The Shamer Chronicles

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

The Shamer Chronicles is a series of children's fantasy novels written by a Danish author Lene Kaaberboel. There are four books in total: The Shamer's Daughter, The Shamer's Signet, The Serpent's Gift and The Shamer's War. The books are about Dina Tonerre who has unwillingly inherited her mother's Gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions from even the most hardened wrong-doers, simply by looking into their eyes. Starting with the second book, her older and completely normal brother Davin becomes the second point-of-view character.

The story starts with Dina's mother being called to Dunark Castle to elicit a confession from the seventeen year old heir to the throne who is blamed for commiting a bloody triple murder. Dina's mother promises to return as fast as she can, but the next day comes and she is not showing up. Which is when a yet another person comes from Dunark and takes Dina with him, telling her that Dina's mother needs her help.


Tropes used in The Shamer Chronicles include:
  • Bastard Bastard (Drakan)
  • Black and White Morality (Unsurprisignly, as the books are meant for 10-12 year old kids.)
  • Compelling Voice (Only those who drink dragon blood can disobey the Compelling Voice of a shamer.)
  • Duel to the Death (The unfinished duel between Davin and Ivain Laklan, and the duel between Nik and Drakan, with villain taunting and all.)
  • Dream Weaver (The Serpent's gift.)
  • Emotion Bomb (Dina and her mother can make people feel buried in shame by looking them in the eyes.)
  • Gilded Cage (After Dina had been captured in The Shamer's Signet, she was kept in one of these.)
  • Heroes Want Redheads (Karmiana.)
  • I Just Want to Be Normal (Dina would love to be normal and play with other girls the way she used to when she was younger.)
  • I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure (In The Shamer's Signet, Dina is forced to use her Shamer powers on anyone her captor sees fit, for trivial things. If she refuses, he'll kill Tavis, the random kid who was with her when she was kidnapped.)
  • La Résistance (A poorly trained group of a few hundred men that hides in the woods and plans to somehow damage Drakan's army)
  • Magic Music (Those with Serpent's gift can weave illusions and mind control people by playing a flute.)
  • Medieval European Fantasy
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast (Drakan and Valdracu are not nice people.)
  • Our Dragons Are Different (Would be nothing more than just oversized reptiles if not for their blood having... unusual properties.)
  • Room 101 (The Serpent's Gift featured a room that was covered head to toe in carvings of faces that would whisper the worst things you could imagine to you - remind you of horrible things you have done or play on your insecurities until you were driven mad.)
  • Smart Ball (The author seems to try her hardest to prevent Fridge Logic moments, which often results in the 11 year old Dina suddenly doing genius things, and then reverting to being a normal little girl.)
  • Stock Ness Monster (Orm, a huge serpent who lives in a lake.)
  • Torches and Pitchforks (The equipment of the villagers who chased the Tonerre family away from their village.)