heart? Against your will, against your wishes? Don't you have to be open to such a thing?'
He looked down at me, his expression as solemn as mine. 'I don't know much about it', he said. 'I don't know if a heart is ever safe. But I've never thought one could be stolen. Just given.'"
~ Brianna and Nico (70)
"All these people, living lives I would never know anything about. All these people, utterly indifferent to my own triumphs and tragedies, my wildest hopes, my darkest fears. What connects us to other human beings?" I wondered. Why do we choose to love some and wholly ignore others? What is it that leads us to care?" ~ Brianna (354)
The Uncommon Echoes series was first published as an audiobook trilogy on Audible. I don't enjoy being read to, so I was very excited that this series is now in print and very grateful that an amazing friend gifted me the print versions 😍
Although not quite as complex as her usual work, this is a quick-reading, entertaining story with an interesting idea that leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the later books.
Brianna, a country girl, becomes the Lady's Maid for Marguerite, a noblewoman with three Echoes - vapid, ghostlike clones that copy her every movement. Unable to speak, they only mimic human behaviour and seem to have no thoughts or agency of their own. They cannot stray far from their "original". Honestly, they are kind of creepy!
Historically, important nobles have been gifted with Echoes as a sort of insurance against assassination, with an old tale saying that a long ago King was able to transfer the soul of his "original" body into one of his Echoes when he was in peril. These days, the Echoes serve as ornaments and signs of status. The reigning King and King each have three. Most nobles have one, and a few have two. Three is considered unusual very desirable.
Marguerite is different from any noblewoman she knows in that she recognizes distinct personalities in all three of her Echoes, giving them each names that match their behaviours (Patience, Prudence and Purpose). The King's beloved bastard son, a misogynistic bully, tries to take advantage of Marguerite, setting in motion a series of events that results in the death of one of Marguerite's Echoes and finds Brianna playing a dangerous masquerade as the missing clone.
A forbidden romance, an intriguing religion (that of the Triple Goddess, with three facets of Joy, Mercy and Justice) and questions of loyalty abound. I really liked Brianna, with her fondness for flowers and her talent with a needle, and her love interest Nico Burken, nephew to the Inquisitor Malachi Burken - the most feared man in the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels.
Minor quibbles:
Great first book in what promises to be a wonderful trilogy!
Readers completely new to Sharon Shinn - who is one of my all-time favourite authors and someone I recommend often to fantasy fans - might want to consider starting with Summers at Castle Auburn(standalone) or Mystic and Rider, the first in the Twelve Houses series.
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