 The River Kings’ Road by Liane Merciel |
Description: A fragile period of peace between the eternally warring kingdoms of Oakharn and Langmyr is shattered when a surprise massacre fueled by bloodmagic ravages the Langmyrne border village of Willowfield, killing its inhabitants – including a visiting Oakharne lord and his family – and leaving behind a scene so grisly that even the carrion eaters avoid its desecrated earth. But the dead lord’s infant heir has survived the carnage – a discovery that entwines the destinies of Brys Tarnell, a mercenary who rescues the helpless and ailing babe, and who enlists a Langmyr peasant, a young mother herself, to nourish and nurture the child of her enemies as they travel a dark, perilous road . . . Odosse, the peasant woman whose only weapons are wit, courage, and her fierce maternal love – and who risks everything she holds dear to protect her new charge . . . Sir Kelland, a divinely blessed Knight of the Sun, called upon to unmask the architects behind the slaughter and avert war between ancestral enemies . . . Bitharn, Kelland’s companion on his journey, who conceals her lifelong love for the Knight behind her flawless archery skills – and whose feelings may ultimately be Kelland’s undoing . . . and Leferic, an Oakharne Lord’s bitter youngest son, whose dark ambitions fuel the most horrific acts of violence. As one infant’s life hangs in the balance, so too does the fate of thousands, while deep in the forest, a Maimed Witch practices an evil bloodmagic that could doom them all. . . . Buy From: |
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Review:
The River Kings’ road is the first novel by Liane Merciel and it shows that she is an author to watch out for in the future. The book tells us the story of a mercenary knight who wants to save his Lord’s son but not for love but for reward and self interest, it tells us the story of a peasant girl hired to serve as a wet nurse for the child and finally it tells us of a blessed one who wants to find the truth about what happened in order to forestall a war. The three stories go on in parallel at first and then after a while start interacting with each other. Since the book is the first in the series a lot of framework is built where future stories can be written but thankfully this is not at the expense of the story in the current book. At the end of the book there are some questions left unanswered and that lets me to believe that more books in the series will be forthcoming soon. While the characters in the book were mostly well written some of them could have benefited from a bit more depth. Over all a great effort for a new author. Final recommendation: A great book for fans of Fantasy