Published: February 2019
Pages: 848
Summary
A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
My thoughts
I loved, loved, loved this book. This is an ambitious, sprawling, epic fantasy that weaves together myth, history, and magic. Shannon is very skilled in crafting and bringing to life these expansive worlds. I speak a bit about her world-building in my review for her The Bone Season Series, and she delivers once again in this book.
The story is set in a world where dragons, witches, and queens vie for power, but there is a larger threat looming above them all. At its heart is the prophecy of a child who will either bring salvation or destruction. Two young women, Ead and Sabran, are caught up in this ancient prophecy, their destinies intertwined in a dangerous game of politics and magic.
“Remember that whoever and wherever you are, the realm of adventure will never be closed to you. You are your own shield.”
Shannon writes with such emotion. She paints vivid pictures of grand cities and remote wildernesses. Her characters are complex and multifaceted, each with their own motivations and secrets that we discover as the story evolves.
That’s not to say that this isn’t a challenging read at time. There is one overarching plot however with such a complex cast of characters, all on their own journeys, it can be quite overwhelming to keep track off. But I strongly believe that once you’re in this story, there is no coming out and before you know it, you’ve finished and 900 pages didn’t feel like enough.
I need to specifically call out the Priory in this story. The Priory is a group of magically inclined, strong women that fight every day to protect the land from a dangerous threat. They have dedicated their lives to this mission, but the world don’t know they exist. The Priory do this out of love of their ancestors, knowing the real truth behind history that the rest of the world are divided on. Yet this does not deter them. The compassion and dedication is truly admirable, they are a true sisterhood.
And of course.. dragon riders. I love a story with some dragons, and this book gave such a rich background of dragons and their riders. I also appreciated the varying view, as in this world not everyone beholds dragons as Gods. Divided by a deadly sea, countries from the West view dragons as demonic creatures to be destroyed, whereas in the East, dragons are treasured and worshipped.
“Why did you sail with people from over the Abyss?” Thim furrowed his brow. “They are not only raised to hate fire-breathers, but our dragons,” Tané reminded him. “Knowing this, why would you sail with them?”
“Perhaps you should ask yourself a different question, honored Miduchi,” he said. “Would the world be any better if we were all the same?”
The politics in this book is incredibly interesting but so are the multitude of cultures, beliefs, languages, rituals.. It is so rich with humanity and the challenges that come with that, this was such a joy to read.
Would I recommend?
Yeeeeeeeeees! This book is magnificent. It is a huge commitment but I was so absorbed in this story, I didn’t even pay attention to the page numbers, and before I knew it, the book was finished in four days (It was a long weekend, and I could NOT put it down).
I recommend to those that love fantasy filled with politics, fractions, and of course, dragons.