On one of the many planes of the Pentagonal Dominion, priestess Calinthe trades in information, collecting valuable secrets for her demonic employer. Calinthe has a secret of her own: she’s intersex, making her a target for the matriarchal slavers of the Ophidian Plane whose territory she must cross in her search for hidden knowledge. But thanks to her friend Zakuro’s illusions, Calinthe presents as a woman- a comfortable, if furtive, existence in a world determined to bring her to heel.
But when, instead of a mere secret, the priestess uncovers an incalculably powerful artifact, Calinthe finds herself in a high-stakes negotiation with the same matriarchs who sought to enslave her. On the table: Calinthe’s discovery, a charm powerful enough to transform a mortal into a god… against a secret so deadly it could quell all life on every plane of the dominion. If Calinthe plays her cards perfectly, she and Zakuro could escape Ophidia wealthier than either of them ever dreamed possible.
But if she plays them wrong…
…she’ll learn slavery in her pursuers’ hands is a fate far worse than death.
Book source ~ TWR Tour
The Pentagonal Dominion, #1
Fantasy
8 April 2022
Pages ~ 530
My Rating ~ 4 bites
Calinthe is a priestess whose coin is knowledge. Zakuro is her magical traveling companion, friend, and lover. They pick up Päivi along the way and agree to help her travel to where she wants to go, mainly far away from the Ophidian slavers.
This is a great story but it takes a little to settle into this magical and extremely different world. It’s very complex and creative. There are plenty of footnotes available, but my ebook copy had no hyperlink to send me to the definition. Quite annoying. Anyway, once the world is set to rights in my mind I had no trouble falling into the story and following Calinthe and Zakuro’s adventures. Great characters, rich world, so-so plot. I’m not a fan of the ending, but I am interested in reading book 2 when it comes out.
Erika McCorkle, she/her, lives in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. She is a creator of fantasy worlds and a voyager to the worlds created by others. She spends much of her free time writing, reading, watching anime, and playing video games, all usually of the fantasy genre. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and currently works the night shift at a blood bank, meaning she is most definitely a vampire.
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