Magic's Silken Snare (Silken Magic, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

ElizaBeth Gilligan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003 | Series: Silken Magic (Book 1)

They are skilled in the ways of seduction and deception, magic and curses...They are masters in the trade of fine silk, and in the fatal art of poisoning...They are villains and heroes, outlaws and lovers, dreamers and schemers...Legend will call them Gypsies.

The Silken Magic saga begins...
In her full-length fiction debut, short story writer ElizaBeth Gilligan sweeps readers away to a dazzling 17th-century Sicily-and to a mythical kingdom across the water known as Tyrrhia.
It is a world in which magic has the power to shape the course of history-and love has the power to unravel it. Where religions rise, governments fall, and the only thing more powerful than a Gypsy's passion...is a Gypsy's curse.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gilligan's adventure-romance begins a new series, Silken Magic, set in an alternate seventeenth-century Europe in which the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (southern Italy), here named Tyrrhia, is more prosperous and tolerant than it was in this reality. The protagonist is Luciana, duchessa di Drago, who discovers that her beloved sister, Alessandra, has been murdered, and the corpse stolen. If the body is not recovered, its theft will turn Alessandra's spirit into a demon, because the sisters are Rom (Gypsy), and that is what happens in this alternate world. Luciana sets out through a maze of court intrigues--in which daggers and spells await her at every turn--aided only by her wits and her sister-in-law, the queen. Gilligan creates an interesting world and develops it well, fills it with well-constructed characters, and engages them in a plot that definitely keeps one turning pages. The cliff-hanger ending would guarantee a sequel even if this wasn't marked "Book #1 of . . ." Surely there will be more cheers than groans over that prospect. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: DAW (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756401275
• ISBN-13: 978-0756401276
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,349,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow - great book!, April 1, 2003

By 

Dana Murphy (Guerneville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magic's Silken Snare (Silken Magic, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great book written by a new author of true talent. The action's well paced and the suspense created by the mystery just tense enough. I really liked the level of magic in this alternate reality, especially since it didn't take center stage over the plot or characters.

Good job and I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating realm, April 12, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magic's Silken Snare (Silken Magic, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

In the mid-eighteenth century, Tyrrhia is a haven for all races and religions including the Romani, who are vested in magic and control the silk trade. Luciana, the Duchessa di Drago, is a powerful mage who knows that her beloved sister died at court before official word came. She learns that a practitioner of the dark arts stole her sister's body and Alessandra's spirit knows no peace because it is used in evil spells.

Luciana needs to find her sister's body and release her spirit so it can pass on. To do so she must locate the wizard who killed her sister and take her revenge on him. When her husband, her one and only love, joins her at the court those who want to replace the present king and queen (Stefano's sister) drag them into regal intrigues, but the plotters are the reason Alessandra was murdered. By thwarting them, Luciana avenges sister and makes sure the Romani have a home. When Luciana tries to find her sister's body on the palace grounds, she faces an enemy she never expected to exist.

The imaginary country of Tyrrhia is situated where Sicily now exists only this kingdom is much larger and stronger than Sicily ever was. The romance of the estranged Duc and Duchessa is pivotal to the story line as the two star-crossed lovers try to find their way back to each other. The religious and racial tolerance that exists in Tyrrhia is another reason for many to want a strong Roman Catholic nation like France or Spain to annex the country. Elizabeth Gilligan has created a fascinating realm that readers will want to revisit in future novels.

Harriet Klausner