Sister of the Dead

Noble Dead Saga: Series 1 #3

by Barb Hendee, J.C. Hendee

The Noble Dead saga continues as Magiere and Leesil, the slayers of the undead for Dhampir and Thief of Lives, embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of their mysterious origins — and those responsible for orchestrating the events that brought them together...

Magiere is a dhampir — half-human, half-vampire — sired for the purpose of slaying the undead. Outside the village of Chemestúk, where she was born and raised, stands her father's keep. Within its walls, she hopes to discover the secrets of her past and figure out why a vampire would wish to breed a creature capable of slaughtering his own kind...

But there are those who don't want Magiere to learn the truth — and when her half-elf partner, Leesil, makes a startling discovery in the keep, he can understand why. Before Leesil can reveal the truth to Magiere, they must vanquish a creature of unimaginable and unlimited power who has damned a small village of people with a horrifying curse...

"Fabulous entertainment wrought with mystery, adventure, and sharp-toothed wit."
    —Mark Anthony, Author of Beyond the Pale

"Another satisfying entry in the Hendees' lively series."
    —Kristine Huntley, Booklist: American Library Association

"Sister of the Dead and its predecessors involve readers on a visceral, highly emotional level and fulfill a craving for nifty magic, exciting action scenes, and a strong heroine who defies genre clichés."
    —Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine

"The Hendees have created an intriguing series characterized by nonstop adventure, multilayered mysteries, and enough blood-sucking characters to satisfy even the most hard-core vampire fan."
    —Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble Review

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

405 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 4, 2005

About the author

[See barbhendee.org]

Like most writers, I've worked at many jobs in my life, including teaching pre-school until I completed my master's degree in Composition Theory. Between 1993 and 2006, I taught college English while writing fiction on the side, some independently and some with my husband and life-long partner J.C.

Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.

We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.

J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.

Recently, I've begun writing romance/suspense novels, beginning with: Alone with a Soldier. I am so glad my books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third instalment of the Noble Dead series was another enjoyable one. The series is fantasy but it reads just like an UF in terms feel and style. It really works as we get a good mix of action, intrigue, and even a bit of romance but none of it at the expense of getting to know the characters!

This story of this one changed things up a bit. In the first two books Magiere, Leesil, and Chap were hunting down a nest of vampires in a village or town. In this one they were hunting down the truth of Magiere's origins. They returned to her home village and tried to find out more about the vampire who was her father. Wynn joined them on the journey while both Chane and Welstiel trailed after them for their own reasons!

It ended up being an enjoyable story. We got to learn the truth of Magiere origins (and the identity of her father) and we also got to learn more about Chap's true nature. On top of that we got more glimpses of the mysterious villain that is pulling the strings of the likes of Welstiel! Leesil had a slightly quiet book but I did enjoy his deepening romance with Magiere. Neither character is perfect but they do seem a good fit as a couple.

Welstiel is always an interesting villain and that proved true again in this one. Chane's continued involved in the story was the most intriguing thing. He is a weird character because he is more savage and murderous than Welstiel but the fact he actually cares for Wynn makes it easier to root for him managing to redeem himself. The other fun thing in the story was the hints we got that perhaps Magiere, Leesil, and Chap's "kill all vamps" policy might be a bit extreme. I'm interested to see how that plays out in future instalments.

As always the big strength of the Noble Dead series is the fact that we get plenty of POV scenes with the villains. It is a great ploy as it lets us get to know them as people who have their own hopes, dreams, pasts, and issues. It makes them far more nuanced characters which really benefits the story!

All in all this was a fun third book in the series. I'm eager to learn more about Leesil's origins in the next book.

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: Tanya Eby did a good job with the audio.

[edge of bubble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine chracters who are experienced travellers, they lived travelling for years, in the time of horses, wagons, camping in the tree shades and simple walking. And our imaginary friends are travelling yet again to another city where they'll set on a mission and then get back to their inns. Now picture them doing all the walking, sea voyage, camping out in the woods, escaping from an inn on fire and many other old fashion travelling stuff with their belongings in a chest like a blushing bride with her trousseau.

I just can't look past this detail. There is a fire in their inn. They go back for their belongings. Two of them go into their room which is in blazes and both take a handle of the chest and then run away. Seriously? Oh and I should elaborate on what's in the said chest, so you could feel the level of my indignation. A couple of cups and plates and teapot. One set of spare clothes for each of them. Their coin maybe. That's it. They have no personal affects, just bare necessities to get by while they are on journey. What happened to a bag, pouches or anything that is not bulky?

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started Sister of the Dead I was eager to pick up where we left Leesil and Magiere and their newly admitted feelings for each other. Unfortunately there was little romance between the two. They seemed like an old married couple. And they were grumpy a lot. Then there was also the addition of another character that joined them on their travels. I wasn't crazy about the idea. Three is usually a crowd and Wynn seemed rather annoying. I did still want to find out more about who Magiere was and why she existed. I was not disappointed in this aspect of the story as much is revealed. I will be continuing onto the next book soon.

[lynne fireheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moving along in the tale of Magiere the dhampir, her companion and now lover Leesil the half-elf, their fay-in-flesh-form Chap and now the addition of Wynn the scholar. In this book they seek to find out about Magiere's history.

I really like how this overall story is developed book by book, more and more details emerging as we progress through each one.

Magiere's one-track mind (vampires/other monsters = to be killed, no matter the circumstances surrounding their "making", or the life they might have eked out for themselves) and Wynn's defense of vampires' circumstances is getting pretty annoying, especially since it's obvious (to me, anyway) that if Magiere were to apply that same logic to herself, she'd have to kill herself! I'm expecting her to have such an epiphany in the next book or two :)

This book didn't grip me as much as the previous two, but it still moved the story along. I'm looking forward to adventures in the land of the elves - Book 4 is waiting for me at the library :)

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

These are getting better as they go. Or I'm getting more invested in the characters.

[Hacen]

DNF@47%

[Sara Gruer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book much more than book 2. Book 1 has been my favorite so far...

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series!

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 3 out of 6, from the Noble Dead series featuring Magiere, Leesil and Chap. The title of this book is truly misleading; until you get to the next to last chapter of the book. This is not a stand-alone book, and if you pick it up before reading the previous two, you will be totally lost in space.

This book plotted along throughout the book, with so many different angles it makes your head spin. First there's Magiere, the half-human, half-vampire Dhampir who is trying to figure out the why's behind who she is.

Then we have her lover and constant companion Leesil, a half elf, who travels to the village of Droevinka to find out what happened to Magiere's her mother, and the why behind how she was born to the Noble Dead Lord. Of course, they run into hostility, which is of course, nothing new.

We learn that her mother, Magelia, was impregnated by a Noble Dead Lord Byren Massing after drinking the blood of 5 different supernatural beings concocted by a faceless necromancer named Udal. Magelia then dies after Welsteil spirits the baby out of Ubad's evil clutches.

What we didn't know, was that Welsteil was turned into a noble dead by his own father for the express purposes of drinking the blood and then impregnating Magelia, which would then lead to his death. Of course, he refuses, which saves his life.

We know that Magiere was raised by her Aunt Bieja in the small village of Chemestúk in the country of Droevinka. Life was hard for Magiere as the other villagers never accepted her. Which lead to her striking out on her own where Chap forced her and Leestil to meet.

We learn that Chap, who is actually a Fay in a dogs body, has a mission of his own, and that mission is to keep Magiere from finding out the truth about her past, and why she was created in the first place. He, of course, then has a change of heart; even if it is temporary.

We learn that Wynn is about as annoying as it comes. She betrays Magiere's trust once again by not telling either of them about Chane and the fact that he is following them. I have no idea why the writers decided to put her in this series now, when they planned on writing her In the Shade and Shadow, basically giving her, her own little series.

Magelia actually gets more script time in this book, and there's even a scene where Magiere is shown Mags past, including her birth.

Welstiel Massing, Noble Dead, her brother and mentor who has betrayed her numerous times over the past two books, his own agenda and is still following Magiere around the continent trying to prevent her from finding out about her heritage and the whys' behind her birth. I can't wait until the final confrontation between Magiere and Welsteil. I am so ready for a decapitation scene.

Chane, a noble dead not by choice, still feels pulled by Wynn and wants to protect her in anyway possible. Which, of course, leads to Wynn fabricating the truth.

Mystery of the book: Why an unknown force called Magiere Sister of the Dead. Hmmmmmmm

I am rating this story a solid 3 because it is a good story even though it appears to drift at times. Next up...Traitor to the Blood.

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series and I'm glad we get some answers with SISTER OF THE DEAD, though of course, there are still some questions left. Magiere's history and how she was born is a tragic story and it weighs heavily on her shoulders. She was created by evil but she wants to be so much more and this internal fight creates a lot of tension for Magiere. Helping to keep Magiere grounded is her relationship with Leesil, the only person she's ever opened up to and I liked the softer way they treated each other in this book. It's not unusual for Magiere and Leesil to bicker, I'd even say they enjoy it, but it was a nice change to see them be vulnerable together.

Leesil continues to be an intriguing character for me and I can't wait to get more of his story. He's agreed to put off finding out more about his mother and her people in order to help Magiere but now that she has her answers, it's time for Leesil to get his. Another interesting development is Wynn, a young sage, who is traveling with Magiere and Leesil to lend her knowledge once they reach the Elven lands. She's innocent and naïve in a lot of ways but she also helps to remind Magiere and Leesil about what they're fighting for.

A lot is revealed in SISTER OF THE DEAD and it's pretty action packed as the group confronts creatures and magic they've never encountered before. Magiere is learning to control her dhampir side and each new battle teaches them more about the undead world. I can't wait to see where this series will go.

Content Warning: Graphic violence; rape of a secondary character (on page)

[MKenfield21 · Rating 2 out of 5]

They still suck at fighting the undead. Never do they win or even survive without luck or rescue.

Mag and Lees are an awful couple and a worse team. Always lying to each other, arguing in public, distracting each other in fights.

Mag remains everyone's pawn.

Authors are incapable or unwilling of producing a satisfying climax. Dramatic model of story = fail, fail, fail, fail, underwhelming partial success.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally we get to see Magiere's origin story, so we can move on to finding Leesil's mom (a much more interesting quest, in my opinion). I liked having Wynn along - she showed real courage sometimes as a human among non-humans. Chap seems more boring now that his origins have been revealed - I liked him better as just an intelligent dog.

[Avalon (Paperknight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written dark fantasy with a dash of romance and adventure, "Sister of the Dead" continues the tale of Dhampir Magiere and her half-elf partner Leesil. This book delivers on adventure and thrills, and also expands on the moral complexity of the "Noble Dead" with the inclusion of the gentle-hearted sage Wynn. While some of the story hits as standard fantasy fare, there is a nice emotional payoff of finally seeing Magiere's hometown, learning how she grew up, and exploring her twisted origins. However, in my opinion, the best treat was the anguished, doomed affection blossoming between Wynn and Chane--an unexpected side-plot that I personally found more intriguing than the main story. While Magiere and Leesil's relationship continues to grow, I found myself very invested in the side-cast as Wynn finds her place in their party.

The novel's weakness is also it's strength: the secondary characters do at points outshine the main characters, and the previous villains (Chane and Welsteil) are much more interesting than the main villain of this book (some weirdo cultist whose name I can't even remember). It's very clear that Team Hendee were struggling to find their identity outside of the formula of the previous two books, which were similar is structure. The story's main plot eventually lost my interest, and I found myself more interested in the secondary plots--Wynn's growth, the idea of vampires as victims, Chap's fae nature, and even Welstiel's past. Despite this, however, "Sister of the Dead" was a good novel with good writing, good characters, and a good set-up for a sequel.

Honestly I would give it a 3.5 stars, except I recently picked up a YA novel who's author used apostrophes instead of quotation marks. I realize that a "good" novel is actually pretty hard to find, so my estimation jumped for sure. This is a genuinely enjoyable novel and I would recommend the series to and fans of horror, fantasy, and mystery. It's helped rekindle my love of reading, so I'm giving it that extra 0.5

[Nathaniel Wonderful · Rating 3 out of 5]

Příběhově i po stránce překladu o hvězdičku lepší než Zloděj životů, avšak pořád to nedosahuje kvalit autorského debutu, kterým je první díl série. Začátek se četl vcelku příjemně, leč od chvíle, co poklidné putování narušila první "akční" scéna, se to jalo ubírat pod kytky. Hodně scén působilo zbytečně překombinovaně a dějství z pohledu Magieřiny matky občas až hraničilo s červenou knihovnou, takže žánrové označení "pro ženy" je více než odpovídající. (V době, kdy jsem sérii pořizoval a četl poprvé, nebyla takto označena.) Vývoj charakterů jednotlivých postav mě upřímně zklamal, neb přestože v knize máme dohromady šest představitelů (Magiera, Leesil, Chap, Win, Westiel a Chane), je to jako číst stále dokola o dvou totožných charakterech jen navlečených do jiných kostýmů. A závěrečný souboj s nekromantem mě upřímně vůbec nebavil pro svou roztahanost a byl jsem proto rád, že kniha už končí. Takže takový hodně průměrný díl, který však i přesto zůstává vysoko nad tvorbou současných českých autorů.

[Lucy Lillianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slabší odvar předchozích dvou knih. Na rozdíl od počátku, kdy to bylo všechno nové a zajímavé, tady se příběh poněkud vlekl. Přibylo dalších nebezpečných stvoření, objevili se zaklínači, hromady magie a nepřirozeností. Děj byl pro mě zbytečně dlouhý. Většinu doby se hlavní hrdinové protloukají divočinou. A jejich cesta, která se průběžně mění, než dosáhnou pravého cíle, se neustále prodlužuje.

Jediným pozitivem tohoto dílu pro mě bylo konečné odhalení pravdy ohledně Magieřiny minulosti. Sice to nebylo zrovna překvapivé, tak nějak to bylo postupně naznačováno, takže jsem to vlastně čekala. Ale konečně jsem aspoň věděla, že už to tak opravdu na sto procent je, měla jsem to potvrzené. Ani ten epilog nebyl šokující. Autoři s napětím zrovna dvakrát pracovat neumí. Teď jsem zvědavá, o čem bude pokračování...

[Kelly Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to like this series. I'm just struggling again with an author who makes a female heroine that is supposed to be Betty bad ass and she can't beat her way out of a wet paper bag. Not only can she not beat an undead unless it's the dumbest thing on the planet she can't even beat an unskilled alive country bumpkin. I mean really you want us to believe that the two "hunters" cannot even touch the undead sorcerer but the whiny little sage was able to put 2 crossbow bolts into it. It almost feels like I'm reading a 3 stooges version of a vampire hunter. The only reason I'm not giving 1 star is I'm actually interested in the story line. Too bad the characters are borderline buffoons.

[Derek Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another satisfactory addition to the Noble Dead series. I had a lot of fun reading this one and found myself invested fully in the lives of Mageire, Leesil, Wynn, Chap, Welstiel, and Chane. I found myself ripping through this entry in big chunks, because I was excited to find out more about Mageires past.

If there is one thing I feel the authors do well, it’s that they really write characters that I want to know more about. Honestly,( as an avid reader) I feel that’s one of the most important aspects of a story.

[Thapas Nagarajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. I found this one less compelling I think partly because of Wynn’s character.
The character development in itself is probably a bit stunted. Whereas the first book had an edge of misfortune to the conflict, I found the confrontation between Cheyne and Margaere a little predictable and forced.
There was the occasional element of moral dilemma (not all monsters are bad) which I quite enjoyed.

The main villain here was a little disappointing given the build up. He had the opportunity to be truly dastardly but felt a bit shallow and one dimensional.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this series. Besides the vampires, elves, half-breeds, and magic dogs, they added necromancers, zombies, more ghosts and more magic. Great fun and easy to read, this series just keeps getting better. More horror, mystery, action, adventure, and suspense. This book, and series as a whole, is highly recommended.

[Ford Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read, not as fun as book two and seemed a little stale at times. the MC's are still enjoyable, but the plot felt forced to try to set up future books and not that original. still a good read and series.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha, pěkně si mě panáčkové povodili. Kdo je sestra mrtvého ani to, kdo je Magieřin otec sem neuhádla. Třetí kniha za mnou a stále mě to baví. Nobelovku za to asi nedostanou, ale to pro mě není důležité.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dritter Bad in der Reihe, in dem es hauptsächlich um die Vergangenheit der Protagonisten geht.
Sehr gut geschriebene Highfantasysaga mit bissigen Humor, aber auch einer Protagonistin mit Ecken und Kanten.
Sehr spannend. Ich freue mich auf die weiteren Bände der Reihe.

[Tracey Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved this series for years. I’ve done many rereads. I have both read the books and listened to the audiobooks. I prefer the audiobook. The narrator did a good job, and I enjoyed the mix of accents. Though she does mispronounced somethings that didn’t take away from the whole series.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so enjoy this series

[f00ssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been quite some time, but I remember the first two being a bit slow... so, better.

[Mandy Galileo · Rating 4 out of 5]

can't wait for more :)

[Jacqueline SG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A matchmaking fey hound? Indeed!

[Kenny Bellew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading through this series. Another good one on to the next one.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

We learned a little more about Magiere's origin story here. Definitely a "middle" book as there didn't feel like a ton of action or resolution.