The Safe-Keeper's Secret

[alobear]

The Safe-Keeper's secret is the first in Sharon Shinn's "young adults" series.

I've been trying to come up with adjectives to describe it and all I've got at the moment are "nice" and "pleasant", which make it sound very uninspriring.  I think what I'm trying to say is that the book is more like visiting old friends than going on a wild adventure.  It tells the story of a small group of friends, centred around a typical medi-eval type village, and the way their lives unfold over several years.  There's no real action or excitement, but the characters are beautifully drawn and the society is interesting and fun to learn about.

Two small niggles - there is a kind of "magic" in the book's world, which grants certain people the ability to keep secrets, tell truths or grant wishes.  None of the people involved have any idea how the abilities work, or in fact have any control over them, though, which struck me as somewhat dissatisfying.  They are all important people within the society, but the things they do seem completely arbitrary, and I've never been keen on stories where the characters are totally powerless to affect their lives.

The other problem is that everything is concluded a little bit too neatly at the end.  The "happily ever after" ending is just a bit too unlikely, with everyone getting their heart's desire without actually doing anything to earn it.

I enjoyed the book - it's just that it all seemed a bit too easy.