The Truth-Teller's Tale (Safe Keepers Series #2) by Sharon Shinn

From the Publisher

Innkeeper's daughters Adele and Eleda are "mirror twins"—identical twins whose looks are reflections of each other's—and their special talents are like mirrors, too. Adele is a Safe-Keeper, entrusted with hearing and never revealing others' secrets; Eleda is a Truth-Teller, who cannot tell a lie when asked a direct question. The town of Merendon relies on the twins, no one more than their best friend, Roelynn Karro, whose strict, wealthy father is determined to marry her off to the prince. When the girls are seventeen, a handsome dancing-master and his apprentice come to stay at the inn, and thus begins a chain of romance, mistaken identity, and some very surprising truths and falsehoods.

Cassie Carland, Teen Reviewer - VOYA

The book gives a watery version of the ups and downs of a pair of twin sisters' lives until readers come to Part Two, when things become considerably more interesting, with suspense and surprises. I wish that the surprises were spaced evenly throughout the book, instead of all in a few pages. A bit of an epilogue would have been nice as well. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Viking, 256p., Ages 11 to 15.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Teen readers will be captivated by this medieval tale. Eleda and Adele, mirror twins, discover that they are a Truth-Teller and a Safe-Keeper, respectively. Truth-Tellers are incapable of telling lies and recognize when others are lying, so society relies on their unwavering trustworthiness. Safe-Keepers cannot reveal what is told to them in confidence, and they bear the burden of people's confessions. The sisters do not realize the ramifications of their gifts until their teen years, when romantic and political intrigue abounds, and situations become more adult. Their friend Roelynn, whose wealthy merchant father intends to marry her off to the prince, sows plenty of wild oats behind her father's back. She often drags the sisters into the fray, and the summer they are all 17, a chain of events is set into motion that changes their lives. Astute readers may predict the ending, but they will enjoy it nonetheless. Though at its base the story is in some ways a stereotypical teen romance, the author's use of language and her writing style elevate this novel. Shinn has a beautiful turn of phrase and a knack for writing a sentence that will stop readers in their tracks. The plot is episodic-incidents generally revolve around the town celebrations of either Wintermoon or Summermoon-but these festivals provide a reason for various characters to come and go from the inn that the girls' parents run. Fans of romances or mystical stories will revel in this offering.-Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Readers return to the imaginative medieval realm of Truth-Tellers, Safe-Keepers and Dream-Makers in this entertaining sequel to Shinn's The Safe-Keeper's Secret (2004). The story takes place in Merendon, a large port city, and is told from the point of view of Eleda, a young Truth-Teller who is often sought out to give frank, fair-minded opinions. Her identical "mirror twin" Adele is a Safe-Keeper who listens and hides secrets. Daughters of nurturing innkeepers, the plot thickens when they are sometimes mistaken for one another. When their best friend Roelynn secretly falls in love with the visiting dancing-master's apprentice, possibly thwarting her wealthy merchant father's determination that she marry the prince, romantic mayhem results. Romance reigns for all in this engaging page-turner of mistaken identity and a seemingly unfathomable reordering of the natural state of affairs. While Shinn's depiction of this fantasy world 20 years later doesn't have the spiritual underpinnings and complexity of the first, and some of the subject matter may be more appropriate for older teens, she has once again created a captivating tale. (Fantasy. 12+)

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents