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Secret Sacrament Sherryl Jordan 9780689860454 Books

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Secret Sacrament Sherryl Jordan 9780689860454 Books

I doubt I will be able to write this review without sounding scathing and very harsh. I apologize, therefore, to all those that clearly seemed to adore this book. I wish I could have shared your enjoyment of it, but sadly, I did not.

My first impression of this book was that the writing seemed very simplistic, the characters rather shallow and the world poorly defined.

Gabriel is much too perfect. In fact, at times throughout the story, it felt like he was practically saint like. He is a marvelous healer, and treats every patient as though they were his most favorite grandmother. He is loved by all (the good guys, anyways) and barely seems to have a cross word to say to anyone. For this reason, I found him to be boring and shallow. His "faults" as they were, were cowardice and perhaps a lack of confidence in his own abilities. But in reality, these never really felt like faults as they never seemed to keep him from doing what must be done.

The rest of the "good guys" aren't much better, either. Gabriel's teachers all immediately embrace him, practically adopt him as their own son, and generally come across as ridiculous and unbelievable. Normal people, surely, do not react to people they meet in this way! There wasn't a single character in the Citadel that Gabriel seemed to have a conflict with, or even a slight difficulty getting along with. (There came a point in this story when I actually found myself comparing it to Harry Potter. Just like poor Harry Potter, Gabriel has to deal with an abusive family (in this case, Gabriel's father), until eventually he is chosen to go to a "special school", where he learns that he is special. Unlike Harry Potter, however, who has to work for the approval of his teachers and not everyone immediately assumes they should worship at his feet, Gabriel is almost immediately elevated to near prince-like status and adored by all. It really got a bit much for me, when at a point near the end of the book, one of Gabriel's "favorite" teaches refers to him as "Son of my heart". All very sickening, and even more so because we'd seen less than a few interactions between these characters(it was Gabriel's teacher of Healing through Dreams that called him this, I believe). We're just told they are close! Gah.)

The villains were shallow. I never got a real sense for why they did what they did. They were just evil and wanted power. I found them very boring.

Seriously, after I described this plot to my husband, he remarked "It sounds like the Care Bears!" And, seriously, it is! Everyone seems to cry and be moved to awe by things that you'd expect them to be used to by now. The world is portrayed as having a very in-depth knowledge of medical practices, and yet students and tutors alike seem to weep in wonder at a supposedly "simple" surgery.

The plot itself was rather weak. I liked the scenes between Gabriel and the Empress the best, and thought the story had most potential there(everything else I barely tolerated) but the author skipped so many of the meetings that were supposed to have occured between the Empress and Gabriel. She even skipped a meeting that actually had an effect on the plot. I found that to be very annoying.

The ending was a real let down for me. When all was said and done and Gabriel finally sent the Pledge Letter, all I could think was "Why on earth didn't you do this sooner? Why let so many die first?" I had wondered this as I read, but assumed there was some logical reason why Gabriel had not tried the Pledge Letter. When he did use it, I couldn't help thinking "What on earth were you waiting for all that time!?"

On the whole, none of the characters were likeable or interesting. I couldn't really get any sort of feeling for the world, or its many people. I found the plot boring and very unsatisfying. The "beginning" of the Prophecy came about in a very strange manner, and I had trouble believing in or having any respect for any of the characters after that.

There seemed to be a lot of logical flaws, and character motives were not very clear.

And did I mention everyone was just too nice? Really. I don't want to sound like I wanted them to hate everyone. But these people were scary nice! And everyone loved Gabriel just a bit too much. It made everything very laughable and unbelievable for me. By the time I got to the end of this book, I found it all so silly that I was calling the Novora "The Care Bears" and the Shinali "The Care Bear Cousins."

And speaking of the Shinali, I really didn't "get" them. They were supposed to be a nation, but I found it hard to accept that what must surely amount to no more than a few dozen people could actually be considered as a nation. Nor could I believe that they would be able to instigate some great change anytime soon. Not in Gabriel's lifetime, anyways. And I got the feeling that Gabriel was meant to be around when they were supposed to return to finish the prophecy.

This book didn't conclude things as well as I hoped. It leaves a lot still to happen. I don't know if that was intentional (perhaps to leave a sort of "there is hope" type of ending, or maybe there is a sequel or something) but I was not completely satisfied that so much was left "still to be done."


Tags : Secret Sacrament [Sherryl Jordan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Terrified, a young Navaron child watches helplessly from his hiding place as a young Shinili woman is brutally beaten and abused by a group of drunken Navaron men. Too frightened to answer her pleas for help,Sherryl Jordan,Secret Sacrament,Gardners Books,0689860455,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)

Secret Sacrament Sherryl Jordan 9780689860454 Books Reviews

This book is for a young adult audience. After being very impressed by Jordan's Raging Silence, I wanted to explore her other works. She says this is her favorite one, though I prefer the other. Both offer powerful characters in difficult situations that test their uncompromising honesty and unwavering moral justice. Raging Silence is an intensely personal story, while Secret Sacrament is an heroic one, with consequences that impact the entire society. This book tells the tale of Gabriel, a healer who becomes unavoidably entangled in a political coup. Out-maneuvered by the Empress's duplicitous advisors, he finds himself a fugitive, and must weigh the personal consequences of his surrender against the greater salvation of his people. There is little ambiguity of character or motivation here; the good characters are beyond reproach and the wicked are viciously evil in their sinister manipulations. It also examines the idea of the simple person, avoiding fame, who has greatness and destiny thrust upon them in the guise of the noble sacrifice. For me, this huge responsibility made it impossible to feel a visceral stake in the outcome, but that is not the determining factor of the book's worth. Jordan is a masterful writer, using simple eloquence for her story teller's magic. She is equally skilled at evoking vibrant characters, tangible settings, and forceful confrontations and conveying the serenity of blue sky on a warm autumn day, and the wistful memories carried by the scent of hay at harvest time.
With SECRET SACRAMENT, New Zealand teen fiction writer Sherryl Jordan adds richly to her fantasy oeuvre. In her convincingly realized world, two nations --- one powerful, one weak --- live side by side. One inhabits a vast empire; the other, a narrow strip of land. The Navorans are civilized (or so they think). The Shinali are traditional, living their lives as peaceful hunter-gatherers. Enter the unlikely hero, Gabriel Eshban Vala, toss in a prophecy and words like destiny, vows, and dreams, and you have the makings of a perfect fantasy --- a fantasy in which one man will bring about both destruction and rebirth.

Born the son of a wealthy merchant-mariner, Gabriel is to take over his father's thriving business one day. But when he witnesses a brutal act committed against a Shinali women, he is inextricably bound to a different destiny. Highly intuitive by nature, Gabriel is a born healer, a vocation he pursues despite his father's demands. His gift as a healer is finally legitimized when he is accepted into the Citadel, the most esteemed institution in the land. He is soon in league with the powerful of the empire, including Empress Petra herself, who comes to rely on his ability to interpret dreams. In gaining her favor, he makes powerful enemies and witnesses firsthand the corruption that is weakening the empire, rotting it from the inside out. Soon, he will be called upon to make a choice --- a choice that will threaten Navora, his beloved Shinali, and his very life. Who will prevail?

--- Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier
Very good read.
Terrible.
Just as I remembered it. Awesome 👏🏿
From the beginning this story instantly grabbed me. I got really interested in the way the story is wrapped around the supposed uniting of the continent/countries. There's backstabbing and other stuff that makes it beautiful. One of the most eye catching things for me however is, if you do read the foreword is the way a certain "part" is described with someone that the main character is very close to. It was described in a way that really opens your view to other worlds I suppose. The ending doesen't leave you hanging, but now that the sequel is out, I can't wait to read it and hopefully you too!
I doubt I will be able to write this review without sounding scathing and very harsh. I apologize, therefore, to all those that clearly seemed to adore this book. I wish I could have shared your enjoyment of it, but sadly, I did not.

My first impression of this book was that the writing seemed very simplistic, the characters rather shallow and the world poorly defined.

Gabriel is much too perfect. In fact, at times throughout the story, it felt like he was practically saint like. He is a marvelous healer, and treats every patient as though they were his most favorite grandmother. He is loved by all (the good guys, anyways) and barely seems to have a cross word to say to anyone. For this reason, I found him to be boring and shallow. His "faults" as they were, were cowardice and perhaps a lack of confidence in his own abilities. But in reality, these never really felt like faults as they never seemed to keep him from doing what must be done.

The rest of the "good guys" aren't much better, either. Gabriel's teachers all immediately embrace him, practically adopt him as their own son, and generally come across as ridiculous and unbelievable. Normal people, surely, do not react to people they meet in this way! There wasn't a single character in the Citadel that Gabriel seemed to have a conflict with, or even a slight difficulty getting along with. (There came a point in this story when I actually found myself comparing it to Harry Potter. Just like poor Harry Potter, Gabriel has to deal with an abusive family (in this case, Gabriel's father), until eventually he is chosen to go to a "special school", where he learns that he is special. Unlike Harry Potter, however, who has to work for the approval of his teachers and not everyone immediately assumes they should worship at his feet, Gabriel is almost immediately elevated to near prince-like status and adored by all. It really got a bit much for me, when at a point near the end of the book, one of Gabriel's "favorite" teaches refers to him as "Son of my heart". All very sickening, and even more so because we'd seen less than a few interactions between these characters(it was Gabriel's teacher of Healing through Dreams that called him this, I believe). We're just told they are close! Gah.)

The villains were shallow. I never got a real sense for why they did what they did. They were just evil and wanted power. I found them very boring.

Seriously, after I described this plot to my husband, he remarked "It sounds like the Care Bears!" And, seriously, it is! Everyone seems to cry and be moved to awe by things that you'd expect them to be used to by now. The world is portrayed as having a very in-depth knowledge of medical practices, and yet students and tutors alike seem to weep in wonder at a supposedly "simple" surgery.

The plot itself was rather weak. I liked the scenes between Gabriel and the Empress the best, and thought the story had most potential there(everything else I barely tolerated) but the author skipped so many of the meetings that were supposed to have occured between the Empress and Gabriel. She even skipped a meeting that actually had an effect on the plot. I found that to be very annoying.

The ending was a real let down for me. When all was said and done and Gabriel finally sent the Pledge Letter, all I could think was "Why on earth didn't you do this sooner? Why let so many die first?" I had wondered this as I read, but assumed there was some logical reason why Gabriel had not tried the Pledge Letter. When he did use it, I couldn't help thinking "What on earth were you waiting for all that time!?"

On the whole, none of the characters were likeable or interesting. I couldn't really get any sort of feeling for the world, or its many people. I found the plot boring and very unsatisfying. The "beginning" of the Prophecy came about in a very strange manner, and I had trouble believing in or having any respect for any of the characters after that.

There seemed to be a lot of logical flaws, and character motives were not very clear.

And did I mention everyone was just too nice? Really. I don't want to sound like I wanted them to hate everyone. But these people were scary nice! And everyone loved Gabriel just a bit too much. It made everything very laughable and unbelievable for me. By the time I got to the end of this book, I found it all so silly that I was calling the Novora "The Care Bears" and the Shinali "The Care Bear Cousins."

And speaking of the Shinali, I really didn't "get" them. They were supposed to be a nation, but I found it hard to accept that what must surely amount to no more than a few dozen people could actually be considered as a nation. Nor could I believe that they would be able to instigate some great change anytime soon. Not in Gabriel's lifetime, anyways. And I got the feeling that Gabriel was meant to be around when they were supposed to return to finish the prophecy.

This book didn't conclude things as well as I hoped. It leaves a lot still to happen. I don't know if that was intentional (perhaps to leave a sort of "there is hope" type of ending, or maybe there is a sequel or something) but I was not completely satisfied that so much was left "still to be done."