From Goodreads:
An idealistic young student and a banished warrior become allies in a battle to save their realm in this first book of a mesmerizing epic fantasy series, filled with political intrigue, violent magic, malevolent spirits, and thrilling adventure
Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .
But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms.
With the position so precarious, young women are chosen to train as heirs. Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, is under no illusions as to her claim to the throne, but simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. Ven, a disgraced champion, has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. Joining forces, these daring partners embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits’ restlessness—a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land . . . before it’s bathed in blood
I seem to be reviewing a lot of trilogies/series as of late.
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed most things, but I found a few specific things to be a bit lacking as far as development goes. I can't really get into detail without spoilers, but I will attempt to explain. I found the writing to be very well-d0ne, and I found the characters and magic system to be unique and interesting. I think some of my grievances may be addressed or fleshed out in the sequels.
The nice thing about this book is how grounded the main characters are. I felt like Dalenia didn't really change all that much (except for growing as a person) when she realized she had the potential to become the next queen. I found her development to be realistic and her arc flowed naturally. One thing I really enjoyed about this character is that she wasn't The Best at everything she did; she did make mistakes, and she wasn't perfect at everything she did right off the bat, only deciding to stay in the program to right wrongs of previous generations, which made her very down-to-earth and easier to connect to. I also really enjoyed was her relationships with the other girls at the school. Something that was unique about this book is that it had focus on characters that you wouldn't necessarily expect, such as the Headmistress of the Academy that Dalenia attended until teaming up with Ven.
I loved the magic system of this world. I found Sarah Beth Durst was very adept at explaining this world and the magic system within it without seeming like an info-dump. I could so easily picture this world. Her descriptions were lush and luminous and worked well to further the mythos of this world, which I think will expand upon itself in the second and third books of this series. The political intrigue was never stale or boring and provided some great twists and turns that were equally as interesting. This book does a really good job at setting the groundwork for books two and three for both the world/magic system as well as the political system.
Some of the pacing, however, was a bit spotty. While it was very easy to read, there were so many time skips that it was hard to keep up at parts. Because of all these time jumps, certain relationships didn't seem as developed as they could have or feel as though they come out of nowhere due to the time jumps that happen so frequently. I understand why they are there, but maybe some flashbacks or a cut-scene would help to further develop some relationships.
All in all, I found this to be a good foundation for an interesting high fantasy series. While I did have some issues with pacing and time jumps that made certain relationships seem out of left field, the world-building, magic system, and characters were all very well fleshed out and developed. I think this is a solid start to the trilogy. On the whole it's a great introduction to a series that promises for more political intrigue and twists. I'm going to give The Queen of Blood a 3.5/5 - it's a solid start to a promising series.
From Goodreads:
Find life.
Deep in a forest, Aileana Kameron claws her way out of the earth. Back from the dead with no memory of who she is or what has happened to her, the Falconer now possesses even greater otherworldly powers and a ruthless instinct to kill—and the one piece of knowledge that can change everything.
Find Kiaran.
Two fae monarchs, Aithinne and Kadamach, stand on the brink of war, and according to an ancient curse, one must die at the hand of the other or all the worlds will perish. Once, Kadamach was known as Kiaran, and he was mentor, protector, and lover to Aileana. Now, under the grip of the curse, his better nature seems lost forever.
Find the book.
Aileana’s only hope lies in the legendary Book of Remembrance, a book of spells so powerful that it can break the fae curse and even turn back time. But the book has been lost for centuries, and many are looking for it, including its creator, the Morrigan—a faery of terrifying malevolence and cruelty.
Sacrifice everything.
To obtain the book and defeat the Morrigan, Aileana must form an unthinkable alliance, one that challenges every vow she has made to herself—even as the powers that brought her to life are slowly but surely killing her.
This book had me crying on the bus.
Elizabeth May is a phenomenal storyteller and I didn't want this story to end. If she upped the ante by 10 in The Vanishing Throne, she upped it to 100 here. This conclusion, like its two predecessors packs a punch and creates something so unique and wonderful.
This book has the perfect combination of action, fantasy, history, and everything else that is present in this trilogy. In this book especially, we get to see how flawed Kiaran and Aileana really are. The great thing about Elizabeth May's writing is that she never shies away from anything, and creates dark and emotional scenes. Each of these books is darker than the previous one. And, as always, the world-building continues to be on point, building on the eerie atmosphere of the previous installment that was built upon from book one.
The writing style continues to be sharp and witty with moments of beauty and moments of fear and violence. I would say that this is the darkest of the three novels, because, as I said, May doesn't shy away from how dark her characters can become. This series has been a roller-coaster from start to finish, and this one has as many twists and turns as the previous two, if not more.
In The Fallen Kingdom, we get to see everything that has been laid out come to fruition. We get amazing pay-offs to things that were set up in The Falconer. Even the more villainous characters get payoffs and explanations for why they are the way that they are. I really liked how Catherine, who, while on the sidelines a bit more in this book, came into her own in these books, and was an integral part of the story instead of being oblivious and not knowing what is really going on.
There are moments of heartbreaking emotion (as I said, this one had me crying on the bus - gratefully I was at the back and the only other person on the bus was at the front end of the bus), unthinkable darkness, and tiny shimmers of hope. I loved how Elizabeth May was able to weave all of those together in her writing and wrap everything up neatly.
While I did have some minor nitpick-y issues with how quickly everything ended and was wrapped up, I loved this book. It was dark and emotional and grim, but also filled with hope and optimism. This series has been a roller-coaster, with this one having the most twists and turns. I had a great time reading these books (even if this one did have me weeping on the bus), and I have to give this book a 5/5 - so well-done and impossible to put down.
From Goodreads:Everything she loved is gone.
Trapped. Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the fae portal she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes in an alien world of mirrors, magic, and deception—a prisoner of the evil fae Lonnrach, who has a desperate and deadly plan for his new captive.
Tortured. Time after agonizing time Lonnrach steals Aileana’s memories, searching for knowledge to save his world. Just when she’s about to lose all hope, Aileana is rescued by an unexpected ally and returns home, only to confront a terrifying truth. The city of Edinburgh is now an unrecognizable wasteland. And Aileana knows the devastation is all her fault.
Transformed. The few human survivors are living in an underground colony, in an uneasy truce with a remnant of the fae. It is a fragile alliance, but an even greater danger awaits: the human and fae worlds may disappear forever. Only Aileana can save both worlds, but in order to do so she must awaken her latent Falconer powers. And the price of doing so might be her life…
The second book in The Falconer Trilogy doesn't let up for a second!
I loved this book even more than the first novel in this series. This book picks up right where the last one left off and Elizabeth May hits the ground running in this second installment in the trilogy. Much like the first novel, May has created a unique version of nineteenth century Scotland; this one has been laid to waste and it's so refreshing to see how she envisions what Scotland would be like if it was decimated. There are many twists and turns, and yet again our heroes are tested.
What Elizabeth May does so well in The Vanishing Throne is that she builds upon what she laid down in The Falconer. In this second installment she takes the magic and wonder from the first, and twists it, leaving a grim, somber, mystical, and angst-filled (in the true sense of the word) world in the wake of the wonderment and delight of the world that was present in the first novel. There are some moments of discomfort, especially in the scenes where she is held captive, that made me squirm, but there are also moments of hope and wonderment as well.
The characters in this novel continue to grow from their first outing, and not even the new characters introduced in this one are free from being morally grey. The thing I love so much about these characters, Alieana especially, is that they know that they are flawed. They know that they're not perfect. And they want to better themselves, but it's not completely possible in the world that they are living in. I love the continuing connection and growing love between Alieana and Kiaran, completely throwing away any and all notions of a love triangle that were only hinted at in The Falconer. I love how they are on the same page (most of the time) and any of the angst that is between them is not over the top or melodramatic.
We have growth in our lead characters, and additionally, we see more of what is at stake. Where I think Elizabeth May shines brightest is in the quiet character moments that show just how far they've come and how much they have lost and how far they still have to go.
The Vanishing Throne takes what The Falconer did and amplifies it by 10. It builds upon things that were set up in the first novel and ups the ante. We continue to get great character development and great quiet moments between our characters. While the first novel wasn't light and airy by any stretch of the imagination, this one makes everything much more dark and deep, creating a grim atmosphere of eerie foreboding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am going to give it 5/5.
From Goodreads:She's a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.
She's a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.
She's a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.
She's a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first.
This book is the first in a trilogy. Combining historical fiction with steampunk and a healthy dash of fantasy and Celtic mythology, this was a great first installment. I could not read this book quickly enough. I inhaled this book in about one sitting.
The characters in this book were so well-developed and well-realized. I loved how flawed both of the protagonists (Alieana and Kiaran) were and how they were depicted as being morally grey. Usually I balk at the double-life trope that this book employs, being cliche and uninteresting, but here it works in spades and shows the great contrast that is Alieana's life - between what she is supposed to be and who she really is. One thing that I really loved was how her best friend wasn't oblivious to what was really going on, and was aware that there was more going on than what was attempted to being explained away by Alieana. Even the side characters were well-developed.
The chemistry between Alieana and Kiaran, too. Oh, my goodness. There were hints of a love triangle, but that was quickly eliminated and ended up not being the case whatsoever, which is such a relief. This book was so refreshing in that it didn't adhere to the traditional "double-life" cliches in which there is a love interest in each world. I also like how the romance parts were kind of a back-burner thing - it was there, it was important, but the two leads were more focused on saving the world than their feelings ... mostly.
The world-building in this novel was superbly done. I love how Elizabeth May combined history with fantasy and steampunk, creating an alternative history in a way. I'm partially Scottish, so I was super pleased that this takes place in Scotland in the nineteenth century. There should be more novels set in Scotland. Additionally, May's writing style is incredible, with witty dialogue, Celtic language, and slow building reveals. Nothing is ever too quickly revealed unless it's integral to the plot.
One teeny-tiny gripe I have is how certain things are not explained as well as they could be. It's a small gripe because this is only the first book in the trilogy and things need to be saved for the next two books. I found it equally refreshing and aggravating that it ended on a cliffhanger. Not many books end on cliffhangers nowadays, but if I were reading these books as they were being published, I wouldn't want to wait at least a year to find out what happens next.
All in all, I had a lot of fun with this book. It had all the right amounts of history, steampunk, fantasy, and Celtic/Scottish mythology. I found the faeries of this world to be sinister and chilling. While I did have a few minor issues with the novel, they were not major, as this is the first in a trilogy, and not everything can be revealed or resolved right off the bat. With realistic characters, sharp dialogue, unique and strong world-building, and an intriguing alternate history of mid-nineteenth century Scotland, The Falconer is a great start to a trilogy, and I'm going to give it a 4/5 - it's one of the strongest first-in-a-trilogy novels I've read in a while, and it will only get better from here.
