Customer Reviews

Destiny's Star (Epic of Palins, Book 3)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was a wonderful conclusion to Elizabeth Vaughan's new trilogy. It was also a much-appreciated return to the story line of her Warlord/Warprize trilogy. I had wanted to find out more about the warrior priests, and here Vaughan has begun to answer many of my questions as she both concludes Bethral's and Ezren's tale and returns to Xy and the Plains. And, I look forward to her next book--the story of Heath of Xy and Atira of the Plains.

I've never been a fan of the romance genre, but Elizabeth Vaughan has me hooked with her romantic fantasies. Destiny's Star is Book #3 of her "Star Series" and Vaughan takes us back to the Plains from the "Chronicles of the Warlands Series." Avid readers of her work will find this enjoyable and newcomers will be instantly pulled into her wonderful world.

Destiny's Star is a classic love story about one talespinning guy who can't properly sit a horse, and one warrior girl who's shy with men but not with running them through. Swords, magic, love, war, political intrigue, and an unforgettable setting, you can hardly go wrong. Vaughan kept my attention hooked so that I forgot to eat dinner once her book arrived. Definitely worth the read.

NO SPOILERS or plot summaries. This only gets 3 stars because it doesn't keep in line with the rest of this trilogy so far and is too heavily dependent on a different set of books.

This is the third book in this series that starts with Dagger-Star (Star Series, Book 1). I have not yet read the Warprize books- Dagger Star was available on Kindle so I read that and loved it. I have been waiting for the Warprize book 1 to be available and figured I'd be safe reading this series first, because it was supposed to be in the same world but SEPARATE.

This book is not- it overlaps significantly. I know this because I was lost for quite a bit of the book, which was immensely annoying. I'm sure that if you read the other books, then you will LOVE this. But if you haven't, then I recommend reading those and then coming back to this.

Because this story takes place in the Plains, the entire feel of the book is different from the prior two. It was definitely thrilling to spend time with Ezren and Bethral, but the culture was completely different around them. Much of the supporting characters and the plot referenced the other series and the culture of the Plains people was so thick and different that it took time to sort out what on earth was going on. I feel like I missed out on a lot of the payoff of this book.

I have read all Ms. Vaughn's books and this one is one of the best in the series. I always look for her books at the book store but she has not written a lot of books. This book is set in her world she has created for all her characters, so I feel as if I am picking up where she left off but in a different story line. Very well written. If you have not read the Warprise series please do so, you will not be disappointed. It would be best to start with them so you can have background on the world in which her characters are from but not totally needed. I read a lot of paranormal books and really like the style that this series is written. It has just enough romance to go along with the action of a warrior type people. Good read.

Ezren Silvertongue the Storyteller knows he owes his life to take charge warrior Lady Bethral, who fell from the sky only to save him from certain death. He also knows he loves her, but conceals his feelings from his lady as he believes he is undeserving of his warrior; partly because he cannot control the wild magic that flows within him.

When the wild magic explodes, Bethral makes Ezren, accompanied by her relocation magic travel to the isolated plains. However, the Warrior-Priests attack the pair with plans to sacrifice Storyteller and regain the wild magic. However, Bethral and some local warriors defend Ezren to insure evil practitioners do not obtain his magic.

Fans of Elizabeth Vaughan will relish Destiny's Star as the author deftly combines her two fantasy sagas by having support Star players fight for their lives on the plains of the Warlands. The lead pair shows they can be stars of their own tale even if it is in another land as the kick butt female warrior and the mage carrier fall in love while helping the Plains' people. Fans will relish this strong romantic quest fantasy as the action never slows down while the Plains come alive with ironically death in the aptly titled Destiny's Star.

Harriet Klausner

"Destiny's Star" is the third book in the Palins Saga, a new fantasy series set in the same Universe as the author's "War Prize" trilogy. The first two books in this series were set in the Land of Palins, many miles to the South East of the Plains and on the other side of a mountain range, but in this story two of the main characters from the Palins Saga find themselves transported to the Plains.

The books of the Palins saga should if at all possible be read in the right order: all three published to date have surprise endings, and if you read a later book first it will give away the endings of the earlier ones.

The first three books in this series are

1) "Dagger-Star (Star Series, Book 1)" (also published as "Red Gloves")
2) "White Star"
3) This book, "Destiny's Star"

I strongly suspect from the ending this book three that there will be at least one more.

You do not have to have read the "War Prize" trilogy to understand or enjoy this series. There was no direct overlap between that trilogy and either "Dagger Star" or "White Star." However, this book being set in the Plains, there is some overlap of places and characters: the hero and heroine of "Warprize" are referred to quite a few times by other characters in this book but do not themselves appear in it. If you are interested in reading the War Prize trilogy it consists of

1) Warprize
2) Warsworn
3) Warlord


The hero of "Destiny's Star" is Lord Ezren Silvertongue, who had been the leading storyteller of the land of Palins. When he refused to use his skill to support the trannical former regime, despite being tortured within an inch of his life, they cut out his tongue and sold him at a slave market as dogmeat. Rescued and partially healed, his body has become affected by wild magic which he cannot control, and which the Mages of Palins regard as extremely dangerous.

The heroine of the story is Bethral, a former mercenary and partner of "Red Gloves" who was the heroine of the first book. It was Bethral who rescued Evren in the first book and nursed him back to health (with help from High Priestess Evelyn, whose healing magic restored Evren's tongue but could not entirely repair his formerly beautiful voice).

This book starts by recapitulating an incident which took place towards the end of the previous volume, "White Star." In the courtyard of the royal palace, Evren Silvertongue meets one of Orrin Blackhart's men, who turns out to be a warrior-priest from the plains. Their meeting causes the wild magic inside Evren to flare out of control with explosive force, threatening the lives of everyone in the courtyard.

As the only way to save those lives without killing Evren, Bethral quickly persuades the Kingdon's two most powerful mages, High Priestess Evelyn and her father Merlon, to open a portal to somewhere as far away as possible. Then Bethral grabs Evren, puts him onto her horse, and rides with him through the portal.

Bethral and Evren find themselves in the land of the War Plains. It is a very different place to Palins, and a very dangerous place, both because of the different customs of the people and because the tribes of the plains are on the verge of civil war.

Some of the people of the Plains offer hospitality to Bethral and Evren with honorable intentions, but a faction of the warrior priests have a very different agenda ...


A charming, easy to read fantasy of magic, love, and honour. Quite funny in places, tender and moving in others.

I can recommend this series.

Elizabeth Vaughan keeps getting better and better as a writer. I was drawn in from the first book she wrote--Warprize, and I have read every one since. I had thought White Star was the best in this particular series (loved the cover, especially), but Destiny's Star tops it. My favorite character is Ezren.

Elizabeth Vaughan's Destiny's Star is the follow-on to Dagger-Star and White Star. I recommend reading all three in order as there's a strong arc to the character development. It's also handy if you've read at least a little of Ms. Vaughan's other series (Warcry, et. al.), since this installment references events, people, and customs from that other series.

Ms. Vaughan has a talent for unusual character couplings that defy the usual stereotypes. In particular, this series has stayed away from the typical snarky female/snarly alpha male pairing, and each couple in each new book has had a dynamic all its own. In Destiny's Star, Bethral is strong, methodical, serious, and quiet. Ezren is charming, quick-witted, gracious, and sweet. Between them, they end up having to convince a group of Plains warriors to aid them, and it ends up falling to some of the younger warriors to make Ezren and Bethral see what everyone else finds obvious--that they're in love with each other.

There's plenty of action, some wonderful world-building as we explore the traditions of the Plains, enjoyable characterization, and a slow, sweet build to Bethral and Ezren's relationship. The implications of Ezren's magic and its role in the changes taking place in the Plains are fascinating, and the plot provides plenty of tension and excitement!

I first read the Warprize/Warlord books and then looked for more books from the author and read this trilogy. Until this book, I did not realize that the books were set in the same universe as they take part in distinctly different lands. This book really pointed it out to me. Although I do feel that this book can also stand alone, it added a dimension when having read all of the previous books, and I am waiting (impatiently) for the next book in the series. I like how her hero/heroines are not all cookie cutters of each other, but have distinctly different personalities, and her woman are strong. I've read a lot of books that say the woman can kick butt and then some but then in the scenes the man has to solve their problems or because the woman is strong it causes trouble because she tries to prove her strength. Her h/h both have their own strengths and both get to use them to further the plot along.

Destiny's Star is a fantastic, richly-detailed, exhilarating, and satisfying conclusion to Elizabeth Vaughan's second fantasy trilogy. Not only are the characters complex and flawed and compelling, the world of the Plains is rich and beautiful, the emotions portrayed true to heart, and the dialogue set forth credible and entertaining. Most important to me as a fantasy fan, however, is that the legends and the customs and the practices and the beliefs of the tribes on the Plains are so incredibly interesting, yet so incredibly believable, because they clearly flow from the landscape and the hardships that the tribes face. Sometimes it makes me sad that Ms. Vaughan's books have been marketed and shelved as Paranormal Romances. Although I understand the marketing demographics of that decision by the publisher and the romance scenes are as strong as any, I feel bad that the readers of more conventional fantasy adventures will never get the chance to discover one of the best, most richly detailed, and most internally consistent and rewarding fantasy worlds ever constructed, bar none. (That's right, Tolkien fans, I said "bar none.")