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The Seven Eyes #2
Emissary
Draken vae Khellian, bastard cousin of the Monoean King, had risen far from his ignominious origins, becoming both a Bowrank Commander and a member of the Crown’s Black Guard. But when cursed black magic took his wife and his honor away, he fought past his own despair and grief, and carved out a new life in Akrasia. His bloody, unlikely path, chronicled in Exile: The First Book of the Seven Eyes, led him to a new love, and a throne.
Draken has seen too much blood . . . the blood of friends and of enemies alike. Peace is what he wants. Now he must leave his wife and newborn child in an attempt to forge an uneasy peace between the Monoean King and the kingdom of Akrasia. The long bloody shadow of Akrasia’s violent past hangs over his efforts like a shroud. But there are other forces at work. Peace is not something everybody wants . . . not even in the seemingly straightforward kingdom of Draken’s birth.
Factions both known and unknown to Draken vie to undermine his efforts and throw the kingdom into civil war. Forces from his days in the Black Guard prove to be the most enigmatic, and a bloody tide threatens to engulf Draken’s every step.
Draken has seen too much blood . . . the blood of friends and of enemies alike. Peace is what he wants. Now he must leave his wife and newborn child in an attempt to forge an uneasy peace between the Monoean King and the kingdom of Akrasia. The long bloody shadow of Akrasia’s violent past hangs over his efforts like a shroud. But there are other forces at work. Peace is not something everybody wants . . . not even in the seemingly straightforward kingdom of Draken’s birth.
Factions both known and unknown to Draken vie to undermine his efforts and throw the kingdom into civil war. Forces from his days in the Black Guard prove to be the most enigmatic, and a bloody tide threatens to engulf Draken’s every step.
- GenresFantasy
362 pages, Hardcover
First published February 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 15, 2015
This second book in The Seven Eyes was a bit disappointing when compared to the more enjoyable Exile.
Draken vae Khellian, the bastard cousin of the Monean king, has risen high in the land of Akrasia since he was exiled from Monea after being falsely convicted of the murder of his wife. He is now prince of Brin and Night Lord, and lover, to the Queen of Akrasia. With the civil war of the last book behind him Draken and the Akrasians have a new problem as the Moneans launch an invasion. An unknown faction has been stirring up trouble between Akrasia and Monea and in order to halt an all out war Drahen agrees to meet with the Monean king to see if a peace deal can be brokered. The situation is complicated by Draken's past as an exile and by rebels in Monea and Akrasia who have their own reasons for wanting war.
It had a familiar feel to the first book when it came to the characters, the world building, and the magic, but for some reason all those aspects of the book ended up feeling a bit lacking in the same depth and quality as we had in the first book. The characters probably suffered the most as a few favorites from the first book ended up just being along for the ride despite being totally redundant. The biggest flaw when it came to the characters was that a lot of the choices they made were idiotic or horrible or both! The result was that a lot of them ended up less likable. Draken and his sister probably suffered the worst.
The story itself was OK, but definitely had a few flaws. The rebellion in Monea seemed to be lacking the depth to make it truly believable. I could accept the rebels and even their crazed reasoning, but it all seemed a bit to easy for them as not a single loyal lord or soldier loyal to the Crown made an appearance!
All in all I was a bit disappointed and found my enthusiasm waning as the story progressed.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Audio Note: Nick Sullivan, who narrated the first book, was back for this one and he gave a decent performance.
Draken vae Khellian, the bastard cousin of the Monean king, has risen high in the land of Akrasia since he was exiled from Monea after being falsely convicted of the murder of his wife. He is now prince of Brin and Night Lord, and lover, to the Queen of Akrasia. With the civil war of the last book behind him Draken and the Akrasians have a new problem as the Moneans launch an invasion. An unknown faction has been stirring up trouble between Akrasia and Monea and in order to halt an all out war Drahen agrees to meet with the Monean king to see if a peace deal can be brokered. The situation is complicated by Draken's past as an exile and by rebels in Monea and Akrasia who have their own reasons for wanting war.
It had a familiar feel to the first book when it came to the characters, the world building, and the magic, but for some reason all those aspects of the book ended up feeling a bit lacking in the same depth and quality as we had in the first book. The characters probably suffered the most as a few favorites from the first book ended up just being along for the ride despite being totally redundant. The biggest flaw when it came to the characters was that a lot of the choices they made were idiotic or horrible or both! The result was that a lot of them ended up less likable. Draken and his sister probably suffered the worst.
The story itself was OK, but definitely had a few flaws. The rebellion in Monea seemed to be lacking the depth to make it truly believable. I could accept the rebels and even their crazed reasoning, but it all seemed a bit to easy for them as not a single loyal lord or soldier loyal to the Crown made an appearance!
All in all I was a bit disappointed and found my enthusiasm waning as the story progressed.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Audio Note: Nick Sullivan, who narrated the first book, was back for this one and he gave a decent performance.
February 21, 2017
Engaging effort, as was the first. Lots of action, back and forth and around. A little too much, actually. How many times can one man die? How many times can they run back and forth through a palace? A town? Still, I like the MC anyway. I like the world-building. The magic.
April 18, 2017
Well written original fantasy. There are enough cool and original concepts for an entire other series! Well worth your time if you like fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews