Published: October 2009
Pages: 389
Series: Tairen Soul #4
Summary
The Fey King Rain and his truemate Ellysetta share a passionate love unrivaled in the history of their world—and a forbidden power that made them outcasts from the Fading Lands. As war looms and the evil mages of Eld threaten to rip their world asunder, they must fight to defend the very kingdom and people who reviled them.
Only by trusting completely in their love—and in themselves—can Rain and Ellysetta hope to defeat the gathering forces of Darkness. But it will take more than the strength of their devotion to endure. They must unlock the secrets of the past and find the courage to embrace the dangerous destiny that awaits them. Only they can save their world, but that victory might cost them their lives.
My thoughts
Another book filled with political intrigue, chaos, scheming and plotting. Our characters really cant catch a break. There is more than just the main plot lines and we do get some resolutions, as hard as they might be to swallow.
There is still romance but it feels much stronger, they care for each other and are worried for one another with the added concern of cementing their bond which causes some drama on its own. I really thought this bond would be finalised by now but I can only assume that has been left for the dramatic finale in the last book.
“You think because you face situations not of your making that you exercise no choice? That you are helpless? To the contrary, child. Your whole life has been full of choices. Hiding from a hard truth is a choice. Surrender – even to the inevitable – is a choice. Even in death there is a choice. You may have no control over the time or manner of your death, but you can choose how you face it.”
This is the book where things are really kicking off now. We’ve had all the context, the scene has been set and our characters are where they need to be. There are many characters where I don’t know yet exactly what has happened to them. These characters I’m so invested in, I need them to see this through and be alive at the end.. There is something going on and I have my theories but definitely one that’s being pulled into the final book. So reading this you may have to deal with some uncertainties.
“Not all battles can be won. Not all lives can be saved. And no matter how we wish it, not all songs end in joy.”
We see from the elves which was a nice balance between human, fey and mage. Something a bit different to the usual formula we’ve grown accustomed to and they are just as slippery as imagined.
Part of this book was a hard read. There were scenes of torture and death, it was really gritty and sometimes avoidable things happen, especially with greed and power involved. Sad to read but goes to show the influence these characters have had to be able to feel like that when reading a book.
“Two lovers, two hearts, one soul.
Only joined can they be truly complete.
Only joined can they survive the darkness.”
The villain here is truly evil, but we know how mages are made and we know they’re not all evil. The reader gets insight to things that the elves and human don’t know. I am really curious how certain characters play out with that in mind. I feel a trick coming along, maybe even an uprising we’ll have to wait and see.
“Mama always used to say it’s better to choke on a bitter truth than savor a honeycake lie.”
Would I recommend?
I do, if you’ve made it this far then keep going. The last book is right after this one and I need my favourites to be okay!