Passion Play

Beth Bernobich

Tor Books

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Ilse Zhalina is the daughter of one of Melnek’s more prominent merchants. She has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege.  Many would consider hers a happy lot. But there are dark secrets, especially in the best of families. Ilse has learned that for a young woman of her beauty and social station, to be passive and silent is the best way to survive. 

When Ilse finally meets the older man she is to marry, she realizes he is far crueler and more deadly than her father could ever be. Ilse chooses to run. This choice will change her life forever.

And it will lead her to Raul Kosenmark,  master of one of the land’s most notorious pleasure houses…and who is, as Ilse discovers, a puppetmaster of a different sort altogether.  Ilse discovers a world where every pleasure has a price and there are levels of magic and intrigue she once thought unimaginable. She also finds the other half of her heart.

 

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CHAPTER ONEIN THE GAME of word links, a large vocabulary was not always an advantage. Words indeed were necessary—the game consisted entirely of words given back and forth, and each response had to connect to the previous one. The good players possessed a quick mind and the ability to recognize patterns. Those who could see the unexpected connections, however, inevitably won.
A simple game with endless strategies and unexpected side effects.
Therez Zhalina watched Klara’s face intently, waiting for her friend to turn the miniature sand glass and start the next round of their

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Praise for Passion Play

“Passion Play, indeed.  Passionate, articulate, clever, this book sings right along.  Desperate measures and hope bundled together in a daring adventure.  Byzantine politics seldom combine so well with great characters. A marvelous debut novel.”—Patricia Briggs, New York Times bestselling author

"Passion Play is, in my estimation, a brilliant debut novel - the author detailing her environment and terrain with a sure hand and an excellent vocabulary.  While the reader must cope with royal intrigues and war-posturing, all is linked to the two protagonists who give us a poignant love story.  Please write a sequel to this one, Beth Bernobich!"--Anne McCaffrey

"Passion Play immediately plunges you into a deep world of past lives and magic... the layers are crafted so masterfully that you can't put the book down to climb out of the story."  LA Banks, The Vampire Huntress Legends Series

Reviews from Goodreads

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Libby  rated it  
Mar 5, 2011
When I read the jacket blurb on Passion Play, I thought it would be the typical girl runs away from horrible marriage book. I can't begin to tell you how glad I was(and am!) to be wrong. This is supposed to be Beth Bernobich's first book. However, she handles her characters and plot elements with su ...more
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Lielabell  rated it  
Dec 5, 2010
I'll admit I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, a book about a rich girl who runs away and ends up the second hand to a rich man who runs a brothel cum spy ring? That can go really wrong, really fast. And, for a little while in the middle, I was pretty sure it was. But I never should have ...more
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Sherwood  rated it  
Nov 4, 2010
Updated now that the book is out:

The short review? This is the story of how runaway Therez becomes Ilse; it's an exploration of the darker side of the human psyche and its emotional cost, set in a world where reincarnation is a fact, and magic works. It's a world where the powerless can be ...more
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About the Author

Beth Bernobich

BETH BERNOBICH comes from a family of story tellers, artists, and engineers. She juggles her time between working with computer software, writing, family, and karate. Her short stories have appeared publications such as Asimov's, Interzone, Postscripts, Strange Horizons, and Sex in the System. She lives with her husband and son in Bethany, Connecticut. Passion Play is her first novel.  http://www.beth-bernobich.com.

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Available Formats and Book Details

Passion Play
Beth Bernobich

Hardcover

Hardcover
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Books
October 2010
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780765322173
ISBN10: 076532217X
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches, 368 pages
$24.99
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Mass Market Paperbound

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Mass Market Paperbound
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Fantasy
4/24/2012
Mass Market Paperbound
ISBN: 9780765361981
ISBN10: 0765361981
4 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches, 512 pages
$7.99

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Books
October 2010
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429947787
ISBN10: 1429947780
368 pages
$11.99
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