"Move over Xena because here comes Feenix in a very exciting romance!"
Part two in an amazing trilogy, The Choosing does not
disappoint. Ms. Welsh takes two very dominate alpha-like
characters and manages to weave an incredible love story
with high adventure. Because as most of us know, behind a
tough exterior is a soul waiting to be loved and Feenix a
human of Port Marcus, captain of the Sea Elf guards and
L'Garn Prince, of the Night elves, are truly no
different. This book opens with us learning of Feenix's monthly
transformation as she rises out of the waves returning to
her human form from the dolphin she once was. She walks to
shore with the confidence of a soldier and the temperament
of a bear as she curses the god Mac Lir for this
uncontrollable transformation. Spying on her from above Prince L'Garn is half Night elf
and half human. He finds himself transfixed by the vision
walking the beach with only her knee length hair to cover
her. In that moment he seizes the opportunity to take her
as his slave and possibly learn more about his loathed
human side. For in this knowledge he might gain a better
way to suppress it in the future and possibly gain more
respect from the King, his grandfather. Casting a net L'Garn captures and casts a spell to put
Feenix under his control while he takes her back to the
mountain they live in. Insults fly and egos go to war as
each tries to make the other submit. Extremely angry about her capture, Feenix is eager to
seize any opportunity to escape and return to the Sea
Elves, until Rendolin, high priest of Shalridoor uses a
communication spell to reach her. Rendolin sees this as an
unexpected opportunity to gain the advantage over the Night
Elves and asks his captain of the guards to spy and report
back their weaknesses. However the god Mac Lir, who hopes to save his Silvan
people from the evil god Tuawatha and guide them to peace,
has other plans. Feenix is key to this part if only he can
get her to drop her pride long enough to submit to him; to
give her soul over willingly and do his bidding. For he
will not force his children, each must make their choice
freely. But frankly Feenix's sharp tongue means Mac Lir has
his work cut out for him. Again Ms. Welsh weaves an astounding tale in a magical
world where the dark and light clash in hopes to find the
greater good for their people. I find this story completely
fascinating and intriguing. Her evil characters make your
skin crawl, the good guys will surprise you with their
honor and insight, and frankly the dynamics of this book
will leave you excited for the final story (The Betraying)
yet to come in the Silvan war saga. (The first book is The
Binding, the second is The Choosing.)
Reviewed by Mindy Lobaugh
Posted October 5, 2003
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