The Incendi elementals that dwell beneath the mountains have found a way to tap into the Arbor’s roots, which stretch not only across the land but also through time, and King Pyra is determined to crush the ancient tree.Twenty-two years after the defeat of the Darkwater Lords, Chonrad’s widow Procella and their three children are drawn back to Heartwood to investigate the rumour of strange fires … strange fires springing up across the land. Across three separate timelines, the heroes must battle to join together their ancient sunstones, to overcome the Incendi threat, and to protect the Arbor and make earth victorious once more.
File Under: Fantasy [ Under Siege | The Generation Game | Incendiary | Heartwood Revisited ]
From the Trade Paperback edition.
more
SUNSTONE is the second book in the Elemental Wars by Freya Robertson. I read the first book and though it was enjoyable, there were too many characters to keep track of in all their different quests across the land in the hopes of opening the Nodes. In this book, the author pares down the cast and writes a compelling and interesting read. The story follows three different groups as they are called by The Arbor, the tree that is the living force of the land, to come to its aid. The Arbor is in trouble and strives to bring about the APEX, the singular event that will have past and future events converge with the present. The ancient sunstones must merge across timelines into one, but the Incendi, fire elementals, will do everything they can to prevent it. If the Apex does not happen, the world will be turned to ash and the Incendi king Pyra will rule forever.
It was easy to follow each group’s adventures and perils. Ms. Robertson kept the tension high and never strayed from any one story too long. That was the problem with the first book, but in SUNSTONE, the continuation of each journey was never further away than a chapter or two. The climax was exciting, the magic inventive and the characters well-fleshed out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would suggest reading HEARTWOOD first though to fully understand the story. Recommended.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
SUNSTONE is the second book in the Elemental Wars by Freya Robertson. I read the first book and though it was enjoyable, there were too many characters to keep track of in all their different quests across the land in the hopes of opening the Nodes. In this book, the author pares down the cast and writes a compelling and interesting read. The story follows three different groups as they are called by The Arbor, the tree that is the living force of the land, to come to its aid. The Arbor is in trouble and strives to bring about the APEX, the singular event that will have past and future events converge with the present. The ancient sunstones must merge across timelines into one, but the Incendi, fire elementals, will do everything they can to prevent it. If the Apex does not happen, the world will be turned to ash and the Incendi king Pyra will rule forever.
It was easy to follow each group’s adventures and perils. Ms. Robertson kept the tension high and never strayed from any one story too long. That was the problem with the first book, but in SUNSTONE, the continuation of each journey was never further away than a chapter or two. The climax was exciting, the magic inventive and the characters well-fleshed out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would suggest reading HEARTWOOD first though to fully understand the story. Recommended.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.