Okay, I'm saying that a bit tongue-in-cheek (relax, my tongue in my cheek), but there are, indeed, times when things get engorged and throbbing and things other than swords get sheathed... or not... and whether the story is following a captain of the guard, an assassin, or a queen, you're more than likely to find yourself heading to or from a whorehouse. If you're not expecting this, it can be a bit awkward, so I wanted to go ahead and make mention of it, because the book won't let you go very far without leading you back to sex in some form.
The sexual themes in The Amber Crown do run the gamut, however, from lesbian lovers to warriors who have eschewed sex and gender, and from casual sex among traveling companions to more devoted relationships with prostitutes, and from murderous and torturous raping of children to pregnancy, childbirth, and the loving and nurturing love of a mother for her newborn child. There are some graphic scenes within, but most of the sex is described in a paragraph or two and, as such, no specific sexual encounter necessarily feels like it is the focus of the action. That, at least, is good, as this really is supposed to be Epic Fantasy and not a romance novel.
The story in The Amber Crown is told in different perspectives as the chapters proceed, typically changing to the point of view of a different character with each new chapter. We get our views through the eyes of three very different characters: Valdas Zalecki, the (ex-)Captain of the High Guard in Biela Miasto, the city that serves as the seat of the Amber Crown; Lind, a deadly assassin and expert in disguise who just so happened to have accepted and successfully carried out the assassination of King Konstantyn, the king of Zavonia, whom Valdas was dutifully sworn to protect; and Mirza, the shulam (a healer/witch) of a traveling tribe of landstriders who can travel to the spirit world and is duty-bound to help the living and the dead and, through a strange set of circumstances, finds herself obligated to fulfill the last wish of the (newly) late King Konstantyn, to find his queen and unborn child and to see that they inherit his kingdom. And so our story is set in motion...
With the good King Konstantyn having suffered an untimely demise, his cousin, King Gerhard, takes the throne, kills the High Guard as traitors or, worse, failures, and begins affecting new foreign policy... all very quickly. Too quickly... leading our heroes to suspect that he's behind the assassination. But, how does one find proof of wrong-doing from a royal? And how can Valdas hold the new king accountable, even if he manages to find undeniable proof... especially when Valdas, himself, is accused of being the assassin and is being hunted by all of King Gerhard's men?
The quest will inspire very odd bedfellows, indeed, as Valdas, Mirza and even Lind end up working together along with some trusted friends and acquaintances to determine who is behind King Konstantyn's assassination, find the missing queen and her newborn child, and to seek to right the wrong and put the child safely on the throne.
I've always said that in order to have interesting characters, you take something commonplace or even a "trope" and change it slightly, in an unexpected way. The interest comes from seeing just how that change affects the character. In The Amber Crown, Valdas Zalecki is the Captain of the king's High Guard; a great soldier and a great leader. But when he's not thinking of how to keep the king safe, he's thinking from below the belt, loving all women, in general, and as many as possible more intimately, when he can. Lind is an assassin, but his actions were ordered by someone else; it's just a job for him. Furthermore, Jacey Bedford slowly reveals more of Lind's background throughout the book, revealing a tragic background and noble tendencies that could have you pulling for him, at least a bit, as you read through the story.
Despite the sexual content, I found The Amber Crown to be an enjoyable read; Jacey does a good job of creating interesting characters, her descriptions paint pictures in the mind, and most of the described encounters between characters feel realistic. Additionally, The Amber Crown presents a story that feels complete and well-resolved by the end, presenting a tale of Epic Fantasy that is completely contained within a single book.
Except... upon reflection of the end of the book, I have to wonder whether the threat to Zavonia has truly passed and whether the evil is truly gone. I've not heard of any plans to continue the story, but I certainly see how it could be continued. If you're not the type to blush at sexual content, I invite you to read The Amber Crown and determine for yourself whether you think that all is, in fact, all rosy for Zavonia.
