Peace descends on the Ravenwood freehold, and Raze Anvrell trusts that as love lays open his life, the turmoil of his past will loosen its grip. But in the halls of Avanoe and catacombs of Ezar, political intrigues thicken. Deflection and secrets manipulate the truth, assassins whet their blades, and more than one ruler stakes a claim in the quest for power. A swallower of multiple souls, Sajem … souls, Sajem files his teeth and inks his eyes. Tentacles of madness slither deeper into the slaver’s afflicted mind. His raids grow brazen, tactics harsh, and conscience stripped bare. Alliances fracture and form, and no one is too old or young, too wealthy or beautiful to spare.
As his father’s health fails, Raze accompanies his brother to Ezar to plead before the Empress for slavery’s end. When death strikes, he and those who stand in the way of ruthless ambition must battle for those they love, the principles they hold dear, and the world they desire.
While heirs compete for the Ezari throne, slavers plot each other’s demise. The future of the Vales depends on the outcome. And if Raze wishes to save his family, his freehold, his chance at love, and his life, he must swallow one more soul.
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Second in the Shattered Sea series, this is one thrill-ride!
When trouble comes to Ravenwood, Raze must lay aside his prejudices and team up with his family to uncover a nest of political intrigue in order to save the woman he loves.
Written in the form of a spell-binding saga, this series is truly a must-read. The author describes far-off lands in stunning detail along with the plight of the bonded against sometimes unethical slavers.
The choice of whether to swallow souls of the recently departed and how it affects the new host is explored and left this reader thinking we should be grateful for the gifts we’re given; asking for more comes with a price.
Favorite lines:
Yet, love never showed up at the door in tidy packages strung with ribbons; it demanded vulnerability, a choice to trust and accept the risks of hurt, disappointment, and failure.
Peach, D. Wallace. Legacy of Souls (The Shattered Sea Book 2) (p. 15). D. Wallace Peach. Kindle Edition.
Cups passed hand to hand, the conversation light and effortless as dusk smeared a scarlet brushstroke across the Ravenwood sky. Frogs peeped in the pasture and fireflies blinked above the grass in a random dance.
Peach, D. Wallace. Legacy of Souls (The Shattered Sea Book 2) (p. 102). D. Wallace Peach. Kindle Edition.
“Life is hard enough, isn’t it? Full of frailty and suffering. We live in our secret inner worlds, and despite the bridges we build to others, no one truly glimpses all the hidden corners of our souls.”
Peach, D. Wallace. Legacy of Souls (The Shattered Sea Book 2) (p. 103). D. Wallace Peach. Kindle Edition.
Valcore crumbled beneath the weight of its clouds. The city’s wide river oozed along squat defensive walls, and steel chains webbed the air between its towers as if they alone prevented the place from collapsing. From the river’s mouth, even the palace looked derelict, cloaked in smoke and rising from the black ruins like a lightning-struck tree.
Peach, D. Wallace. Legacy of Souls (The Shattered Sea Book 2) (p. 216). D. Wallace Peach. Kindle Edition.
I give Legacy of Souls 5+ lovely kisses- a fantastic fantasy saga!
I read Soul Swallowers (The Shattered Sea Book 1) earlier in the year and the characters and story were still fresh in my mind. I had intended to spread the enjoyment of this second book over several days but it was just too tempting and I finished the book in two sittings. Perhaps one of the ways to describe this fast paced fantasy action thriller is to suggest that it is the Game of Thrones eight seasons rolled into two.
The lands along the coast of the Shattered Sea are not peaceful with ambiguous interpretations of slavery and bondage laws, political ambitions that lead to treachery and intrigue, love that comes at a very high price and the madness that results from indiscriminate swallowing of souls.
The living and the dead vie to be heard above the increasing chaos and caught up in its vortex is Raze who seeks a quiet life with those he loves but must step forward and change his nature to survive and protect his family.
The action scenes are choreographed with technical brilliance and the author does not shy from describing the outcome of close in combat with swords and knives.
With a throne at stake slavers and noble families rush towards a climax that could bring disaster or redemption. D. Wallace Peach takes the reader to the brink and keeps them captivated to the last page.
I thoroughly recommend both books and since they are addictive I suggest you buy them both at the same time.
“Legacy of Souls” by D. Wallace Peach is a compelling epic fantasy with complex characters and rich detail that work together to drive the political intrigue and adventurous tale. Although “Legacy of Souls” can be read as a stand-alone, it would help to read the first book, “Soul Swallowers” in the series to help understand the world-building and plot. The hero, Raze Anvrell, has finally found the peace he has longed for. His rage from losing his first wife has assuaged as a result of swallowing the soul (essence) of his mentor. Raze has resolved differences with his estranged father and has found the chance for true love with his soulmate. However, he doesn’t anticipate the schemes of an ambitious ruler to usurp the queen of the Tegir Empire that could also destroy his existence and those he loves. As the political machinations unfold, he must decide whether or not to swallow another soul so he can defend his family, retain his freehold, and save those he loves.
Author D. Wallace Peach has masterfully woven rich detail into a complex, action-packed tale filled with political machinations. The second book expands on the concept of swallowing a person’s soul to absorb his or her essence and reveals what happens to free souls if they’re not swallowed. Although the story is told from various points of view, everyone’s story seamlessly interweaves into others to drive the story forward. The pacing can leave you breathless as you anxiously read to find out what happens to each character from scene to scene until the riveting climax. The three-dimensional characters are engaging, and their motivations and actions often surprise you, heightening the unexpected twists in the tale.
I highly recommend “Legacy of Souls” to fans of epic fantasy that enjoy unique world-building, complex stories, and engaging characters.
Legacy of Souls is a worthy successor to Soul Swallowers, a happy result that is too seldom the case. You know those series that disappoint because the author used up all their best stuff in their first book? This isn’t one of those. 🙂
The same cast of characters return to this story, only the intensity has dialed up a notch. The seeds of plots planted in soul Swallowers grow to fruition here, and on the line are thrones, loved ones, and the very freedom to have any say in your life. Slavery is still the law of the land, and Raze and his friends take their petition to end this cruel institution to the Empress across the sea.
But the powerful do not give up their interests lightly…
“Legacy of Souls,” begins where “Soul Swallowers,” left off with Raze fully immersed in the expansion of his freehold into a larger operation for farming and raising horses. His heart is full as he pursues the lovely Bel who has miraculously healed his broken heart.
Because of Bel’s love, Raze finds the courage to move past the differences that controlled his relationship with his father. Even so, he keeps a careful distance as he retreats back into his life avoiding the political overtures that normally occur from a noble birth.
However, when his father begs him to attend a royal wedding with him, Raze stalls filled with guilt, not willing to give up either his lifestyle or his newfound reconciliation with his father.
Finally, Raze agrees to accompany his father and brother to the wedding when a horrible crime is committed, leaving his family accused of the murder while the royal family hunts them down.
By the time Raze escapes to the freehold, he finds most of his beloved family killed, and Bel kidnapped by the slavers. It is the death of his friend, Samoth, that changes the man forever. Raze chooses to swallow his soul which adds the necessary soldier’s skills he needs to survive and to save his family.
Once again, this author has waved her magic wand and created a world like no other. Here, life is filled with danger where human souls are bought and sold by the rich to increase their power. Political motivations and shifting loyalties explode within the schemes of the governing family, while the slavers do their bidding.
The characters and situations within these pages are unforgettable. For me, it was the philosophical dilemma of absorbing another person’s soul that I found so intriguing. Think about the possibility of accepting the soul essence of someone else into your existence. New skills and knowledge would have to integrate, for better or worse. If you swallowed too many souls, disaster would ensue as the personalities clash for control with possible madness being the end result. Would you swallow a soul?
This is a brilliant two book series that will keep you guessing until the end. (You can read my review of “Soul Swallowers on my blog). As with most literature penned by this author, I could not put the story down. I read into the wee hours until the last closing chapter came to a satisfactory end. Now, I can’t wait to see what D. Wallace Peach conjures up next for me to read.
MY RATING:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars