I don't know how many of you were around the forums in 2010 when Beth Bernobich's Passion Play was released but there was a bit of controversy surrounding a rape scene in the book.
Here is a portion of that discussion:
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/Rape-in-Fantasy-Fiction-A-Narra...
The conversation was divisive and quite intense – but I think the actual novel was lost in the fray. It's been years since Passion Play was released but I'm still just as curious about the sequel Queen's Hunt – and where exactly Bernobich takes this storyline.
The PW review (below) for Queen's Play was extremely positive so I'm definitely reding this one!
Publishers Weekly
The promise of Passion Play is realized in this complex sequel, a tale of intrigue among kingdoms on the brink of war. Ilse Zhalina and Raul Kosenmark pursue a dangerous game: Ilse is spying on the military and searching for the fabled magical gems called Lir’s jewels, while Raul is collecting information with his shadow court, seeking allies, and worrying over Ilse’s safety. After Ilse is captured and interrogated by their longtime enemy Markus Khandarr, she escapes with two other women: a queen in hiding and a disgraced soldier. Meanwhile, the cousin of Raul’s ex-lover sneaks into Raul’s household and joins his cause. Despite mutual mistrust, everyone works together in a masterful story of romance, honor, and a little bit of suspense, with plenty of history, geography, and mythology thrown in for good measure. This trip between the physical and magical realms is thrilling. (July)
"There never can be a man so lost as one who is lost in the vast and intricate corridors of his own lonely mind, where none may reach and none may save..." – Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky
