The Shamer’s Daughter

by Lene Kaaberbol

“Anyone who can meet a Shamer’s gaze openly is a very special human being and the best friend you could ever hope for...” says ten-year-old Dina’s mother, who is a Shamer; someone whose eyes reflect all that you are ashamed of. Naturally, Dina inherits this gift, and she despises it. None of the village children will play with her, and she is treated as something to be wary and afraid of. No one except her small family will look her in the eyes. When Dina’s mother is called away to the town of Dunark to help solve a tri-murder, Dina and her siblings—Davin and Melli—are left to look after one another at their home of Cherry Tree Cottage. Several days later, a stranger riding a black horse arrives at their house, looks straight into Dina’s eyes without flinching, and says that she is to come with him because they have need of her, too, in Dunark. Remembering her mother’s words, Dina figures the stranger must be a friend, and goes with him. As soon as Dina arrives in Dunark, she realizes she should not be there, but by then it’s too late. Drakan, the dark stranger, is much different than he seems, and he orders Dina to be put in the same cell as “Nicodemus the Monster,” who is the convicted murderer. But maybe Nicodemus isn’t really as evil as they say? And why could evil Drakan withstand Dina’s gaze?

A good novel with a great storyline, this is a book you should definitely read if you enjoy original fantasy. To continue the Shamer Chronicles, read The Shamer’s Signet, The Serpent Gift, and The Shamer’s War.