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Books of the Sundered #4
Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light
Erin of Elliath returns in this conclusion to the epic saga begun in the first three books in the Sundered series. Erin, formerly Lady Sara and now the legendary Lady of Mercy to the slaves of the Dark Empire, has just helped Renar, the rightful h...
642 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
13 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Sagara West
84 books925 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara
Michelle West
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara
Michelle West
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 23, 2011
This is Michelle Sagara's first series she published, and having already started her Chronicles of Elantra series, I can definitely see how her writing has improved since. The constant switching between POV and the fact that she purposefully writes in an opaque way (she still does this, never wanting to give everything away) can be difficult. But in any case, I just really enjoyed this story for its darkness and intensity. It has a bit of a myth like flavor in how it tells the story of how the world came to be. But I really cannot understand the relationship between the two main characters. Stephanos is quite simply a monster is every respect. I just cannot understand how in the world Sara falls in love with him in the first place and then (SPOILER) learns to forgive him after he horribly betrays her. As a romance, I would say, this series is not very satisfying. However, taken as a fantasy series, I very much enjoyed this and am excited to have discovered a fantasy author with some really intriguing ideas.
September 2, 2013
Review first published at Fans of Michelle Sagara West
Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light is the final book in The Sundered series. In Lady of Mercy, Erin and Darin have taken part in the rebellion against the Empire and the Dark Heart and we see here the continuation of the struggle. At the same time, Stefanos is still believing than Erin is dead; he has started to go back to his god and their way, but is still asking himself question after his god and his brothers' betrayal.
I think that the resolution of Erin and Stefanos' relationship is well done, it is really believable and well written. As for the major conflict between the Bright Heart and the Dark Heart, I think that the resolution is also very logical in the context of the story and worldbuilding, but I know that several people didn't appreciate how it influences Erin's and Stefanos' future; personally my feelings are a bit mixed on the subject (I can't say more without giving spoilers).
While I like the ending, it's not however the case of the whole book. Indeed, Erin and Stefanos barely interact with each other until the end, as Stefanos spend most of the book believing her dead. However, this belief gives a real intensity to the story, as I wasn't able to guess until the very end how their relationship would end, if Erin would be able to forgive Stefanos for his betrayal and if Stefanos would go too far in his return to the Dark Heart now that he believes Erin dead. So as Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light doesn't focus on their relationship, it is the war that is put forward, with the rebellion against the Empire and the final attempt to take the capital. Unfortunately, apart from Erin and Stefanos, I never managed to care for the other characters of the series; they always seems kind of flat for me or uninteresting.
I was also a bit disappointed by the fact that there seems to be some very minor things that are left unresolved. It's very minor as it's just that I would have wanting to know a bit more about how the big resolution is affecting the secondary characters and the whole of the Empire. I was also a bit dissatisfy with the way the future of the Empire was presented and I think that with a bit more details, it would have been better.
As for the love story through the series, I think that it was really believable, despite Erin and Stefanos' very different natures and the fact that they embody good and evil because they bear the blood of their gods. It was just unfortunate that they are apart for half of the series and that I wasn't really thrilled with the secondary plots... During my rereads, I focus on the parts figuring Erin and Stefanos together, which is why I don't remember a lot of what happen in this book and the last. I can sense that it is Michelle Sagara's first series, as there are still some mistakes and awkwardness (Erin and Stefanos fall in love a bit too fast for example), but we can already see the elements characterizing Michelle's writing, such as a very original and detailed worldbuilding. The Sundered is not in my favorite series but I still love it very much (some books more than other) and reread part of it regularly.
Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light is the final book in The Sundered series. In Lady of Mercy, Erin and Darin have taken part in the rebellion against the Empire and the Dark Heart and we see here the continuation of the struggle. At the same time, Stefanos is still believing than Erin is dead; he has started to go back to his god and their way, but is still asking himself question after his god and his brothers' betrayal.
I think that the resolution of Erin and Stefanos' relationship is well done, it is really believable and well written. As for the major conflict between the Bright Heart and the Dark Heart, I think that the resolution is also very logical in the context of the story and worldbuilding, but I know that several people didn't appreciate how it influences Erin's and Stefanos' future; personally my feelings are a bit mixed on the subject (I can't say more without giving spoilers).
While I like the ending, it's not however the case of the whole book. Indeed, Erin and Stefanos barely interact with each other until the end, as Stefanos spend most of the book believing her dead. However, this belief gives a real intensity to the story, as I wasn't able to guess until the very end how their relationship would end, if Erin would be able to forgive Stefanos for his betrayal and if Stefanos would go too far in his return to the Dark Heart now that he believes Erin dead. So as Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light doesn't focus on their relationship, it is the war that is put forward, with the rebellion against the Empire and the final attempt to take the capital. Unfortunately, apart from Erin and Stefanos, I never managed to care for the other characters of the series; they always seems kind of flat for me or uninteresting.
I was also a bit disappointed by the fact that there seems to be some very minor things that are left unresolved. It's very minor as it's just that I would have wanting to know a bit more about how the big resolution is affecting the secondary characters and the whole of the Empire. I was also a bit dissatisfy with the way the future of the Empire was presented and I think that with a bit more details, it would have been better.
As for the love story through the series, I think that it was really believable, despite Erin and Stefanos' very different natures and the fact that they embody good and evil because they bear the blood of their gods. It was just unfortunate that they are apart for half of the series and that I wasn't really thrilled with the secondary plots... During my rereads, I focus on the parts figuring Erin and Stefanos together, which is why I don't remember a lot of what happen in this book and the last. I can sense that it is Michelle Sagara's first series, as there are still some mistakes and awkwardness (Erin and Stefanos fall in love a bit too fast for example), but we can already see the elements characterizing Michelle's writing, such as a very original and detailed worldbuilding. The Sundered is not in my favorite series but I still love it very much (some books more than other) and reread part of it regularly.
July 24, 2009
Genre: High Fantasy
I might have liked this book better if I was in a different mood when I read it, or if I didn't expect fast-paced action from the author based on her other novels. As it was, I found the book plodding, and one of the slowest books I've read recently. As with the previous book in the series, the central aspect to the story is Erin/Sara's relationship with Stefanos but again, they barely interact with each other. Unfortunately none of the other relationships in the novel are particularly interesting. Again, the supporting characters seemed kind of flat in comparison to Erin and Stefanos. I did like the newly introduced character, Lady Amalyana (sp?)... but she is a very depressing figure, and her story wasn't tied up very satisfactorily, imho. Unlike most of the reviewers on Amazon, I did find the end satisfactory - I do think that both Erin and Stefanos would be happier without their "godhead", as both of them spent much of the series being frustrated by what they felt compelled to do, despite their intrinsic loyalties to their gods. However, I would've liked to see Rennar's reactions to Erin's revelation that she was rited (i.e. married) to Stefanos... most of the loose strands having to do with the other characters were left hanging at the end, which probably contributed to my feeling that they were flat. I did find Stefano's half of the story and his (at least partial) rejection of his god believable, especially given that god's scheming though the previous novel to increase Stefano's pain.
Over all, the series is a well done love story, even if the last two novels are slow. In fact, given the hero and heroine are essentially the embodiments of good and evil, it is amazing that it is a very _believable_ love story. Unfortunately, the rupture between the lovers happens half way though the series, and there isn't a lot to carry the reader though the final two books until the final reconciliation is achieved.
I might have liked this book better if I was in a different mood when I read it, or if I didn't expect fast-paced action from the author based on her other novels. As it was, I found the book plodding, and one of the slowest books I've read recently. As with the previous book in the series, the central aspect to the story is Erin/Sara's relationship with Stefanos but again, they barely interact with each other. Unfortunately none of the other relationships in the novel are particularly interesting. Again, the supporting characters seemed kind of flat in comparison to Erin and Stefanos. I did like the newly introduced character, Lady Amalyana (sp?)... but she is a very depressing figure, and her story wasn't tied up very satisfactorily, imho. Unlike most of the reviewers on Amazon, I did find the end satisfactory - I do think that both Erin and Stefanos would be happier without their "godhead", as both of them spent much of the series being frustrated by what they felt compelled to do, despite their intrinsic loyalties to their gods. However, I would've liked to see Rennar's reactions to Erin's revelation that she was rited (i.e. married) to Stefanos... most of the loose strands having to do with the other characters were left hanging at the end, which probably contributed to my feeling that they were flat. I did find Stefano's half of the story and his (at least partial) rejection of his god believable, especially given that god's scheming though the previous novel to increase Stefano's pain.
Over all, the series is a well done love story, even if the last two novels are slow. In fact, given the hero and heroine are essentially the embodiments of good and evil, it is amazing that it is a very _believable_ love story. Unfortunately, the rupture between the lovers happens half way though the series, and there isn't a lot to carry the reader though the final two books until the final reconciliation is achieved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2013
This is kind of a review of all the books, but focusing mainly on this one.
I liked this series pretty well; yeah, you could tell that it was a first series by the author, but there were some parts that were really creative and different. The first book was probably my least favorite, as I didn't think the romance between Sara and Stephanos worked particularly well(and the fact that Sara spent the entire second half of the book crying was really annoying). I could understand why Stephanos was hooked, but not really why Sara liked him. However, I felt like that relationship, once established, did become more believable as the story went on.
That said, I was really mad about the end.
Overall, a good one time read, I'd maybe even go back to it in a few years, but not a book I'd want to own.
I liked this series pretty well; yeah, you could tell that it was a first series by the author, but there were some parts that were really creative and different. The first book was probably my least favorite, as I didn't think the romance between Sara and Stephanos worked particularly well(and the fact that Sara spent the entire second half of the book crying was really annoying). I could understand why Stephanos was hooked, but not really why Sara liked him. However, I felt like that relationship, once established, did become more believable as the story went on.
That said, I was really mad about the end.
Overall, a good one time read, I'd maybe even go back to it in a few years, but not a book I'd want to own.
March 12, 2011
Over all, I'm glad i read the books. I liked the idea of good vs. evil/Beauty and the Beast story. The ending had me a bit grumpy though. I hated that Erin and Stefanos didn't get to come together until the end. My other little pet peeve was there was just too much going on. I got lost in the names of all the political people, their lands, their titles..etc. I was also frustruated at how similar the names were to each other. It was hard to keep track of who was who.
I'm glad there was a HEA in the end. whew!
I'm glad there was a HEA in the end. whew!
February 16, 2012
A fairly satisfying end to a really good series. I would have liked to have known if all the other blooded people in the kingdom lost their magic when Erin and Stefanos did. Also, what happened to Sargoth? Was he killed by Stefanos, was he turned human, or did he just disappear from the earth plane. I really liked the ending of the story otherwise. Just one more thing I would have liked to have known. Was Stefanos still the lord of the empire? If not, who ruled it then? Oh, and who got the two castles he had built?
November 26, 2013
This book dragged in too many places and there still was not enough scenes with Stephanos but the few there was it so sweet to see how much he missed the heroine and actually became even more evil because he thought she was dead!! I loved the concept of this book and Stephanos was truly evil but I still found him fascinating ant the love he had for her was so beautiful! One thing though nearly £9 for this book on Amazon what is that all about????
October 27, 2011
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful conclusion to a fabulous series! I sobbed through the final, epic, most satisfying chapter. So happy with the series' ending! I will definitely be reading her other series'. :)
July 20, 2025
Powerful
Erin as the Lady of Mercy in a medieval type of setting, is a force for good, in clear contrast to the Sundered, very much on the dark side, and on the hunt for her.
She and her traveling friends are on a quest to end their murderous ways and Wrin plans to sacrifice herself to end the Darkness. Thankfully she has a great deal of surprising help along the way and as always, the wonderful writing of Michelle sagara West always find astonishingly creative surprises for new plot twists and this novel is filled with them and I never anticipated the brilliance of the u expected ending! Another reason to devotedly follow Michelle through every single book(I have them all.
Am I still fan girl at 64? Haven’t really considered it actually, but I’m a fellow creative as a painter so bookish fan gran lol works fine 😜 (though we couldn’t have kids) might be better oops - tangent - but I adore her talent and support her and buy every single book to support my fellow art gal peep books - she is a talented young lady! Proud of you Michelle so a shout out - write how you write, we still love you in the creative process 💕And the - wonderful novel and an absolutely worthwhile read
Erin as the Lady of Mercy in a medieval type of setting, is a force for good, in clear contrast to the Sundered, very much on the dark side, and on the hunt for her.
She and her traveling friends are on a quest to end their murderous ways and Wrin plans to sacrifice herself to end the Darkness. Thankfully she has a great deal of surprising help along the way and as always, the wonderful writing of Michelle sagara West always find astonishingly creative surprises for new plot twists and this novel is filled with them and I never anticipated the brilliance of the u expected ending! Another reason to devotedly follow Michelle through every single book(I have them all.
Am I still fan girl at 64? Haven’t really considered it actually, but I’m a fellow creative as a painter so bookish fan gran lol works fine 😜 (though we couldn’t have kids) might be better oops - tangent - but I adore her talent and support her and buy every single book to support my fellow art gal peep books - she is a talented young lady! Proud of you Michelle so a shout out - write how you write, we still love you in the creative process 💕And the - wonderful novel and an absolutely worthwhile read
March 12, 2020
I liked the story but it was written in a style too confusing for me. Don't know whether it was an ebook error but there was no break from the book talking about one character and then switching to another. Only after a paragraph or two did I realize that all of a sudden the author had switched characters. Very confusing, probably as much as my review. Also I was confused more often than not when the author tried to describe the different scenes or characters. I had the same problem in the previous books of the series.
Read
January 10, 2021final book in the sundered series. glad to see it ended. this book wasn't as awful tear-jerky painful as the other three were. and by painful i mean emotionally. they were well written and a good read, just, painful. touching on horrifying loss, torture, etc.
it had a good ending. which made me happy because so much of the previous three books were just sad and pain and loss and heart wrenching. a very very good ending.
it had a good ending. which made me happy because so much of the previous three books were just sad and pain and loss and heart wrenching. a very very good ending.
September 16, 2018
It finished, I won't say badly but it was quick as I was afraid it would.
September 20, 2019
Honestly? A bit disappointed in the execution of this finale.
September 24, 2020
(Why do these books cost about three times more than what I usually pay for an ebook? It's cost me about $50.00 to read them. Almost makes me want to join Kindle Unlimited...)
Hello darkness, my old friend.
So, I found the ending rather anticlimatic after a big build-up. Did Devin actually contribute anything to the final battle? Hardly heard a peep out of Bethany. Did all of the dark hearted die? What about the remaining Servants? The epilogue makes a passing reference to the children of Stefanos and Erin but did it mean biological or symbolic?
Hello darkness, my old friend.
So, I found the ending rather anticlimatic after a big build-up. Did Devin actually contribute anything to the final battle? Hardly heard a peep out of Bethany. Did all of the dark hearted die? What about the remaining Servants? The epilogue makes a passing reference to the children of Stefanos and Erin but did it mean biological or symbolic?
March 13, 2017
Truly, this is a great finale to this wonderful series of adventure and love. The battle is, in my opinion, not as epic and thrilling as the previous book but it still does justice to the whole story in general. We can finally see the happy ending for all of our beloved characters, especially Erin and Stefanos who have gone through numerous heartbreaks and chains of duties. I am really glad for them as their love story is one of the most touching one that I have ever had a chance to read.
February 21, 2017
21.2.2017 - 3,5*
V jednu chvíli jsem si vážně myslela, že budu vraždit.
Jelikož jsem na okamžik věřila. A i tak nejsem s koncem úplně spokojená. Stefanos byl nejen Sářin Darkling, byl i můj, ale to znamenalo i jeho moc. Navíc, nějak jsem doufala, že se celý ten bordel vyřeší trochu dříve a my uvidíme ty dva spolu trochu víc. Což se nestalo.
Ale. Je to dobře vyřešené. Logicky. Jelikož, lidi, milují se tam v podstatě zástupci dobra a zla. Docela těžké je vystihnout věrohodně spolu. *smích* A co vše to doprovázelo...
Když si to vezmu kolem a kolem, ostatní postavy byly dobré... ale vedle hlavního páru byly jaksi ploché, což je škoda. Je jich tam hodně, kteří by si zasloužili více prostoru.
Děj byl dobře vedený. Nesrazil mě na zadek, ale to možná proto, že jsem se soustředila na romantickou linii.
A svět? Měnil se. Oh, damn, budou mi chybět, Sara a Sefanos.
V jednu chvíli jsem si vážně myslela, že budu vraždit.
Jelikož jsem na okamžik věřila. A i tak nejsem s koncem úplně spokojená. Stefanos byl nejen Sářin Darkling, byl i můj, ale to znamenalo i jeho moc. Navíc, nějak jsem doufala, že se celý ten bordel vyřeší trochu dříve a my uvidíme ty dva spolu trochu víc. Což se nestalo.
Ale. Je to dobře vyřešené. Logicky. Jelikož, lidi, milují se tam v podstatě zástupci dobra a zla. Docela těžké je vystihnout věrohodně spolu. *smích* A co vše to doprovázelo...
Když si to vezmu kolem a kolem, ostatní postavy byly dobré... ale vedle hlavního páru byly jaksi ploché, což je škoda. Je jich tam hodně, kteří by si zasloužili více prostoru.
Děj byl dobře vedený. Nesrazil mě na zadek, ale to možná proto, že jsem se soustředila na romantickou linii.
A svět? Měnil se. Oh, damn, budou mi chybět, Sara a Sefanos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2020
I started reading this series in 1992 when I found the second book in a shop in Vancouver. Annoyingly I could never find any of the others, despite searching extensively, so I was very glad to complete my series with these reprinted editions.
The story of the series is a novel twist on an age old love story. Much like a fantasy world Romeo and Juliet, this story follows a lady from the light and the lord of the dark whom she loves, and who loves her. It is a powerful story.
However, this was also a series that went on too long. It would probably have worked better as a trilogy, and consequently I found the story slow - particularly in the last two books.
It was not terrible though. It was still readable, and the ending wrapped things up in a satisfactory manner. It may have pondered a little, but as a story it got there in the end.
All in all this was an enjoyable read, but my feelings about the series would have been enhanced had I never read the missing books!
The story of the series is a novel twist on an age old love story. Much like a fantasy world Romeo and Juliet, this story follows a lady from the light and the lord of the dark whom she loves, and who loves her. It is a powerful story.
However, this was also a series that went on too long. It would probably have worked better as a trilogy, and consequently I found the story slow - particularly in the last two books.
It was not terrible though. It was still readable, and the ending wrapped things up in a satisfactory manner. It may have pondered a little, but as a story it got there in the end.
All in all this was an enjoyable read, but my feelings about the series would have been enhanced had I never read the missing books!
May 25, 2015
A great ending to a good story.
I think, both this book and the previous, could have been greatly improved if there was less of a focus on the supporting characters. The different POV's for these characters really slowed the story down at times. Stephanos and Sara/Erin were the main focus and the writing should have reflected this more.
A lot of reviews mentioned being disapointed with the ending. I liked it. It fit with the story. I was a little disapointed with the few loose ends and minimal information we recieved about what happened after story culmination. However, most can be imagined and applied via what she wrote.
I think, both this book and the previous, could have been greatly improved if there was less of a focus on the supporting characters. The different POV's for these characters really slowed the story down at times. Stephanos and Sara/Erin were the main focus and the writing should have reflected this more.
A lot of reviews mentioned being disapointed with the ending. I liked it. It fit with the story. I was a little disapointed with the few loose ends and minimal information we recieved about what happened after story culmination. However, most can be imagined and applied via what she wrote.
April 1, 2016
I read this book, the final in the series, before reading the first three. That's not the best way to enjoy a fantasy novel, as I missed a great deal of the world building and detailing that give context to the story. Even with that, I greatly enjoyed this book. It has a strong female lead who faces significant choices and ends in a surprising way. After going back to read the first three in the series, I enjoyed returning to Chains of Darkness Chains of Light even more for the second read.
April 15, 2012
Finally finished this! I started the series a while back and put this book down at some point and just never picked it up again, which says something. You can tell it's a first series, but it has really interesting ideas and a very unique writing style. The ending felt a little predictable to me, but it was still a fun read. I will definitely check out the rest of her books.
September 2, 2012
Originally I gave this series a lower rating because I thought it was a trilogy that ended badly! What a surprise when I found the fourth and final book which changed the whole reading experience. I love Michelle Sagara's writing and think that this was a wonderful work full of complex characters and situations!
October 7, 2016
I found myself flipping through the second third of the book just trying to get to the conclusion which was fortunately less tragic than I had been expecting. It is heavy and slow-going high fantasy but well-written so someone else I am sure would enjoy it and should not be put off by my two stars.
September 1, 2009
I'm not sure why I rated this book (and the rest) in the series 3. I remember it being a very powerful love story. The hero, after all, represents evil in the book. And somehow it all works out.
I think I'll go back and re-read it.
I think I'll go back and re-read it.
July 19, 2011
This review applies to the Sundered Series as a whole.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
July 30, 2009
Not my favourite of the quadrology. In fact probably the book I like least of the four. But it brings everything to a satisfactory if not a satisfying conclusion.
February 6, 2011
What a fantastic series.
My favorite fantasy/romance book/series ever!
My favorite fantasy/romance book/series ever!
August 27, 2011
Over all a great series. The final installment is somewhat confusing due to the constant switch of pov.
November 23, 2013
Hated the end--which is a shame as this was actually a good series overall.
August 6, 2016
I liked this series more for the fact that I had the misfortune of seeing what it could have been with a lesser author writing it in the horrible Fallen World series by Laura Thalasssa.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews