Review: Atmospheric Story Set In An Intriguing World
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 3, 2012
For her debut work Tal Valante has created a very atmospheric story that draws you into a world of fantasy amidst the horrors and memories of war.  For Teregryn Eve, the war has left him traumatized and even after being proclaimed cured he's still suffering the afteraffects of the acts he was forced into committing in the name of warfare.As a reader we don't see the actual acts of torture done to him but by his demeanor, the anguish he still feels utterly oozes from him.  He goes from depressed to angry to paranoid all within a few moments and it made me extremely sympathetic to him.  It's especially sad knowing that he was used as a pawn for the so-called greater good.  Even after his feelings of being betrayed by the King, he's still a loyal soldier and does all he can to save him from a perceived threat.There's clearly an emotional and loving connection between Teregryn and the King even though we never see anything beyond a casual yet intense touch.  Through his intensity Teregryn's love is quite clear.  I would've loved to see a more in-depth look into their past relationship and that's the one drawback to this being a short story, not much background development.Ms. Valante has certainly intrigued me though.  This is a fascinating world she's created between elves and humans and I'm dying to learn more about it.  I see this short story as a stepping stone/a welcome mat to a fascinating world with many more stories to tell.  I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this promising new author and recommend you do as well.