Lord of the Fading Lands

3.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

The tairen were dying.

Lord of the Fading Lands was a high fantasy romance story that introduces readers to a world full of humans, Fey, and Mages. Centered around Ellie, the daughter of common folk, her world suddenly gets turned upside down when the King of the Fey declares that she is his truemate. Rain is the last of the tairen fey, a fey who has the power inside of them to shift into a tairen, a cat, dragon like creature. Rain hasn't been in the mortal world for over a thousand years, leaving after the bloody war with the mages where his heartmate was killed and he scorched the earth. When he suddenly feels someone calling out to him, he discovers the connection with Ellie and what she is to him. With the fey dying out, there have been no fey births for the last couple centuries, he thinks Ellie has not only the power to save him but the fey. Ellie has suffered from seizures and nightmares her whole life but even though she knew she was adopted by her parents, she has always thought she was human, but Rain senses magic and power in her.

She had dreamed of Rain Tairen Soul all her life, and here he was. She felt herself moving towards him, her hand reaching out. He had asked, and she had to touch him. If only to be sure he was real.

This first book in the series is an introduction to the world and characters, this ends on a cliffhanger. At 400 pages, you're going to have to want to sink into this world and accept this is the start of threads with just the beginning of weaving happening. There were a couple times I thought the pace dragged but for the most part, I was captured by this world. The fey warriors that guard Ellie, were given enough life to make them distinctive in my mind, Ellie's bestfriend stayed mostly to the shadows but was given an aspect that will have her playing a bigger role in the series, the King and Queen of the mortal land played excellent secondary characters adding a lot to the story and making me interested in them without taking time away from the main characters, Ellie's family of mother, father, and younger sisters helped fill out some aspects of Ellie's character, the two mage villains that pop in and out to bring on the looming danger, and other smaller roles provided great meaty secondary characters.

She felt his lips press against her hair, felt his need for her down to her soul, and for this moment in time she did not feel alone.

Most of this was dedicated to placing the reader in the world, introducing the fantasy setting, familiarizing the reader with the political atmosphere, and starting the romance between Ellie and Rain. Since they are truemates, there is some of that instalove between them but you still get Ellie having to learn to trust Rain and Rain trying to let Ellie get to know him, while trying to keep his tairen tamed so as not to frighten her. They have some quiet talking moments and some physical moments but the quick open door scene doesn't come from these two, they're in the slightly push and pull beginning part of a relationship. I felt like I didn't get to fully know Rain, as this was more about Ellie discovering things about herself, but I think future books will probably bring him into focus more as he'll have a stronger roll to play, he's more waiting around for Ellie to accept things in this one.

The Mages had regained their power, and the world was in danger once more.

While Rain is courting Ellie, he senses the Eld, who he battled a thousand years ago, growing stronger again, even though the King and Queen don't realize it. Readers get povs from the High Mage, leader of the Eld and one of his minions, so the looming feeling is definitely felt. When Rain feels the magic in Ellie, he sends two fey to investigate the origins of her birth and while readers get to see what they find out, Rain, Ellie, or no one else on their side learn what is discovered and will be going into the second book not knowing that looming thread. This had fey, magic, evil looming, and romance, an introduction to a high fantasy world that you'll want to sink into as the characters you're starting to care about look to be on the brink of a war.