Sarah Downie

Web of Secrets by Sarah Downie

Murder. Intrigue. Secrets and lies. Who killed Deirinna’s mother and why?

A northern girl who danced for the Emperor Breithrichten and later bore his daughter, Aigheanna was murdered after Breithrichten proposed. Their baby daughter was hidden in the north with Aigheanna’s relations and her discovery by Lord Cuilean fourteen years later prompts a new investigation. Iolairhen, the current Emperor is Deirinna’s cousin and both have equal claim to the Crown. The Emperor’s Chief Councillor, Lord Fegann, has his own agenda and is regarded as the power behind the throne. Only Cuilean can protect Deirinna and guide her through this new world. Each player at the Imperial Court has their secrets and Deirinna’s arrival threatens to reveal all.

Set against a backdrop reminiscent of Britain with the north and south divide, the Imperial Court contains flavours of Persia, China and Europe, as seen through clothing and character appearance. Women wear dresses in many colours made of cotton and silk and men were trousers with long sleeved silk robes, the colours denoting their rank and station. Appearance ranges from blonde with blue eyes to dark with brown eyes and all colours in between. Distinctive eye colours such as amber and mismatched green and brown are a marking of royal lineage.

Web of Secrets begins with Aigheanna’s murder and flashes forward to Deirinna’s discovery before going back in time to when Aigheanna arrived at the Palace. Mother and daughter’s storylines interweave as secrets are revealed in both timelines, with repercussions for all involved.

The Book Doctors:

A story about an empire, with lots of political intrigue and murder, never goes out of fashion.  And it sounds like you’ve got one of these in spades. But we think you do yourself an enormous disservice by starting with the words “Murder.  Intrigue.  Secrets and lies.”  At this point those are clichés.  We’ve seen these words so many times, in fact, they’ve sort of lost their ability to grab us.  There are also too many names in this pitch.  We got lost trying to figure out who was who, and who is doing what to whom.  We understand there are two stories, but we don’t really know who the heroine, or heroines, is or are.  We like the idea of combining East and West, Europe and Asia, but your descriptions of the clothing, colors and eyes, they don’t seem specific or unique enough. As for the end, “Repercussions for all involved” is way too generic. We want carnage, heartache, disaster!