I read Passion Play through in one sitting. I saw the book advertised for an author signing at Book Expo and knew I had to have it. The cover is gorgeous, the synopsis sounds tailored for my interests and most importantly, I wanted to read it.

The book starts out giving us a a good sense of what home life is like for Ilse (and to avoid confusion, her name is originally Therez, but she changes it when she runs away). An imposing restrictive household, a society that doesn't leave young women many choices and a restlessness to leave and do something more. To find a path in life that she can be happy with. If her father hadn't pushed her hand, I truly believe Ilse would have run away regardless. Her father's ideals and her own were vastly different and with no allies to back her up, I still think she would have run away. Her plan may have been less hasty however and more thought out.

Ilse's journey from her city is...traumatizing to say the very least. She's young (not yet 16), sheltered and has no idea what the real world can be like. The stories she has heard from her father's friends and her brother don't prepare her and her naivety is almost painful to read about. Choices she makes haunt her throughout the rest of the novel; plaguing her dreams and making her fretful during waking hours. Bernobich's handling of the post-traumatic stress Ilse feels is subtle and heart-wrenching. Everyone she meets is suspect and she's scared of revealing too much lest they turn out to be like those before.

Kosenmark, and his household, is a unique place. A pleasure house for certain, but it seeks to pleasure not just the body, but the mind as well. His courtesans are singers, dancers, board game players and musicians. They tell stories and charm with more than their bodies. Raul himself is enigmatic for the better part of the book. Pieces of his backstory filter out, at times when the information is completely necessary for Ilse to know, but we don't see a true Raul until near the very end. Gaurded, clever and quick to judgments, he's also a paranoid man with good reason to fret for his life. His bantering with Ilse seem to bring him as much pleasure as the games he plays with his long time lover.

In the last third of the book something transpires between Raul and Ilse that I'm a little uncomfortable with. Its not their relationship, but accusations made that made me a little leery of the deepening affection between the two. I could just be a naturally suspicious person however.

The other characters are, for the most part, well developed. I wish we had learned more about some of the serving girls (Lys and Rosel, for example) and I hope we see more of the courtesan Nadine and certain misconceptions are remedied. The second book is due out in 2011 and the third is due out in 2012 (according to the author's website). I'm looking forward to learning more about Erythandra and the hinted at destiny for Ilse. ( )

Um, this would be four stars for a fundamentally sound romance/fantasy crossover, but it has to lose a star for the underage sexual violence. Essential to the plot, but I just can't endorse that. And she just kinda gets better, no real trauma, which doesn't seem right. Plus a half star for all the other creative, unusual stuff, but I'm rounding down to three.

And the cover really does have a ripped bodice, which is true to the story, though she would have been wearing lower class clothes at the time she was raped.

I'll keep a watch on Ms. Bernobich, because I read a short story set in the distant backstory of this world which was very good. ( )

At first I was really interested. Actually, I'm still interested because the story in an interesting one. However, I abhor every single character. The decision are ridiculous and they don't feel like real people. They feel like characters. You can feel Bernobich bending them to her will instead of it seeming like lived playing out. I had to stop several times to just laugh because what in the world were they thinking? The writing in terms of style wasn't too bad. If you don't mind terrible characters then this is a good book. ( )

The title and the cover are VERY misleading. This is not Urban Fantasy although there are elements. This is high fantasy. That being said it is not bad and I will probably read the next in the series. ( )

Ok, I started out absolutely loving this.
But then it did this thing where...okay--there are two main things that make books interesting, right? There is Plot, and there is Character.

And in a perfect world, both of these should be equally awesome, and you would have a book like, say, [b:The Sparrow|334176|The Sparrow|Mary Doria Russell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1230829367s/334176.jpg|3349153].

Or sometimes, one or the other is the main thing, so you might have a book that's all plot, e.g. [b:Beau Geste|997335|Beau Geste|P.C. Wren|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180098724s/997335.jpg|1666567], or one that's all character, e.g. [b:Weetzie Bat|44353|Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat, #1)|Francesca Lia Block|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255925289s/44353.jpg|946181].

And that's all well and good. The problem comes when a book (like this one) starts out as a Mostly Character book, and then switches over to Mostly Plot, and you're kind of left hanging and wondering what the hell all this political intrigue is about, and why you should care, and can we please hear more about Nadine? ( )