Synopses & Reviews
In the third volume of this astonishing Nebula Award-nominated fantasy series, the many plot strands created in the first two novels become more tightly interwoven--as the time of the cataclysm nears when people and places long sundered by magic will once again reside in the same time and universe...
"The best thus far...I can now honestly say I am rabid for the next book." --B&N Explorations
Praise for the Crown of Stars series:
"Well-thought-out, well-structured, and well-crafted... There's a bone-deep reality to the world." --Fantasy and Science Fiction
"Elliott's new high fantasy... proves an entirely captivating affair...a resounding narrative revolving around three appealing characters." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the third book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series continues the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity
It is a crucial time in the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, a moment when even one wrong decision can tilt the balance of events into total disaster. For Sanglant--King Henry's son--and Liath--the woman he loves--the offer of both a haven from their enemies and the chance for Liath to study the ancient lore with those who claim her as their own, seems like the answer they have been seeking. But no place can truly be safe for them. Both their lives and their love will be at risk when they are forced to choose which pathway each will follow--lured by the equally strong demands of politics, forbidden knowledge, and family.
Liath, born with a dangerous power beyond her control, is torn between her longing for Sanglant and the child they are about to have and the call of sorcery, which can open the way into the land of the Aoi, the Lost Ones. And even as Liath struggles with magic's seductive spell, Sanglant's Aoi mother returns to the mortal world, seeking the son she abandoned as a babe.
As the fates of kingdoms shift with the changing fortunes of those caught up in the dangers of both civil war and continuing attacks by the nonhuman Eika and the Quman invaders, time is running out for Liath, Sanglant, King Henry, and the people of Wendar and Varre. For the time of cataclysm is fast approaching--and no one can foretell who will survive--or rule--when it is over....