Published: November 2, 2021
Publisher: DAW Books
Series: Maradaine Sequence
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 400 (Paperback)
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
Moving outside the city of Maradaine, this new novel follows a lone member of the Maradaine Constabulary as she navigates a new but just as dangerous city.
Sergeant Corrie Welling–the young constabulary officer from Maradaine–has been abducted and confined on a ship bound for distant shores, where her captors have nefarious plans for her. With fortune and ingenuity, Corrie escapes, but finds herself stuck in a sprawling metropolis on the other side of the world: The Mocassa.
The Mocassa is a test unlike anything Corrie has ever faced. She doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t know the culture, and is forbidden from leaving the city until she pays off a colossal debt. Even if she’s able to find decent work, it will take her years to settle her accounts and get home.
But Corrie Welling will not be cowed. She will work, fight, and hold her chin high. As a fringe faction of an apocalyptic faith spreads throughout the city, threatening the new friends she’s sworn to protect, she’ll continue to stand up for the values instilled in her as a member of the Maradaine Constabulary. Even if, as her darkest day approaches, she has to do it alone.
I did not realize how much I was missing the world of Maradaine until returning to it! An Unintended Voyage is a standalone book that takes us far outside of the city of Maradaine to lands unknown (at least beyond passing mentions) and stars none other than Corrie Welling. Corrie was kidnapped and put on a slave ship with a literal boat load of children in one of the books in the first Maradaine arc, so I’m glad we’ve returned to her tale. This was a great way to wrap up that loose end AND introduce not only some new locales, but also quite a few wonderful new characters!
As I mentioned, Corrie was put on a slave ship to who knows where and that’s exactly where the story begins. She is determined to escape, but her timing was quite poor because a storm sank her ship and she and the lone surviving child were picked up and taken to a city called Mocassa. Thanks to a nasty bit of trickery and the problem of a language barrier, she and Eana have their debts sold off and must work to repay them before they can return to Maradaine. Much of the book focuses on Corrie trying to find her way in this new, foreign city. It sounds quite glum when you write it out like that, but it was actually a story filled with hope and new friendships alongside the hardships.
The new characters introduced are a varied cast, ranging from an exiled noble studying medicine, to an indebted sea-queen, to a sect of religious extremists trying to take over the city. Speaking of that… ultimately, the extremists going around bullying folks and causing a ruckus at the university are the big bad guys of the book. Corrie being the law enforcer and generally decent person that she is can’t simply stand aside and allow these people to push others around and exert their will over the citizenry. This situation affords Corrie the opportunity for some great character growth and lets the reader get to know her much better.
This was an outstanding entry into the Maradaine universe, though I admit I was a little skeptical about how much I’d enjoy this. I’m not crazy about the cover, though it aptly goes along with elements of the story, and I was hesitant to be excited about a story I thought would be rather bleak given Corrie’s situation. Boy, am I glad I picked it up anyway because I was thoroughly hooked from the start and can’t wait to see how Corrie, Eana, and maybe some of the others are introduced (hopefully) in the second story arc!
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