"An Exciting Continuation of the Tairen Soul Saga"
Rain Tairen Soul had left the Fading lands after a
self-imposed exile of a thousand years on a quest. The
tairen, soul-kin to the Fey, were dying. Their last hope
lied within the mortal city he despised, Celiera. She called him out of the sky. Ellysetta Baristani, the
foundling daughter of a Celerian woodcarver and his wife.
She was the soul mate he sought and won. But with every
blessing came a price. In the thousand years the Fey had remained behind the
curtain of the Faering Mists, the mortals had grown in
independence and in distrust of Fey magic. Now they were
entertaining the thought of opening their borders to the
Eld, Rain's bitter enemy. He must convince the Celierian
council that Mage Council has reconstituted itself and are
preparing for attack. Rain had won little support with his
high handed claiming of Ellysetta who had been legally
betrothered to a Celierian citzen, Den Brodson. The High Mage Vadim Maur is seeking the lost child he
planned to use to destroy the Fey. He had appeared to Ellie
in her nightmares all of her life, making her fear the magic
deeply locked up within her. She had carefully guarded
herself against giving herself away to the "Shadow Man" but
once she is promised to Rain the nightmares return. She
dreams of the future and the death and destruction of
everyone and everything she holds dear by her own hand. Fear
gives her away. The High Mage now knows who she is and where
to find her. A Sulimage, Kolis Manza, has been dispatched to Celiera
where he manipulates events and people to expose Ellie's
true identity. In one guise he captures the ear of the
Celieran queen, Annoura, manipulating her through her pride.
Born of royal blood she will not welcome a woodcarver's
daughter as her equal before the Celieran aristocracy. When
her attempts to make a fool of Ellie backfire at a state
dinner, the entire court is overcome by Ellie's wine and
keflee induced erotic weave. Outrage sways the Celerian
nobles even further toward an alliance with the Eld. Like the others in the room Rain had been overcome by lust
from Ellie's weave. He had fled from her in order to keep
his vow to her father to keep her pure until her wedding
day. But through their connection Rain's dream that night
becomes Ellie's as well. At last she knows why he had sought
her. The survival of the Fey and the tairen rests on her
shoulders, but could she go with Rain to the Fading Lands
knowing that she could very well be the instrument of their
destruction. Den Brodson had sensed the magic in Ellie and he would stop
at nothing to get her back. He is easily manipulated by the
High Mage's minion as is her best friend, Selianne, who
fears the Fey for her own reasons. Ellysetta's mother has no love for the Fey as she has feared
magic all of her life. Because of childhood seizures Ellie
had one been declared demon possessed, and when Lauriana
witnesses Ellie using magic she fears for her first born
daughter's soul in the hands of the Fey king. Manza has marked Selianne who is of Eld descent and uses the
girl against Ellie. Selianne plays on Lauriana's fear until
she agrees to involve the church to save Ellie's soul and
break her bond to the Fey. The great Dahl'reisen (rogue Fey who have lost their souls)
known as the "Dark Lord" believes that he has discovered a
devastating truth regarding the Feyreisa's origins and
travels forth to Celiera intent on killing her, even though
he knows her death would also mean Rain's and ultimately his
people's - Better at his hand, than by the Eld. Even Rain's trust is shaken as word comes to him of Ellie's
suspected origins, and as each of Kolis's puppets play their
role, Ellie finds herself isolated and without protection on
the day of the Bride's Blessing. Will the High Mage claim his greatest prize, or will
Ellysetta Baristani, pushed to her limits finally unleash
her magic and become the powerful Feyreisa she was born to be?
The tairen await her in the Fading Lands. Will she find a
way to save them all or will the High Mage Vadim Maur have
his revenge? Look for the final installments, KING OF SWORD
AND SKY and QUEEN OF SONG AND SOULS, in 2008. LADY OF LIGHT
AND SHADOW is an exciting continuation of the Tairen
Soul/Fading Lands saga. I can't wait for the next installment.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted January 15, 2008
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