The Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1)

When I searched for this series on Kindle last week, I expected what I've gotten back for over four years - nothing. It's an amazing series, well-written, not relying on classic fantasy tropes. This isn't he underdog hero, or the revolutionary, or the ordinary guy forced into hero. No heavy exposition. No insane...well, maybe insane, I'll give Erius that. He does the insane well. Not all-out bat-guano insane, more realistic: for a long time you can't tell he's insane. In fact, not only is he not a clear-cut, obvious villain...he's barely in the story at all!The 'hero' both has no idea what he is, but Tobin doesn't even want to take on that role, even knowing that he can't let Skala stay under the rule of his honestly pretty great uncle and his allowably-unstable cousin, when that time comes. Even knowing the reason his uncle became king instead of his mother, the rightful heir, was an insane mother's death and Ariani being only nine.I could go on about this series. The plays of power obvious in Skala from even a backwater hunting fortress to even a six-year-old don't mean they are any less subtle once you get past the obvious, and it shows. As Tobin gets older his understanding of Skala and Skalan politics grows. His introduction to the main Court is a huge thing - it shows both how much he knows and how much goes right over his head.For all that I've gone on about this series, I can say just these few words: read it. Give it a chance. I did, when without a friend I would have passed it over and never looked twice. It's not got a bit of everything, but it is at once complex and straightforward, and not overly-fantasy-fictiony.

The Bone Doll’s Twin is the first installment in a gender bending high fantasy series set in the same world as Luck in the Shadows. The connection between the two series is loose (The Bone Doll’s Twin takes place at least several hundred years before), and they can be read completely independently. I actually wish I’d read The Bone Doll’s Twin first, since I liked it more than Luck in the Shadows.A divine prophecy says that the kingdom of Skala will be prosperous as long as a queen of royal lineage rules. But a king usurps the throne and starts killing all potential female heirs. When the king’s younger sister gives birth twins, conspirators use dark magic to give the female twin the guise of her brother, killing him in the process. The secret heir is raised isolated from court and away from the king, haunted by the demon of the dead brother and the madness of their mother, without any idea of the conspiracy.Something important to note about The Bone Doll’s Twin is that it’s not a complete story. It ends on a cliffhanger and is very much a “Part I.” This book also isn’t a story based around action or suspense but is more a coming of age story about the protagonist. I think it’s possible that fans of The Assassin’s Apprentice and Robin Hobb might like it.I think one of The Bone Doll’s Twin‘s strongest points is the characters. These characters feel well rounded and like they could be real people. Tobin (the protagonist’s current name, I think it will change in future books?) reads like a child and not just a precocious adult. The adult conspirators were also well done, and there was a lot of moral grayness there. In particular, Iya, the wizardly mastermind, makes Dumbledore look non-manipulative by comparison.One of the things I didn’t like about the book was the heavy reliance on prophecy. For the most part, prophecy feels like a trope used to create hand wavey explanations for dubious reasoning. “Because, it is prophesied!” is a familiar and annoying refrain from the fantasy genre. In this case, it feels like a reason to try and make the conspirators more sympathetic. There actions don’t have to be explained by prophecy, but it provides a convenient alternate explanation to a sheer power grab.A defining topic of the trilogy is gender, but it is hard to say much at this early point. I think I’d really need to read the second novel to say more. The closest (and obvious) real world parallel is the transgender experience, and I can’t say how that’s reflected in the novel. However, I did find a positive review from a transgender reviewer.The Bone Doll’s Twin is a haunting coming of age story with an underlying darkness. I look forward to reading the sequel and would recommend it.

I loved this book, but I must admit I would never have finished it if a friend hadn't recommended it to me. I recalled as I struggled through the first few chapters that she had told me it starts slow. It does,but the story picks up once we have the chance to see through the eyes of the main character, Tobin.In quick summary, Tobin is born into a world where female children of the royal line do not survive. Her uncle seized the throne against the well-known prophecy that as long as a daughter of Thelatimos ruled,the kingdom ofSkala will remind untouched by their worst enemies. There was some justification in his taking the throne since his mother turned mad in her latter years, killing many. Still, to be born a girl is dangerous, so before her birth, Tobin's father conspires with a wizard to perform a magic on the baby to hide her as a boy. Of course, this means her twin, a boy, must die because they need some of his skin to complete the spell. So, no one knows except for the few present at Tobin's birth. Even Tobin believes she is a boy...and her twin remains to haunt her. As he/she grows can they hide her true self from her uncle and his wizards? They will kill her if they find out.This story is thrilling and engrossing once you get past the first few chapters. I can't wait to read the next one!

Loved the first book to this series, I'm hooked! But there is no book 2 available, we need hidden warrior on kindle! Why is book 3 available but not #2??? ; (

This is the best volume of the series... Very creepy.

日本語版のナイトランナーがあまりに微妙だったので、原書だとどうなんだ？と思い手に取ってみたものだが正直こんなに面白いとは！女王が治める限り平和を保証されている王国スカラだったが、最後の女王が狂ってしまい圧政を敷いたため、その息子が異母妹の王冠を奪い、王として立った。最初は受け入れられた王だが、徐々に正気を失い、自分の息子に王冠を継がせるために王家の女子を次々と暗殺していく。その中で、王の異母妹の娘として産まれたトビン。そのトビンを守り、スカラの正統な女王制を守ろうとする二人の魔法使いと、巻き込まれながらも見守る魔女。そして、トビンを守るために殺された双子の弟…フルエリン氏の世界であるスカラの歴史の中でもドラマチックなタミール２世の話という事だが、世界観がしっかりしているせいか非常にわくわくした。また、幽霊と魔法が沢山でてくるので怖いところは本気で怖い。夜に読むと、ちょっとした物音にびくっとしてしまいそう。オススメの一冊。早く続きが読みたい。

Dieser Fantasyroman ist sehr ungewöhnlich, die Geschichte erschließt sich nur mühsam und ich musste mich am Anfang zwingen weiterzulesen. Dieses Buches ist zwar sehr fesselnd und sehr gut geschrieben, aber das Thema ist schwer verdaulich. Letztendlich hat mich die Geschichte aber mitgerissen und ich habe diesen Roman bis zum Ende verschlungen.Es gibt keine typischen Helden oder Schurken, fast jeder hat edle Ziele und trotzdem einige Leichen im Keller. Das ist nicht nur eine Redewendung, die Spanne der üblen Taten reicht von Hexenverbrennungen bis Totenbeschwörung.Im Land Skala herrschen Seuchen und Missernten, nach einer alten Prophezeiung kann nur eine Königin auf dem Thron das Gleichgewicht wieder herstellen. Aber alle bekannten weiblichen Mitglieder der Königsfamilie sind ermordet worden und ein Magierorden verfolgt im Auftrag des herrschenden Königs jeden, der diese Prophezeiung verbreitet.Der junge Tobin ist der Neffe des Königs. Ihn umgibt ein dunkles Geheimnis, denn in Wirklichkeit ist er ein Mädchen. Kurz nach der Geburt wurde ihr die Gestalt ihres ermordeten Zwillingsbruders gegeben. Tobin erfährt erst spät von diesem Gestaltwandelzauber, sie hatte sich immer für einen Jungen gehalten. Jetzt hängt ihr Leben an einem seidenen Faden, nur absolute Geheimhaltung und äußerste Vorsicht können verhindern das ihr wahres Geschlecht bekannt wird, denn dann wäre ihr der Tod sicher. Auch der Geist ihres Bruders kommt nicht zur Ruhe, manchmal verfolgt er Tobin, manchmal beschützt er sie.Die Geschichte ist sehr düster und magisch, viele Gefahren sind nicht offen ersichtlich, sondern lauern im Verborgenen. Ich hoffe die Autorin kann auch in den folgenden Romanen dieser Reihe dieses schaurig-schöne Lesegefühl aufrecht erhalten.

This is the 1st book of Lynns I have read and I must say I am very impressed. I bought this book because of the revies I have seen on Amazon, and because of the recomendation by Robbin Hobb, an author I have a great deal of respect for.Lynns writing style is similar to Robins, both draw wonderful characters and really let you get inside the skin of them. They also stick to the principle of KEEP IT SIMPLE, which I really enjoy as I didn't find myself sitting trying to work out what was going on all the time (such as Steven Erikson) but avidly turning the pages hungry for what was going to happen next. I was slightly worried when I read the back cover and had started reading the book, that this was going to be a cliche led story (like a fair bit of US fantasy) of a Princess done wrong who would suddenly wake up and kill the evil king, and in some ways I was right, this book (1st of 3) does hit most of the cliches but they are done with real feeling for the characters which makes them feel fresh and vivid.Now I am just gonna have to save up the money to buy her 1st trilogy while I eagerly await the next book in this thrilling saga.If you like Robin Hobb, Raymond Fiest, George R R Martin, Juliet Mckenna and Kathrin Kerr or are just looking for a damn good read then I can heartily recommend this book to you (and all of theirs apart from the Krondor series by Feist).