Name: Troubled Waters
ISBN: 9780441019236

Sharon Shinn

National bestselling author Sharon Shinn introduces a rich new fantasy world, one in which people believe that five essential elements rule all things and guide their lives.

Troubled Waters

Zoe Ardelay, chosen to become the king's fifth wife, is a coru prime ruled by the elemental sign of water and, after unlocking the secrets of the royal family, she must decide how to use her power to rise above the intrigue of the court.

Nora 

Great traditional fantasy novel, with a pretty likable heroine. Not the most original plot, but Shinn is very talented in her world building. She knows how to really make you feel immersed in the cultural norms and values of each society, and how that dictates the characters behaviors. Zoe is a decently likable girl, while nicely enough Shinn strays away from the black and white, good vs. evil characters, as everyone justifies their behavior in terms of what they believe is good. People are complicated and all have flaws, which she shows especially with Navarr, Zoe's father. I admired how she didn't let the romance at the end of the novel completely overshadow the development of Zoe. Though I have to say (this is an assumption) that Shinn's personal religious beliefs most certainly made them very visible throughout the story, not to say anything against them. But I always feel hesitant when an author trying to prove a certain righteousness of their belief to reader through a certain story.