Jessica Rydill
Author of Children of the Shaman
Series
Works by Jessica Rydill
The Anniversary 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Rydill, Jessica
- Legal name
- Saunders, Jessica
- Birthdate
- 1959-11-16
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- England
UK - Country (for map)
- United Kingdom
- Birthplace
- Bath, Somerset, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Midford, Bath, England, UK
- Education
- University of Cambridge (King's College)
- Occupations
- writer
- Relationships
- Ash, Sarah (sister)
Rydill, LJ (father)
Saunders, Stephen (husband) - Agent
- Caspian Dennis, Abner Stein
- Short biography
- Jessica Rydill was born in Bath in 1959. She read English at King’s College Cambridge before training as a solicitor. In 1998 she gave up work to write. Her first two novels, Children of the Shaman and The Glass Mountain, were published by Orbit in 2001 and 2002. She lives near Bath with her husband and her Asian Ball-jointed Dolls.
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Reviews
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 119
- Popularity
- #166,388
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 11
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 1
Annat is finally able to train as a shaman under the tutelage of her father, Yuda, but the family soon turns down a dangerous path. Yuda has been assigned to investigate strange occurrences and brutal murders in a small northern town. Strange, old magic seems to be at play in the area, and soon after arriving, Annat’s brother Malchik disappears. Annat and Yuda’s search for Malchik will take them on a strange journey through a mystical land of winter, where they must find Malchik and stop the evil being responsible for the town’s troubles.
This was an interesting and well-crafted fantasy. The story exists in a slightly offset historical Russia/Eastern Europe, with a good dose of Judaism and Jewish mysticism. The Russian fairy-tale setting is in vogue at the moment, with books such as The Bear and the Nighingale by Katherine Arden, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo creating well-deserved buzz. Rydill’s inclusion of Jewish history, religion, and folklore set her book apart and add a touch of realism and historical grounding in a fantasy tale.
In all, the book is well written. The character of Annat is well-realized, sometimes to the detriment of the other characters, who can feel a bit flat. The journey through the fairy-tale realm borrows from Eastern European and Russian folklore, and is for the most part exciting and fun reading. I did find that the book began to drag a bit towards the end, but overall I found Children of the Shaman a diverting fantasy.
Fans of the fantasy genre, especially those who enjoyed The Bear and the Nnightingale or Shadow and Bone will likely enjoy this book. Anyone looking for a fantasy featuring a strong female lead (Children of the Shaman reminds me a lot of The Green Rider by Kristen Britain) shoudl also consider this book for their TBR.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.… (more)