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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Fourth in the Tairen Soul fantasy series.
My Take
Wilson is torturing me!!! I want to know if Ellysetta can bond Rain before he goes mad and dies. Can Ellysetta escape the doom-laden side of the possibilities? Can they rescue Elfeya and Shan? Will Mellisande be the key to their rescue? I'm terrified about what will happen to King Dorian and Celieria. Does the queen realize what's happening or does she facilitate??! Arghhhh . . .
The Story
It just keeps getting worse. Ellie still hasn't completed the bond with Rain. Her nightmares are intensifying and new powers keep manifesting. Ellie can't tell if they're good or evil, and the shadow looming over her is getting darker and darker. Matters are not helped as the battle at Orest continues, bleeding the fae and their allies of men and morale.
Rain discovery about the enemies' ancient forges confirms his fears. A trouble confirmed when Ellysetta takes part in a Truthsaying.
Needing to warn King Dorian and gather in more allies, Rain takes Ellysetta to Celieria first where they learn the fantastical results of that night when Ellie's magic forced sensuality onto the court. Rain and Ellie also learn what his deposer has to say.
Waylaid by the Elves, Ellie learns what her Dance is in and for the world. In some ways, it eases her fears and in others . . . in others, it makes them worse. Worse yet, the bond madness has begun for Rain and she has a month in which to complete it or lose Rain completely.
The Characters
The only new character is Lord Galad, king of the elves. He does not have an easy role in life. The elves can see all the possible futures and they don't dare to make any changes. So Galad has watched his cousin, Elfeya, suffer Vadim's torture for the last thousand years. Has watched the torture of every innocent taken by the Eld and done nothing. And only Ellysetta understands what it has cost him.
The Cover and Title
Great cover! Wearing a medieval-ish gown with a low-slung girdle and winged sleeves, Ellysetta is reaching for the Eye of Truth while sparkles of magic and winged tairen surround her.
The title, Queen of Song and Souls, seems to be Elysetta as this story is about Ellie's song, her dance for the world. I'm not sure where the souls comes in . . .
My Take
Wilson is torturing me!!! I want to know if Ellysetta can bond Rain before he goes mad and dies. Can Ellysetta escape the doom-laden side of the possibilities? Can they rescue Elfeya and Shan? Will Mellisande be the key to their rescue? I'm terrified about what will happen to King Dorian and Celieria. Does the queen realize what's happening or does she facilitate??! Arghhhh . . .
The Story
It just keeps getting worse. Ellie still hasn't completed the bond with Rain. Her nightmares are intensifying and new powers keep manifesting. Ellie can't tell if they're good or evil, and the shadow looming over her is getting darker and darker. Matters are not helped as the battle at Orest continues, bleeding the fae and their allies of men and morale.
Rain discovery about the enemies' ancient forges confirms his fears. A trouble confirmed when Ellysetta takes part in a Truthsaying.
Needing to warn King Dorian and gather in more allies, Rain takes Ellysetta to Celieria first where they learn the fantastical results of that night when Ellie's magic forced sensuality onto the court. Rain and Ellie also learn what his deposer has to say.
Waylaid by the Elves, Ellie learns what her Dance is in and for the world. In some ways, it eases her fears and in others . . . in others, it makes them worse. Worse yet, the bond madness has begun for Rain and she has a month in which to complete it or lose Rain completely.
The Characters
The only new character is Lord Galad, king of the elves. He does not have an easy role in life. The elves can see all the possible futures and they don't dare to make any changes. So Galad has watched his cousin, Elfeya, suffer Vadim's torture for the last thousand years. Has watched the torture of every innocent taken by the Eld and done nothing. And only Ellysetta understands what it has cost him.
The Cover and Title
Great cover! Wearing a medieval-ish gown with a low-slung girdle and winged sleeves, Ellysetta is reaching for the Eye of Truth while sparkles of magic and winged tairen surround her.
The title, Queen of Song and Souls, seems to be Elysetta as this story is about Ellie's song, her dance for the world. I'm not sure where the souls comes in . . .
yodamom's review
5.0
The war with the Eld is unavoidable, rain and Ellysetta must gather all the allies they can. She still carries hurt marks and tries to do as much good as she can while she can. The vision the oracle sent her haunts her every move. Rain is losing his grip on sanity, the bond is not completing and war brings the madness closer. They visit with the Elf King for a eye opening and disturbing premonition. Horrible truths are revealed, many lives will be lost. One pair of lovers has the ultimate ugliness thrust at them.
This was a very dark and pivotal book in the series. I found it sometimes hard to read, still a beautiful weaved tale, it dealt realistically with the darkness that had to be exposed. I loved the Elk kingdom, fantastic.
This was a very dark and pivotal book in the series. I found it sometimes hard to read, still a beautiful weaved tale, it dealt realistically with the darkness that had to be exposed. I loved the Elk kingdom, fantastic.
smithrachaelynn's review
3.5
Slightly better for the third book for me, but still not as great as the first two. This is definitely the point of the series where things are looking bleak and the characters are struggling to find hope so it was kind of hard to read. Hoping the next one is better.
jgiriunas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
alexmmorgan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
brendalovesbooks's review
4.0
Again, on a re-read of an old favorite, my rating went down. There just wasn't enough going on in this one to move the plot forward, and I want some character growth too. I feel like we're in exactly the same place we were at the end of the last book. I also just didn't feel as invested as I did the first time I read it, and it took me a little bit of time to get into.
First read through:
I think I may have become way too invested in the lives of these fictional characters. There was one point I had to put the book down and go do something else for awhile to calm down. I adore this series.
First read through:
I think I may have become way too invested in the lives of these fictional characters. There was one point I had to put the book down and go do something else for awhile to calm down. I adore this series.
ashley_bitton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0