Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Review: Heir to the Sun by Jennifer Allis Provost

Synopsis:
The Faerie King has entered into a pact with the demon lord, trading his people's freedom for the might to conquer the nine realms. Two unlikely allies are determined to stop him: Asherah, enslaved by demons, and Caol'nir, a warrior sworn to defend the king.

When Asherah, stripped of both her memory and her dignity, learns that King Sahlgren is responsible for her captivity, she leads her fellow slaves in a daring escape and burns their prison to the ground. Then she learns that there are many more prisons across Parthalan, and embarks upon a campaign to free every last faerie.

In stark contrast to Asherah's struggles, Caol'nir lives the comfortable life of a temple guard. He is sworn to serve and defend the king, as his ancestors have done since time immemorial. Now a priestess has been murdered, and Caol'nir learns that Sahlgren's scheming is to blame. Determined to thwart the king, sacred oath or no, Caol'nir joins Asherah's rebellion. What Caol'nir doesn't know is that Sahlgren has promised the demon lord a woman of rare and singular beauty, a woman who is rumored to be the sun god's daughter. She also happens to be Caol'nir's mate

Review:
I really love reading good Fantasy novels written by women. Don't get me wrong, I mean, a lot of my favorite Fantasy authors are male . . . but it's refreshing to get a woman's perspective on things. This novel showcases two couples and their love set within a wonderfully created world with rich history and background.

The thing that stuck out to me the most was how engaged I was with the relationships. There's Caol'nir and Alluria with their forbidden yet sweet love. I loved every minute of them in the book. But what stole the show was Lormac and Asherah. I was kind of mad that Lormac wasn't real because he is absolutely perfect. A powerful king that has every excuse to be self-centered and demanding, but he is caring and gentle and LOVES Asherah more than anything. Lest I only mention the love-y parts of the story *sheepish grin*, the entire plot is fantastic and original. Plain and simple, I just thought this book was great.

For any readers that might be hesitant to read the sometimes-daunting genre of Fantasy, I think this is a good one to pick up. There's nothing too complicated as far as the world-building goes, which leaves you free to enjoy the characters and their stories.

Publication Date: August 9, 2011
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Thanks to the author, Jennifer Allis Provost, for my review copy.

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