WHITE STAR

The Lady High Priestess Evelyn, known as Evie to her friends, is a healer, dedicated to using her magic in the service of the goddess to aid others and give strength where it is needed.

Orrin Blackheart couldn't be more different. With his black armour, a black name and a blacker reputation, he's been feared and hated in equal parts.

So on his defeat and capture in battle, the Goddess' insistence that Evie saves him from a death sentence astonishes them both - as does the growing attraction between them. But in saving Orrin, Evie condemns herself to a prohibition on her magic and a penance posting on the edges of the land, while to retain his salvation Orrin must battle a spreading plague across the land. Fate clearly has plans for them both - but to fulfill them, both must survive the perils ahead.

I started reading this book last weekend. It grabbed my interest right away but as I read on, for some reason, I had to put it down for a few days. To be honest, I have no idea what made me stop in the first place. I mean, I enjoyed the premise, liked the characters, and wanted to find out more about the Odium - an army of undead guardians - and who was really controlling them.

When I picked it up again, I was glad that I did and continued to read on.

Evelyn is a High Priestess. Orrin is a toughened warrior who happens to have her under guard. In a turn of events, the situation is reversed and he ends up being the prisoner. When Evie is convinced the Goddess asks her to save him, she asks the new Queen to spare his life. What follows is their separate adventures, which soon merge into one. There are also a few surprises along the way, as well as battles. And a few horrible characters that will make you cringe - the Baroness and the Archbishop certainly did that to me.

White Star is an interesting fantasy book with a new turn at every chapter, and action that doesn't stop until the very end. It's also the love story of two people who should be enemies, but become the opposite during a time of upheaval.

If you enjoy reading fantasy, there's certainly enough in this book to keep you interested.

White Star, August 2009, ISBN 0575084243, Gollancz Paperback