Bargaining with your life!

Series review: Covenant of Thorns by Jeffe Kennedy

Ever read a book where the writer makes you see everything through the main character's eyes, leaving you increasingly confused and lost in a strange world - and instead of putting you off, this actually makes you more desperate to  figure out what exactly is going on? 

Ever read a book which starts off with elements you find unsavoury and characters you think are unlikable till suddenly mid-way you realize, to your surprise, that everything had happened due to a reason and that you like the characters after all? 

That was what happened with the Covenant of Thorns series by Jeffe Kennedy.

I stumbled upon this  fantasy series purely by chance on Amazon, and went into it with zero expectations, never having read a book by this author before. It's a trilogy, and I cautiously bought the first book, Rogue's Pawn, believing it to be a standard fantasy romance (judging by the clichéd cover!). But it was nothing like I had expected it to be! It disguises itself as a romance, but it actually isn't. It may be regarded as an intriguing mix of Alice in Wonderland, Rumpelstiltskin, Tamlin, Puss-in-Boots and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, but it is not really like any of them. The series progressively got better with every book and I ended up racing through all the three books in two days! Thank the gods that all the sequels had already been released and each book was of a normal, manageable length!

This is no fairy tale....

- cautions the back cover of "Rogue's Pawn", but I still wasn't prepared for how different this book was from the run-of-the-mill fantasies. The book starts like many normal urban fantasies, with a logical scientist frustrated with her dull job and duller fiancé finding herself transported accidentally to the Faerie world while on an impulsive hike to Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Devils Tower, Wyoming

When she regains consciousness, she sees a ferocious black dog standing in front of her - the same mystical dog which has been stalking her dreams for the past few weeks. The black dog attacks her, almost ripping out her throat and the next thing she knows is that she is in a dark castle where a mysterious stranger and a suspicious healer are trying to either heal her wounds or murder her (they themselves don't seem to be sure about which one they would prefer!). When she is told that she is a human Sorceress, she realizes that not only has she somehow entered the Faerie realm but has also mysteriously acquired some magic while transitioning to this world - she has only to think of something to make it happen! She can also communicate telepathically with certain people in this land. Surprisingly, she can understand and interpret the Fae people's language as her mind can translate that into English. Everyone views her as a dangerous human and an unpredictable hazard and she is bound in silver chains to restrict her magical powers. She is healed by magic, under the orders of the man who she learns is a powerful Fae sorcerer called Rogue (it seems people are named as per their character or profession in this world!). In spite of the gravity of the situation,  Jennifer's internal monologue is a joy to read:

"Call me Rogue - that's my name." 
I snorted out a painful giggle and he paced into my view. 
"I take it that translated oddly? Show me a picture of what that word means to you."
I pictured Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, scraped and bruised from escapades, a bottle of booze in one hand and a couple of girls in the other, wicked mischief on his face."

Ha-ha.

From here, things get more mysterious as Jennifer (which translates as Gwynn in Fae language) realizes that this world may look as  magical as a fairyland but is actually vicious and cruel, hiding all manner of creatures with their own agendas. The author creates a dark and uncertain world where wishes coming true have unpleasant repercussions, where everyone has an ulterior motive, and where every action and reaction have to be carefully thought out. The currency of Fae is bargain - nothing comes for free. Each favour is treated as a bargain which has to be repaid by service, trading a loved one or even death. There is no room for a random thought or impulsive action.

Rogue takes Jennifer/Gwynn to a party where she needs to bargain for her life and she doesn't fare well, given that negotiation is not her strong point. It seems she owes quite a lot of people and she is forced to survive by bargaining away her services (hence the title "Covenant of Thorns"). Rogue wants Gwynn's first born (with him!) as payment for saving her life, another noble Fae named Lord Scourge wants to train her, a general named Lord Falcon wants her assistance in winning battles and even a magically anesthetic (!) cat named Darling  wants to be her Familiar. What happens in this part left me as confused as Jennifer and unable to decide who is a friend and who is a foe, who is good and who is bad:

"You are a child in the wilderness. You are without friends."

I had issues with Jennifer submitting to the sadistic training boot-camp she undergoes, and I felt she didn't try enough to wrest back control. I found her too passive in this part and also hated Rogue for allowing this humiliation. In hindsight, I realized why this had to happen.

Things got better as the story progressed. As Jennifer becomes tougher and learns to control her magic, she also devises strategies to win battles, change hair colours, dream up the perfect dress complete with accessories and make lights out of pillows! Rogue makes a re-entry at this point, trying to use his considerable charm to seduce Jennifer, though neither she nor the reader is entirely sure of his motivations. His erotic torture is strangely irresistible to Jennifer, though she's not sure if that's due to Rogue's powerful mind control or her own weakness towards him. Every encounter with him and the other denizens of Faerie makes one sit up and notice that something underhand is happening here - a dark undercurrent of deception which seems to be leading Jennifer to an outcome which someone else is orchestrating. To top it all, Jennifer keeps seeing the mystical black dog and isn't sure if it still wants to harm her.

What kept me more interested was how well the author infuses humour in the most dangerous of situations and how quick on the uptake Jennifer is. Her intelligent mind and unique perspectives to unpredictable situations make for some delightfully snarky comments:

Act II, scene ii. Exit Nasty Tinker Bell, Enter God-Only-Knows-What-Now...

"Relax."...This wasn't easy to do, what with the knife and all. However, I was concentrating on being the most Zen I could be. Which was so not my forte.

I looked like death warmed over. Maybe death microwaved - because my eyes shone and my complexion looked fantastic.

I should have gotten coaching on proper greetings. Though it would have been difficult to cover "formally greeting nasty noble folk who've dumped soup on your head."

Each chapter begins with a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek comment, mostly starting with, "In Which I....", for example: "In Which I am Covered in Glory and Other Obnoxious Fluids" or "In Which I Accomplish Several Impossible Things before Breakfast".

Her analytical mind makes mental lists of her predicaments, that are totally hilarious:

Organize your options, I ordered myself.
1. Endure the pain..., then spend weeks convalescing chained to this bed, surrounded by people hoping to kill me.
2. Attempt to control myself long enough to be knocked unconscious, risking the possibility that I could harm someone else and likely be killed.
3. Do nothing and die here of starvation and infection.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to more likable characters who form part of Jennifer's entourage, such as Starling, Larch and Athena. The world-building is engrossing, as are the descriptions of the different types of Fae - dragonfly girls, pink pixies, blue pages, brownies, dragons and even crossover humans. Another hugely entertaining character is Jennifer's cat familiar Darling, who communicates with Jennifer using mental images and has delusions of being a fierce battle cat!

He flattened his ears in disdain, splayed his legs to lick his butt, and sent me an image of him striding through a battlefield, tossing monsters aside. The cat had battles on the brain. Plus he wanted a new name. A battle name....

"Gigantor", he suggested.
"I am so not calling you Gigantor."
Darling swirled himself around my ankles. "Titanus".
I rolled my eyes. "No."
Darling meowed up at me, lashing his tail. "Colossus."
A snort escaped me and I picked him up so he could head-butt my chin.

You go, Kitty!

The action moves at a rapid pace, the stakes get progressively higher, with never a dull moment - as Jennifer slowly starts understanding what is actually happening in this world and how to bargain with those trying to manipulate her. As she gains more clarity, the missing pieces start falling into place for the readers as well. We comprehend who is really on her side and who is not. Towards the end, there are some unexpected twists, though I cannot reveal any more of the plot to avoid spoilers. But trust me, the ride from being disoriented to being in control is well worth it, both for Jennifer and for the reader! I will give it a 4.5 out of 5, which is a very high rating indeed. Looking forward to discovering more such gems unawares! :)