rachelmanija | Troubled Waters, by Sharon Shinn

Zoe Ardelay and her father have lived in exile in a small village since he, a former courtier, had an argument with the king. At the opening of the book, her father has just died of natural causes. Then Darien, the king's advisor, shows up and announces that Zoe has been chosen as the king's fifth wife. Zoe, immersed in the drifting, passive phase of grief, sets out with him for the capital city she hasn't seen since she was a child. The story does not go in any of the expected directions after that, starting with the conveyance they use to get there: a new invention, a gas-powered automobile.

This small-scale fantasy is the first of five "Elemental Blessings" books, but stands alone. It does end up involving the politics and rulership of a country, but it's mostly the story of one woman, how her life changes after her father dies, and the relationships she has with the people she meets. It's got great characters and relationships, focuses on small but meaningful moments in a very pleasing manner, and has outstandingly original worldbuilding. Most of it is not set in court, and involves ordinary poor and middle-class people and settings. The vibe is reminiscent of early Robin McKinley.

Welce, the country it's set in, has two aspects which are crucial to both plot and character, and are interestingly intertwined. They may seem complicated when I explain them, but they're extremely easy to follow and remember in the actual book.

The first aspect is a system of elemental beliefs and magic, similar to a zodiac. The elements are water, air, fire, earth, and wood. Every person in the country is associated with one of those elements, which is linked with personality characteristics, aptitudes, aspects of the human body, and, occasionally, magic. This is all very detailed and cool - for instance, water is associated with blood, wood with bone, and so forth. We've all seen elemental systems before, but Shinn's is exceptionally well-done. The way the elemental system is entwined with everyday life is outstanding.

How do people know which element is theirs? Here's where we get to the second system, which I have never come across before. Temples, which are not dedicated to Gods but to the five elements, have barrels of blessings - coins marked with symbols representing blessings like intelligence, change, courage, joy, and so forth. Each blessing is associated with an element. People randomly pull coins for both very important and small occasions, to get a hint of what way they should take or, upon the birth of a child, to get three blessings that the child will keep for life. The blessings a child gets may or may not show their element - if they don't, it becomes clear over time based on personality.

The blessings are clearly genuinely magical and real, but often in subtle ways. I loved the blessings and the way they work into the story is incredibly cool. Same with the elements. Zoe's element is water, and her entire plot has a meandering quality which actually does feel like a water-plot, based on the qualities ascribed to water in the book.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes small-scale, character-based fantasy AND to anyone who likes cool magic systems or worldbuilding. It's not quite a cozy fantasy but it has a lot of cozy aspects. I can see myself re-reading this often.

There are five books, one for each element. I've since read the second book, Royal Airs. It's charming and enjoyable (and involves primitive airplanes, always a bonus) but doesn't quite have the same lightning in a bottle quality of Troubled Waters.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Date: 2025-08-12 08:11 pm (UTC)

From:

osprey_archer

no subject

This sounds fantastic. I really liked Shinn's Summers at Castle Auburn when I read it - looking it up now, I'm surprised to realize that it must have been a new book at the time, because I remember feeling that it was older, in the good sense that older books can feel quite alien to the present day even above and beyond the fact that it was a fantasy novel with, you know, fairies and things.

But it's related to this in that it was also a largely small-scale intimate fantasy, despite being set at court, subtly imbued with magic that was definitely real but not at all flashy.

Date: 2025-08-12 08:30 pm (UTC)

rachelmanija

I need to read that one. It sounds great - and similar in mood to this one.

Date: 2025-08-12 08:26 pm (UTC)

silverflight8

I read all 5 and yes, the first book is my favourite. I just love the two of them! I love Zoe's river powers! The part where she is floating dreamlike down the river, having discovered her power...phew.

I liked the series so much I created the blessings, too. They're just fake-calligraphed onto wooden discs and I pull them sometimes for fun, though of course, they're not neatly plot-relevant like they are in the book XD

Date: 2025-08-12 08:31 pm (UTC)

I love that.

Oh yes, I love her floating down the river. And all the little moments, like the frantic father of twins enlisting her to get blessings for them. Or the shoe-making couple trying to set her up with their son, and her discovering that he's got a boyfriend.

Date: 2025-08-12 08:56 pm (UTC)

Yesss to all of this. And also the mixed feelings she has for her dad, I love that there's so much complexity there. She loved him and he was her world and he also absolutely messed the fuck out of her life and cut her off from her family who could've helped her and everything. It's so good!!