The House of the Four Winds: Book One of One Dozen Daughters

The first time I had a look at the cover of Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory’s The House of the Four Winds, I thought it wasn’t my sort of book. I mean, I read seafaring and swashbuckling tales with relish in my younger years, but it’s not my usual cup of tea these days. Then the kind folks at Tor sent over a note about its release, and I always try to give my email an honest read before answering it, so I did more than skim the description. Lo and behold, this was a fantasy (I should have known – Lackey and all!), with a cross-dressing princess of a heroine, and the blurb promised ROMANCE. Well, who was I to say no to that?! It sounded like good fun.

Clarice is the oldest of an enormous brood of daughters (and one son) born to the ruler of a tiny principality in the mountains. Her parents can’t afford dowries for their daughters without beggaring their kingdom, so each daughter is expected to go off and seek her fortune. Clarice is determined to ply her trade as a swordsmaster, but she must earn a reputation first, and that requires travel. Disguising herself as “Clarence Swann,” she takes passage on a merchant vessel bound for the New World, and quickly becomes fast friends with the ship’s navigator, Dominick. When sinister events and adventures threaten her life, Clarice/Clarence must use all of her resources (and rely on her heart) to come through the storm.

The first thing you should know about The House of the Four Winds is that my first judgment after a 5-second perusal of the cover art did not fail me. It’s 90% about life on a boat filled with men, plus some violence. The other 10% of the book is split between Clarice’s (somewhat boring) backstory and a magical mystery at the very end of the book. The second thing you should know is that this book didn’t do anything for me. I generally like Mercedes Lackey’s books (see: Elemental Masters series), but I didn’t like another co-written book of hers, so perhaps that is to blame. The third thing? The official summary contains ALL OF THE SPOILERS. *le sigh*

Shall I catalog my disappointments? The sooner I do, the sooner I can dwell on this book’s good points (and ideal readers). Number one: lack of female characters. Clarice’s female-heavy family not-withstanding (and they really are off-stage, as she leaves them immediately), the female characters present in the story are: Clarice, a virtuous white woman who is determined to look, think and act like a man at all times, and Shamal, a non-white seductive evil sorceress. Commentary: depressingly obvious. Number two: believability. Clarice’s sex is NEVER discovered on a ship, over weeks worth of time. She is also an incredibly wise (but naïve in all the ways that count!) eighteen year old with no faults to speak of. Excuse me while I laugh my head off over here in the corner.

Number three (and this may well be my biggest disappointment): what love story?! I was promised a magical romp heavy on romance! It’s all very much ship life, and officer/crew heierarchy, what-are-we-going-to-do-about-the-pirates?! until the last second. And then the "romance" is lightly sprinkled on at the very end. UNSATISFACTORY. Also, only one swordfight worth mentioning. Travesty, I tell you!

Finally, the worldbuilding was spotty. The magical system isn’t given any depth or character, the main characters (except the villain) don’t do any magic themselves, and the whole thing feels like a big cliché. It would be one thing if there was a bit of humor to lighten the tone of the story and turn it into a romp (I suppose I wouldn’t mind weak worldbuilding so much then), but there’s not. Instead, there’s death, tragedy, uncertainty, and a lot of loose ends.

So, who WOULD enjoy this book, and/or what were its good points? I’d say anyone who picked it up for the cover won’t be disappointed. There’s a lot of sailing and pirating involved. Clarice’s introduction to the nuances of shipboard life brought Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Jean Lee Latham’s Carry On, Mr. Bowditch to mind. I also think fans of The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will find much of the familiar in this tale. What I mean is, it’s clichéd, and it wasn’t for me, but I can see how it would be fun reading if you want a sea adventure and don’t mind a fantasy without much magic. It is also a good candidate for a YA crossover title, as the romance is quite clean and the heroine has just turned eighteen.

All in all? The book’s cross-dressing heroine and promise of romance did not fulfill my expectations, but the story will likely please others.

Recommended for: anyone who has been searching for The Pirates of the Caribbean in book form.

This is billed as “Book One of One Dozen Daughters,” which rather implies it’s the beginning of a 12-book series, unless some of the later books include more than one of the daughters of the Duke of Swansgaarde. It seems that the Duke (who’s the ruler of the duchy, not subordinate to a king) and duchess had given birth to twelve daughters before they finally achieved a son—necessary because daughters are ineligible to inherit the title. And Swansgaarde is a small and not very wealthy realm; providing dowries for all the daughters would virtually bankrupt it. So he and the duchess convene their daughters, ranging in age from 18-year-old Clarice to 6-year-old Damaris. They’ve all been trained in practical arts of various sorts appropriate to their ages, and the duke has decided that as each of them passes her 18th birthday she will be given a reasonable grubstake and sent out into the world to make her way. Clarice is the eldest, and so the rest of this book is from her POV as she travels to the empire of Lochrin-Albion (a thinly disguised Britain) and takes ship for the New World, where she hopes to make a reputation as a swordsmistress and then set up a salon where she can make a living teaching swordsmanship (that being her particular specialty). Of course, she disguises herself as a youth for convenience in traveling. But the captain of the ship turns out to be a pirate, and intends to murder most of the crew on his way to a magically-concealed island in that world’s Caribbean. And many adventures, with considerable magic, ensue before the thrilling climax. An excellent start; I look forward to further installments of this series.

Interesting, but not up to my expectations for a Lackey and Mallory collaboration. I expected this to be as Great as their other books, but it was not. This will teach me to read a sample first and to stick to Kindle books, since they are cheaper.

"The sea is its own nation."

The House of the Four Winds delighted me! I LOVED everything about this book: its plot, the LOVELY characters, the setting, and the absolutely AMAZING writing!

The plot captured me from the beginning. Eleven sisters who are all princesses, and one baby brother, the crown prince! I CANNOT WAIT to read more of these sister's adventures!!! This is the story of the eldest sister's adventures - and it does not disappoint! I love Clarice and all her adventures!!! So many things happen! Sooo many adventures!!!

"The law of the sea is harsh and unforgiving."

The characters included princesses, sailors, pirates, sorceresses, and friends! I absolutely LOVE Clarice and Dominick and the crew of the Asesino - Kayin, Geordie, Dickon, Dr. Chapman! Going through so many adventures together forges a strong bond and friendship, and I loved watching it grow! ... And then the sweet romance!!

"Clarice concentrated on taking deep breaths. Men did not burst into tears, no matter how terrible the tragedy."

The setting was AMAZING - it was like having a Pirates of the Caribbean movie playing in your head (and then towards the end, Titanic)! I loved reading about life on the sea, and the authors really made it vivid and authentic!

"The sea is a thousand roads, and none."

The writing was nothing short of beautiful! It flowed so smoothly!! This story was EPIC and I LOVED it so much!!! 5 STARS

I love Lackey but I didn't love this. It's really silly!

Reminiscent of Sherwood Smith's Dobrenica books (which you will also love!), Princess Clarice leaves home on her eighteenth birthday on an adventure to see her fortune not as herself but rather as Clarence Swann, because the sword is her best skill. And as a young man, no one would question her obvious talent as a swordsmaster.

Fate finds her as the only passenger on a working ship with a terrible master who takes his own sightings and a Guild navigator who is only there because the ship's cargo could not be insured otherwise. Early in the voyage the crew is driven to mutiny and the evil captain is about to kill the hapless Guild navigator when Clarice intervenes unexpectedly and saves the young man's life by killing the captain.

And that's only the beginning! This is a fine swashbuckling tale of swords, sorcery, pirates, and high adventure!

The best part is that Clarice has eleven more sisters who will each, in turn, set out on their own the day that they turn eighteen and I can't wait to read the next princess's tale!

The House of the Four Winds (2014) is the first Fantasy novel in the One Dozen Daughters series. It is set in an alternate world where magic exists as a science.

In this novel, Clarice Eugenie Victoria Amalthea Melusine is the oldest of twelve daughters of the Duke of Swansgaarde. Her mother has recently birthed a boy, who will inherit the Duchy. Clarice has just turned eighteen and is now free to seek her own fortune.

Sprunt is the hired captain of the Asesino, a merchant brig. He has a reputation for luck. He has several associates who go with him on his voyages on different ships.

Dominik Moryet is the navigator on the Asesino. He has never before sailed with Sprunt.

Foster is the quartermaster on the Asesino. He has often sailed with Sprunt.

Freeman Lee is the first mate on the the Asesino. He is one of Sprunt's associates.

Dobbs is a minister in the New Church. He has accompanied Sprunt as the chaplain on the Asesino.

Emmet Emerson is the cook on the Asesino. This is his first voyage with Sprunt.

Jerrold is the cook's helper on the Asesino. He is young, willing and ambitious.

Chapman is the surgeon on the Asesino. He is a former Navy surgeon.

David is the cabin boy on the Asesino. He is about eight years old.

In this story, Clarice travels under the identity of Clarence Swann, a young gentleman. She journeys to Lochrin, the capital of the Lochrin-Albion Empire. She has been observing the docks on the Temese river for a few months.

She decides to sail to the New World. There should be many adventures on the new continent. She learns that three ships will be sailing on tomorrow morning's tide. The first two do not have room for a last minute passenger.

The last ship is the Asesino. She finds Captain Sprunt in the Mandrake. It is a cut below the Mermaid's Locker where she had found the other two captains.

Captain Sprunt does not look like a prosperous ship captain, but he is quite willing to make room for a young gentleman. Clarice agrees to pay him a half angel before the ship leave the dock and the rest at the destination. The first port of call is Cibolo in the Hispalides.

Dominik suggest that she come aboard the day before the ship sails. Clarice meets Foster are the gangplank and her lets her onboard. He tells a sailor to help with her luggage.

The next morning, Clarice wakes in the early morning. She dresses and goes out to see the ship. Dominik tells her that breakfast was much earlier, but suggests that she asks the cook for something to tide her over. Emerson tells Jerrold to give her a piece of bread and a tankard of ale.

The Asesino is towed out on the river and then sets a few sails to steer her way down the Temese. When Clarice asks about seasickness, the sailors laugh and say to wait until they reach the ocean. Dominik has no duties until they put to sea, so he acts as her guide to the ship and shore as they glide downstream.

Dominik takes up his duties after the ship travels through the river and channel to the open sea. Sprunt is a former navigator, so Dominik has minimal duties. He take sun and stars sightings on the way, but Sprunt take his own sightings and records the course.

At the first supper after leaving the channel, the officers and passenger dine at the Captain's table. Lee trips David and the boy drop a pitcher of ale. Sprunt calls him up on charges.

David is flogged at the next Captain's Mast. He gets ten lashes by Lee. Chapman cleans the wounds as best he can with Clarice's assistance. But David gets infected and develops a fever.

David is not the first crewman who has been flogged. Lee brings charge against the crew for the slightest infraction of his rules. The crew is talking mutiny.

This tale brings the mutiny on the night David dies. Dominik is not a swordsman and soon is disarmed by a shoulder wound. Clarice engages Sprunt in a duel to protect Dominik from death.

The crew puts Sprunt's friends in a jolly boat and leaves them to make their way to shore. Dobbs stays behind and almost wins the election for captain. But the crew elects Dominik instead.

A mutinous crew has no friends. The next installment in this sequence has not yet been announced on Amazon.

Highly recommended for Lackey & Mallory fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of women adventurers, pirate havens, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

book was ok. just not one of her best.

Cant wait for more. I certainly hope that it is a series.

One of my favorite authors has written a super fun book! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a rollickingt ale with plenty of fun action and suspense playfulness. .