"What a wonderful mix of characters in this story!"
This story jumps forward a few years from where we left off
with AFTER THE FLOOD 1: BLOOD AND MAGIC. When we left off,
Kella had rescued one unwanted babe since she and Tanne
couldn't have children of her own. Now, she's got a whole
clan of orphans, abandoned and otherwise unwanted children
of all species from the valley, of all different ages. Her
eldest daughter is wed herself. Just as she's relaxing for
a bit with her beloved husband, Tanne, she hears the cry of
another abandoned child and off she goes, while Tanne and
one of her many daughters prepare for the incoming infant.
When Kella returns with the newest addition to the brood,
they are all in shock when they realize the little vampire
girl has the horn button on her forehead of a unicorn.
Maybe Kella can give birth to Tanne's child! Since she's so
curious about the circumstances surrounding the child's
birth, Kella decides to scry and is shocked at what she
finds. The now High Priest Leonus, has managed to talk one
of the younger priestesses into allowing it. Immediately
going to her good friend Sedna, Kella informs her mentor of
the details surrounding the birth of Vena, the child. It's
also at this time that Sedna informs Kella that it may be
possible Kella has aborted any children she may have been
carrying. Whenever a pregnant female changes shape, she
must also change the shape of the child she is carrying, or
she will lose it. This definitely gives Kella ideas. Meanwhile, Sedna goes to the council with the facts of
Vena's conception and Leonus and the mother of the child,
Mijara, are both exiled. Both Tanne and Kella feel for
Mijara for the birth of Vena ripped her up inside and she
will no longer be able to give birth. Besides, she was just
conned into the whole mess by Leonus. At the least, Mijara
was given some information as to how to survive outside the
Valley. Now that she knows what's going on, Kella and Tanne once
again try to conceive a child, and this time, they are
successful. Of course, Kella will have to remain in her
human form during her pregnancy. One day, Tanne senses a disturbance right outside the
Valley and goes to investigate. He finds the remnants of a
mage battle. Leonus is now dead, Mijara is badly beaten and
in need of medical attention, and there is a human mage
also needing some healing. So, of course, Tanne being who
he is, brings them all back into the Valley. It is decided
that Leonus will be cremated without any ceremony and
Mijara will be pardoned. She will be allowed to remain in
the Valley, but will have to live on the outskirts of the
Vampire village and will not be allowed to be a priestess
anymore. Now with the human, Tanne and his family are keeping his
presence secret from the other inhabitants of the Valley.
He is kept in his room, the same one he has been sharing
with Mijara since they were brought into the Valley. Of
course, with all this time Mijara and Joshua are spending
together, feelings develop between the two. Will Joshua's presence in the Valley be detected? What will
happen to Tanne and his family when it is, considering they
are breaking the number one rule of the Valley? Has Talamar
given up and decided to leasve Tanne alone? What of the
feelings between Joshua and Mijara? And will Joshua learn
the secret of Unicorn Valley? AFTER THE FLOOD 2: RISE TO POWER is a fantastic
continuation of this story! Lena Austin has once again
outdone herself with the magic contained within the words
of this exciting fantasy series. Each story in this unique
series of books just keeps getting better and better and
pulls me in even more. Then again, the whole idea of a
valley filled with all sorts of mythical beings pulled me
in to begin with the first of the UNICORN VALLEY series
books I read. The AFTER THE FLOOD series just gives more
detailed background information as to the characters and
the creation of the Valley itself. This is the type of
story that once you start reading it, you just can't put it
down! The passion between lovers simply sizzles and the
sense of love and caring comes right off the pages. It is
impossible to read this without coming away with a sense of
well-being and happiness for the characters involved. Of
course, with each new character brought into the series, I
just want to learn more about them. I cannot recommend this
series highly enough!
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted November 19, 2006
|
|
"Never anger a woman's sense of wrong." The Herd Stallion, Talamar wants revenge on Tanne for humiliations in the past, and is aware that Tanne is the only serious rival for the "throne" of Herd Stallion. The Valley is outraged by the coming birth of Kella's unicorn- vampire child, and the introduction of a human into the Valley. The opportunity he's been waiting for is at hand. Tanne will be exiled, leaving a pregnant Kella to face the anger of the vampires and the unicorns. What is the most dangerous creature in the world? A female predator, defending her offspring. What's the most dangerous creature in the Valley? A very angry vampire sorceress defending her children.
|
