The Perilous Gate

Golden Daughter #2

by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

When Lady Hariawan insists that her small traveling band take in a wounded stranger rescued from slavers, Sairu knows no good can come from it. Commanded to tend the stranger’s wounds and bring him back from the brink of death, she finds her attentions uncomfortably divided.

The situation grows dire when Lady Hariawan travels into the Realm of Dreams, far beyond Sairu’s protective reach. How can she guard her mistress from the perils of that world which she herself cannot see or touch?

Discovering that the rescued slave is himself a Dream Walker, Sairu sees an opportunity to extend her protective circle around Lady Hariawan. But will Jovann prove a help or a hindrance as he falls ever more deeply under the spell of the beautiful temple lady?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Christian

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2016

About the author

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of the TALES OF GOLDSTONE WOOD, which currently includes seven novels and two novellas, with plenty more works due to release over the next few years. Her novels HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, and DRAGONWITCH have each been honored with a Christy Award, and STARFLOWER was voted winner of the 2013 Clive Staples Award.

Reviews

[Shawna Z]

I am trying so hard to take this slow and make it last because I am so close to finishing everything written about this universe, but it’s so hard when the story is just that good.

We are getting some big surprises here with more to come, and it’s getting to where you wonder who you can really trust… is the Lady to bring about the will of the one true god to life and bring down the false worship of sun and moon, or is she about to become useful for someone darker in purpose?

The Lady in question is a blank as a character… she spends a great amount of time like a broken doll, seeing me saying nothing and, for all intents and purposes, catatonic. She struggles with accessing the Dream without assistance, and when she is mentally present she gets angry, lashing out at our FMC and demanding she stay far away. She also conveniently (for her, not our MMC) fails to recognize people and has lashed out to kill a cute critter we love.

I don’t think the Besan has it right… I think she’s an object of ruin, but that’s just my take.

But what all this means for Jovann I can’t say, but as much as he can access the Dream, his future right now is looking pretty dismal.

Slave, captive, falsely accused… none of this is helping Jovann and his life is (in all likelihood) about to get worse, rather than better.

They say middle books tend to be the most dull in multi- book formats, but this one still packs a punch of energy even when the characters have reached their destination and are supposed to be laying low, hidden away from the Emperor’s grand city.

Lots and lots of character growth (for some anyway). I still don’t get how being a Dream Walker doesn’t stop Jovann from being normal, yet “his lady” is practically comatose… it has to be whatever she saw in the Dream that burned her face in book one.

But that didn’t tell us is she on the side of good or evil or if she’s just being manipulated. Finger crossed we learn more about it now that our characters have split into multiple parties.

[Kim]

Most of the time as I am reading these stories I feel lost. I got the "Christian" theme in this one, but still have trouble figuring out the Dara (which I understand are stars as well as unicorns when they are on earth) and the sun and moon being alive. A little bit too out there for me, even for a fantasy.

This is predominately a good versus evil story which takes place in two worlds, the mortal world and the dream world. At least two of our characters are dream walkers - they leave their mortal bodies and walk in the dream world. There is evil and good in the dream world.

It seems that no one knows of the ultimate God in the mortal world and everyone is worshiping the Sun and the Moon god and goddess (Anwar and Hulan); but we learn of the God of all (I can't remember what He is called) when Javan and Umeer's Daughter pass through Hulan's Gate in the dream world and meet the Dara who takes them to talk to Hulan, who gives Javan a task of telling the world of this God; which once Javan is back in the mortal world he seems to forget right away!

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series even though I'm not sure where I am half the time as I am reading and I keep waiting for that Christian theme to show up - but I am on the edge of my seat most of the time.

[Bess]

Wow...part 2 was no less exciting than part 1. Cliff-hanger due to this being a 4 part book. Can't wait to get the next part!!

[LaShunda]

Of Love and Loyalty...

Things are not at all what they seem and loyalties call into question loves truth. An exciting installment of the Golden Daughter Series. I must know how it ends. Another excellently written story and a truly great read!

[Cela Day]

Loved this story! Please see my review of all four volumes under The Crouching Shadow.