Myril’s world is sinking before her eyes. Foreign ships flood into the harbor and Anamat’s citizens flee across the sea while the governor helps foreign emissaries steal from the city’s guilds.The guildmaster enlists Myril to help save the Chronicles of Anamat from the pillagers and their local allies. Her old friend Darna returns to the city strangely pregnant – if that’s what it is. She’s also … She’s also about to become the ruler of Tiadun. Meanwhile Iola, the ambassadress, is determined to fly to the dragons’ realm again, even if it kills her, and the Defenders have more troubles than they can manage.
Will any of them survive when the waters rise again?
This book concludes the Anamat/Dragonsfall series.
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I’m in the hospital right now, which overall sucks, but one great thing about it is that I’ve the freedom to binge read when I want to. Usually I don’t, as “variety is the spice of life” even in reading, but there have been times when a particular series is just so addictively good that the need-to-binge is just triggered. Amelia Smith’s Anamat series is an example of this. I downloaded its first book Scrapplings, Children of the Dragons, almost as much for its beautiful cover as for the appeal of the book description in its publisher’s blurb. As I noted in my separate review of that book, I love fantasy “when it’s done in a way that’s both innovative and enjoyable.” That was totally the case with book 1, and I fell in love with Darna (an absolutely superb leading character) and with Myril, Iola, Thorat and the rest of the supporting cast. In fact, the book was sooo very good that I just had to (really had to) get into book 2, Priestess of the Dragon’s Temple. That story (about Iola’s battle to become the next ambassadress to the dragons’ realm – and to turn the temple back to being a true sanctuary of the dragons) of course totally drew me in, so no surprise then that I simply had to (HAD to) turn right to book 3. Of course that book, The Defenders’ Apprentice (which is the first of what had originally been the Dragonsfall Trilogy, the prior novels technically being prequels), did nothing to slow down my addiction. I mean c’mon, a story about a pickpocket (Eppie) turned into the last apprentice of the dying Defenders Order and then taking her new swordsman skills and setting out to save a dragon (Tiada)? How could I possibly resist? No way on this Earth. I. She’d into totally addiction and turned to book 4. That book, The Turncoat Prince (technically book 2 of the Dragonsfall Trilogy) was delicious, with Darna in the forefront of a story with twists and turns, romance and betrayals, thrills and action and of course, a dragon. It brought my addiction to a whole new level which could only be appeased by, you guessed it, turning right to the next book, Chronicles of the Last Days (Anamat, Book 5, though it’s book 3 in the Dragonsfall trilogy). Totally complex and convoluted yet somehow easy to follow (a masterful trick in itself) this book managed to tie up all the lose ends in a very satisfying conclusion. My addiction is now mostly satisfied, many many (many) hours into the biggest of binge reads, though for the record I’d be totally up for a sequel series. As for a bottom line review, that is very easy: each of these ebooks (and the entire collection) is easily rated 5 stars. They are all superbly written and loads of fun (though be warned as they’re also clearly highly addictive). Can’t to much better than that in my opinion. Great overall overarching story arc and superb individual book plots, great cast of characters and great writing. I’m glad I downloaded these books. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the series definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the Anamat series (including the Dragonsfall Trilogy) is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend.