Book III in the award-winning series The Silvan.A child becomes a novice. A novice becomes a warrior. The warrior – becomes a legend.To the enemy, Fel’annár is just a half-blood bastard, but to the Silvan people, he is their crownless warrior prince. Returning from battle in the mountains, he grieves for one who was lost, a death that triggers a mystery Fel’annár and his company of chosen … a mystery Fel’annár and his company of chosen brothers must unravel. But why do the trees speak of a beautiful monster?
Fel’annár will learn the ways of the Kah Warrior from a legendary commander while facing the disdain of another who struggles to accept this ‘ignoble son’ for who he is, not for what he represents. Meanwhile, Fel’annár’s royal half-brother reveals a plan to restore the Great Forest to its past splendour of multi-cultural harmony. But the Forest is falling apart under the final onslaught of a ruthless traitor and the Silvan people are turning away from their ruler. Can Fel’annár come to understand what role he must play in this plan before it is too late? Can the brothers put aside their resentment towards each other for tearing their families apart and learn to trust one another? Can love prosper in the midst of battle and hardship as dark enemies converge on the Motherland?
Danger lies in wait for an elf who is slowly coming to terms with his heritage, learning to wield a natural ability and accepting the nature of his unfolding destiny.
The greatest warriors of their time will come together once more—in the name of justice. In the name of love.
The Silvan Series
#1 Path of a Novice
#2 Road of a Warrior
#3 Dawn of a Legend
#4
#5
#6
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This whole series is amazing thus far. There isnt 1 thing i can say that i dont like about the story. In the beginning with book 1 reading in 3rd person threw me off a bit and i wasn’t use to that style but I adapted. Book 3 is even more dope and in a way kinda reminds me of lion king. The main character Fel (i’m just gonna shorten it to that cuz i cant spell the name lol) struggles with identity. Being half alpine elf and half silvan elf. And in book 3, what i took away from it is that he really starts to understand himself, figure out who he really is and more importantly begins to accept and love all parts of himself.
While also battling and fighting monsters in a war. and basically becomes Malcolm X for the silvan elves and decides to pick up the mantle and fight for them and their rights against bigotry, enslavement, and injustice which is DOPE! But seriously at least checkout book 1 if you haven’t already done that. R.K. Lander leaves cliff hangers and leaves you in suspense at the end of each book which i’m pretty sure she purposely does that lol.
Dawn of a Legend is the third, and – in my opinion – the best book in this series so far. Each character has depth and potential for growth, which many of them do. R.K.’s descriptive style allows me to visualize every scene as if I were there, and the visual details only serve to enhance the story rather than distracting from it.
In this book, the political machinations and intrigue continue, while a new enemy is introduced. The mystery around the nature and identity of that enemy escalates continuously until the epic battle towards the end. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Fel’annar’s continued evolution as a warrior, and was thrilled by the addition of the internal martial arts. I haven’t found that as much as the external marital arts in the fantasy and UF genres (maybe I’m reading the wrong books?), but as a practitioner, I love its role in this story.
Perhaps more important are the emotional changes that several characters go through. It’s almost a given that Fel’annar, as the young, main protagonist, would experience more emotional growth, but I especially enjoyed how much some of the older characters are changed as well. I found myself tearing up during some of the scenes, laughing out loud at others (The Company never fails to entertain!), and reading with bated breath during and after the final battle. It was hard to put the book down.
This series may have a fantasy setting, and yet many of the key concepts that drive the story are rooted in reality: Loyalty, family, equality, and love. I think that is why this series is so engaging, and I look forward to the next book!
“Dawn of a Legend” is the best book so far in this exceptional “The Silvan” series. R.K. Lander deftly weaves a thrilling, heart-tugging, suspenseful fantasy masterpiece in her trademark lyrical style that builds to an explosive climax towards the end of this brilliant book 3. An absolute must-read!
Yet again a riveting read, the third in the silven series. I love R.K’s characters, the world she created, the wonder of a hero, beautiful, heartfelt friendships that resonated deeply with me. A world I will visit again and again. Dawn of a legend, had me on the edge of my seat I couldn’t put it down until the last word, I will wait with baited breathe for the next installment.
Book Review: This is the third installment of the Silvan series and, though I coached and edited it like some of the earlier novels in the series, I have to say, this is my favorite. This moment in time in the characters’ stories is just such a great mix of romance, adventure, friendship, intrigue, and new challenges that I couldn’t help but love it.
Still, I’m curious to see how it stacks against my book review rubric, so here’s a closer look.
Narration: 4.5 out of 5. I’m not one to give out high marks readily, but the narration truly comes into its own with this book, beautifully displaying the varying emotions of the characters, the beauty of the world, the fear and danger and worries, the growing frustrations of the Silvan people. It does feel like it’s a bit more “down to business” than some of the earlier books have been, to where there aren’t as many moments of wonder or awe, not as much poetry as there tended to be in earlier books, and while it does somewhat fit a book where the characters are used to their environment, there are moments where the descriptions are a bit more straightforward than they have to be.
Content: 5 out of 5. As mentioned earlier, this book had everything, just by virtue of where the characters were in their lives and their journeys. It didn’t feel forced to where content was added just to make the book interesting, and I loved the way the author took her time with the romance and the relationship between the brothers, with The Company and with Fel’annár’s interactions with his commanding offiers.
The only area where I was left wanting more was with Tensári, who only makes a brief appearance, and with the baddies—but then, you get the feeling that we’ll see both areas unfold in the next book (I hope), and this one had a lot more about the villains than any of the earlier ones, at last letting us see the elves behind the opposition and witness some of their scheming in operation.
Characters: 5 out of 5. The characterization in these books is always one of the strong points and in this one, I felt it was pure literary gold. It showed Fel’annár as he matured and yet still struggled, as he grieved and hoped, but it also featured more than just him. The Company got a much larger role in this book, and we got to see Sontúr and Idernon in action far more than usual. We also got our first major female character (yay!), and while she isn’t a fighter by virtue of her work and studies as a healer, she is strong, capable, and competent.
We also got a lot more of the villains’ side of things. We meet Silor’s father, see Band’orán in action, and you get the feeling that there’s plenty more characterization to explore in the future. Rich, vibrant, real characters were everywhere you turned, with elves we had already met blossoming and finally getting character arcs of their own (though, of course, as it’s a series, there are some character arcs that don’t finish in this book).
Artwork: Subjective. Personally, I really like the cover. I feel like it shows his maturity and nicely hints at his martial arts studies in the book, and I like the purple color, giving us a break from the green and blues of the earlier ones (but then, I think all the covers are gorgeous).
Worldbuilding: 5 out of 5. The series has always had incredible worldbuilding, and this book is no exception, showing us new areas but continuing the consistency of the parts we’ve already seen. It feels like we’re constantly excavating new layers, seeing new things, and it’s part of what makes the Silvan series such a delightful reader journey, as you know you’ll see something new with every book.
Overall Response: 19.5 out of 20, or 4.875 overall. This book is the perfect balance of action, adventure, grand battles and subtle, sweet romance. Anyone who likes fantasy with lots of relationships, friendships, believable characters and dangerous intrigue will love this book!
Copyright 2019 Andrea Lundgren
Hmmm what to say….I found the characters and plot very engaging from 1st, 2nd and now the 3rd book. To think that Elves have biases and social issues.
In retrospect I wish I had found this series now….so I could quickly go from 1st to 3rd book without waiting….hint hint R.K.
A very enjoyable read R.K…thank you for allowing me in your world.
A great sequel to Road of a Warrior!