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406 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2007
“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani. Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.”
"They stood there by the Velpin for many long, silent chimes, the woodcarver's daughter and the man who had once almost destroyed the world"
“I am not a good man, shei'tani," he corrected. "I never have been. But for you I will strive to be better.”
“Hope was a fragile flicker that he wanted to cup with both hands to protect against the harsh winds of reality.”
“He held up his index finger. 'Rule one: in any dispute between mates, the male is always to blame, even when he is clearly blameless. Rule two'—his middle finger joined the first—'whenever in doubt, refer to rule one.”
“He must prove himself strong enough to protect her, gentle enough to win her heart, and worthy of the great gift of her love and her unconditional trust. She must find the courage to embrace the darkest shadows of his soul, and the even greater courage to bare the shadows of her own soul to him."
"The path is different for every true-mated couple, and it is never a simple one. Both Rain and Ellysetta will be tested, as will the strength of their bond, and they must prove their worthiness before the bond can be complete."
“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani. (Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.)”
“Surely it’s just a song. I, for one, wouldn’t want any of you dying for me.”
“It is the greatest of honors to die in the defense of a shei’tani,” Kiel protested. “Such a warrior will be born to this world again, to find a truemate of his own.”
"Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved."
"They stood there by the Velpin for many long, silent chimes, the woodcarver's daughter and the man who had once almost destroyed the world, the man whose face was now drawn in lines of mingled joy and anguish."
She blinked in surprise. Since the moment she had put her hand in his and he had pulled her into his arms, she felt as if he knew everything there was to know about her. It was surprising and disconcerting to realize that, in fact, they knew each other not at all."
The path is different for every truemated couple, and it is never a simple one. Both Rain and Ellysetta will be tested, as will the strength of their bond, and they must prove their worthiness before the bond can be complete.
“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani. Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.”
“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani. Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.”
“I am not a good man, shei'tani," he corrected. "I never have been. But for you I will strive to be better.”
“Surely it’s just a song. I, for one, wouldn’t want any of you dying for me.”
“It is the greatest of honors to die in the defense of a shei’tani,” Kiel protested. “Such a warrior will be born to this world again, to find a truemate of his own.”
“Hope was a fragile flicker that he wanted to cup with both hands to protect against the harsh winds of reality.”
"Ver reisa ku'chae. Kern surah, shei'tani.
Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.”
A thousand years ago the Fey King Rain Tairen Soul laid waste to the world when his beloved Sariel was murdered. Since then he has become a hermit, withdrawing from the world. But he is the last Tairen Soul, the magical winged cats of the Fading Lands, the only remaining Fey capable of entering the tairen’s lair, and because the Tairen’s are dying, it is his duty to protect them and the Fey. Even when he would rather die, when he would rather remain alone. And they Eye of Truth had revealed to him a way to save his people, he will have to go to the city that he despises, Celieria where he would hopefully find the one that can help him save his people. What he did not expect was to find his truemate. Something he never expected to have, because never in the recorded history had a Tairen Soul claimed a truemate. Can he overcome his feelings of betrayal to his beloved Sariel, to embrace the beauty of what he can have with his truemate? And can he convince his truemate to accept their bond?
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
Ellysetta is the adopted daughter of a woodcarver. She’s been plagued by nightmares all her life, her mother believing her to be possessed by demons. She has learned to hate and fear magic. And she has dreamed and hoped for a powerful love, never really believing it could happen to her. Until her soul cried out to the powerful Rain, and his answered.
But an ancient evil, who has kept hidden for centuries, one who has patiently been biding his time until he is ready to plunge the world into darkness, has finally surfaced. Causing alliances to crumble, loyalties to be questioned. And Rain needs Ellie, his powerful truemate, to accept their bond, to accept her power and to embrace their destiny in order to save their world from the darkness.
"I am not a good man, shei'tani," he corrected. "I never have been. But for you I will strive to be better.”
I absolute loved this book. This is my kind of fantasy because it has lots of romance. Ellie might be young compared to Rain, but she is not a weakling, and seeing her battling wills with Rain when he’s overprotective was hilarious. I loved both Ellie and Rain, and their romance is sweet and very slow building. I loved how Rain’s Tairen craved Ellie, and how Rain had to battle for control every time he was near Ellie, and the fact that he had to realise that what he could have with Ellie was so much more than he had before.
The secondary characters were excellent, especially the warriors Rain assigned to protect Ellie. And the plot regarding the return of the evil Mages was very captivating. The little parts about Ellie and her past, and where she comes from was so interesting, and I was left with so many questions:
Will Rain realise that not only his soul belongs to Ellie, but also his heart?
Will the evil mage be able to get the queen to succumb to his lures?
Will Ellie accept the matebond in time for them to defeat the darkness?
And what will happen when Rain and Ellie finds out who Ellie’s real parents are?
I cannot wait to find out what will happen next.
This was an excellent romantasy (fantasy + romance), and a must read.