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| Plot Summary of Shadowheart |
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"Elaine of Savernake grew up in obscurity, part of her sister's household in England, safe and unaware of the intrigues that she escaped as a toddler in the court of a Machievellian Italian city-state known as Monteverde. When she receives an offer of marriage from a knight in her powerful godmother's retinue, she is dismayed to learn for the first time that her choice is a not a suitable match for one of her exalted background.
Elaine turns out to be last in the royal line of Monteverde - the princess herself. Once her identity is made public, she is swiftly packed off to Italy for a strategic alliance with the pretender to the Monteverde thrown, Franco di Pietro. En route to her arranged marriage, her ship is attacked and she is adbucted by a mysterious pirate, scholar, and self-described assasin known to her only as Il Corvo. But there is something familiar about him... some resemblance to a dream she once had. Il Corvo, she learns, also has pretensions to the throne of Monteverde. He is heir to the House of Navona, one of the three ruling families of Monteverde whose politics, like the de Borgias and de Medici's, have destroyed the peace and republican ideals of the kindgom. Il Corvo is determined to marry the princess himself and thereby secure a legitimate claim to the throne.
Elena's struggle to find and wield her own power in opposition to an entrenched (male) hierarchy is the focus of the story. Her transformation from hapless pawn to self-actualized regent is matched by Il Corvo's psychological progression from corruption to salvation, and her kingdom's from dictatorship to democracy. On the way, readers will discover a re-imagined romance novel, which takes the formulas and bends them into a surprisingly uplifting, life-affirming tale."
Rachel Rhys, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Shadowheart |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- distant past/middle ages
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- discover that know lover in other context
Life of a profession:
- prince/nobleman/king/queen
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Lover is
- an historical enemy
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Main Adversary
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 8 (a significant amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
Island?
Yes
Island:
- mean guy who wants to hunt/mutate
Misc setting
- sewers/subways
Style
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Laura Kinsale Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Rachel Rhys
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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