{Review:} Passion Play by Beth Bernobich

Title: Passion Play
Author: Beth Bernobich
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Tor Books (Oct 2010)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0765322173
Source: GoodReads Giveaway (ARC)
Available on: Amazon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description on GoodReads:

The daughter of one of Melnek’s more prominent merchants, Ilse Zhalina has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege. She has wanted for nothing and many would consider her lot a most happy one. But there are dark secrets even in the best of families and Ilse and the women in her family have learned that to be beautiful and silent is the best way to survive. 
However, when Ilse fianlly meets the colleague of her father’s selected to marry her, she realizes that this man would lock in her a gilded cage. In her soul, she knows he is far crueler and more deadly than her father could ever be. 
Ilse chooses to run from this life. Her choice will have devastating consequences and she will never be the same. 
But she will meet Raul Kosenmark, a man of mystery who is the master of one of the land’s most notorious pleasure houses…and who is, as Ilse discovers, a puppetmaster of a different sort altogether. Together they will embark on a journey that will reshape their world. 
Lush fantasy. Wild magic. Political intrigue and the games of seduction and treachery to gain control of a kingdom. PASSION PLAY is all of these and more. It is the journey of a woman who must conquer her passions in order to win all that she desires.

Review:

Passion Play tells the story of Therez, the daughter of on a prominent merchant. She was raised in a world of wealth and privilege but everything changes when her father arranges her marriage to an older evil man. She finds that the only way to escape her arranged marriage is to run away.

I was very surprised with how the story unfolded. From the cover and the name, I assumed this would be another adventure YA romantic book. It has many of the elements but this is for a more adult audience.

She runs away attempting to escape a hard life of submission, but what she finds is far worst. She soon realizes that the intrigue and politics she tried to escape from are everywhere and that she must learn to play the rules of the game to survive, running away is not an option.

Overall, I enjoyed this story it is a great start to the series. I would have liked the author to focus more on the love scenes than the rape scenes but I guess she found it necessary to tell the story. Passion Play is just another example that one should not judge a book by its cover.

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