King of Sword and Sky

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Synopsis

As the Fey King and last Tairen Soul, Rain risked everything to be with his Truemate, the woodcarver's daughter, Ellysetta, defying Celerian nobles and battling Elden mages to marry her. Now back in his kingdom, the Fading Lands, they face one of their biggest challenges. Rain's kin, the Tairen are dying in the egg, and Ellie has been prophesied to be the only one who can save them. After meeting the Tairen, Ellie feels a deep kinship with them, but she also feels powerless to stop a phenomena she doesn't even understand. However, she's determined to figure it out. Rain and some of his most talented people work with Ellie to help her embrace and better control her magic, while she searches for answers within the vast library of Fey literature and knowledge. Meanwhile, certain political forces amongst the Fey Council aren't very pleased with their king marrying a Mage Marked woman or the fact that she counts a former dahl'reisen, a once soulless Fey warrior whom Ellie healed, among her personal guards. They sow seeds of distrust within the Fey ranks, questioning Rain's ability to lead, just as he's planning the best strategy for fighting the war he knows is inevitable. Rain and Ellie must put their trust in each other and those loyal to them in order to fend off the first attacks from Eld and save the remaining Tairen kitlings from certain death.

Review

King of Sword and Sky is the third book in C. L. Wilson's Tairen Soul series. As before, it picks up where the last book, Lady of Light and Shadow left off. Now certain that the Elden Mages have reawakened and are planning to attack, the Fey King, Rain, his Truemate, Ellysetta, and their entourage are making their way toward the relative safety of the Fading Lands. But first, they must pass through the Faering Mists that protect their land, and no one is sure how the Mists will react to Ellie who is Mage Marked or to her lu'tan, Gaelen, who was once a soulless dahl'reisen until Ellie healed him. Once they're back in the Fading Lands, Rain must begin planning strategy for the war with Eld that he knows is imminent while still helping Ellie realize the full strength of her powers. Ellie continues her training, both with a chatok, someone who normally mentors soldiers, and with a shei'dalin, who helps her focus her healing abilities. Rain and Ellie also pay a visit to the Tairen lair where they join the pride in grieving a great loss and Ellie begins her search for a way to save the kitlings who are dying in the egg. Rain must also deal with political forces amongst the Fey who challenge his ability to lead and distrust his Truemate because of her Marks. Together, Rain and Ellie lift each other up and share their love and strength with one another through all the difficult times as they prepare for the worst they know is yet to come. But their greatest tests will be in their efforts to save the Tairen and to fend off the first attacks from Eld.

As always, I adore Rain, the King of the Fading Lands, Defender of the Fey, and the one and only Tairen Soul. He's such a strong leader to his people even if some of them don't see it or fully support him. He shows, not only strength, but wisdom and the power of the Tairen in all his dealings. He loves Ellysetta to distraction but is patient in waiting for the time when their Truemate bond will be complete and fully tie their souls together. In the meantime, he does everything he can to ensure that Ellie has what she needs to fulfill the prophecy foretold by the Eye of Truth that she would save both the Tairen and the Fey, and to prepare her for the war to come. He also makes sure she's accepted by the Tairen pride as one of their own. We get to see him in so many different capacities in this chapter of the story, both as King and as Tairen Soul. His wisdom is on display in his willingness to buck tradition in order to give his people the greatest chance of survival, as well as in the way he supports Ellie's efforts to save the Tairen. I love how he insists that all the big decisions they make will be done together and that they'll share the burden of any fallout from them. The power he wields as the Tairen Soul is also on full display, both in his interactions with the Tairen and on the battlefield. Whether in the relative peace of the Fading Lands or in the chaos of war, Rain is unquestionably the leader the Fey need in order to make it through the coming crisis.

I still love Ellysetta, too. A part of her is the same sweet girl we met in the first book, but she's been steadily growing into her new role as Rain's Truemate. Her powers continue to develop as well, but she still must learn how to control them, so that she can use them more effectively. Ellie's father chooses to honor her late mother's request to raise her sisters in Celeria, so they remain on the human side of the border with the Fading Lands, which makes Ellie a little sad to leave them behind. But she still always has Rain with her through their bond, and she has her Fey guards, Bel and Gaelen, and gains many more loyal lu'tans when she exercises her healing powers to help them in the same way she did Bel. When Ellie and Rain face opposition to her presence in the Fading Lands, it's difficult for her, but she handles it with grace and dignity. Ellie's first meeting with the Tairen is a success and her connection with them proves strong. She senses the kitlings still in their eggs are dying, but no one knows why, so she tirelessly sets out to find a way to save them. It takes some thinking outside the box and doing things that could make the Fey Council even more upset, but she willingly takes that chance. She also doesn't hesitate to risk her life and being Mage Marked again in order to ensure they'll live. Ellie experiences a lot of growth in this part of the story, which only makes her an even more perfect mate for Rain.

King of Sword and Sky is a little slower paced than the first two books, what I'd call the calm before the storm. It mostly follows Rain and Ellie as they return to the Fading Lands and Ellie becomes acclimated to being the Fey Queen and Rain's Truemate, as well as learning how to better control her powers. It also follows their quest to save both the Tairen and the Fey, with Rain preparing for the inevitable war with Eld and Ellie doing everything in her power to save the Tairen kitlings. However, despite the slower pace and there perhaps being a few less profound revelations in this part of the story, I was never bored at all. I just love inhabiting this world that is so imaginative. As always the world-building is superb, better than virtually any other paranormal or fantasy romance series I can recall reading. The plotting is excellent as well. Things may unfold more slowly but everything ties together into a beautiful cohesive whole that was a pleasure to read. It just takes a lot of build-up to get to the final chapters where most of the more exciting things occur. There are some tense, edge-of-your-seat moments as Ellie puts her plan to save the kitlings into action and Elden mages and their minions make their first incursions into Celeria. There's also a confrontation between Rain and the Massan (Fey Council) that will undoubtedly have repercussions in future books. Since the beginning, I've loved how this series melds together the various races of this world, the creatures, magic, politics, and religion into a fascinating package that's so much fun to read. It was exciting finally getting to see the Fading Lands alongside Rain and Ellie and to finally meet the powerful Tairen and learn more about their culture. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with the war having just begun, so it's left me extremely eager to pick up the next one, Queen of Song and Souls. I loved every minute I spent reading this book and was sad to see it end. I can't begin to express how wonderful this series is or praise it highly enough.

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C. L. Wilson

Themes

Amazing Animals