Customer Reviews

Shadows Of Prophecy

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I picked up the first book at the Bx at the local Air Force base in 2005. I spent all of 2006 trying to find a second in the series and then I found it. At the same time I found another lady in my office (in her mid 30's) that was in the same boat as I, desperatley seeking the sequal. WOW!!! We are both addicted to the series. The battle scenes, the connection between the characters, the descriptions of the sights are all beutifully written. The story keeps you addicted by letting the reader only know little pieces of a story that has so many twists and turns!! Rachel Lee is crafty. She pulls pieces from the very first pages of the first book into the second book, building a story that makes you feel as though you are there with them. We are addicted and are ready to buy the 3rd. We just don't want it to end!!

This novel begins shortly after where the previous one, SHADOWS OF MYTH, ended. Archer, Tess, Giri, Ratha, Sara, and Tom arrive to join the Anari in their fight for freedom against Bozandar. For many years, the people of Bozandar have enslaved the Anari and now the Anari are fighting back. The Anari are people of the stone, created by the First Ones to see and feel the life in stone and to make objects of beauty; they are peaceful people, unused to war. The Anari discover that they have the power to use the stone for fighting, as they bring the stone up out of the ground to bury their enemies in one unforgettable battle scene. Tom is mortally wounded early in the novel and Tess uses the fire of the Ilduin to heal him. Unfortunately, this leaves Tom virtually blind (he can see only through tiny pinpricks in a leather strap covering his eyes; otherwise, the light is too bright for him). However, this also magnifies Tom's powers of prophecy and he begins his training to perfect this gift. Tess remembers flashes of her past, flashes that point to her existence in our world rather than the world in which she has found herself. Tess and Sara join with an Anari Ilduin, Cilla, and the three begin learning about their lives and powers in the temple of Anahar. I was prepared to like this book but....I did not enjoy it nearly as much as the first in the series, partly because it was mainly about the battles and the strategy of the battles between the Anari and the Bozandari. Whereas the previous novel focused on the advances of the Enemy (the Lord of Chaos), this novel was more about the empowerment of the Anari. It appeared that the strengthening of the Anari people is important to the overall goal of defeating the Lord of Chaos and that perhaps this novel is more of a transition novel. I will continue to read the series, however, as I want to see the downfall of the Lord of Chaos.

Giri and Ratha are Anari, a long lived race that the Ilduin and the First Born immortal Archer created so that the earth would have one race that turns their backs on war and seeks peace. Sara and Tess are Ilduin women of formidable power much of which they are not aware of. Tom is a seer. These six people journey to the Anari city of Anahar so that Sara and Tess can visit the temple to learn about their power and heritage.

The rest of the Anari train for war against the Bozandari who conquered and enslaved them now for three generations. The peace loving Anari know they need to fight if they want to preserve their heritage. However, even if the Anari can win against a well trained fighting force, they must contend with the Evil One, who has a very special relationship with Archer. They must defeat this malevolent being because he is gaining more powers through his minion that will eventually enable him break out of his caged exile to reenter the world he was banished from.

There are six protagonists in this romantic fantasy and the author easily switches view points so readers know what they are thinking and feeling at all times. Sara and Tom are a couple, Archer who feels guilt for what he sets in motion refuses to allow his feelings for Tess to surface and is not at all sure she wants to love an immortal who caused the upcoming catastrophe. Through Tess' eyes readers see the horrors of war. Rachel Lee has written a work that has romance, intrigue, graphic battle scenes and awe inspiring acts of bravery.

Harriet Klausner

a lady with no memory must fight a war she's not ready for and her companions must lead and heal an army to defeat an old evil. will they win?
cant wait to find out.