Taya and Garek have survived the worst of what the sky raiders and their own fellow Illians have thrown at them. But now, they’ll have to deal with both their enemies working together.
As three of the Illian states close in on what they see as the weakness of West Lathor, Garek and Taya have to shore up their defences, call in favors, and forge friendships with whoever they can to protect their friends and family. When the signs that there is an alliance between an Illian liege and the sky raiders becomes harder to ignore, they have to face the fact that they may be defeated.
The arrival of a new group of sky raiders, looking for information and help, opens up a new possibility. Garek sees no choice but to make a deal with the devil, but the gamble is, will the enemy of their enemy help them, or betray them?
Michelle Diener is a bestselling, award-winning author of historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy. Having worked in publishing and IT, she's now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters.
Michelle was born in London and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she's not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her online at Twitter and Facebook.
I loved everything about this book, the fabulous FMC and MMC and their love relationship, their many significant allies, the superb action scenes, and the ultimate resolution of the conflict with all of the various villains, both people from the human planet and the evil aliens.
This series is a keeper for me! I know I am going to revisit it many times in the future. Especially if it ever comes out in audiobook format.
I can’t decide if each installment in this trilogy really does get better and better or if I am just enjoying the overall more and more as I continue reading. Either way, the finale of this trio was all kinds of awesome entertainment. It isn’t terribly deep in the techy area, it doesn’t have layers and layers of emotion and backstory that drives the undercurrent, etc, etc. It is just plain storytelling fun, written for that reason and for that reason written well.
There were just a few things that made me lift my eyebrow (the whole frenemy situation really isn’t fleshed out at all, for example) - enough not to award it the full five stars but not enough to downgrade more than an itty-bitty bit.
I read this directly after book 2 Calling the Change when we discovered that Aidan has been abducted and I devoured this in one sitting.
This was a very satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. I hope that we get more adventures of Garek and Taya now that they've had "close encounters" with aliens.... maybe some nicer ones?
So much happens with multiple political parties and a big sneak attack and aliens with their own agenda that I was completely engrossed. What a triumphant end to this series!
A super amazing conclusion to the trilogy 💕 I finished all three books plus a free prequel novella Intended back to back. The world building was captivating. But the HEA couple just blew me away. Garek and Taya were unbelievable together. Garek was born a great warrior while Taya had to become one because she was forced to. OMG! Together they could totally kick-ass!
What I loved the most about the trilogy was the romance so clean so pure so rare. Such a pleasure to read to experience to lose myself in their devotion. Such a beautiful love. I was unable to stop reading this trilogy. Will begin my third rereading during this long weekend!
Oh my gosh, this was such an amazing ending to an equally amazing trilogy! I can't believe how totally absorbed I was with Shadow Warrior. I even stayed up late because I just needed to finish this book. And that's not something that happens to me a lot anymore. The action is what made this a huge page-turner but the varied characters and their final battle against the sky raiders is what really made this book special. I was more than hooked!
Shadow Warrior was easily my favorite book out of all three, which is another thing that doesn't happen a lot to me because usually I'm not the biggest one of last books in a trilogy or series so it's a pretty huge deal that this one was my favorite. The cover is also a big contender for my favorite book cover of 2018. I just love it so much.
The first book was a little bit of a rocky start but the characters in the books, especially Taya, have grown on me so much. I also thought Garek was beyond amazing in the story but Taya definitely stole the spotlight. The character developement of her was so incredible, you could just see her growing through the three books. She was absolutely badass and fearless in this book. I adore her!
As the last book of the Sky Raiders trilogy, Shadow Warrior was an excellent conclusion. If you're looking for an action-packed sci-fi adventure with a strong heroine an swoonworthy hero in the lead, this is the trilogy to start!
Fantasy vs Sci-Fi take center stage in Michelle Diener’s concluding book in the Sky Raiders trilogy
So, basically the crux of Book 3 of the Sky Raiders series is the centuries old debate: who wins in a battle between magic and futuristic space-travel technology? No spoilers, you’ve got to read the story to find out.
The whole series is a fun mashup of Fantasy versus Science Fiction. It was so, so cotton candy for those readers such as myself, who love both genres.
As is a trademark of any Diener romance novel, this book finds our couple discovering the power they have when they work together as a team. The overprotective Garek must learn to trust Taya and her abilities, while Taya must learn to trust herself as much as she trusts Garek.
This book was such a satisfying conclusion to the story, and I’m glad I worked back to it after reading and loving Diener’s more recent series.
I absolutely loved this last book it brought everything together with a wonderful ending. Garek and Taya are such a great couple who were made for each other. The supporting characters were just as good and the world they occupied was outstanding. I can't wait to have another chance to read more by this author.
I was wondering how the author was going to tie things up in the Sky Raiders series.
On the one hand, there is alien race that had been taking hostages to use as slave labor. The sky raiders have the white lightning that paralyses humans and the space ships that give them a huge tactical advantage. But though they are technologically more advanced, the aliens are at a disadvantage in the in an environment that is toxic to them. But they are risking it for the shadow ore.
On the other hand, there is much internal conflict on this world. West Lathor’s leadership is in question and so they seem to be ripe for invasion. Their primary protection, the Iron Guard, have run off. So, at the urging of Habred, liege of Harven, three countries bring their armies to invade. Harven is also using the aliens in secret, and his people would not approve.
The thing is, Michelle Diener has done an awesome job working out the details and final drama of the Sky Raiders story. Taya and Garek, the heroine and hero from books 1 and 2 continue to spearhead the good guys side. Only these two seem to be able to convince the disparate parties to do what needs to be done. That includes the Iron Guard, Aidan liege of Juli, Susa liege of Dartalia and even ambassadors of the invading countries. This is no small task and if Garek had not had his own sky raider ship to quickly travel between the important parties, time would probably have prevented them from allying in time to meet the invasion. Then there are the smaller details, like Taya’s relationship with the Iron Guard that results in the Shadow Warriors. I won’t explain further, you will have to read about that. Finally, the ability of some Illyians to call power from the elements, is ever present in all three books but is wholly embraced in Shadow Warriors. Ms. Diener’s attention to all these details in bringing a very satisfying conclusion to this trilogy is probably what I appreciate most. I am also in awe.
I highly recommend reading the series in order. Shadow Warrior has a great ‘The Story So Far’ section to help remind you where the story is. But really, to do justice to this great arc, read the entire series.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Taya has escaped alien slavery, a kidnapping by the Harven liege, re-kidnapped by the aliens for her ore abilities, and this time looking for Aiden instead of Garek. Word is that he was taken by the remnants of the Iron Guard, people she really wants to meet as they have their own metal abilities. But, the guard has a reason for holding him, they want ways to change. Aiden, as the new liege, knows not to sign anything while held hostage, because it sets a bad precedent. Those 2 factions are at a stalemate, meanwhile 3 armies are marching towards their country, and enemies still circle from above.
Spoilers ahead. Tidy, succinct wrap up and not a word more lol. This was almost abrupt, the way it ended. Still a very YA feel, as once the 2 major issues (the armies and the aliens) are taken care of, poof, all's good. Adults know that it's just the beginning. New treaties, new leaders, alliances, army training, still reparations to be made for the original villages taken, and having to weed out the traitors among the city leaders and guard ranks. There's still so much yet to do, and as for the Taya and Garek angle, still no ceremony. We don't see them move from intended to more, see her reestablish her business, make 1 more trip for ore so she can still have access to her element, see Garek be truly acknowledged as his role as General and what it entails in this new life, whether the Iron Guard could manipulate their metals to encase the ship to possibly halt the deterioration of raider metals, and so much more. Maybe there will be more. Diener has added a short story to the Class 5s, so, there's hope. The story was interesting, a little busy for so little resolution. And an awful lot of trust is shown for the 2nd party of raiders. I'd still be looking for more ore to line roads, roofs, jewelry, weapons, armor, anything to fritz machinery and pierce suits.
I have never read a Michelle Diener book that I didn't like, and her Sky Raider's series was no exception. I was sorry to come to the end of the series. Plenty of action, excitement and romance all wrapped up in alien invasions, treachery and warfare on a planet somewhere in space.
On the planet of Barit, everyone who has called a Change (or, affinity) for either Earth, Air or Water, must perform a year of service in the Guards. Garek, who has an extremely strong ability for calling the Air change, wound up having to serve two years. Upon his release from service, he used every means at his command to hurry back to his home town and his beloved Taya, only to find the town emptied, and his beloved among the missing. While he was gone, aliens of another planet, called Sky Raiders, had stolen the people of his village. Garek had already brought down one of the Sky Raiders air ships, and with that and a plan formed of desperate need, he flew to the moon and rescued his Taya and all the other prisoners with her. It was there that Taya discovered she could call a Change, one that she might never have discovered if she hadn't been kidnapped and put to work in the mines of Shadow, Barit's moon. Now she must find the Iron Guard, and hope they will help her learn more of her Change abilities and how to gain better control over her calling. Using her newfound ability as a "Shadow Warrior", Taya and Garek must work together with the alien enemies of the Sky Raiders to bring down the traitors who were working with the Sky Raiders against the people of Barit, and break the Sky Raider's hold on Barit's people once and for all. But, can they trust this other faction of aliens to go away afterwards and leave them in peace, or will they be fighting a whole new enemy? Time and Michelle Diener will tell…and to find out, you will have to read the books.
The battle for planet Barit continues for Taya, Garek, and their people, both with the alien enemies and those who have allied with the invaders in this third and final book of the Sky Raider series. She and Garek undertake a journey to find the Princeling Aidan who it seems had been abducted by his father’s Iron Guard. They had abandoned the king after his faltering rule; Aidan will be taking his place and needs to convince General Hanson and her troops to return. The Iron Guard may also be the only ones who can help Taya learn to master her Calling with the shadow ore. Taya and Garek have much to accomplish between trying to rally the troops of their own province, and the ones who have allied with West Lathor against King Harven and his traitors. Having one’s own leaders help to enslave their subjects for the alien invaders is a reality the people of Barit find hard to accept.
When the odds seem against them as the opposition has superior numbers of forces on the ground with the sky raiders’ ships fire power, a new group of aliens arrives who might be allies. Taya and Garek have several irons in the fire, or in this case shadow ore, including finding Aidan, trying to work things out with the elite Iron Guard who are desperately needed back home, ferrying lieges and a troops around the battlefield while making more weapons to destroy the alien abductors. The sky raiders are determined to get Taya back because she Calls the ore that is so deadly to them but necessary to their goals.
This story presents a very action packed adventure, and I am pleased to say, in this one Taya and Garek are together for much of the story. They little time for their relationship other than working together to defeat the enemies with all that is going on, but their love for one another is very clear. This very well done conclusion to the series is a must read for those who enjoyed the first two books. Ms. Diener does a very fine job of space adventures with a lot of heart in them.
In this third book in the Sky Raiders trilogy, Taya and Garek are still fighting against the sky raiders, as well as those that have been working with them. As their enemies plan to invade West Lathor, Taya concentrates on learning to use her gift with shadow ore better, and hopes to train with the famous Iron Guard, while Garek is determined to keep her safe, and help their liege prevent their country from being taken over from the invaders threatening it. There was a lot of action, as is usual for this series, with familiar characters joined by some new and interesting ones. Garak continues to astound everyone with his power, and Taya is surprising everyone with what she can do as well, which makes them formidable allies. A very nicely wrapped up series, I really enjoyed all the books, but especially Shadow Warrior.
A very nice ending to the series. There is a lot more danger and adventure for Taya and Garek but they and their friends are up to the task. There is war coming and the enemies have made a pack with the aliens. More aliens show up but are they friends or will they be allies. I enjoyed visiting this interesting world again. Seeing all the Changes that can be called and knowing that Garek can do much more than expected kept the story moving. Taya has to be more of a warrior than she ever expected but she is very strong. Nice to leave as it seems that they will go on to have a much more peaceful life.
I really think that her power to call shadow or was bad ass. It kind of stinks that the bulk of deposits are on shadow… But still is pretty neat for now. I like how everything unfolded at the end of the book and was wrapped up nicely. Not sure about the spaceship though… I was kind of wondering about that. I mean the author describes the sky raiders things deteriorating quickly, but the ship didn’t seem to be missing much after a while--Would have been cool for them to be able to use it after the fact. I did also kind of wonder how it ran… Like on what sort of fuel. Either way, I really enjoyed this quick series.
I've posted my full review of this book on Amazon after getting an ARC from the author via her First Readers Facebook group. Here, suffice it to say that this is a highly satisfactory ending to the Sky Raiders trilogy. Diener gives women fully realized roles as military leaders and as realm leaders, AND I LOVE IT!!!! The love between Taya and Gareth just continued to grow, superimposed on the background of defeating the evil aliens who have invaded their world and the traitorous humans from other kingdoms who are helping the aliens. Huzzah for another Diener book of loveliness!
The world building was vivid, with the world and culture of this world coming to life. I really enjoyed how the author used and described the elemental power of this people. The plot was tight and exciting, with absorbing political machinations and war. The characterization was great, with the hero being deliciously alpha and the heroine being strong and deeply competent. The minor characters also came to life. Reading this was a lovely way to spend the early hours of my Saturday morning.
Very good wrap to a trilogy with a good story and a believable romance.
As expected, Diener does a wonderful job of balancing excellent story with the relationship elements of the story, so we end up with a good scifi story that has a nice romance instead of a romance with a paper thin story from which to hang said romance.
That was a good read. Awesome world building, character development and storyline. I’m more into romance than sci-fi to be honest, so that aspect was missing for me. The hero and heroine are solidly in love and that was great, but I missed the to and fro of a developing romance. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. A great conclusion to the series.
Great ending. Seeing the two factions of Sky Raiders was a good parallel to the factions on the planet. Taya does a good job tricking them and using her power. The ending was good. Taya and Garek had a good focus and outwit the bad guys nicely.
I liked the parallels to the Iron Guard. And the applications of the Shadow Ore.
A thrilling conclusion to a unique sci fi adventure
The world building is enthralling, there is plenty of romance, and the adventure is thrilling and non-stop. I wish the new non-Baritans had been more honorable, but that would have been a different story. I recommend the Sky Raiders series.
I refuse to post spoilers and will only say that the characterizations are well-written, the storyline, well thought out, And I hope you enjoy the trilogy as much as I have!
The final installment of a space opera story... where a magic using planet is invaded by a technologically advance space race. Interesting, fun and improvable... worth the afternoon that it will take you.
I like Michelle Diener's Science fiction fantasy books. My only complaint is that when they end, I feel like there is still more to the story. Maybe it's just disappointment that it's finished. Good read!
The story of Garek, Taya & the people of Barit is intriguing, suspenseful & well written. The female characters are shown as strong & capable. I, truly, appreciate that in a novel. Really well thought out scifi series.
It was alright. I don't think I liked it as much as the others, and I wasn't a fan of the ending. It could have had a little epilogue or another chapter. Unless there's meant to be another book in the series, but I don't think so.
Taya and Garek’s hard won ending is finally at its conclusion and it was everything I hoped it would be. They’ve overcome all obstacles from multiple unseen separations to new enemies and allies yet they’ve triumphed. I loved how all the loose ends were tied up into one very satisfying read.
The Sky Raiders and the Illians work together. Their combined forces overwhelm the defenses of West Lathor. Garek and Tanya have to rely on allies to save themselves.