The Secrets of Jin-Shei

by Alma Alexander

Book Overview

The epic story of a sisterhood where blood relations are nothing compared to the unbreakable bond of the secret sisters -- the bond of Jin-Shei.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060750588
• ISBN13: 9780060750589
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 504 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Magical Change of Pace from Standard Fantasy Fare

This is a wonderful novel about a group of girls growing up in an alternate China. They are from different stations in life, from lowly orphan to Imperial heir, but each one is connected through the bond of Jin-Shei, an oath of sisterhood more binding than anything. Even an order from the emperor can be refused, but a request made in the name of Jin-Shei can not. Over the course of their lives, these girls and their Jin-Shei bonds will reshape the empire. At its heart, The Secrets of Jin-Shei is about the relationships between these Jin-Shei sisters. The conflicts and fears, the betrayals and redemptions. While the plot is engaging, it's not an action-oriented novel. The beginning chapters felt almost leisurely as we were introduced to Tai and her companions. The magical element doesn't appear until about halfway through the book. If you're looking for explosions by page three, this may not be the book for you. For myself, I was hooked. There's an epic feel to the story, which spans an entire generation. (Or more, if you include the final chapter.) I cared about the characters, who were all too human. While some of the women choose darker paths, Alexander keeps them believable. Even as you grieve for the inevitable consequences, you understand why they made their choices. The resolution isn't entirely happy, but it feels true, which is far more important. While The Secrets of Jin-Shei may not appeal to everyone, it's a magical, masterful novel, one of the few I'll probably come back and re-read.

Brilliant !

This was such a fantastic read for me. From the very first page, I was hooked; Alexander's prose is poetical and evocative of a magical place and time. The story follows a group of young girls, all different in age, as they grow up into adulthood. These girls are all from different social classes and positions in their society; medieval China. However, they are also linked - through jin-shei. Jin-shei is a secret society of women, bound to each other not by blood but by loyalty that makes them sisters of the heart. This special bond may mean that they merely share their secrets in life, their passions, and their upsets, just as any close friends do. However, their loyalty may be tested in harder ways and a favour asked in the name of jin-shei cannot be ignored. As the girls pass into adulthood and they begin to find their place in the world, this bond begins to be tested as one of their number becomes the Dragon Empress. In her new place of power she lusts after complete control of her state. But the loyalties of her jin-shei sisters is really put to the test when she beigns to lust after the impossible; immortality. Suddenly, their seemingly idyllic world is a place of intrigue, treason, gossip and many dangers. Will the jin-shei group survive? This book is fantastic for those people who enjoy complete new worlds where they can escape into for a while. There are essences of religion and philosophy, magic (dark and good), love and hate, and tragedy. It is a complex book as it follows quite a few characters. However, all the characters seemed very real to me, each one had personalities which had good and weaker sides. I really enjoyed this book, it is magical. . .

Fascinating tale of eight women's lives

Alma Alexander (real name Alma Hromic Deckert, and shame on Harper Collins for not thinking people would buy a book written by someone with that name) has combined intensive research into Chinese history with a fantasy tale of eight young women whose lives become intertwined through the bonds of Jin Shei, a voluntary sisterhood with its own language and rules. In the real China, women have for generations developed their own secret societies with their own writing, since women were not allowed to learn the "male" languages. Only recently have Western researchers discovered these secret societies and their women's language, which is in danger now of disappearing along with thousands of other languages and cultures in this ever-more-homogenized world. This discovery set Alma Alexander off into a what-if world of Jin Shei sisters from highly diverse backgrounds whose lives could not possibly become so complex and dependent on each other and their voluntary sisterhood. Chinese empires rise and fall with the machinations of these women and their secrets and those who would manipulate and use them. This is a novel of epic proportions and rewards.

MORE than pleasantly surprised ...

Having looked at the novel's plot and read some of the other books the author has published under another name, I thought I knew what to expect: A diverting novel, sweeping in scope, with deeply examined emotions. You know, a good book. Possibly heavy on the chick-itude.Upon entering JIN-SHEI (note the choice of words; it's less like beginning a book than falling into its world), however, I was blown away. Yes, it's sweeping. Yes, characters are given to the deepest of emotions. And yes; the main characters are women. But the book is so very well-constructed that the characters become real; are drawn with such verisimilitude that they become as friends to the reader.As for the chick-itude? Well, on the occasions when I read fantasy, I go for the darker stuff: The Harlan Ellison-blow-your-scalp-off stuff. And though I can appreciate the talent of, say, an Amy Tan, it's not my thing. JIN-SHEI, however, I find, IS my thing; I simply could not put it down--and in fact could not sleep until I had finished it.Even one of my best friends, whose taste in fantasy is more given to the Thud-and-Blunder school, read it in a shot and was similarly taken by the book.Though by a woman, and ABOUT women, THE SECRET OF JIN-SHEI is a book for ALL readers who appreciate a good story well-told, be they male, female, or whatever else is possible.This is writing at its finest.Wait--did I say "writing"? Scratch that. This is WEAVING--of a tapestry so rich and defined, you cannot help but be ensnared by its threads.

splendidly engrossing

A fully realized alternate China, with a large cast of varied characters and intriguing plot(s) with sufficient momentum to keep me up late. Very satisfying read. Even the apparently tossed off moments of atmosphere turn out to mean something important to the later story. Well done.