10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best fantasy series I have ever read, December 30, 2009
From the first page of book one I have been hooked on this series. I couldn't put the first 3 books down and it was a long, grueling wait for The Dark Lady's Chosen. The character development is phenomenal, you truly despise the villains and can't help but feel likes the heroes and heroins become a part on you. My stomach was in knots during the intense parts of the story, but the story flows so well that it feels like the whole story is flying by and before you know it you are done. This is one series that I could read over and over, this book being no exception to that. For anyone wanting to jump in on this book without reading the first 3, the author makes it easier by recapping everything that has already happened at the beginning of the book, but I would still read the others first because they are so much fun to read!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Lady's Chosen, March 4, 2010
Dark Lady's Chosen, by Gail Z. Martin, is the fourth book of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series. In book three, Dark Haven, Gail left the readers with a rather painful cliffhanger, a full novel left nearly unresolved. The Dark Lady's Chosen finalizes this. Gail graciously, and with a flare for storytelling, brings together the wild threads of the entire series. With skill, she creates a delightful tale that stretches across all four books without falling short. In this book, she closes the story with all the flourish and natural ease of a master.
King Martris Drayke continues the siege at Lochlanimar against Lord Curane and his Loyalists to the usurper king, Jared Drayke, Martris' older brother. Tris, as Martris is known, must also fight wicked blood mages whose power is derived from the chaos that has gripped the magical force that spans their world, all the while leaving his new bride and unborn son to rule in his absence. Kiara is finding herself slowly losing her friends and benefactors to plots within the royal court and has suffered assassination attempts that have been closer to being successful than not. She has little time to find the traitor and is having a hard enough time keeping herself alive.
While this alone makes for a decent story, Gail weaves in the saga of Jonmarc Vahanian, the new roguish lord of Dark Haven. A group of Vayash Moru, or vampires, have broken the truce between mortals and undead, and Jonmarc must confront the leader of this coup, a young vampire named Malesh who has gone beyond the control of his undead master. In a plot to lift himself to godhood, Malesh has broken the truce, forcing humans to once again hunt the undead. He's taken everything away from Jonmarc, including his bride-to-be Carina and forced the Dark Haven lord's hand at vengeance. Carina, whose time is limited by her condition, finds that she may be able to heal the Flow and help balance the magical forces that threaten to cause so much devastation. But at what cost?
Also, King Donelan of Isencroft must thwart an uprising of divisionists who feel Donelan has sacrificed the throne by marrying Kiara, the king's daughter and heir, to Martris Drayke. Cam of Cairnrach has been captured by the divisionists and only he knows enough information to help Donelan stop the revolt. Gail keeps the reader on the edge of their seats with Cam's fate alone, not to mention the rest of the novel.
The characters, built over the first three books, stay true to their form. Gail has a firm hold over the voice and tone of the story while keeping the reader's interested in each the character's plights. Her settings are well thought out and described with utmost care, never bogging the reader down with too much information or leaving them wondering. The dialogue is meaningful and fun at the same time. She throws bits of humor through her characters and even their situations at just the right time. The tale itself is mostly a gloomy, against-all-odds kind of tale but she sprinkles in the right amount of mood in perfect order.
Dark Lady's Chosen is well written and brings the reader fully into the universe. I had a hard time putting the book down and found myself perfectly satisfied against the cliffhanger of the third book. I'm anxious to read more from Gail and can't wait to see what's on the horizon for Tris, Jonmarc, and friends. For fantasy lovers and those who just love a damn good story, the Dark Lady's Chosen and the Chronicles of the Necromancer are the perfect read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chronicles of the Necromancer #4, April 10, 2010
King Martis "Tris" Drayke has wed Princess Kiara, daughter of King Donelan and successor to the throne of Isencroft. The marriage joins the crowns of Isencroft and Margolan until heirs can be born to place the kingdoms under separate rule once more. Now Queen Kiara is pregnant. Succession is assured. The time has come for Tris and his army to lay siege to Lord Curane's stronghold. The great energy river called the Flow is unstable, making it much more difficult for Tris and his mages to counter Curane's blood magic. The siege is going badly. Winter storms are fierce, food is scarce, and plague has broken out.
As Tris fights in the south, Kiara is in danger. A traitor hides within Shekerishet and several assassination attempts have been made against Kiara. Corruption within the Council of Nobles has cast suspicions on old friends, such as Master Bard Riordan Carroway, who now waits for his death.
Cam of Cairnrach, King Donelan's Champion, has been taken hostage to force Donelan into war. Cam has discovered the identity of the traitor whose actions betray both King Donelan and King Drayke (Tris). However, it looks as though Cam will die before he can send warning.
In Dark Haven, Lord Jonmarc Vahanian must deal with chaos caused by Malesh of Tremont. Malesh tried to change Lady Carina into one of the vayash moru (vampire). But her healer magic battled the Dark Gift, leaving Carina between - not alive, but not undead either. Now Malesh is leading rogue vayash moru and slaughtering entire villages of mortals. Unless Jonmarc can quickly stop Malesh's group, the future of the entire Winter Kingdoms will be full of blood.
***** FIVE STARS! Gail Z. Martin brings together all the places and characters from the previous stories and escalates this fantastic drama to new heights. The author helps refresh readers' memories by giving a few summary pages at the beginning of the book. As with the previous titles, this story overflows with suspense, intrigue, betrayals, and court dramas. Every time I pick up a novel by Gail Z. Martin, she takes my breath away! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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