#FearlessWomen Blog Tour: Starless by Jacqueline Carey Excerpt and Review

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June 12, 2018 by Zoë

In the world of Starless by Jacqueline Craey, Khai is a shadow, raised to protect the princess Zariya. This is his one purpose, and to fulfill it he has trained his whole life. But in order to be successful, Khai must know more than just how to fight. First, he must understand court politics and backstabbing in order to keep Zariya safe. And then there is the matter of the prophecy. Together, Khai and Zariya are destined for something greater than they can imagine, if it does not destroy them and the whole world in the process.

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Obviously I’m part of the marketing campaign for this book, but let me say that it has not clouded my vision in any way. I loved this book. This is my top read of 2018 so far, for sure. I’ve always loved fantasies with big worlds, and that’s what this is. Great world building, big events happening, but still a focus on the characters. The first part of the novel, especially, is very focused on character development as we see Khai grow up and go through his training. It was this initial introduction to Khai and his world that really got me hooked on the book.

We then move into the court drama section which, honestly, I also enjoyed. Zariya comes from a large family, made larger by their unnaturally long lives, and so there is a lot of intrigue to be had. And then the real adventures begin. Khai and Zariya live in a world divided between gods who regularly make appearances to their devotees. But all is not right with the gods and Khai and Zariya quickly find themselves caught up in more than just Zariya’s family’s political squabbles. This part of the book was a little rushed for me. We meet many new characters who we do not have the opportunity to get to know as well as the members of Khai’s brotherhood. Honestly, this is down to time: the first part of the book spans years while the second part of the book spans months.

Should this have been a duology? Maybe. I can see how it could have been developed that way. That said, there’s something nice about standalone books and while I definitely did not get to know characters introduced later as well as I could have, I did not feel that the pacing was too rushed. I’m on the fence about this, but overall it didn’t impact my overall enjoyment.

Also, a huge factor in me enjoying this book was how it approached gender. I can’t speak to the genderqueer representation myself, so I’ll leave that to other reviewers. Definitely seek them out to read more about that. However, what I can say is that this book explored gender in a way that really resonated with me and a lot of my own thoughts, ideas, and insecurities related to gender. I loved it. And I have a lot to think about.

So, in conclusion: if you like fantasy, interesting characters, court intrigue, or the hero’s quest, read this book! For now, though, on to the excerpt:

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“Hop,” he said. “You want to learn to run? You start by walking. You want to learn to jump, you start by hopping.” He clapped his hands again. “Go on, kid! Hop to it.”

I turned back to the staircase.

“Hold, Khai.” Brother Merik emerged from the mouth of one of the lower tunnels. He folded his arms over his chest. There was a bloodstained white bandage around his left forearm. Sunlight glinted on his kopar and the pommel of his yakhan. “Do you seek to mock us?” he asked Brother Yarit in a grim tone, dropping one hand to his hilt. “Because I would welcome a, shall we say, friendly rematch in the broad light of day, with no trickery between us.”

Brother Yarit grimaced. “I’m sure you would, brother. I’ve heard the tales.”

“What tales?” There was a dangerous edge to Brother Merik’s voice.

“They say the warriors of Pahrkun are as fierce and deadly as the desert. They say the wind itself warns them of a blow before it lands.” Brother Yarit shrugged. “Make no mistake, I am no warrior. And yet I am here. Shall I tell you what defeated you the other day?”

“I know what defeated me,” Brother Merik said. “And I know what slew Brother Jawal. Trickery.”

I glanced uneasily from one to the other. Sparring was permitted among the brothers; feuding was not.

But Brother Yarit was shaking his head. “No, what defeated you was your own expectations. Brother Jawal expected a fat merchant who would be easy prey; he did not expect that merchant to spit out the wads of cotton wedged in his cheeks and use his fine robe as a weapon. You, Brother . . . Merik, is it? You expected the advantage of darkness, not the glare of an oil-wood knot. Brother Khai . . .” He glanced at me. “You expected me to be weaponless when I was not.”

Brother Merik regarded the smaller man with narrowed eyes. “It is not our way.”

“Shall I apologize for not dying?” Brother Yarit said dryly. “I will not. The Shahalim are thieves and spies, yes, but we take our name from the Dark Moon herself, and we are not without pride. Our weapons are disguise, stealth, distraction, and agility; an agility won through strength. I’m trying to teach the kid the latter.” He made a show of adjusting the sleeves of the loose tunic of the brotherhood that he had adopted. “Believe me, it wasn’t my idea. If you don’t like it, speak to your Seer.”

Be sure to check out the other blogs on this tour:

Fantasy Book Cafe
Utopia State of Mind
The Bibliophibian
Between Dreams and Reality
Her Grace’s Library

I received a copy of this book through the publisher for this review.