Rain Tairen Soul, King of the Fey and the most powerful Fey living, embarks on an epic quest to save both his people and the tairen, the winged cats of the Fading Lands. Their lives are dependent on one another, as neither species can exist without the other -- they are soul-kin. At the directions of a Fey Oracle (the eye of truth), Rain travels to the human city of Celieria -- a place Rain knows all too well, and loathes. His mate Sariel was killed there in an ancient and bloody war. Mad with grief, Rain killed thousands and destroyed half a world. Now, after centuries in exile, Rain prepares to rejoin the world.
Ellysetta Baristani, the adopted daughter of a woodcarver, sees and fears the magic within her. Not understanding her gift, she hides it. But Rain sees her as she is. He knows her and claims her as his truemate. Ellie's fairy-tale ending comes at a terrible price. She goes from being a peasant to being noticed, and all that noticing isn't a good thing. Dark forces are at work in the world. Things are converging -- evil things -- and they have a plan. The enemy has regrouped and rearmed and now Rain and Ellie have become the focal point for its dark attention.
I had a tough time starting LORD OF THE FADING LANDS, but now for the life of me, I can't say why. Once I got into it, I could hardly put it down. The romance and fantasy are well-balanced. There's a lot of focus on establishing the relationships in this book (the first in a series), and there's an interesting story/myth arc. I look forward to seeing where Wilson takes the story in her next book. This review is from a previous edition.
Once he drove back the
darkness. Once he loved with such passion his name was
legend.
Once, driven wild with grief over the murder of his
beloved, the majestic Fey King Rain Tairen Soul had laid
waste to the world before vanishing into the Fading Lands.
Now, a thousand years later, a new threat draws him back
into the world-and a new love reawakens the heart he thought
long-dead.
Ellysetta, a woodcarver's daughter, calls to Rain
in a way no other ever had. Mysterious and magical, her soul
beckons him with a compelling, seductive song-and no matter
the cost, the wildness in his blood will not be denied.
As
an ancient, familiar evil regains its strength, causing
centuries-old alliances to crumble and threatening doom for
Rain and his people . . .he must claim his true mate to
embrace the destiny woven for them both in the mists of time.
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