Beneath the Thirteen Moons

Kathryne Kennedy

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

When smuggler Mahri Zin kidnaps a Healer to cure her family and he turns out to be the Prince of Sea Forest, she must use too much of the magical zabbaroot to escape his enemies. From her root-induced coma she learns that the natives of this planet plan for her to Bond with him, a joining so final that to tear it asunder would mean the death of them both.

Mahri only wants her freedom, but as they plunge through the dangerous waters of the swamps she finds it hard to resist the physical lure of Prince Korl.

And the Prince must change the entire world of Sea Forest in order to gain her heart, and ultimately determine mankind's survival on this landless planet.

Website: http://kathrynekennedy.com

Review by Chrissi (130604) Rating (8/10)

Review by Chrissi
Rating 8/10
Mahri is an engaging heroine, wilful and strong in the power and ways of the zabbaroot, a mind-strengthening drug that allows her to see and control the lines of power in nature. She is described as a wilding, a person who has innate, untutored strength. The wildings are regarded as freaks, and have been treated badly in the past, so Mahri is rightly wary of anyone who may seek to control her.

This book opens with Mahri’s journey to kidnap a healer to help the people of her village who are suffering and dying from a mysterious illness. She is desperate for help, especially seeing as how she lost her own family, her partner and child, and the villagers are now the closest to family that she has left.

When she chooses a random window in the healers’ building, she is not aware that she is trying to kidnap a member of the royal family, the very handsome young Prince Korl, but having embarked upon her mission, she cannot turn back. Pursued into the swamps, she is diverted from her intended path, giving us the opportunity to see some of the beautiful swampland in which she lives.

On their journey, Mahri struggles not to feel anything for Korl, believing that he will ultimately betray her but when she is forced to allow him the use of her power to save the villagers by bonding with him, they enter into a relationship for which she is unprepared.

You can’t help but like Mahri, she is feisty and yet vulnerable, driving herself beyond her physical limits to be able to achieve her goals. Prince Korl understands her better at times than she does herself, giving you to realise that they should be together, even before Mahri realises this herself.

It is interesting that Korl is a forward thinking individual, and his adventure with Mahri allows him to see more of the land that he may have to govern than would normally have been permitted as a sheltered potential monarch. This gives him the impetus to review the previous treatment of wildings and unite more of his people.

The book reads rather like an Anne McCaffrey, the imagery is excellent and the characters engaging. It will be interesting to see whether KK develops further as an author in science-fantasy with the planet that she has described so well for us, or if she branches out and describes another world in another genre, either way, there is great scope for the future.
Chrissi (13th June 2004)