My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once he had scorched the world.
Once he had driven back overwhelming darkness.
Once he had loved with such passion, his name was legend...
Tairen Soul
Now a thousand years later, a new threat calls him from the Fading Lands, back into the world that had cost him so dearly. Now an ancient, familiar evil is regaining its strength, and a new voice beckons him - more compelling, more seductive, more maddening than any before.
As the power of his most bitter enemy grows and ancient alliances crumble, the wildness in his blood will not be denied. The tairen must claim his truemate and embrace the destiny woven for him in the mists of time.
Loudly, proudly, tairen sing, As they soar on mighty wings. Softly, sadly, mothers cry To sing a tairen’s lullabye.
~The Tairen’s Lament, Fey Nursery Rhyme
To me this book was awesome and I cannot believe Ive waited so feckn long to read it! Ranier scorched the world a thousand years ago, since the evil Eld Mages murdered is e'tan(mate of the heart). Now that he's recovered he soon finds his Shei’tan(truemate or soulmate). Which is unheard of since his Shei'tani is a mortal! War is upon them...Ranier can feel that the once extinct Mages of Eld are emerging and darkness will rein. The fae must do all that they can to prevent them from taking power!
Elysetta Baristoni, of Celeria has never been acecpted in her world! On her way to spinster status her parents are forcing her to marry the disgusting and conniving Den Brodson.
“Den?” Ellie repeated with dismay. Den Brodson, the butcher’s son, was a stuffed pork roast of a young man. And ever since his first wife had died in childbirth six months ago, he’d been following Ellie around like a starving hound on the trail of a juicy steak. He’d made a habit of catching her in dark corners, standing so close she could smell the reek of onions and bacon on him, and looking too intently down the neckline of her dresses as if he could see straight through the fabric to the soft curves beneath. His thick fingers were ever clutching at her arm, as if he had some right to her. She shuddered.
Ely...out of options since Den overpowers her after dinner and places a mark on her, she must marry the twerp! Fortunately for her she inadvertantly calls out to the Fey'Reisen and she soon finds out they she is his truemate or Shei'tani. Upon meeting Rain, she's terrified. He's the one who scorched the world afterall but he also stirs something in her and he becomes her salvation and vice versa.
Beautifully and fearfully wrought, by dread magic splendored, With passion’s fire his soul does burn, in sorrow his name be whispered. —from the epic poem Rainier’s Song by Avian of Celieria.
Now that Ely is promised to the snake of the fucking century, Den Brodson, Ely can't mate to Rain and he is pissed. Since he feels that fey law trumps Celeirian law, Ely is his. Being the last of the Tarien soul left and the only one to have a truemate its imperative that King Dorian and Queen Annora of Celeiria side with him. In addition, the tairen, magical, winged cats of the Fading Lands—had only one fertile female left in their pride, and she grew weaker by the day as she fed her strength to her six unhatched kitlings. According to the Eye of Truth, Ely is their last hope to cure the dying kitlings and save the pride.
I absolutely fell in love with this book! The dialog is beautiful and melodic and the story is fantastic. The characters are so intriguing and I just could not stop reading(or listening), Ha! If you're looking for a great fantasy/paranormal romance that you can sink you're teeth into then by all means, give this a go! You won't be sorry, I'm definitely going to fly through this series and will be doing a reread...thats for damn certain!
Ely starts out as a plain and dutiful daughter with an inner strength that she's at times afraid to show. Her mother is extremely close minded and prejudice against magic and all things fey. Since Ely has magic and is promised to the king of the fey she's in denial about her heritage and her magical abilities. But Rain soon brings her out of her shell and shows her that its ok to use magic and to not be afraid to be herself. Rain becomes enamored of Ely from the beginning and is extremely protective. He really goes to great lengths to see to her safety and most importantly her happiness. I just loved it!!
I loved the beautiful language of the fey and the politics are so intriguing! Really I cannot stress how much I love this book! I think, if you're a fan of fantasy novels and cute and mushy paranormal romances, then you'll just gobble this one up...I know I did! Oh!!! And did I mention that I loved the POV of the villians in the story?? I know for me most books in 3rd person, they drag complete ass with the villian plots and storyline(BDB ::ahem::, sorry Warden but it is what it is), I found myself looking forward to those breaks in the tale and was vastly entertained! Oh and Belliard vel Jelani, Chatokkai: First General. Leader of all Fey armies. He really plays an integral part in Ely's emersion in the world of the fey and she saves him from a lifetime of torment. Once a warrior sees so much war and carnage he becomes desinsitized and numb. Never finding love and fulfillment and inevitably becomes a Dahl'Reisen(lost soul) which is dishonorable amongst the fey or Sheisan’dahlein, the fey honor death. Unknowingly, Ely heals Bel using spirit and he pledges to protect her for all time. He's also Rain's bestfriend and they're banter is funny as hell at times, its really great to see the once reclusive Rainer express his lighter side. Rain has entered uncharted territory, courting a mortal woman in Celeiria is not something that he's well versed at and Rain doesn't do uncertainty well.....
Rain drew in his breath at the sudden rush of feelings that sprang from the simple feel of her skin meeting his. The strength of his connection to this young Celierian went so far beyond what he had felt for Sariel, he could hardly fathom it. She was so young, so incredibly new to the world and to him, and yet regardless of the cost to his soul, Rain would destroy anyone and anything that dared to stand between them. And if any dared to harm her, he would shred them without mercy and dance as he drank their blood. Ellysetta misunderstood the fierce look on his face, because she snatched her hand back and apologized for touching him.
Ellysetta misunderstood the fierce look on his face, because she snatched her hand back and apologized for touching him. “Nei, do not apologize.” Rain could barely restrain himself from reaching for that hand and
putting it back on his skin. His fingers itched to do so, and he clenched them into fists. He craved her touch, ached for it as only a Fey warrior could. But admitting to his need was the same as admitting a weakness, something a Fey rarely did willingly. “I was merely surprised. You may touch me if you like.”
But she didn’t lay that sweet hand upon him again. He cursed his own unguarded reaction that had cost him such a small but much-desired pleasure and wondered how he might contrive to get it back. He bent his head to her, his gaze intent as he willed her to touch him again. To his disgruntlement, she did not. Laughter sounded in his mind. Laughter he recognized but had not heard in any form for centuries. «Bel?» He turned to his old friend in disbelief. Though to most, the solitary Fey would still appear blank as a wall, Rain knew better. Bel’s dark eyes glinted with amusement, and the grim stoicism of his face was less pronounced. There was even the faintest crinkling at the corners of his eyes—humor struggling to find expression. «If you could see yourself, Rain. Pouting like a tzicaida whose lunch just got away.» The corner of Bel’s mouth actually twitched. «You could always just command her to put her hand back on you.»
All in all, Awesome fecking book. Must read!!! Beylah vo C.L. Wilson for creating such an extraordinary world! Ke vo'san!!
My beloved is the sun And I am the earth that thrives only in her warmth. My beloved is the rain And I am the grass that thirsts for her quenching kiss. My beloved is the wind And I am the wings that soar when she fills me with her gentle strength. My beloved is the rock Upon which rests the happiness of all my days. —The Elements of Love, a poem by Aileron v’En Kavali of the Fey-
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