cover image Troubled Waters

Troubled Waters

Sharon Shinn, Ace, $24.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-441-01923-6

Bestseller Shinn (Quatrain) carries readers away into a vivid new fantasy world where the five elements control everyone’s lives. Alone and in shock after the death of her father, Zoe Ardelay is invited to the capital to become the king’s fifth wife and create a much needed numerological balance both politically and at court, where the four queens vie to promote their children for the role of heir to the throne. Then Zoe learns she is the new “prime” of Lalindar clan, which saves her from the marriage, but thrusts her into a world of dangerous political scheming, secret agendas, and an increasingly risky attraction to royal adviser Darien Serlast. This entertaining and suspenseful story is full of lively characters, and the intriguing new system of magic and politics provides plenty of potential for sequels. (Oct.)