Heart Readers [Paperback]

Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993

As King Pardu employs heart readers to determine which of his twin sons would be a fit successor, an ambitious chief advisor makes sure that the heart readers choose the prince whom he can manipulate.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Roc (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451452828
• ISBN-13: 978-0451452825
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,914,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't know why it every went out of print, October 8, 2002

By 

Rose (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heart Readers (Paperback)

From the back of the book: "Long had the King's line been sursed by fate with one prince too many. In each generation, twin boys were born, heris to a throne only one could hold. But Kind Pardu decreed that when the time was right, he would abide by the old magic, would call in heart readers, magic-bound pairs who could see into a person's very sould and read the nature of his or her heart. But the King could not foresee the future, a future in which his cruel, ambitious chief advisor would try to coerce the heart readers into championing the prince he was certain he could make his puppet. And only time would tell whether heart readers could trimuph over fear, the lust for vengence, and an all to personal betrayal to read the true path for king and kingdom..."

The book centers around the heart readers Stashie and Dasis. Stashie was raped and tramatuzed by Tarne, a commander on a campaign to conquer peaceful villages through fear and brute force. Dasis found Stashie half-dead, unable and unwilling to speak of what happened to her. They grew closer and found they had the talent for heart reading, where they avoid Leanda until the need for money forced Stashie to face the place she feared to return to. Once there, Stashie had to face her fears, and Dasis learned why she should be fearful.

This book is a powerful, stand-alone novel full of detail of thier world and plight. However, if violence disturbs you, I wouldn't recommend this book--it certainly isn't a book for children. Though, the violence isn't merely a device sued to attract readers; it shows how the characters are changed by it. Overall, a good read if you can find it :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a pleasant surprise, February 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart Readers (Paperback)

i picked this book off the dollar pile at the outlet bookstore, thinking it looked decent, and i was pleasantly surprised to find an involving novel. another bonus for me was the fact that the main characters are female lovers, and this was treated as completely normal. it really pleases me to find this kind of thing, and to happen upon it by accident. i recently reread this book for the second time, and i love it even more. i did have trouble getting involved the first time, because i found the character names annoying, but that's just a quirk of me. either i'm sympathetic with fantasy names, or i'm not.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A stunning book about the human spirit, October 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart Readers (Paperback)

This book is stunning. It is the tale of a woman who get's raped, and then has to learn to continue living. She and her partner (another woman) travel the land reading hearts. She can only draw what she sees in somebody's heart, and her partner can only interpret the drawings. In order to do this they have to have complete trust in each other, a bond that joins them body, spirit and soul. When this bond is threatened, the entire future of the country's monarchy could be in danger...