Review: Excellent Continuation
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2012
I am not sure I can add anything to what the previous reviews have stated.  This is the best book of the series because the new characters introduced actually have a significance- whereas in previous books- I felt that some of the characters added didn't really bring anything to the story.  This time, most of the new characters will bring something to the future of the series, and not just find their introduction for use as canon fodder.Three new characters- Merw, Antybion and Lexyntas.  However, the real question is, which one of the latter two is the missing prince of Trachia, Antybion or Lexyntas.  Both of them have short hair and are about seventeen years of age, each arrive on the scene in mysterious circumstances, and each with an older man for an escort; they also each seem to have their own secret mission. Merw on the other hand, is just adorable!  ;-)One of my favorite scenes in this book was Anaxantis' reaction to when his mother asked him why Ehandar was still breathing... priceless.This series is one that I read with great anxiety, anxiety over what will happen to beloved characters. The author has shown that painful torture and gruesome death can await any character- and considering how poorly I handled Jerruth's death, and he wasn't even a major character, I can't imagine how I will deal with a similar scene with a character I love.  Yet, the author also portrays experiences that are truly realistic- human history is full of brutal rapes, horrific torture, and gruesome murder.  So if you are like me and get attached to characters and allow yourself to emotionally grow with them, then this brutal reality can be quite a painful experience- especially when you understand that, while this is a work of fiction, these type of horrific events are part of our past.  People were tortured and killed in brutal ways, and lives didn't hold any significance- kill or be killed.  So when you realize this, suddenly the story takes on a much deeper significance.