The Trateri are about to learn a vital lesson of the Broken Lands. Deep in the remote expanse where anything can happen, it pays to be on a pathfinder’s good side.Nobody ventures beyond their village walls. Nobody sane that is. Monstrous creatures and deadly mysteries wait out there. Lucky for the people she serves, Shea’s not exactly sane. As a pathfinder, it’s her job to face what others fear … others fear and protect her charges from the dangers that await in the Broken Lands. It’s not an easy job, but she’s the best at what she does.
When the people she serves betray her, Shea must rely on her wits and skill to survive the Trateri, a barbarian horde sweeping in to conquer the Lowlands, and their warlord, a man as dangerous as he is compelling. Her actions and the decisions she makes might mean the difference between life or death. Danger looms on the horizon and a partnership with the Warlord may be the only thing preventing the destruction of everything she holds dear.
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This felt like the fantasy novels of the 80s and 90s – Robin McKinley, Patricia Wrede, etc. Strong heroine, great world building, interesting characters, and a well-constructed plot keeping the action moving along.
I’m not sure I would have ever stumbled upon this gem if it wasn’t for seeing this being recommended and compared to another book I loved. I actually don’t think it’s similar to that book because this was just too unique on it’s own.
As far as I know, there are only 3 books in the series. It’s good to know that because the romance part of this was very slow. So slow that the hero and heroine weren’t even in the same vicinity for some of this book. For some of the other part they were…well let me just say, they might as well have not been in the same vicinity. I’m vague only because I don’t want to give away all Shae’s secrets.
Don’t let that deter you. Even thought the romance was very slow in this first book, there is much to keep your attention. Shae was a unique heroine and had me completely consumed in this book. I really enjoy strong, smart heroines and you get that with Shae. She’s very cunning and that really had me riveted to this story.
Fallon is just as good of a reason to love this book. He’s a warlord and head of his clan. He is also very smart and cunning. He’s trying to find a better way for his and the other clans to co-exist. Not everyone wants that change and attempts on his life has proven that. What I really loved about Fallon was that he is pretty obsessed with Shae and has proven that he will have her against all odds.
As much as I was looking forward to him and Shae finally getting together, my love for Fallon was in jeopardy of falling with his treatment of her. I didn’t like how he treated her when she denied him. I realize why he did it, and ultimately it was to push her in the right direction, it just seemed harsh.
The disrespect Shae has had to deal with from the very beginning was getting to be too much when it got to the point where Fallon came in. I think I was just over her bad treatment at that point, so that doesn’t exactly fall all on Fallons shoulders.
This was a very created world building with fascinating characters. Book 1 did not end on a cliffhanger but you can also tell it’s not the end of their story. Since we finally see them at the point I wanted to see them at the end, I’m excited to move onto book 2 to witness the next level of Fallon and Shae’s relationship.
Loved it! What a great introduction to this new world and the people who inhabit it. Fabulous beasts and a fantastic array of characters!
This book was absolutely one of the best I have read in years. The heroine is not only realistic with a real womans reactions but she is a legitimate badass with a brain. She knows her limitations and doesn’t do stupid stuff but her skills are awesome and again, REALISTIC. The romance is not overpowering to the action and you don’t even really see the hero until halfway through the book. Not to mention the author is amazing at world building. So as someone who reads a lot and a lot of romances I was wildly impressed with the balance she found. BEST SERIES!!!!
Fantastic story with interesting characters! I’m so glad I found this.
This book came highly recommended, and even though I hate trilogies, I dug in. And I am so glad I have the best book buddy ever!
While this doesn’t have a lot of romance in it, it has enough to keep me going when that part of the story lagged. It also wasn’t difficult because Shea was one serious kick butt heroine. She was smart and totally capable of taking care of herself in a land that is dangerous even for the most trained warriors. But it isn’t her skills to do battle, of which she has little, that make her strong, it’s her ability to think ahead and strategize as to the best course of action. She amazed me with her insights.
Fallon, the warlord of the Trateri, was everything I hunger for in a hero. From the first moment he meets Shea he claims her as his own.
”You’re not going to let me go are you?” she asked with a sinking feeling.
His eyes held hers as he shook his head once. “No.”
“I saved you and your man.”
“For which I’m grateful, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re mine now.”
When she escapes from him, he finds her even more intriguing and then sets out to have his whole army on the lookout for her. Months pass and he is still obsessed with her, determined to keep her once he finds her again.
What follows is a thrilling story as Shea disguises herself as a male and is caught up in Fallon’s army. Acting as scout, and using her innate abilities, she helps to save her team from the beasts that rule the lands they travel through. But when she ends up actively saving the Warlord himself, her disguise suddenly becomes very flimsy indeed.
“You are a constantly evolving puzzle. It drives me mad, and for someone like me, who can guess an opponent’s move before they even make it, that is more attractive than a fragile thing like appearance could ever be. You ask why you. How could it be any but you?”
This has so many incredible scenes of action in a world that was clearly defined for the reader without bogging the story down. Each amazing battle against strange beasts was carefully crafted in a way to draw me in without being wordy to where I wanted to skim.
The last 25% of the story has Shea and Fallon on the same pages and let me say, it was awesome! Together, they had some serious chemistry that absolutely sizzled across the pages.
The secondary characters are just as important to the story and many of them I can’t wait to read more about. I’m hoping to have all my heart’s desires for this hero and heroine, as well as every one of these characters, met as I continue on in the series.