*This review may contain spoilers. You have been warned*
Well, F.P. Spirit has done it again for me. He’s continued this fantasy tale and kept me hooked throughout. With so much going on in this book, where do I start to review?
I’ll start by saying, thank you, F.P., for changing the formatting and removing so much whitespace! So much easier on the eyes now. This made it easier to enjoy the book. Now, for the story…
This installment of the Heroes of Ravenford starts where the first left off, with the heroes returning from their adventure and going to speak with the Baron about what they learned about the Serpent Cult. During this talk we learn more about Lloyd’s family and past and also about the consequence of death, more specifically resurrecting the dead. I found the consequences very interesting and it's just downright nice to see that resurrection had one besides needing materials and money. It shows it’s not something that can be done on a whim or for death to be taken lightly, especially when it comes to nobles ruling over the land. I won’t spoil what that’s all about but it is a major driving factor for most of what goes on during this book.
At this point Brundon and Delgron leave the party of heroes. I very much liked them so I was rather sad they went their separate ways from our Heroes and hope they do come back at some point in the series. Martan, the archer they met at the end of book two, joins our group of Heroes in the absence of Brundon and Delgron and I was pretty okay with this. He’s a really nice character so I had nothing to complain about.
After our Heroes are done dealing with the Serpent Cult business they’re sent off to uncover the reason why ships setting course for Ravenford with precious cargo are mysteriously sinking or disappearing. The Baron is concerned and with good reason. His daughter’s birthday is coming up and many nobles will be arriving by sea and we all know disappearing ships aren’t a good thing when you’re expecting company by boat. That’s also not to say disappearing ships aren’t a bad thing in general even without guests planning to come for a visit.
So, on this mission the heroes deal with a round of bizarre events including the discovery of three lovely girls who may have something to do with a lot of the rumors surrounding the disappearing ships. For anyone who thought the books didn’t have any “strong” women characters, you’ll be happy to know they are now here. These three girls, Ves, the oldest and seemingly most sensible of the three, Maya, the youngest who can come off as a bit annoying but what kid doesn’t at times, and Ruka, the middle sister who is pretty much a female version of Seth, are something else and are very mysterious…to the point where I actually found it annoying but that’s nothing on the author. I could tell they had a reason to be secretive, but they really weren’t budging in the least even when our Heroes showed, time after time, they were trustworthy.
The girls do trust them enough though to help our Heroes out with their mission and journey back to Ravenford, though it’s not purely out of selflessness they do so. I very much like these three girls, even with their secrets and I’m currently rooting for a Glo/Ves hookup at the moment even though she’s sending a lot of conflicting messages.
On their way back to Ravenford with their news/find they encounter a friendly Dragon, making me happier than a kitten with yarn, and save him from drowning, indebting him to our favorite wizard. I’ll be curious on how that’ll pan out in the series since he doesn’t fill his debt by the end of the book.
As things progress in the story we find out the Serpent Cult is a very real threat and the Heroes are needed to protect the Baron’s family but not without its challenges. Lady Gracelynn’s brother, the Duke of Dunwynn is attending this birthday bash as are a bunch of his loyal minions. Why do I call them minions and why does it seem like I hate them? ‘Cause, I do hate them and it’s because they’re stuck up lowlifes that think any race but human is lowly causing a great deal of problems for our Heroes. All I can say about that is… I HOPE FAFNAR DIES A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH!
All right, now that I have that off my chest, no I will not reveal who Fafnar is. I’ll let you all read and figure that out on your own and find out why I hate him so much.
We’re also introduced to yet another new character. Donatello. Donnatello, or Donnie for short, is an artist and old friend of Elladan. I don’t really like him. Just like Elladan I find him annoying. I also found the scene where he was introduced to be a bit boring as it slowed down the pace of the book, mostly because of the long flashback that didn’t feel like it fit.
Now for the end of this book. BIG battle scene that is truly amazing. There were other small battles throughout the book but this one takes the cake. Loved the action so much. The book does end right after the battle though giving it a bit of a cliffhanger. This might annoy those who don’t like them, but I don’t mind them.
Now you’re probably wondering why I gave this a five star when I have stated I had some problems. The reason I’m giving this book a 5/5 is because while I had issues with the sisters and how the Dunwynn people treat others they weren’t major problems. Only the slowness of Donnie’s introduction was a big issue but because it the only big one I have, I can’t justify a star deduction.
So all I can say is, excellent book and keep them coming, F.P. Spirit, because I can’t wait to get my hands on the next!