Violet: Thunder

Title: Violet: Thunder
Author: Kate Cotoner
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: M/M historical fantasy romance
Length: 65 Pages
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A guest review by Jenre

Summary Review

A well written historical fantasy set in Japan which charts the relationship between a young naive scholar and a worldly reclusive man, who is far more than he seems.

THE BLURB

Wu Jin has both brains and beauty. Though poor, his family are noble enough for Jin to sit the imperial examinations in the hope of obtaining a high-ranking government position at the court of Tang Dynasty China. When his parents are killed, Jin clings to his dreams, and travels to the provincial capital for the exams. Pursued by a sinister horseman into the forest, Jin seeks refuge at a tumbledown inn, little realizing that he’s entered the abode of a fox-spirit. Tian Zhen is a transcendental fox of immense power and considerable seductive charm. He’s startled when Jin sees through his illusions, and believes it’s Jin’s destiny not only to become his lover, but also to help him find a lost talisman, the symbol of Zhen’s heavenly role as the Guardian of Thunder. But convincing Jin won’t be easy, and the search for the talisman turns dangerous when Jin discovers it’s connected to the man who murdered his parents…

THE REVIEW

I picked up this book because I’d recently been very impressed with a story by this author in an anthology and I was interested in reading more of her writing. I’m so glad I did, as this book was a real treat and so absorbing it even drowned out the annoying chatter of two women sitting opposite me on the train.

The story begins with a fire in a small village which started at the house of our hero Jin. Standing and looking at the charred remains of his home, with the knowledge that his parent’s bodies lay inside, he turns his back on the devastation and sets off to walk to the city in order to sit his exams. Jin is full of high ideals as to how he will use his brains to pass the exams, make his parents proud and also make a real difference in the world. After being rejected at an inn along the road, he is directed to a small inn in the forest where he beds down for the night. The next day he discovers that he has accidentally stayed at the home of a reclusive nobleman, Zhen, who asks him to stay for a couple of days.

In some ways this fantasy story follows the idea of the Noble Quest.  Jin is the innocent young man, who has lived a quiet, studious life in his small village and through tragedy sets out into the unknown to make his name.  Jin’s naivety is appealing, but it’s his mix of idealism and pragmatism which I really liked the most.  He burns with righteous anger towards the man who was seen near his house before the fire began, a man who Jin had rejected as a lover, and yet instead of rushing off to confront the man and perhaps put himself in danger, he resolves to go to the city to gain qualifications which would provide an opportunity for him to do good in the world.   As with many quest  stories the hero is sidetracked along the way, in this case by Zhen.  As the book is written from the point of view of Jin, we don’t know much about this enigmatic man at first, only that he offers a safe haven for Jin and an opportunity to help him with his studies.

Another aspect of the story with worked well was in the sexual chemistry between Jin and Zhen which is sizzling.  I liked that there was a slow build up between them, slight touches, longing looks and conversation before they succumbed to their attraction.

The fantasy part of the story worked well too.  I’m not familiar with Japanese mythology but this part of the story was so well explained that I soon picked up on what was happening.  I especially liked the way that the different realities were shown to intermingle through Jin’s perception and corner-of-eye glances.   The use of the colour violet was used to heighten the fantasy parts, giving the descriptions of Zheng and his powers a visual sensuality which matched the sexual tension which ran as a undercurrent through the interaction between Jin and Zhen.  It was all rather cleverly done.

The story continues with the quest theme and ends, as you might expect, with a much wiser, less innocent Jin, who is now a man of the world, but also still a good man.  It was nice to see that this growth in character didn’t entirely crush Jin’s idealism, but rather added a practical, realistic edge to his dreams.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story.  The fantasy aspects were interesting, the character of Jin appealing and the setting unusual.  If I have any niggles it was that the discovery of the talisman and its retrieval at the end of the story was perhaps a little convenient, but that certainly wasn’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of what was a pretty gripping tale of innocence lost, and love found.  Highly recommended.