Synopsis
The hardest stone protects the most precious gems…
Someone is killing dwarves.
Sabine is new to the city of Razadon, a mecca of stone and dwarven magic.
When a clan leader is murdered in a strange ritual, suspicion falls on the most likely culprits and those newest to the city—Sabine and her companions.
The blood of the ancients can fracture even the strongest stone…
The seals of the Dragon Portal are growing weaker, and Sabine’s running out of time to acquire the remaining artifacts before their world is engulfed in flames.
It’s a race against the clock to find out who’s responsible for the murder and save her friend’s life. But deep within the heart of the mountain, there are some who will do anything to keep Sabine from learning the truth.
Even if it means sacrificing her in the process.
Review
“All hail Queen Sabin’theoria of the Unseelie, daughter and heir of Queen Mali’theoria, and blood descendant of Lachlina, the One True Goddess, and Vestior, Harbinger of Nightmares.”
After their adventure with the Merfolk. Sabine, Malek and their other companions are back on the ship on their way to Dwarven, city of the Dwarves.
The closer they get, the greater becomes the feeling that something is wrong. When they are attacked by a strange storm, part of the crew die or lose control of their actions, including Bane and Malek. Thanks to their connection with Sabine and her new power granted by the pearl of the Merfolk, they manage to reach safely the city of the dwarves, Razadon.
This new display of Sabine’s magic, without being covered by her protectors, results in indicating to the Wild Hunt her exact location, so they have no choice but to hide in Razadon.
Between the corruption permeating the air, the goddess threatening to control her bond with Malek and Bane, and the knowledge assassins were hunting her, this entire situation had the potential to go wrong very quickly.
The problem is that the storm was created by corrupt magic, which enrages the goddess Lachlina, who forces Sabine to search for the origin and end it. Furthermore, this magic seems to affect Bane more than the others, driving him into a demonic frenzy in which he slays the dwarves that attack him. This makes him a prisoner, and he is sentenced to death.
The crew is sent away from the city because of the dangers that exist in it. So Sabine, Malek, and Blossom must take it upon themselves to save Bane. Now with the help of Rika, a human “seer” whom Sabine agreed to rescue in Karga and who is now half butterfly (you will understand by reading it ?).
Now Sabine, who has become the new Unseelie queen, needs to prove her power against the dwarves to maintain the alliance, as she tries to overcome their political entanglements to rescue Bane. All while searching for the cause of the corruption before the goddess Lachlina loses her patience and does it on her own.
The first thing I want to say about this book is that for some reason I thought it was a trilogy. Then, through Amazon, I found out there were 4. And it turns out that at the beginning of this book I come across this…
There are 6 books planned in the saga and I don’t even know if they are all. This would really be wonderful if it weren’t because I hate waiting ?. But hey, back to the book.
Sabine is not ready to become queen. However, there is nothing she can do about it. She is forced to do everything in her power to prove to others that she will be a trustworthy queen and thus not lose her allies. Even if her confidence is just a performance.
“We’ve secured at least four votes, possibly five. The others can bend, or they can break. If they want to play games, I intend to win.”
Fortunately, she has Malek by her side, a dragon who has been several times in the city of the dwarves thanks to his facade as a merchant and ship captain. Sabine finds in him the strength to keep up appearances, as well as important advice on how to negotiate with them. Unfortunately Malek is hiding something. He hasn’t told the whole truth about the portal to Sabine and knows he could lose her when she finds out.
“The one woman I end up falling for is the one person who holds the power to either save our people or damn them for eternity. If I have to lose her in the process of saving them, I’ll do it. I’ll hate every second of it, but I’ll do it.”
In addition, Sabine is clear that her relationship with Malek cannot last, as her people will never accept a dragon with their queen. However, she cannot find the strength to get away from him.
She reached for him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. There was no use denying it. She’d fallen in love with a dragon. They’d known each other for such a short amount of time, but it didn’t matter. The obstacles they’d faced had shown her who he truly was, and that was the man she’d come to adore.
Another very interesting thing is that it is becoming increasingly clear that the Huntsman, leader of the Wild Hunt, has some interest in Sabine and in helping her instead of killing her. Although we do not know why.
I can’t say much about Bane and Rika without spoilers. But I love both characters. Bane is the demon that has an oath with Sabine, although she mentions on many occasions that demons are not the same as other races in terms of emotions, it is very clear that he really cares about Sabine. He also seems to have a special relationship with Rika.
This young seer is only 15 years old, and she was forced to leave her home and her grandmother to survive. Sabine feels completely identified with her, so she does her best to support her. Rika’s abilities have not been fully developed, but she already proves to be a valuable ally, who immediately grew fond of everyone, but especially Bane and Blossom.
Blossom is once again in charge of delivering abundant amounts of humor. But it is increasingly showing how important she is as an ally and friend.
One thing I really like about this series is that they don’t end in cliff-hangers. The end of this book is a little more terrible than the previous ones, but it still doesn’t leave you totally hanging. It makes me think of Percy Jackson. I haven’t read the books (?) but in the movies, each one focuses on a particular mission / story, with a base story that ties them together. In the style of Harry Potter the first 4 years.
In this case we are touring the kingdoms hand in hand with Sabine. Each book mainly focuses on one kingdom (at least it seems so ?). In the first they were in the realm of humans, in the second in that of the Merfolk and now in that of the dwarves. It is no longer a spoiler that the main story corresponds to the search for the artifacts used by the gods to close the portal of the dragons and prevent a new war in the world. But this book focuses on the object guarded in the kingdom of the dwarves, and therefore in this race and its relationship with Sabine.
Obviously there is a new drawing, I would be offended if the others don’t have it ?. This time we have Sabine and Blossom next to the dwarf crystals. They are getting more and more beautiful ?.
I still recommend 100% this series. Especially for those who love pure fantasy and fairies, and dragons, and dwarfs, and a thousand other creatures. It is one of the most magical sagas that I have read.
PS: A very interesting discovery is that, of the original races, only dwarfs can grow facial hair. Officially I want to be a Fae ?.
Bye bye ?
