Joelene Reviews: Andrea Cremer's - "Rift"

Sixteen year old Ember has never fitted in. As a daughter to a Scottish lord she is expected to fulfil her duties to her family through an advantageous marriage; but prefers being outside than in and would rather wield a sword than a needle. She has only one chance to escape the life her father is trying to make for her. As an infant she was pledged to the ancient and mysterious order of Conatus in exchange for the life of her mother. Old enough to leave her home now, Alistair her childhood friend, who has since joined the order, arrives with the intimidatingly attractive Barrow to collect her.

Once at Conatus, Ember may take the path of the warrior as she has always wanted. She never expected that Barrow, one of the strongest warriors in the guard, would choose her to train under him. Nor did she anticipate the way he would make her feel. Trouble is brewing though; and the world holds more evil than Ember could possibly have imagined. She and her fellow guards will need all of their resources to survive the coming war.

The premise behind Rift by Andrea Cremer is an interesting one. Set in 1404, it follows the story of a girl who doesn’t want to resign herself to the only duties known to noble women in that age. Ember is by nature active and curious; not happy to be confined to a building or carriage, but wanting to experience as much of the world around her as she can.

Conatus too, with enough dimension to be considered a character in its own right, is a compelling concept. A faction divided into three groups, scholars, warriors and craftspeople, working towards the common goal of eradicating supernatural monsters. There is enough mystery to the order to keep it intriguing throughout the novel; but politics add to the tensions already present. In order for Conatus to do the work that it needs to, it operates under the protection of the church. With that protection comes great threat, should the true nature of Conatus ever emerge. In many ways the political story of Conatus overshadows Ember’s tale. It was so much sturdier and more ancient that her and, as a newcomer with no idea of the power struggles within and without her new home, she was often an incidental player to the overall plot-arc.

While the world that comes to life within the pages of Rift is a brilliant concept; the main character doesn’t quite stand up to it. Cremer evidently wanted to write a strong, medieval young woman, but giving her warrior traits didn’t achieve the goal. Ember is incredibly gifted when it comes to fighting and horse-riding. Mentally, however, she accepts situations at face-value, never questioning the goals of those at Conatus though she is not sure that her church (or God) would ordain them. She is also cut off from the other women in the novel. Despite two incredibly strong women leading the Guard at Conatus and one woman being within its ranks, Ember never makes friends with any of them. The only time that the other female guard spends time alone with Ember is to do the ‘girly’ things that Barrow can’t; like teaching her to bind her breasts or helping her dress. It leaves me with the impression that Ember places value on the men rather than the women around her.

Rift is very much a love story at its core. The relationships between Ember and Barrow is every bit as tentative and lovely as it should be considering that neither character wants to find love. Rather than a sudden and inexplicably strong passion, Cremer lets her characters grow and bloom until the reader can see why the attraction is there. Initially Barrow is reserved to the point of being stuffy, but as the novel progresses we get glimpses of his humorous and more carefree side and begin to understand what Ember sees in him.

Ultimately Rift is the book to curl up with when in the mood for something light and romantic. The characters are a pleasure to get to know and the old-world atmosphere within these pages is luxuriously friendly. Cremer has left the ending wide-open and there are a myriad of options to be explored in the next instalment. But for now I’m going to have to wait and see which path she takes.

Rift – Andrea Cremer

Atom Books (August 7, 2012)

ISBN: 9781907411731