"Danai jerked upright, a scream strangling her. Torqlan! No! It can't be! I didn't see what I saw! Pook couldn't do that. Couldn't."
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Dark Fire: Krisalya Chronicles of Feyree, Scroll 2 by Claudia Newcorn Outskirts Press
book review by Karyn Saemann
The fate of two realms collide as a power hungry leader, a native of one and ruler of the other, seeks total domination. Lampion is the lush, wooded home of the feyree. The tiny, peaceful, winged feyree still follow ancient rites, forage for food and cherish simplicity. Elf and dwarf-like creatures live in Lampion, too. Nonetre is the progressive but now barren, smoke and dust-choked land of the fire daemiani. The fire daemiani have exploited their resources so that their water is almost gone and starvation is imminent. Feyree have been lured to Nonetre and enslaved, entering via a breached magical barrier between the lands. Nonetre's leader, Tizon, is a feyree whose name was Pook when he lived in Lampion. Greedily aware of Lampion's resources, he's planning to invade. Former friends recognize his sinister intentions. Can they stop Tizon before it's too late?
Newcorn weaves a complex, yet masterfully plotted and highly readable story that builds to an epic showdown. At the center is Danai, a strong-willed young feyree whose mind-link with her former friend, Tizon, allows her to sense his plot. The author, in this second installment of her planned high fantasy trilogy, particularly excels in detail. Every element, from the characters' fantastic appearances to gentle bird chatter in Lampion's meadows to the belching roar of Nonetre's fire lake, is vividly and meticulously painted. Throughout, abundant description enhances the story without overwhelming it. Beautifully depicted too are changing seasons and the wintertime home of those who reside to the north and who must decide whether to aid the feyree. This is an all around excellent novel.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review