Paperback, 528 pages
Published 2010 by Hyperion Book CH.
Relates the intertwining fates of former street gang leader Han Alister and headstrong Princess Raisa, as Han takes possession of an amulet that once belonged to an evil wizard and Raisa uncovers a conspiracy in the Grey Wolf Court.
Rereading the series for the first time since the final book came out years ago. Living for fun writing and a great nostalgia kick
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's restored my faith in epic fantasy!
It's not your typical Tolkien-esque trope, where a party of adventurers get together in search of a MacGuffin, or in search of a place in which to destroy a MacGuffin. Those stories have become somewhat of a cliché these days, with every second series basically the same old thing. This one is much more local. There are two intersecting plots, which IS typical of Fantasy, but the entire story takes place within the confines of a single country.
On the one hand you have Han, known as Hunts Alone to the clans. He is torn between his mother and sister in the city of Fellsmarch, and his "adopted" clan family in the mountains known as the Spirits. He's a bit of a roguish character, reformed, who used to be the streetlord of an influential gang in the city. …
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's restored my faith in epic fantasy!
It's not your typical Tolkien-esque trope, where a party of adventurers get together in search of a MacGuffin, or in search of a place in which to destroy a MacGuffin. Those stories have become somewhat of a cliché these days, with every second series basically the same old thing. This one is much more local. There are two intersecting plots, which IS typical of Fantasy, but the entire story takes place within the confines of a single country.
On the one hand you have Han, known as Hunts Alone to the clans. He is torn between his mother and sister in the city of Fellsmarch, and his "adopted" clan family in the mountains known as the Spirits. He's a bit of a roguish character, reformed, who used to be the streetlord of an influential gang in the city.
On the other hand, you have the princess heir to the throne, Raisa ana'Marianna, who at the outset of the story is fast approaching the time in her life when she is considered eligible to marry. She really doesn't want to, but no queen ever marries for love, and she will have to marry someone of her mother's choosing in order to secure political power and alliances.
Okay, so having juxtaposed those two plots nicely for you in this review, you may begin to assume that the story will be a romance between Raisa and Han. I was starting to believe that in the beginning of the story myself, but if that were the case, I would've quickly grown bored, and given this book far fewer stars. It's not that at all - Han and the princess' paths DO intersect, but in ways that I didn't see coming.
The world is rich and detailed, the magic system is well thought-out and believable, and the overarching plot of the series is shaping up to be truly epic. With so many good books out there, I VERY seldom read series any more. I think I'm going to be reading THIS one, though!
