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The Secrets of Jin-Shei takes place in Linh-an, an imaginary
kingdom reminiscent of Ancient China. Nine women are bound by a
sisterhood called Jin-Shei. They speak the same secret
language, Jin-ashu, that is passed from mother to daughter
and is forbidden to men. By becoming jin-shei-bao, the women
make a vow to help and protect each other and to fulfill any request
made in the name of Jin-Shei. Progressively, some women who
had no reason to know each other, will, by strange twists of fate, all become part of the same circle.
They are Tai, a poet and the cement holding the
group together, Nhia, a sage of humble origins, Khailin, an
alchemist with a misdirected thirst for knowledge, Antian, the future
empress of Linh-an, Liudan, her envious sister who has a hard time trusting
anyone, Xaforn, a dedicated member of the imperial Guard, Yuen, a gifted healer, Tammary, a gypsy who doesn't belong, and Qiaan a
sententious "social worker"...
It all starts when Tai, daughter of the Court seamstress, who is painting butterflies in
the imperial summer gardens, is surprised by Antian, the future empress. Antian
admires Tai's gift for "seeing" things. She offers her a position in
Court which Tai refuses: she does not want to loose her freedom to
observe the world. When Antian offers her Jin-Shei instead,
Tai is awed and accepts the gift. Her mother has mixed feeling about
this proposal of friendship: she knows that Jin-Shei can be a source
of heavy responsibilities as well as of happiness. Sometimes, the demands
of Jin-Shei can be exacting...
Years later, as the empire enters a dark and troubled time, the
sisterhood that became complete over the years is about to be
shattered by the ambition of one of their circle, combined with
revealed secrets that could seriously threaten her position.
Intrigue, treachery and struggle for power, but also friendship and loyalty
are the themes of this story, which weaves details of ancient China
with fantasy elements like dark magic. The Secrets of Jin-Shei
is a quite long (500 pages) but fascinating read that plunges the reader into a
remote and captivating world. The novel is well written and keeps
the reader interested. The characters have well-defined
personalities, except, strangely enough, one of them, who does not
have a very big role until late in the book, so that we never really
understand all the reasons behind her actions. Despite its flaws,
The Secrets of Jin-Shei is great escapism literature. I am
wondering when they will turn this novel into a movie, which would be a
big success...
Rating: 
© Discussing Books, 09/05/2005
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Critiques