Schattenmacht

Sylph #3

by L.J. McDonald

Solie, die junge Königin des Sylphentals, macht sich Sorgen: Welcher ihrer zahlreichen Feinde steckt hinter den Morden und Anschlägen auf ihre Berater – und warum? Sie ahnt nicht, dass sie in größter Gefahr schwebt, denn das Ziel des Mörders ist niemand Geringeres als sie selbst. Und das jetzt, da sie endlich ein Kind erwartet …

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal, Magic, High Fantasy

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

I first started writing in 1986, when my grade ten English teacher read some of my poetry and said that I had talent. I was so floored at the concept that I started writing short stories. My parents weren't quite so thrilled that I was doing something that took my away from my schoolwork, so I arranged to write a novel for two school credits, thereby turning writing into homework. Those two credits resulted in the creation of the novel Cure for the Phoenix, which I haven't read in over twenty years and which will likely not see the light of day. Even now I remember it as being quite clichéd, though my husband likes it.
I did make some attempts to get published over the years, and almost made it at one point, but other things were on my mind. To me, not submitting was easier than dealing with rejection slips, so I stopped trying. I did still keep on writing though. It's true that for writers, it's a compulsion. I just never considered the idea that anyone other than my husband would want to read any of it.
That changed when I picked up a book titled Moongazer by Marianne Mancusi. It had an ad in it for the Shomi Romantic Fantasy Novel Writing Contest, where the winner would get a guaranteed publishing contract in Canada and the United States. I mentioned it to my husband and he nagged me until I entered the first three chapters of The Battle Sylph in March of 2008. Sometime after that, I was wandering the Shomi site and found a link to a page detailing what features the judges were looking for. Other than my book being fantasy, I hadn't done a single thing on the list and figured I must have lost. My husband said, okay, wait for them to confirm that, then ship it out to the next company. You're not hiding for the next twenty years this time.
So, time passed, and the contest closed. The day after the winner was chosen, I was emailed by someone at Shomi who did confirm that, yes, I'd lost the contest, but the head Editor liked my three chapters so much he wanted to see the rest of the book. So I had a minor heart attack and sent it in. I then heard nothing until November 2008, when I was contacted by Chris Keeslar, Senior Editor for Dorchester Publishing, asking if the book was still available. I said yes, as were the four sequels. A week later, he bought the first three books in the series and I had another near heart attack. I also decided I needed an agent.
It's a lot easier to find an agent when you submit emails with subject lines that read "I have a guaranteed publishing contract for three novels - need an agent". Within a month, I'd signed with Michelle Grajkowski with the Three Seas Literary Agency, and the rest, hopefully, will be happy history for everyone.

Reviews

[Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review below and at..

http://www.demonloversbooksandmore.co...

Sometimes a book grabs you, and places you in the author’s beautifully created world so effectively; you cannot imagine the story ending.

I fell in love with McDonald’s The Battle Sylph (book 1 in the Sylph series) and craved more. I read The Shattered Sylph (book 2 in the Sylph series) and almost immediately began bugging the author for the release dates of the next book in the series. I was like a squealing fangirl when I received an ARC copy of Queen of the Sylphs. With my high expectations and my love for this series, I was prepared to be disappointed. I’m happy to say, not only was I not disappointed, but this book easily exceeded all my expectations!

As a reviewer, you try to explain a book's strengths and weaknesses so that other readers can figure out if they want to read the book. I have a hard time finding any weaknesses for books like this one. When I love a book, I love it with my entire being, and sometimes my love will blind me to flaws in the story. I did not see any flaws, so forgive me now if they are there, and I did not point them out.

The characters

In Queen of the Sylph, we have so many returning characters that play a vital part to the story including:

Heyyou and Solie- (the main characters from The Batter Sylph)
Ril and Lizzie- (the main characters from the Shattered Sylph)
Mace and The Widow- (the main characters from A Midwinter Fantasy (Strangely Beautiful, #2.5) (Sylph, #2.5))

In addition to our previous main characters, we have some of the minor characters from the previous books playing a larger part including:

Leon, Justin, Gabralina, Wat, Claw, Rachel, Nelson, Galway, Devon, and Dillon

And introducing a new character:

Sala

While the character list may seem mountainous, McDonald develops each character perfectly and makes the story flow smoothly. In fact, the story is told by alternating character POV. I usually hate when the POV changes throughout the story but in this book, it is necessary.

Each POV contributes to the telling of the story and gives the reader a better understanding of what is happening.

The story

What happens when one selfish, manipulative girl, uses the loyalty and honor of the sylphs to her advantage? Sala is a girl seeking to be queen and will test the Sylph’s loyalty and honor, the bond between Sylph and master, and the trust between villager and Sylph, in her quest to be queen.

Because of the Sylph’s honor, a Sylph cannot disobey a command from their master or their queen. One small mistake gives Sala the ability to control one Sylph and that sets up a series of events that has crushing consequences. My heart broke for that Sylph. His agony was so pure that I literally had tears running down on my Kindle.

Besides Sala’s actions, Heyyou creates a bit of havoc that only Heyyou could manage. He is still goofy, playful, and his desire to please and love Solie, creates a big surprise for the entire Sylph community. You can’t help but love Heyyou and his boyish charm. What Heyyou does to Solie is done with the best intentions and it gives the story some much needed charm.

Overall

Action, mystery, non-stop excitement, heart-breaking loss, and a sweet charming romance all wrapped up in an engaging story that flows perfectly. What else could I ask for except the next book please!

[Lulu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book in L.J. McDonald's Battle Sylph series and, while I generally liked the first two, I really didn't care for this one at all. The first two were pretty entertaining and the world building was original and creative. In this third book, McDonald advances the timeline by six years and instead of a new hero and heroine, this book revolves around life in Sylph Valley under Queen Solie and catching us up with the changes that have occurred. Generally, I like that kind of thing. It's usually fun to catch up with old favorite characters and see how their relationships are evolving. However, in this book, it's kind of a mish-mash of multiple points of view, without all that much going on.

The primary story involves a plot against Solie to take her place as Queen. However, the villain is easily identified and we spend way too much time within her fairly dull, tedious, evil point of view and the points of view of her two innocent, brainless, unwilling co-conspirators. It's like watching a slow motion train wreck. You know what's going to happen and how it's going to happen, but still have to wade through it all until someone finally figures out what's going on and puts a stop to it at the very very end. While this is going on, McDonald kills off a couple of fairly major supporting characters, one of whom deserved it and another who didn't, and causes alot of pain for another character, Claw, who really has had enough. What McDonald does to him, and to Wat, was needlessly over-the-top cruel.

While the plot against her proceeds, Solie is sad. She adores her mate and consort, Heyou, but regrets that she can never have any children as the Sylphs are unable to reproduce with their human mates. Heyou, whose innocence and general goofy qualities were kind of charming in the first book or two, is starting to wear thin now. He decides to do something about Solie's unhappiness and his choice is to coerce and terrorize another fairly major supporting character (Devon) into providing the daddy juice necessary for Solie to become pregnant. Not telling her and just doing the deed using the donated sperm, Solie indeed becomes pregnant. And . . . she is thrilled! She and Heyou happily think what a revelation this will be for all the Sylphs, a way for all of them to become fathers and they go forth considering who they should choose to be the biological father of Solie's next child. Now, how bizarre and unromantic and wrong can you be? Put aside the thought of multiple battle Sylphs terrorizing the local human population into sperm donations. Put aside how ridiculous it is that the Sylphs who can shape shift and do all kind of miraculous things aren't capable of fathering children. But, what about the fact that there are a whole houseful of orphans that Mace and The Widow are caring for just down the road? Why doesn't Solie adopt one or two of them and set an example for everyone under her rule? Nope. Solie and Heyou will go to whatever lengths are necessary for her to give birth herself to a child whose biological father was, to say the least, not enthusiastic about the idea and who is then quickly shipped off as an emissary to a foreign land with Heyou thinking how great it is that he won't be interested in pursuing any fatherly rights. Just bizarre and an utterly unromantic subplot. (*shudders*)

Finally, McDonald still hasn't addressed the central issue of the Sylphs immortality and their human mates/masters mortality. It gives the books a happy-for-now quality as it is clear that, while the Sylphs will be loyal until death, they will live on. I'm also a little troubled that the Sylphs don't seem to be particularly discriminating about their women. All they seem to care about is that they have a woman of their own (who binds them to this dimension) and that they have more freedom that they had when bound in the service of their other dimension's Queen, or to evil humans in this dimension. So, while the Sylphs may battle on and LJ McDonald plans several more books, I'm not sure I'll be going along for the ride.

[Jen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning to the very last page. It is somewhat of a departure from the previous installments in the series. Each of the first two books focused on the love story of an individual couple with the backdrop of the rich complicated world the author has created. But not this book. This book features all of the characters we already know and have come to care for, without a central love story. It feels a little different, but I still loved it.

The beginning of the story slightly overlaps with the end of The Shattered Sylph. Leon, Ril and Lizzie have not yet returned to Sylph Valley. The sweet, but slightly dim couple that Leon and Ril rescued early in the last book, are now settling in. Gabralina is so happy that she writes to her old friend Sala to share her happy news about falling in love with Wat and finding a new home. Sala appears in the valley shortly after, ready to share in Gabralina's new life.

Leon, Ril, and Lizzie return with an angry Justin in tow. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is going to be serious trouble from that guy. Especially since he has the power to control Ril and he is still in love with Lizzie. While we wait for that shoe to drop, it's really Sala who reveals herself to be the villain. And what a villain she is. Sociopath is too kind of a word. She orchestrates deaths, rape, and misery, all for her own selfish gain. Watching the destruction of poor Claw is heartbreaking. Gabralina's eventual devastation actually made me cry. Sala isn't traditionally malicious; she is a pit of evil... a soulless void. And in that, she is frightening and gruesome.

The story doesn't only center on the mayhem surrounding Sala. We see the continuing repercussions from the events in the last book, with the rise of a new queen and her new hive. We see Solie and Heyou grow as a couple and deal with their inability to have children. We lose some people we've grown to love and we gain new characters who will no doubt become beloved as well.

This book took my emotions on a roller coaster ride and I honestly had no idea what would happen. Which was awesome. The world building is fascinating and consistent. The characters are many, but are clearly defined and emotionally resonant. The story builds beautifully on the previous installments, making it a treasure for fans of the series. But I don't know how clear it would all be to a newcomer to the books. I suggest checking the series out from the beginning. It's worth it. I can't wait to see what happens next. 5 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even after reading this book several times, I absolutely dread reading Sala's malevolence and how one woman could destroy a kingdom. *shuddering in fear*

[Has · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review crossposted at The Book Pushers
http://thebookpushers.com/2011/09/29/...


Ever since I read the first book of the series, The Battle Sylph, I have fallen in love with the world of the elemental shapeshifting sylphsm and the humorous and fast pace writing of L.J McDonald. So when I had the chance I eagerly devoured the Queen of the Sylphs which is the 3rd instalment of the sweeping, romantic fantasy series. It is a marked departure from the previous two books because the action and the focus of the book is mainly set in and around the new settlement that the Sylphs and humans have set up in the first book. And instead of focusing on a main romantic couple, the book concentrates on a variety of characters including the original hero and heroine, Solie and Heyou, who are now settled in six years after the events in their book. However, intrigue and danger still threatens their new kingdom especially from the neighbouring kingdom, Eferem, who is still smarting from their defeat in the first book. Despite her position, Solie and her people have to thwart assassins, unstable sylphs and the danger within her lands despite being heavily guarded, and the threat is much closer to her than she realises.

I really like the fact that with each book, L.J McDonald has portrayed a different aspect and tone with each new installment with this series, and I really think it helps to keep this fresh and different. With this entry to the series, it was nice to see how much Solie has grown from the young and immature girl from the first book, into a more mature and confident woman and the solid place that she has helped to create in her valley and as Queen of the Sylphs. The complications that come along with leading such a diverse and unconventional group of people and sylphs was also realistic, and it was good to see there was development on how this small settlement evolved from the first book.

The secondary characters who were introduced really shine, such as Gabralina and Wat who were rescued in the previous book, and are central to the main plot in this book. Their story was bittersweet and, L.J McDonald really surprised me on how she broached their romance. I wasn’t a fan of them when they were introduced in the previous book and I felt there wouldn’t have been much development or potential because although they were humorous and fun, there wasn’t much depth. But Gabralina and Wat to some extent develop as characters with real dimension and depth and L.J McDonald deftly shows her gift in well drawn out characterisations. There is also a new Sylph elemental who is introduced and which I think will be a great addition to the growing cast of characters.

Although the focus was on the wider cast of characters — especially on the secondary and minor ones — it did not distract attention from the core action, and the plot didn’t get lost over the course of the book. In fact it really added to the ongoing plot-lines from the previous books and expanded the world-building and characterisation. It was also the most suspenseful and intriguing book to date, and I have to say it was full of twists and turns that made it fast paced and at times, tense.

I also have to say that this was the darkest book yet because there were a few deaths, some that really shocked me that I was saddened to see, but that isn’t to say the trademark light-hearted humour wasn’t apparent, which once again Heyou provides in a few scenes which helped to balance out the dark and tense tone in the book. His relationship with Solie also gathers pace and deepens with a new twist, and it was pretty delightful on how that happens.

Despite the fact the Sylphs are unable to have children with their human mates, Solie is feeling broody and Heyou’s innovative suggestion on how they can solve this predicament was pretty funny — although I did feel sorry for the 3rd party who becomes the sperm donor. However this was one of my favourite parts of the book and made me laugh out loud on how Heyou approaches him and how he obtained the sample.

The Queen of the Sylphs is a great addition to the series, and it may not be as epic in tone or setting as the previous books, but the tense and pacey plot of an enemy within and the trials and tribulations of running a new kingdom adds another layer of depth in this colourful tapestry of characters. Although it was the darkest book yet, the lighthearted moments and the engaging characters really sucked me into the story and I really can’t wait to read more about this series. When I read a Sylph book now it feels like I am being engulfed in their world and stories just like a Battle Sylph holding onto his mate. I highly recommend you read the previous two books — actually the whole series if you fancy a fantasy romance, which surprises, delights and is filled with imagination.

I give Queen of the Sylphs a B

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

L.J. McDonald's Queen of the Sylphs is her latest book set in the same world that she began in The Battle Sylph.

As the story begins, Solie has settled in as Queen of Sylph Valley. She has also grown into her new duties and responsibilities. She may sometimes mourn the days when she was a carefree girl who could afford to have simple friendships, but she is confident in the role that she has taken on, and she has every right to be.

The surrounding kingdoms are threatened by Sylph Valley. Their unorthodox treatment of their sylphs, allowing them to talk, to assume human form, to be educated and to have an equal say in the way the Valley is governed, threatened the belief systems of every country that surrounds them. The battle sylphs protect all the woman in the Valley from every perceived threat, making Sylph Valley women the equals of men as they are nowhere else. Their more conservative neighbors are appalled. Sylph Valley women are called trash, whores, and sluts, but not within the confines of the Valley.

But Solie is Queen because all the Sylphs in the Valley are bound directly to her, and they will all protect her. Which means that she is the target of repeated assassination attempts by neighboring kingdoms. Especially from the Kingdom of Eferem, the land she escaped from in The Battle Sylph.

In Queen of the Sylphs, it is not just external threats that Solie has to fear. There is an internal threat as well, but one that is deeply entrenched within the Valley. Battlers can sense the emotions of those around them, but only when there actually are emotions to sense. A person who feels nothing, but commits terrible crimes anyway, in other words, a sociopath, is undetectable. A female sociopath presents a tremendous threat, because battlers are conditioned to protect females at all costs.

I didn't enjoy Queen of the Sylphs as much as I did The Battle Sylph. The newness of the world has worn off, so I was expecting more growth from more of the characters, or a story with new twists and turns, preferably both. Solie is the one character who keeps moving forward, but the other characters are increasingly stock characters, particularly the villains. King Alcor is the distant big, bad, sending assassins to do his dirty work for him. The closer evil was the standard beautiful and manipulative witch. And, as a bonus added attraction, since she had no emotions, there wasn't any way to get into her head to understand why she was committing her evil acts. I didn't want to sympathize, but I did need to get the point, or at least, her point. I know she wanted to take over the Valley and get power. But why?

There is a secondary story, that of a healer sylph on the other side of the portal. This sylph is on her way to morphing into a sylph queen, but wants to remain a healer. She has a battler who has been exiled from the hive who wants her to become a queen and form her own hive, in the hopes that he will be her consort. It was an interesting idea for the author to try to show the other side from the sylph's point of view before they cross over, but it is difficult to tell a story with characters who don't have names.

Overall, this was an okay read. But I stayed up late to finish The Battle Sylph. I didn't stay up to finish Queen. I went to sleep and waited until the next afternoon. Escape Rating C.

[NA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, yikes. Now, I'm prone to leave reviews if I feel that a book was especially good (5 stars out of 5) or horrendously awful (0 stars out of 5) - and I'm going to have to say that Queen of the Sylphs was ESPECIALLY BAD.

How bad? After all, this book has an over all high average based on the cumulative score of over 100 voters - how bad can it be? Well my friends, let me start by saying that this book was so painful to read that if goodreads allowed for us to rate 0 or less, I would have been on that option like white on rice.

To truly understand my lack of appreciation for this book and how horrible I felt while reading it, let me move onto interpretive dance, or in what I like to call: MOVING PICS THAT SAY 1000 WORDS

FIRSTLY: How I felt the entire time reading this book. More specifically, how I felt about the plot line, writing style, and over all experience from this book...



YUP. THAT AWESOME. I actually had to go out of my way to find a gif that would adequately project my feelings about this book. Why? Let me start with this:

NEW CHARACTERS
BOTCHED TIME SEQUENCE
ANGST ON ANGST ON ANGST
NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
RANDOM CHARACTER DEATHS

Okay, so maybe not so random character deaths, but LJ McDonald might as well have made the deaths of certain characters random.

To further aggravate me, she introduced characters that were DUMB. Not even dumb in the sense that they had no character development, which they didn't, but in every sense of that word - they were DUMB. If Barbie and Ken were the inspiration behind Gabralina (I'm sorry if I botched the name, I couldn't bring myself to remember it) and Wat, yes - you read this correctly, the battler's name is Wat, as in "Wuuut?" - then these characters had all the makings of the best doll couple the likes of which society has ever seen. If you wanted a sense of how utterly insipid and simple minded these characters are, think Heidi Montag and her husband (what's his face).



This book was so painful to read. The transition between each story line didn't even flow! And you heard me: DIFFERENT CHARACTER STORY LINES. It was awful! I had such high hopes since I enjoyed the first book in the series and the 2nd and 3rd one were rated higher, but alas, I am once again left high and dry. I honestly don't see how people enjoyed it. Compared to the first one, this follow up story on Heyou and Solie was such a let down.

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE. I swear these ratings are rigged!

[Wendy *Sebella Blue* Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are once more assassins in the Valley of the Sylph. Presumed to be sent from King Alcor, Leon , as the former head of the king’s security should be able to identify them, but Leon and Ril have not returned from their mission to save Lizzie. Without knowing who sent the assassins, Solie is reluctant to kill them. Deception and turmoil seem to be the theme of the day. As someone in the valley is killing battle sylph masters. The peace they had worked so hard to create is now in jeopardy.

I think each book in this series increases the intensity exponentially. This book literally made me sweat, gasp groan, laugh, cry and cuss a lot. Solie and Heyou have matured so beautifully. Although Heyou is still a horndog and a scamp. Solie has adjusted to her role as queen and is thriving under Heyou unwavering affections. *sigh* I want Heyou. This book, while still maintaining the optimistic theme of the first two books, struck me as the darkest book of the series so far. There is a truly insidious villain, that in my opinion gets off way too easily. We’re talking Hannibal Lecter evil. They truly tarnish the enchanting innocence of a great many characters.

Keep in mind, while reading this book, that L.J. McDonald has a penchant for springing surprises on the reader. A couple of things that happened caught me completely off guard. It didn't make me not like the book any less, but I cussed quite a bit. There is still a strong connection to the kingdom that Leon and Ril rescued Lizzie from, and that story plays heavily in this book. Although each book is a stand alone, not having read The Shattered Sylph will impact the readers understanding of Queen of the Sylphs. While this is a darker book, there is a huge payoff as well. There are some very heartwarming occurances. I am just so glad I had the honoring of reviewing this wonderfully unique series. I fervently hope it is a looooong one.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit Romanceaholic.com.

Expected Release Date: September 5, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://ljmcdonald.blogspot.com/
My Source for This Book: Amazon.com
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 3, Sylphs
Series Best Read In Order: Yes
Steam Level: Warm

I struggled so much in writing this review, because I wanted it to remain spoiler-free — so much so that I found that I couldn’t even write a good synopsis without giving away crucial spoilers.

While I think I’ve managed to achieve that goal, that leaves so many little things that I took great joy in that I couldn’t mention because of it. As a fan of the series as a whole, I greatly appreciated the fact that this book focuses less on a specific “couple”, as previous books did, and far more on the residents of Sylph Valley in general — their relationships, how each individual life affected the others, and how the entire community came together during a crisis.

As a side note, I am dying for Thrall to feature in a book. While he was only mentioned in passing in this book, he is easily the most anticipated of characters on my part, and I hope that he gets a very happy ending.

Overall, while it didn’t blow me away due to the plethora of character deaths, the abuse of the sylphs, and the sheer annoyance I had with Solie for not preventing the whole mess, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be reading the next installment in the series once it’s released.

4/5 Stars

[Lizzielvr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and to say I am emotionally invested in the characters would be an understatement. This installment of the series was hard to read. The author takes you on a road full of angst and shock. There were quite a few moments in my head thinking ”What? NO! NNNOOO!”

It was good to finish the book, I didn’t feel happy at the end, but at ease.

I wouldn’t recommend this as a stand-alone, just because I think you need to see where the characters come to appreciate them. But if you like fantasy romance, it’s worth the read.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another awesome entry into the Sylph world! I am always blown away by how richly detailed her worldbuilding is, yet how easily the reader is integrated into that world and the story being told. I liked that McDonald doesn't pull any punches - unafraid to transform a good character into a bad one or even kill them if necessary. A/B+

[Bexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really REALLY love this series - but #3 in the series just seemed so disjointed. I usually have no problem following multiple characters and threads, but this one - it just seemed to be all over the road.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There Is No Utopia
Six years ago, a young girl named Solie was brought to a castle to be a sacrifice, to die at the hand of a pompous king's son so he could enslave a battle sylph, a magical creature from another dimension. Things didn't go so well for the son or the king. They went much better for Solie, who named the battler and became his love and master.

He made her his queen.

For six years Solie has ruled as queen of Sylph Valley. The battle sylphs protect their queen and the hive above all things. Their power is legendary, their rages terrorize. They are the unstoppable force and the immovable object in one fiercely protective being of unimaginable power. It's been a peaceful six years. No one dares try to cross the battlers in Sylph Valley. At least, until now.

A new source of evil slips into the valley and like a pestilence, spreads death and decays hope, stirs fear and incites rage. This evil twists the lives of those it touches, creeping, clawing its way ever closer to its goal, destroying whatever is in its path in a carefully plotted and insidious plan to kill the queen. This is an evil that not even the mightiest of battle sylphs can defeat. Unfortunately, not even battlers can defeat what they can't sense...even when it's right in front of them.

~*~

I'm such a huge fan of this series. I have been right from the beginning. It's such a unique and brilliant blend of complex characters and imaginative storylines ripe with dashes of humor and devious machinations by both the good and the not-so-good. There is intrigue, action, magic, and elements that are deeply disturbing for their grim darkness and viciousness. The first two books in the series were among the most memorable of all the books I read last year, and this one is no different in that respect.

I have to hand it to McDonald, there are aspects of the plot of this book that are utterly brilliant in concept and execution. The conflict in the plot was less expansive than that of the previous book, where a whole kingdom needed to be overthrown, but for all its containment, it is chilling and disturbing in ways that churned my stomach in places. The Bad Guy in this book is one of the baddest I've had the pleasure of reading lately, and my heart bled for the victims. Especially Claw, who has seen little more than horror since he crossed over into this world. He's such a tragically broken sylph I couldn't help but feel for him.

Of course, my favorite characters from the series are back. Ril and Leon return from their successful rescue mission of Lizzy (The Shattered Sylph) early in this book, and it's lovely seeing Ril finally finding some peace with both Leon and Lizzy. This book also has a wonderful ensemble case of familiar characters who have great chemistry when they're together, whether it's intermingling in their day-to-day or fighting together against an outside threat. There are also some great new characters that I enjoyed meeting in this book, especially the healer sylph. Her plot threads were a delight that gave new insight into the world the sylph come from.

This book doesn't have the romance thread that existed in the first two books, but I didn't miss it. The romances in this series have never really worked for me because of the young age and the naivety or innocence of the female romantic lead characters. Not having to deal with it in this one was a nice treat.

I wasn't quite as fond of the overall plot of this book as I was the previous one. It felt a bit lacking to me in both depth and complexity in comparison, and it dragged a little for me in the middle. It also didn't leave me feeling the same sense of urgent suspense that I did when Leon and Ril were trying to find and rescue Lizzy, though that's not really a criticism, just commentary on how much I love the characters and the dynamic between Leon and Ril. I felt Justin's ancillary plotline was painfully predictable (I saw that one coming from the middle of the previous book) and surprisingly two dimensional. It could have been better woven into the other threads and developed earlier to keep it interesting, but it seemed too in-your-face to manage much beyond surface conflict. And few of the characters in this book really bugged me, too.

I've never been a Solie fan. She was far too girlishly innocent and naive for me in the first book and though it's obvious that she's matured some, she still strikes me as someone both immature in her rule and not all that bright in the grand scheme. Heyou, her battler, flat-out annoys me. He's always been young, but he seemed both young and overly goofy in this one, like a cross between a twelve-year-old on a sugar rush and an excited puppy. Heyou is the queen's consort, I'd think he'd start maturing at least a little over six years. That didn't seem to be the case here.

I also struggled with Gabralina's character and her battler Wat. I totally recognize and freely admit that my issue with them is a major personality flaw within myself, but I had a struggle sympathizing with characters who go beyond simple-minded and slightly touched in the head into the realm of too stupid to live. Both Gabralina and Wat fell into the latter category in several places in this book and I had difficulty maintaining sympathy for either of them. Well...until Wat's situation deteriorated to such an extent that I couldn't help but feel ill at what was being done to him. He had all my sympathy then.

All of that brings me to an issue that I've been struggling with throughout this series, despite how much I've enjoyed each of the books. It's an issue that really came to a head in this book. I'm getting very uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the roles of the female characters in this series. They all seem to be young, innocent, and so naive it's painful, or they are not-so-young and have been victimized in one way or another. Some have gone from one to another as part of the story. None of the women in this series have any power independent of the sylphs, and they are often written as lacking intelligence, worldliness, or self-sufficiency. They tend more towards being untried, inexperienced, naive, silly, or gullible.

Solie may be queen, but from what I've seen she's too kind of heart, too gentle and timid to rule her people. Mace's widow embodies several stronger characteristics, but she's been set apart as an atypical female in their culture, and she's both older and not a main character. Leon's daughter Lizzy has the potential to be a sharp, savvy woman, but she's untried and untrained, and at only eighteen, she's still a girl to me.

There are just no strong female heroines who have any significant presence in this series. The women have battlers to fight their fights, and they're protected and cossetted by the sylph who are their mates and by the hive battlers in general. Despite having a girl as queen, the society seems feudal and patriarchal. That aspect of the series has never appealed to me, but seemed even more pronounced in this book. I'd kill for one single large-and-in-charge heroine capable of using wit and wiles to her advantage in this series.

Still, I love the series, and this book has many wildly excellent scenes with tense plotting and lovable characters. Parts of the book broke my heart, parts made me whoop in triumph. I'm dying to know what comes next. I'd highly recommend readers new to the series start it from the beginning, though. No amount of exposition, no matter how carefully woven into the story, can make up for being introduced to these characters and sinking into their relationships with them as they develop, seeing their journey towards a mutual destiny begin, and experiencing it all with them as it goes. Queen of the Sylphs is a strong book and a great installment of a fantastic series that I highly recommend.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Dorchester Publishing via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up because I liked it a bit more than the last.

This book has some problems. Unlike the previous two, it didn't focus on one relationship in particular, but followed up on some threads from the previous books.

Solie is still queen, Leon and Ril haven't returned from rescuing Lizzie yet, and Gabralina is setting into Sylph Valley when Solie is attacked by assassins. They're dispatched pretty quickly, Gabralina's old friend Sala reappears, and Leon and Ril return with Lizzie happily with Ril and word about what happened in Meridal.

The assassins and concerns over Eferem somehow become a minor plot point. Instead, the focus is on someone killing masters in Sylph Valley. We know from the start that it's Sala, in an attempt to become queen, and she's a terrible character. She's an awful person who manages to get so much control and outsmart everyone. This storyline is depressing on multiple fronts. I hate what she does to Claw, and I hate that because of her we have a ton of page space dedicated to Gabralina and Wat, two awful characters in their own right.

Not everyone is happy with Ril and Lizzie's relationship. Mostly Justin, who is upset that he isn't with Lizzie and traumatized by his time in Meridal. I think he could have been an interesting and even sympathetic character considering what happened to him, but instead he's just a dick who's angry he can't do it with Lizzie. Betha, Lizzie's mom, also has some pretty valid concerns in my opinion, but she's treated as being unreasonable and by the end is brought around.

The worst storyline in this book is that of Solie's pregnancy. Heyou can't get her pregnant, but she wants kids, so he forces Devon to masturbate, takes his sperm, and doesn't tell her what he's doing to knock her up. Solie is elated, Devon is not, but it's okay because he's threatened to never return and interfere with Heyou being a dad. In any other book, these would be the actions of the villain, not the hero. I think this is all even more upsetting because at the end, another character volunteers his sperm for the next time around, so obviously, they could have found a volunteer instead of Heyou doing that. But no one besides poor Devon, who is shunted off to Meridal, has any issues with this. Also, despite being six years later, Heyou still acts like the same kid he was in the first book, and it's just a bit exhausting.

There's also a storyline about a healer sylph in the sylph world that was interesting and my favorite part of the story. It was the real saving grace here.

This book was brought down by a lot of problems. I think that it should have focused on the political situation with Eferem instead of the Sala story, and it should have avoided the sperm stealing entirely.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origianlly posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

A Long and Short of It "BEST BOOK"

This book made me angry, and I wanted to screech and stomp my feet and battle someone, anyone just so I wouldn’t feel so helpless anymore. I have never gotten so hyper from a book that I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I even smacked the top of my desk, hurting my hand, when a very unexpected and horrid thing happened that totally shocked me. I screamed, NO!!!” This is not an easy story to read, it cannot leave a reader unaffected and it most certainly is so well crafted that it drags emotions out from the dark and makes a person pay attention.

Right up front, I’m saying this is not a standalone read. No way. What happens in this story to some of the protagonists will only make you sweat and tremble in fear if you’ve gotten to know the characters from the first two books like I did. I care about them, I am amazed by them and they’ve been through so much. For what happens to them in this book I simply say, NOT FAIR!

For all of my railing and ranting, the only reason that the Queen of the Sylphs made me react so strongly was because of the pure genius of the writing. L. J. McDonald has crafted a world that is both breathtaking in its beauty and horrifying because of the harsh realities of their world. The rules are different than anything I’ve ever come across and the dynamics and structure of the society is complicated, intricate and truly unique. It’s absolutely fascinating. And for all its differences, the thirst for power and the corruption of the mind in pursuit of it remains the same. That’s the major conflict. Someone is out to grab the riches that Queen Solie and her cabinet have forged out of a desolate land. How it came to be is amazing in and of itself and those readers who have read the previous tales know well of what I speak of. That is why this book has the power to horrify and to make a reader weep. For every power play, innocents pay the price, sometimes, with their very lives.

The evil and twisted villain in this piece was easy for me to figure out. But that’s all. Everything that came later was like a bombardment, shock after shock. There was one scene with Wat and Claw that almost made me puke. I was so astonishingly and negatively affected that I had to write a friend of mine who also likes books just so I could have some venting therapy. Why did it affect me so? Because I like Wat and I have always been worried for Claw. Again, readers know how tortured his character is, so for the author to have done what she did, it totally floored me. I repeat that this story would, in no way, have dragged such emotional extremes from me if the writing wasn’t as good as it is. If the author hadn’t been effective in making a connection between the reader and her characters, then I wouldn’t have felt much, most assuredly not this passion that tortures me.

For the squeamish and sensitive reader, be warned that the setup of this society can lend itself to the flourishing of abuse and misuse of power. In fact, for one scene I would term it rape. I know that they are actually aliens, but they take human form, they have female and male genders, so as far as I’m concerned they have the same rights and expectations of common decency and consideration that are awarded sentient beings. The villain doesn’t see them that way and affords them no peace. The author created a truly vile and sinister piece of human excrement. Another interesting tidbit is that the evil one is an exercise in irony. Readers of the series should be able to pick up on that.

I hope my review doesn’t scare reviewers about the intensity of the story. It’s really amazing and well done. There is hope. There is justice. In fact, I nearly shot out of my chair with feelings of vindication and triumph. I even did a fist pump in the air. Solie truly earns her title of queen. Overall, I think I fired eight emails at my friend for every time something momentous happened. I was a little nuts but I couldn’t contain myself. This book had my emotions on a roller coaster and I practically slumped in relief when the very exciting, climactic and thunderous confrontation came to a satisfying conclusion.

Speaking of which, will you think less of me if I say the ending made me cry? It was beautiful, passionate and sentimental. It was true to the story; it was emotionally powerful and humbling and it made everything that went on before have meaning and relevance. If I could, I would have wanted to give them all a group hug, but I bet one of the battlers would have growled at me.

There is so much to talk about that happens in this story but I can’t for fear of spoilers. I can’t even list my favorite people because then readers of the story might wonder about the names I’m not saying. I can’t give anything away. I refuse to dilute the sheer power and enormity of events that transpire during the course of the tale. I can say there is betrayal beyond belief, heartbreak and action. There is a mystery that only a reader knows the answer to but the frustration is there because no one can shout the answer to the characters to save them from what has to happen. Be assured there is retribution. Bless my bloodthirsty little heart.

Queen of the Sylphs deserves any and all accolades for being a high-powered thrill ride that leaves a reader breathless. The writing and editing are superb, the characters top-notch and the world building like nothing readers have seen before. I adore Solie and Heyou and wish for them a beautiful future with less stress. Because Ms. McDonald has proven herself an author that delivers unexpected and devious twists and isn’t afraid to make hard choices for the characters she’s created, I’d say that the hero and heroine have a happy for now ending. There has to be more stories to be told and more adventures to be had because there is no way a world this rich, this incredibly vibrant and totally unique could end with only three tales. Queen of the Sylphs whet my appetite for more books in the series and they can't be published quickly enough.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great suspense and unexpected plot twists. Terrific characters, who grow over the course of the book. There were a couple of sections where the writing was weak, and a massive plot hole that got filled in after the fact. Admittedly not the best novel of the series, but overall an excellent read. It's a very inventive world, with plenty of room for more excellent novels if McDonald continues the series. I'd had high hopes for Eapha at the end of the previous book in the series, and I think L.J. McDonald handled her transition to queen in very logical ways, even though it was very hard to watch/read.

[Randy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

This author is amazing and more people need to know about her, her series is 4books long with 2side stories,it's a different kind of fantasy than I've read before and it's awesome, I read it in one sitting because i couldn't put it down, it'll make you laugh out loud, cuss, yell out in shock, your insides will twist in sadness and hurt. And joy and relief when all is fixed. Read the first book, Battle Sylph before reading this,the third book
Battle Sylph
Shattered Sylph
Queen of the Sylphs
The Sylph Hunter

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better

I really like this series, LJ is a talented writer that knows how to bring her characters to life in a way that can twist you in knots. It's 12:30am and I'm starting the next one in the series.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

LJ McDonald has done the impossible. She created a character that I hate. Usually, I can warm up to dislike, but Sala is one evil psychopath. She uses everyone and lies without a qualm. I can’t say enough bad about her without a spoiler alert.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Als Leser wünscht man sich immer, dass ein Autor an seinen Büchern wächst und die von ihm erschaffene Welt mit jedem weiteren Band erweitert und vertieft. Solche Erwartungen hatte ich auch an Schattenmacht, den dritten Band dieser Reihe, denen er leider nicht ganz gerecht werden konnte. Denn dafür unterscheidet sich dieses Buch viel zu sehr von seinen Vorgänger. Zum einen ist er der dünnste Band der Reihe, womit ich aber kein Problem gehabt hätte, wäre die Geschichte aussagekräftiger gewesen und zum anderen fehlt es an Tiefe und Entwicklung. Facettenreich waren die vorherigen Bände, den Schreibstil der Autorin empfand ich als bildreich und voller Tiefe. Davon merkt man hier leider nichts und als Leser wundert man sich wie Schattenmacht in diese Reihe passen soll und ob es als Kurzgeschichte nicht besser aufgehoben gewesen wäre.

Der für mich interessanteste Part der Geschichte war nicht im Sylphental selbst zu finden, sondern in einem Stock der Sylphen. Zum ersten Mal hat man mehr Einblick in die Abläufe dort und in den Aufbau der Gesellschaft wenn keine Menschen darin eine Rolle spielen. Beschwörungen von Sylphen durften wir bereits miterleben, immer dann, wenn Priester ein Portal geöffnet haben. Wie es die Sylphen erleben wird nun hier geschildert und auch wie sie es wahrnehmen. In diesem Fall lernen wir eine Heilerin kennen, die kurz davor steht sich in eine Königin zu verwandeln und von der aktuellen Königin darum gemieden, sogar verbannt wird. Diesen Exkurs fand ich sehr spannend, gänzlich überzeugen konnte er mich aber nicht. Die Sylphen haben in ihrer Welt keine Namen wodurch mir eine Identifizierung schwer fiel. Vergleichsweise kurze Kapitel, die in dieser Welt spielen, machten es dem Leser nicht gerade leichter.

Das Problem, das ich mit diesem Buch hatte ist auf den ersten Blick gar nicht so auffällig. Es hätte nämlich auch zu seiner Stärke werden können. Die Autorin hat sich nämlich dafür entschieden bedeutend mehr Erzählperspektiven einzubringen und somit vielen Charakteren die Chance zu geben von ihrem Standpunkt aus zu erzählen. Das ist einerseits natürlich toll, weil interessante Nebencharaktere nun mehr Aufmerksamkeit bekommen. Andererseits habe ich mich darauf gefreut gezielt mehr über Solie und Hedu zu erfahren. Seit den Entwicklungen des ersten Bandes sind sechs Jahre vergangen, aber den Charakteren merkt man das kaum an. Vielleicht wäre das anders gewesen hätte man wirklich mehr Zeit mit ihnen verbracht, aber dem war nicht so. Interessantes Detail am Rande einer anderen Leserin: für sie befand sich Hedu immer wie auf einem Zuckerrausch, so aufgedreht und hibbelig. Und das stimmt sogar, wenn ich in der Geschichte auf ihn traf musste ich oft Grinsen und mit seiner Unschuld und teilweisen Naivität sorgt er für so manche humorvolle Szene.

Ein weiteres Problem für mich war die Hintergrundgeschichte rund um die Attentate. Nicht ganz richtig ist hier übrigens der Klappentext. Oder vielmehr ist er recht ungenau, denn obwohl das Königreich der Sylphen nicht anerkannt wird gibt es doch keine gröberen Auseinandersetzungen mit den umliegenden Königreichen. Attentäter werden zwar geschickt, sind aber sehr schnell aufgespürt und gefangen genommen. Eine Rolle spielen sie für den weiteren Verlauf nicht mehr, auch wenn man das den Leser glauben lassen möchte. Die Bedrohung kommt nämlich von anderer Seite. Diese Bedrohung ist dem Leser aber von Anfang an klar, nur die Protagonisten sehen die Gefahr nicht. Auch die Motive für die Taten waren mir unklar, es hörte sich eher so an, als wäre jemanden langweilig geworden darum verstrickt er sich mal eben in Machtspielchen um sich selbst in eine Position zu bringen, die er vorher nicht inne hatte. Leider ist dieser Plot nur allzu durchsichtig und nimmt der Handlung an Spannung. Hinzu kommt die Einstellung der Autorin sich von lieb gewonnenen Charakteren zu trennen, was für mich nicht nur überraschend kam, ich nahm es ihr sogar ein bisschen übel.

Schlussendlich war es aber dennoch so, dass ich das Buch bis spät in die Nacht gelesen habe. Die Autorin schreibt flüssig und auch wenn die Geschichte ihre Längen hat, ich habe immer darauf gehofft, dass noch eine überraschende Wendung auf mich wartet. Während mich die ersten beiden Bücher absolut von sich überzeugen und fesseln konnte, sprang bei Schattenmacht der Funke leider nicht über. Ich würde sogar so weit gehen und sagen, dass es einen durchaus akzeptablen Abschluss für die Reihe darstellen würde, gäbe es da nicht weitere Bände, die von Seiten der Autorin schon in Planung sind.

Interessant wird es nun wie es sich mit der Reihe weiter verhält – es gab nämlich nach diesem dritten Band beim Verlag der englischen Version einige Probleme, sodass die Reihe bis jetzt noch nicht fortgesetzt wurde. Nun scheint sich eine Lösung gefunden zu haben und die Autorin hat verkündet, dass die ersten drei Bände im Original neu aufgelegt werden und es im Anschluss mit Band #4 weiter geht. Da hoffe ich natürlich, dass wir uns bei gegebener Zeit auch auf eine Übersetzung freuen dürfen und ich werde die weiteren Entwicklungen in dieser Hinsicht auf jeden Fall im Auge behalten.

[Kayla Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Great read and had me hanging off every word hoping for there to be a good outcome for a few of my favorite characters.

[Melies Buchlounge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liebe und Verrat,
Ehre und Hass
Mitten in einer kargen Einöde ist das blühende Reich Sylphental entstanden. Doch das junge Land unter der Führung der mutigen Königin Solie und ihren magischen Kriegern wird von den Nachbarreichen nicht anerkant. Besonders die Königin hat viele Feinde... und ihre Feinde haben viele talentierte Attentäter!
Niemand in Sylphental war wirklich glücklich übder die Idee, jeden auszusperren, der nicht aus dem Tal stammte. Aber sie hatten keine andere Wahl, außer sie wollten einen Krieg mit Eferem beginnen, der nur dazu führen würde, dass sie gegen jedes Königreich auf dieser Seite des Meeres kämpfen mussten.
Sylphen sind Elementarwesen, die nur durch die Energie eines Meistes überleben können, an den sie durch ein magisches Ritual gebunden werden. Vor allem die mächtigen Kriegssylphen, die für den Schutz des Tals und seiner Königin zuständig sind, haben eine besondere Beziehung zu ihren Meistern, denn sie verbinden sich nur mit Frauen. Sie tun alles, um dafür zu sorgen, dass diese glücklich sind. Solie und Hedu, Lizzy und Ril, die Witwe Blackwell und Mace, Rachel und Claw... aus vielen dieser Verbindungen ist Liebe geworden. Doch als ein unbekannter Feind das Tal angreift, macht er sich diesen Umstand zunutze - denn die Mordanschläge und Sabotageakte gelten nicht den Kriegern sondern den Frauen, denen sie ihr Leben verschrieben haben...

Ich finde das Cover zu diesem Buch wunderschön. Man könnte es den ganzen Tag nur anschauen. Die Farben passen einfach und natürlich die Person, die darauf abgebildet ist. Was mich auch gefällt an dem Cover ist das die Schrift ein bisschen höher gesetzt ist so, dass man sie fühlen kann.

Die Kriegssylphen hielten Wache.

Das Buch habe ich mir genauso vorgestellt. Das Cover passt hervorragend zum Inhalt des Buches. Wenn man auch das Cover anschaut kann man sich nur in das Buch verlieben! Was mir auch gefällt sind die Farben des Covers sie sehen schlicht aus sind aber sehr elegant.
Was mir besonders gefallen hat, sind die Kriegssylphen, die sich mit dem Meister verbinden. Das hat die Autorin super hinbekommen es zu schreiben. Aber auch wie sich die Kriegssylphen verwandeln oder die Situation im Königreich. Was die Autorin richtig super hinbekommen hat, ist, dass sie wunderschön die jeweilige Umgebung niederschreibt. Das hat mich jedes Mal auf Neues überrascht. Was mir nicht so gefallen hat, ist das Ich nicht wirklich verstanden habe um was es jetzt geht aber ich glaube das lag daran, weil ich die Ersten beide Bücher NICHT gelesen habe und auch nicht besitze. Aber das Buch ist wirklich lesenswert. Es ist einfach mystisch und spannend was für jeden Fantasy Leser etwas ist.
Das Buch wird auch aus der Sicht verschiedener Personen gelesen so, dass man einen Einblick bekommt wie die Königin lebt und wie die anderen aus den unteren Schichten leben.

Als Fantasy und Science-Fiction Liebhaber sollte man das Buch einfach gelesen haben!

Da das Buch ein offenes Ende hat wird es noch Fortsetzungen zu dem Buch geben!

[Anneblogt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:
Solie herrscht nun als Königin über Sylphental mit seinen vielen Kriegs- und Elementarsylphen und eigentlich scheint alles in Ordnung zu sein-die anderen Königreiche beginnen langsam, mit dem Tal zu handeln und Solies Kriegssylphen scheint sie davon abzuhalten, Sylphental den Krieg zu erklären. Dann beginnen jedoch die Morde und niemand scheint sich mehr sicher zu fühlen. Jemand scheint es nicht nur auf Solie abgesehen zu haben, sondern auch auf die anderen Frauen, die einen Kriegssylphen binden…
Meine Meinung:
Der dritte Teil der Reihe rund um die Kriegssylphen rückt wieder mehr Solie und ihren treuen Krieger Hedu in den Mittelpunkt. Allerdings gibt es hier wieder unglaublich viele Perspektivenwechsel, sodass man wieder mehr als nur eine Person begleitet, was aber hier besser passt als im ersten Teil, da man nun die meisten Charaktere schon näher kennt. Die meisten Protagonisten sind hier authentisch rübergekommen und besonders Solie konnte mich mit ihrer ruhigeren, gelasseneren Art sehr überzeugen. Sie wirkt nicht mehr wie ein eingeschüchtertes Mädchen, sondern wirklich wie eine Königin, während Hedu hingegen mir manchmal immer noch zu aufdringlich und aufgedreht war.
Die Handlung an sich ist sehr spannend, ein Mörder geht im Sylphental um und es gibt mehr als nur einen Toten. Hier fand ich es zwar einerseits sehr interessant, dass auch aus der Perspektive dieser Person geschildert wurde, sodass man fesselnde Hintergründe und Motive kennenlernt, aber natürlich nimmt es auch wieder etwas an Spannung weil man weiß, wer hinter diesem ganzen Komplott steht. Es gibt zwar mehr als nur eine überraschende Wendung oder Verwirrung, aber insgesamt blieb mir die Geschichte trotzdem zu vorhersehbar.
Ein großes Plus für mich ist jedoch, dass der Schreibstil nun deutlich angenehmer zu lesen ist , da er mal länger bei bestimmten Szenen verweilt und Details beschreibt, wie es im ersten Teil nicht der Fall war. So wird eine bessere Atmosphäre geschaffen und ich konnte mir Sylphental geradezu bildlich vorstellen. Und auch wenn wirklich viel in diesem dritten Teil passiert, wirkt die Geschichte nicht gehetzt oder oberflächlich, wodurch man noch besser in die Geschichte gezogen wird.
Fazit:
Ein zwar nicht zu 100% überzeugender dritter Teil, aber vor allem in Vergleich mit dem ersten Teil wirken die Charaktere und die Geschichte deutlich ausgearbeiteter. Jedenfalls finde ich die Reihe aufgrund ihrer neuartigen Idee durchaus lesenswert und so gibt es von mir 4 von 5 Herzen.

[Diayll · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 Stars

ARC provided by NetGalley



Every so often a book will come along and sweep you off your feet, capturing your attention from the first sentence until the very last page. It will magically transport you to a world you desperately want to hold on to, and never want to leave. For me, that novel was Queen of the Sylphs. It was a shockingly beautiful tale of creatures that I have come to love, and one new queens struggle to protect a kingdom and provide peace and prosperity to its people.


As a new reader to this series (and reading them out of order), I really had no inkling of what this story would be about. I had a general idea of what a Sylph was and the back blurb made the book sound somewhat interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. Immediately I was intrigued by the description of the Sylphs, their powers and abilities, and how they interacted with one another. McDonald is not overly descriptive, however the words she picks and chooses to paint her characters left just enough room for my imagination to run wild. The fantastic world building in this novel, along with the amazing rollercoaster ride of a story, left me in awe chapter after chapter.


Queen of the Sylphs is a passionate story of love, betrayal, heartbreak, murder, manipulation, loyalty and honor. Don’t be afraid to dive into the story because you think that you will be lost in the sea of characters. If you truly crave an action packed novel that may leave you crying and screaming, then this is the book for you. And if you are like me and have not read the previous novels, then this book will leave you demanding, begging, and downloading the other books for more.



Full Review Can Be Found At:

Mother/Gamer/Writer

[Once · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book of the series, and should not be read as a standalone, reading the previous installments will be a great help following the characters. I haven’t read the others books and there were some sections that I had to really use my imagination to sort of guess where it was coming from. Through the whole book there a lot of ripples arising from the previous stories. Reading the previous books reviews, I get that this one is different since it relates events and activities for the whole hive, not just a for a couple as before.

In this fantasy world sylphs are paired with human masters and they rely on each other for survival and energy sustenance. Their queen Sophie is very fair and good to all the members of her hive and is greatly loved by almost everyone. She expects that the treatment of the sylphs be respectful and lovingly as well as the other way around with the human masters. The loyalty of the sylphs once they become paired is unquestionable and they must obey the master wishes without question, here is where things become interesting when an evil sociopath takes advantage.

Be ready for intense emotions throughout of unconditional love, loyalty, jealousy, deceit and indiscriminate abuse and murder. It was not an easy read, not the books fault buy my own for reading it out of order, it is definitely a thrilling and demanding must read.

review link: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2011...

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment of the Sylph series. In fact I think I enjoyed this one most of all. The story switches POVs of several different characters as well as a few sylphs, but it doesn't get confusing, in fact I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters much better. We even get a glimpse of what it was like in the hive world where the sylphs were born.

I still felt that Solie and Heyou (the main characters of the first book) were still a bit too immature to be rulers, but I felt that by the end, Solie became quite adult. She had a more personal reason and even though the transformation was quite sudden, I did enjoy seeing her become the strong woman you always hoped she would be within the series. I also really enjoyed getting to know those secondary characters I have loved in the other books. And there was a villain within this story you truly love to hate. In fact, I think the author really wrote the sociopathic personality well. Almost too well.... in fact, I wanted to reach in and kick her little bootay.

In the end, I give this book 4 1/2 stars. I really enjoyed this adventure. Within this one, you will laugh, tear, and some characters will tear at your heart with what they were put through. I think if you are going to read this series... make sure you end up reading this book.

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it took me a while to finally read the 3rd part simply because I read beforehand what the book was about and what might come and I didn't want any bad drama for the people in Sylph Valley.

Anyway, I finally started reading it and I barely couldn't put it away. I still like the world that was created and whole bunch of characters, but there were also a lot of characters that I found highly annoying, e.g. Justin, Gabby and her Sylph, Sala ... I guess it's great when an author creates a character you really don't like, but you know I like to hate the villains and not just hate them.

As the other books we get to read a lot of parts about different character, which I like, but I wished there would have been parts Devon and his new life on the other site of the world. Instead we just got some short info about him in the end. I always liked his character, so I would liked to have read about his life and his sweet Sylph.

The biggest "beef" I had was the fact that we never really found out why Sala wanted what she wanted. I guess she just was some kind of sociopath and did it for no real reason, makes it even worth.

I don't know if I need more books of that series, I liked the ending even if not everything was resolved, but if there will be at some time I hope there are a entertaining read as the 1st 3 were.

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series. The first two focused on the romances of Solie/Heyou and Lizzy/Ril respectively. There is no single romance in this book. We do see those previously established romances grow, as well as get insights into several other battle sylph/sylph master pairings.

Instead of a romance, the strongest plot thread in this book is threats to Solie's life, in terms of assassins, and a series of sylph masters all being killed in odd ways. All that serves to have the battlers up in arms for most of the book. Unfortunately, they're looking for an enemy from outside the valley. The enemy is already within.

Spoilers ....

I don't know about anyone else, but the "bad guy" was pretty obvious to me right from the start. Solie had bad vibes with respect to her, but the battlers were oblivious, too blinded by their respect for all women.

/End Spoilers.

As a subplot, we also see life on the other side of the portal for a healing sylph who is being ostracized by her queen.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I have to say, this was again, another pleasant surprise. At this point, if you're reading this, you should have read the first two books in the series, but I won't give any spoilers away.

Needless to say, this was just as enjoyable a read as the previous Sylph books. This one though, went in directions I was not ready for emotionally and it was heartbreaking to say the least in more than one place. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen and how this story was going to unfold and there were certainly no promise of a happy one.

I've found myself falling more in love with the characters - even ones that I didn't necessarily like at first. And, as I said, it is an enjoyable read. Again, not high literature or sophisticated writing, but it has wonderful flow and as L.J. McDonald has continued writing, she has grown in skill and that is obvious to me here.

Obviously, if you've read and enjoyed the previous Sylph books, I would definitely recommend continuing with this one. A great read and story!

[Rachel-RN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 3 overlaps just slightly with The Shattered Sylph. We see all the major and secondary characters in this one. This story is told in multiple points of view; major characters are killed/severely injured (both physical and emotional). While there is a lot of death in this one; it also spurs personal growth with those who survived. They learn what their greatest weaknesses are and also their greatest strengths. The sense of family also plays in the the storyline; family is the family you make, not necessarily the one you are born in. Right now there are only 3 published novels in this series. Book 3 does have a satisfying end, thankfully no cliff hanger in this one. (Which is good as book 4 looks like it's written, but has no publishing date, so who knows when or even if it will be out.)