Book Review: The Price of Redemption by Shawn Carpenter

If you liked Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series but wanted more magic, this is the book for you. That pretty much sums up the entire review, honestly, although this is very much a work of nautical fiction. While the details and jargon are not as complex as Patrick O’Brian’s work, there’s still to get lost in. Fortunately, there was a glossary at the end of the book, and the other characters are usually helpful enough to work out what’s happening, as the main protagonist, the Marquese Enid d’Tancrevilleis, is neither a sailor nor a captain. In this way, she is very much along the lines of Dr. Stephen Maturin in the Aubrey/Maturin books. It makes her the perfect complement for the secondary protagonist, Commander Rue Nath. They very much share that same dynamic, although Nath seems to be more straightforwardly heroic, and more self-aware, than Captain Jack Aubrey ever seemed to be in the first few books.

Enid d’Tancrevilleis is a magister- a sorceress or magician. The magic was quite interesting, as it felt very much like a combination of post-Renaissance alchemy and magic, which is a style I haven’t seen very often. Fortunately, other than the magic, most of the rest of the setting was instantly recognizable. As she is very out of place aboard a warship, being an aristocrat and intellectual, her perspective eases the reading into the world, and the naval aspects.

The protagonist is clearly a noblewoman fleeing this world’s version of the French Revolution, the nation of Albion is Britain, Gisbon is a combination of Lisbon and Gibraltar, and the naval functions (outside of ship’s magister) are identical to the British Royal Navy at the time. While I would have liked some more original worldbuilding, I think the overall familiarity of the setting serves as an easier bridge for readers who are less versed in the era’s history or nautical literature. This becomes particularly notable in the finale of the book, which is very clearly modeled directly after a real-life historical event (which I won’t spoil).

But I’d say the hallmark of the book is the dynamic between Enid and Nath. They have very different perspectives, while also both having very strong personalities. Enid is no Maturin, of course, not a spy, nor a romantic rebel, nor anything like that. She is, however, an aristocrat and a very powerful magister, while Nath is less well-born, but his captaincy gives him ultimate authority, and he’s a natural leader of others. That gives him a charisma and presence that Enid, with all of her magical power, does not have. She, however, knows nothing of the Navy and very little of Albion, which gives her a very unique perspective that Nath appreciates. There’s a bit of a will they/won’t they dynamic as there’s hints of burgeoning attraction between them, but it is very much a slow burn.

Overall, I’d certainly recommend it! I enjoyed every bit of it and appreciated the fantasy spin on a familiar genre. You can buy it here (affiliate link to Bookshop.org, as I try very hard to never support Amazon) or ask your local library if they can get one for you somehow.