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The Tales of Y'Myran #2
Banshee’s Vengeance
Honor. It was torn from Azhani’s grasp by the sorcerer whose hatred of her family is decades old.
Love. Ylera, Azhani’s beloved, was murdered, her death no more than one callous act in a chain meant to put a noose around Azhani’s neck.
Once, not long ago, Azhani had been hopeless, lost, and without any desire for a future, but now, the rimerbeasts have come, and she is needed. Can she put aside her yearning for justice and face this ancient menace as honor demands, or will the bonds of love lost hurl her into a mire of death and revenge?
Length: 155,000 words
Love. Ylera, Azhani’s beloved, was murdered, her death no more than one callous act in a chain meant to put a noose around Azhani’s neck.
Once, not long ago, Azhani had been hopeless, lost, and without any desire for a future, but now, the rimerbeasts have come, and she is needed. Can she put aside her yearning for justice and face this ancient menace as honor demands, or will the bonds of love lost hurl her into a mire of death and revenge?
Length: 155,000 words
ebook
Published November 29, 2015
2 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Shaylynn Rose
4 books16 followersShaylynn Rose has never wanted to do anything other than create. From an early age, she was writing stories and poems, painting pictures, making jewelry, and exercising her imagination in every way she could. A fascination with mythology grew into a full-on love for fantasy and science fiction, and through this, she discovered the world of role-playing games, where she developed and honed her storytelling chops. Eventually these loves merged when she began writing the first of many stories, most of which aren’t fit to print but nonetheless allowed her to stretch her muscles little by little.
The late nineties brought the advent of television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and through these mediums, she discovered the world of fan fiction, beta readers, and feedback. This was, for her, a perfect storm for nurturing her creativity. Through the Xena fandom, she met Ciegra, who pushed and shoved and generally encouraged her to stretch beyond the comfort zone of fan fiction and back to the place where stories first began — the world of original tales.
With Ciegra (and, once the secret was out, her family and numerous other friends) constantly cheering her on, Shaylynn found the courage to write and eventually publish her first novel, Banshee’s Honor. Sadly, Ciegra passed away in 2011, but her spirit lives on, always pushing Shaylynn to keep writing, to share the characters that live inside her head, and to stay away from writing laundry lists instead of stories.
The late nineties brought the advent of television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and through these mediums, she discovered the world of fan fiction, beta readers, and feedback. This was, for her, a perfect storm for nurturing her creativity. Through the Xena fandom, she met Ciegra, who pushed and shoved and generally encouraged her to stretch beyond the comfort zone of fan fiction and back to the place where stories first began — the world of original tales.
With Ciegra (and, once the secret was out, her family and numerous other friends) constantly cheering her on, Shaylynn found the courage to write and eventually publish her first novel, Banshee’s Honor. Sadly, Ciegra passed away in 2011, but her spirit lives on, always pushing Shaylynn to keep writing, to share the characters that live inside her head, and to stay away from writing laundry lists instead of stories.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 7, 2017
I hate that my journey with Azhani and Kyrian is over. I hate it and I feel like throwing a huge temper tantrum because what the hell am I going to read now that will give me the same geek girl feels the way this series did?
In my review for Banshee's Honor, I compared it to Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor duology. It's sad there are so few epic fantasy novels of this ilk featuring WoC. Why (not a rhetorical question either)? The inner D&D geek in my couldn't stop doing happy dances as I tried my best not to inhale the second book in one sitting.
Representation matters. Those who disagree are the same ones who see themselves reflected everyday and everywhere, so they have no idea what it's like to go through life wanting to be the superhero, the romantic lead, or just a regular human being in all our joy, messiness and complexity. It's why marginalized groups fight so hard to not just be seen, but heard. It's why the books and other media that shaped my life feature characters who look like me. And it's why I prefer to read more inclusive stories rather than accepting the default. It's also why Azhani is that complex warrior woman who, by her very existence, lets me know that I belong in epic fantasy too. And to have a dark-skinned heroine too, when there are still issues of colorism in our society, makes these book matter even more.
And why this series makes me want more stories in this vein.
Darkness is beginning to spread throughout Y'Myran. Beasts of legend are returning wrecking havoc while the evil priests of Ecanthus spread hate, fear and blood with human sacrifices and the outlawing of worship of the Twain. Azhani, having been found innocent of the murder of the woman she loved and of attempting to usurp the throne, has been restored to her rightful place as warleader, knows that her quest for vengeance against Arris has to wait until the more immediate threat of rimerbeasts has been taken care of. She befriends a bastard prince who's also trying to find his way, on top of leading a vast army comprised of allies and those who still doubt her innocence. Add to the danger all around her is the love between her and Stardancer Kyrian, a woman coming into her own power as she finally makes peace with an old fear.
The romance between Azhani and Kyrian is sweet and while important, doesn't dominate nor hijack the action, which is a good thing. These are two people with different strengths and struggles, who heal each other through friendship, trust and love. There were instances where I wanted to shake Azhani for being so doubting and stubborn in regards to Kyrian. There is also a triad relationship, depicted with all the nuances and missed cues between three characters. Even Arris the puppet king, as heinous as his actions have been, I felt sorry for him considering the circumstances (though it doesn't mean I didn't want his comeuppance). Still, he is given a chance at redemption.
The fight scenes are intense, bloody and characters are injured or are killed. No one escapes unscathed from the predations of the rimerbeasts, including Azhani. While not GoT graphic, there's no doubt that this war for the soul of an entire world will come at a painful cost.
Seriously, I really don't know what I want to read next. I have tons of books, both physical and ebook. This series has shaken me, but in a good way.
Maybe I'll cosplay Azhani for this year's Anime Expo. Or better yet, maybe some comic book artist would be a dear and turn this amazing series into a graphic novel??? Believe you me, if I could draw, I would.
In my review for Banshee's Honor, I compared it to Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor duology. It's sad there are so few epic fantasy novels of this ilk featuring WoC. Why (not a rhetorical question either)? The inner D&D geek in my couldn't stop doing happy dances as I tried my best not to inhale the second book in one sitting.
Representation matters. Those who disagree are the same ones who see themselves reflected everyday and everywhere, so they have no idea what it's like to go through life wanting to be the superhero, the romantic lead, or just a regular human being in all our joy, messiness and complexity. It's why marginalized groups fight so hard to not just be seen, but heard. It's why the books and other media that shaped my life feature characters who look like me. And it's why I prefer to read more inclusive stories rather than accepting the default. It's also why Azhani is that complex warrior woman who, by her very existence, lets me know that I belong in epic fantasy too. And to have a dark-skinned heroine too, when there are still issues of colorism in our society, makes these book matter even more.
And why this series makes me want more stories in this vein.
Darkness is beginning to spread throughout Y'Myran. Beasts of legend are returning wrecking havoc while the evil priests of Ecanthus spread hate, fear and blood with human sacrifices and the outlawing of worship of the Twain. Azhani, having been found innocent of the murder of the woman she loved and of attempting to usurp the throne, has been restored to her rightful place as warleader, knows that her quest for vengeance against Arris has to wait until the more immediate threat of rimerbeasts has been taken care of. She befriends a bastard prince who's also trying to find his way, on top of leading a vast army comprised of allies and those who still doubt her innocence. Add to the danger all around her is the love between her and Stardancer Kyrian, a woman coming into her own power as she finally makes peace with an old fear.
The romance between Azhani and Kyrian is sweet and while important, doesn't dominate nor hijack the action, which is a good thing. These are two people with different strengths and struggles, who heal each other through friendship, trust and love. There were instances where I wanted to shake Azhani for being so doubting and stubborn in regards to Kyrian. There is also a triad relationship, depicted with all the nuances and missed cues between three characters. Even Arris the puppet king, as heinous as his actions have been, I felt sorry for him considering the circumstances (though it doesn't mean I didn't want his comeuppance). Still, he is given a chance at redemption.
The fight scenes are intense, bloody and characters are injured or are killed. No one escapes unscathed from the predations of the rimerbeasts, including Azhani. While not GoT graphic, there's no doubt that this war for the soul of an entire world will come at a painful cost.
Seriously, I really don't know what I want to read next. I have tons of books, both physical and ebook. This series has shaken me, but in a good way.
Maybe I'll cosplay Azhani for this year's Anime Expo. Or better yet, maybe some comic book artist would be a dear and turn this amazing series into a graphic novel??? Believe you me, if I could draw, I would.
April 22, 2020
Amazing, great ending. :)
January 21, 2018
Read Banshee’s Honor then this one for the full (and fabulous) story
I began reading this book as soon as I finished Banshee’s Honor, and it turned out to be a wise idea since Banshee’s Vengeance continues the story from where Honor left off. They are a definite pair in terms of the story so neither should be read as a standalone.
This book introduces more characters and kingdoms, more diversity and detailed world building while tackling the conflicts, discrimination and other themes of the previous book. More strong female characters and the male characters who respect and follow them populate the book which is a pleasure to read. Points in this story felt truly epic and the ending is satisfying, all major questions answered by the end. I wish there was a set of short stories to follow the major and minor characters further as an accompaniment to this duology because there are so so many great characters to love and cheer for, and they are hard to let go of and not want to follow around a little longer. Parts of the book are gory and graphic but it’s not gratuitous and has a purpose in the story beyond shock value. Like a great film prepare to laugh and cry, boo and cheer your way thru this two book series. I have my fingers crossed that the author will revisit this fantastic world she’s created at some point to tell more stories or that other stories of another kind will be published by her at some point in the future.
If you’re a fan of Xena, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and other fantasy shows/movies like them, you’re bound to enjoy this series and the story that unfolds within it. I certainly did.
Two minor notes of criticism: like the other book there were typos here as well, and although the printed map of the kingdoms was slightly larger here I still would have preferred one covering a full page simply because it’s a necessary reference in this book especially with characters on the move thru and between the various kingdoms and regions. A larger map would have been easier to read and reference while reading the story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I began reading this book as soon as I finished Banshee’s Honor, and it turned out to be a wise idea since Banshee’s Vengeance continues the story from where Honor left off. They are a definite pair in terms of the story so neither should be read as a standalone.
This book introduces more characters and kingdoms, more diversity and detailed world building while tackling the conflicts, discrimination and other themes of the previous book. More strong female characters and the male characters who respect and follow them populate the book which is a pleasure to read. Points in this story felt truly epic and the ending is satisfying, all major questions answered by the end. I wish there was a set of short stories to follow the major and minor characters further as an accompaniment to this duology because there are so so many great characters to love and cheer for, and they are hard to let go of and not want to follow around a little longer. Parts of the book are gory and graphic but it’s not gratuitous and has a purpose in the story beyond shock value. Like a great film prepare to laugh and cry, boo and cheer your way thru this two book series. I have my fingers crossed that the author will revisit this fantastic world she’s created at some point to tell more stories or that other stories of another kind will be published by her at some point in the future.
If you’re a fan of Xena, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and other fantasy shows/movies like them, you’re bound to enjoy this series and the story that unfolds within it. I certainly did.
Two minor notes of criticism: like the other book there were typos here as well, and although the printed map of the kingdoms was slightly larger here I still would have preferred one covering a full page simply because it’s a necessary reference in this book especially with characters on the move thru and between the various kingdoms and regions. A larger map would have been easier to read and reference while reading the story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2022
Even better than the first book. I simply loved the way the relationship between Azhani and Kyrian developed and deepened into romance; I only wish that there had been even more scenes with the two of them together. The plot was pretty straightforward, but the battle scenes were well described and thrilling and the bad guys were so terrible that their defeat was particularly satisfying.
A great conclusion.
A great conclusion.
December 23, 2022
4.5 what a fab ending.
May 16, 2023
Well plotted but a little over-extended towards the end. Also, how the 'hoblins' were hunted felt wrong to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2016
Banshee's Vengeance drew me in fast and was action packed. I found myself wanting to read it all the time and wishing the fable was real and I was actually in that time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews