A gritty rebel with dangerous ties. A secretive mine that buries the truth. A handful of ancient bones with dark origins.Shikoba, feisty daughter of the tribal queen Aisha, has been trained since birth to defend her people. On the cusp of her final trials, she is swept away by a dragon and a Djinn shapeshifter. Bearer of a crystal heart, Shikoba has been marked to free her people from the tyranny … Shikoba has been marked to free her people from the tyranny of Emperor Madrid.
Shikoba is tasked with the destruction of the barrier that isolates her people from the other provinces, but an ancient evil stands between her and their freedom. Existing only in legend, the Naga is a fierce creature of magic and myth with a secret of its own to protect.
Can one young woman gather the courage to protect all that she loves? The cost could be bitter – her death in the sacred salt mines of Shadra. Only the spirits of the ancestors can say for sure, who will prevail.
*** WINNER, OZMA FIRST IN CATEGORY, CHANTICLEER REVIEWS (2018) ***
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Interesting story set in a magical world. I love the flow of the story and how detailed the characters are.
Holy smokes! Things are amping up and I would LOVE to see the horrible emperor have his defeat in the most demeaning way. He is truly vile. I can’t wait to see how his plays out! Mesmerizing and engaging!
Such a good book! Magic, dragons and an exciting tale to be told with Sbadrian of Shadra looking to break down a barrier. Kids digging salt in a mine and a very powerful wizard striking terror in the hearts of everyone. Adventurous storytelling, with good interplay between characters. Can’t wait for the next book! Loved it!
Heart of Shadra (Heart of the Citadel, #3), my third read from author Susan Faw. I got the first book Heart Of Destiny (Heart of the Citadel #1) back in April 2018 & read it & Heart of Tyr (Heart of the Citadel #2) in October of 2018 and then I just lost track of the series. Another thoroughly entertaining well-written read that has all the makings of an epic with likable, well-developed characters that make you want to read more by this author! Next up is Heart Of Bastion (Heart of the Citadel #4). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Heart of Shadra is the continuing story of The Heart of the Citadel series by Susan Faw. Heart of Shadra tells the story of Shadra – a young woman who is a crystal heart bearer. After a hunt with her friend Casper, she is heading back to her village, but along the way she crosses paths with the Djinn and dragon that are meant to be the members of her Triad. She leaves with them, is trained and returns years later. Tragically she and Casper have taken different paths in life, and now he has been brainwashed by the Emperor and serves him. Shadra has returned on the mission to bring down the barrier that surrounds her people, but what she finds is more than she could have expected. Her people are being abducted and enslaved, danger is at every turn and unknown to she and her fellow triad…they are being hunted.
Heart of Shadra is an engaging addition to the series and gives the reader both new and familiar characters. The author brings the reader back to this fantasy world and shows the reader that there is danger at every turn. Nothing is what it seems. Shadra is an engaging and determined character. She has been trained by the witches in the importance of her triad. She has the ability of fire, but other than that she seems untrained. She’s hot headed, but she means well overall. The author shows that there are some chinks in the armor with certain characters, but she also shows us that not everything is what it seems.
There honestly isn’t much that I don’t like about this book. I do get annoyed with Shadra when she allows her temperament to get the best of her. I feel that she is blinded by her quest for revenge and quest for answers and the truth. I will warn of this…the author leaves the reader with LOTS of questions. So be prepared to be wondering what happened to many.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book does NOT have a happy “ending.” I both like it and hate it because I wanted last minute good news, last minute/in the nick of time rescues, but they don’t come. The story ends on a cliffhanger, but it makes me eager for the next book and to know what happens next. If you have read the first books in this series then I encourage you to pick this book up and learn about these characters and what happens next.
Susan has another winner. This 3rd book has everything you expect from a well written fantasy. I especially love Obsidian, Shikoba’s dragon, who is one of the triad along with Shikoba and Sarcee her Djinn dragonmerger. HOS is a fact paced adventure with well developed characters, some you will love and others you will hate. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend this series. I received an ARC and this, as always, is my voluntary and honest review.
Susan Faw’s Heart of Shadra, the third of her The Heart Of The Citadel series once again brings forth a great cast of characters, beautifully crafted, into a perfectly built world, with a perilous mission ahead of them. It’s an mission that will be completed but with a cost still to be told (yes, that’s an illusion to a doozy of a cliffhanger here, so you’ve now been warned). This is a talented writer displaying those talents in full and (as long as you can deal with cliffies), it’s well worth the ride. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series (and somewhat desperately looking forward to resolving that cliffhanger).