Sea of Sorrows by Michelle West
Sea of Sorrows kicks off pretty soon after the end of The Shining Court, with both Jewel and Diora having joined with the Voyani, a nomadic race seeking to cross the Sea of Sorrows-a desert- to find the Lost Cities of Man.
Like the other Sun Sword books, this is pretty dense, and covers a lot of characters and plotlines. Honestly, I’m not sure how two more books will be able to wrap everything up, even though I think they’re both 800-plus page books. Much of this book was devoted to developing the Voyani, and Jewel and Diora establishing relationships there. I love how both women seem to automatically draw people to them. With Jewel it tends to largely be a case of “You! You are in trouble/lonely/friendless/without family/need help. I’m adopting you.” and it works out for the best. With Diora, it’s more like her dignity and presence draw people to her like a moth to a flame (I’m so cliché…) even if neither wants it. I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever encountered a character with as much dignity and presence as Diora has. At one point, a comment is made that the Voyani men didn’t approach her because they knew she wouldn’t condescend to have sex with any of them. I can’t help but think that, at this point, that same thing would ward off even those who normally wouldn’t take disinterest as their cue.
It’s also interesting seeing how they react to others, and how they do-or don’t-want relationships. Jewel, it seems, almost can’t live without ties to people. Everywhere she goes, she’s looking for people to bring into her family. She’s like a force of nature that collects everything in its path. Honestly, I think half the reason she’s always clashed with Avandar is that he isn’t the “join the family” sort. The other half being that they have rather different ideas regarding propriety and rules. Diora, however, has only ever been hurt-to the point where almost anyone else would be destroyed-by letting people close, because caring and loss and endlessly intertwined in her life, so each person that comes close is just another chance at loss, and usually results in loss. This makes her clash-and overall relationship-with Margret, the Matriarch of the Voyani, all the more interesting, especially when it comes to clashing over how best to care for your people, because Diora has only ever been able to honor memories.
Incidentally, I love that the Voyani is a matriarchal society, and that it’s stated that part of the reason for that is that while there can always be doubt with paternity, there can never be doubt with maternity. It’s always struck me as rather silly that bloodlines are usually (in both reality and fiction) based on being passed down through men. If a man sleeps with two women, he could get either one pregnant. If a woman sleeps with two men, either one could get her pregnant. Therefore, if you never want to have doubts about the bloodline, the focus should be on the female heirs, not the males.
We also check in with Jewel’s den in Averalaan, and see how they cope without her, and see how Kiriel is doing off in the big bad world. I find that, while I’m interested in seeing where Kiriel’s storyline will end up, I’m not as interested in following her as a character unless she’s following Jewel. The same is true with Valedan. I’m interested in his role in the endgame, but not as much so in his proving himself as the rightful ruler of his people.