A Dark Elf princess embarks on a perilous adventure to save her world…
In the shadowed land of Elfhame the Hawthorne Throne is in grave peril, and the heir, Prince Brannon Luthinor, is nowhere to be found. He and his human wife have crossed between the worlds in pursuit of the Dark Elves’ ancient enemy. Only one person has the courage to follow: his sister Anneth.
But the mortal world is far more complex than Anneth expected. Desperate to find her brother and his wife, she instead stumbles into danger of her own. Her only hope of protecting those she loves is to give herself up to the enemy, and risk sacrificing everything for the sake of a mortal prince.
Growing up, Anthea Sharp spent her summers raiding the library shelves and reading, especially fantasy. She now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, plays the fiddle, hangs out in virtual worlds, and spends time with her small-but-good family. Contact her at antheasharp@hotmail.com, follow her on twitter, find her on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AntheaSharp), and visit her website.
I’m glad to have stumbled across these books. They were sweet and light and fluffy. The plot was good, but not too serious. The lore and world building was magnificent. The ending was bittersweet, with enough left open for there to maybe be another book? I hope so.
This was a good ending the series. The writing and overall development was still simplistic, but I found the ending very satisfying. I’m not sure if this author is for me, but I am glad that I stuck with this to the end. :)
Anthea Sharp has a beautiful way of world building and having the story unfold in a timely way. I loved the characters and I believed in the magic of the world. All three books in this series kept my interest and had me wanting more. (I'm just thankful I waited to read them until after this one came out so I could binge read them all haha).
The traditional fairy tale elements sprinkled and woven throughout were just cherries on top of this delicious read. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this series, Anthea!
Compelling. That in one word is the perfect description of Anthea Sharp’s Raine (The Darkwood Chronicles, Book 3). Bran and Mara’s story continues her but Bran’s sister Anneth is the star in a story full of magic, mystery, adventure, intrigue, suspense, courage and even A touch of romance. Add in continued perfect world-building and superb writing. The result is ridiculously easy to highly recommend.
I very much enjoyed this series. The final book in The Darkwood Chronicles answered a lot of questions, and closed quite a few chapters. While happy with the overall ending, I was left wanting, which is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.overall, I recommend this series.
This book runs the gauntlet of emotions from fear, hate, devotion, love, amazement and more! Great world building and blending. It kept me up late at night because I just had to know how it ended. You will love it!
I finished this book almost two months ago and I already miss these characters and this world! Although this gives enough closure to the series as a trilogy, I sincerely hope these characters and adventures continue in books to come!
I devoured this trilogy in 3 days! I was initially drawn in by the book covers but the writing and simple storyline was equally as addictive. Romance, intrigue, action, make-believe - something for everyone if you enjoy faery tales. I will be looking out for further novels from this author.
This 3rd book in the Darkwood Chronicles could very well be an ending to a trilogy, but Ms. Sharp has also left much more she can write about and explore in the world of Elfhame. In this book we see that The Hawthorne throne is threatened as the King is perilously ill, and his son and heir Brannon Luthinor is away from the court. He and his human wife Mara have crossed between the worlds in search of their greatest enemy the void, who is now also in the human world with very bad intent. Bran wants to do what is best to save the mortal world even though this is not his own, and he has no idea that his father is very ill and on the brink of death. The only person willing and able to cross through the Envyron portal into the Darkwood is Anneth, Bran's only sister who was meant to be courting the Prince of Cereus. Anneth has always been captivated by the mortal world and had made this her life's work and study and now took the chance to go and visit, little knowing the trouble and strife she would come across once she stepped into Raine. She knows she needs to warn her brother that he is needed back in Elfhame but in the meantime ends up forging a bridge between the two worlds as she tries to save a mortal King's life and that of his son Prince Owen. I love the political intrigues both in the mortal world and in Elfhame, the beautifully descriptive world building that went into describing Raine and Parnese as well as the magical description of the Envyron. Anneth is a courageous character who is ready to do anything for love and honour and who manages to retain her dignity in the face of all adversity. I love this series and do hope that there will be more books to follow especially that now there is so much hope for Elfhame!
While the Darkwood Chronicles continues with a Book 4, Raine is the (mostly) solid ending I was looking for when I started the series. Honestly, I think it was the best book of the three I read, even though I admit to speed-reading parts of it to get back to the ones I liked. Anneth was my favorite character from the start, and she makes the book. Unfortunately, the love story of Bran and Mara is still a thing to contend with in this novel. Gosh, I make it sound so awful, I really don't mean to do that! But their romance is just too sweet and fluffy for my current tastes.
I really enjoyed parts of these three books, though, and I love the world-building. I think I want to set these books aside and come back to them at a later date. I get in "moods" where my reading is concerned, and I do love fluff on occasion. I still just think I got thrown by the idea of another delicious fantasy-romance featuring dark elves and came into this one all wrong.
So, short verdict: Great writing, amazing world-building, not your usual dark elves. A bit too schmoopy for me, but if that's your thing, you'll probably love these books. 😃
The first two books in the Darkwood Chronicles series are arguably better, as the story becomes a bit predicable in the resolution. That said, I enjoyed the story very much across the 3 books and the cleverly woven secondary character arcs kept me entertained when the heroine became tiresome (constantly dragging the plot with supposed doubts we all know won't come to fruition). This is a lovely series, suitable for younger readers as the romance levels are a very low heat but the characters all seem fine with that. Happy days. Give it a go. 😊
Just when you are already chomping at the bit to know what fate lies ahead for two characters, yet another takes center stage and is thrust into an unwanted matchmaking ball. The threats to this kingdom are unveiled piece by piece while a life threatening stop watch ticks away in another kingdom. Intensely emotional, the conclusion will give you all the feels, while still opening up all sorts of thoughts for more books. Most excellent! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
Honestly, not my favorite of this series, but a good ending.
Lots of travel, magic, wars and rumours of wars. Mara is getting a better handle on her magic. Anneth has an adventure with a very happy ending. We get to see Mara's family, and wish they were our own. Or is that just me?
I loved the twists in this book. I was scared for Anneth. But glad she found her happiness. Glad Mara is no longer in danger. Hope this is not the end to their story. I hope Lily finds romance with a dark elf.
Book 3 in the Darkwood Chronicles is just as thrilling and action packed as the first 2 books. Mara and Bran are in the mortal world chasing down a dark threat. Elfhame is in danger so Bran’s sister Princess Anneth decides to go and find her brother and his new wife Mara and take them back. However things don’t go to plan and she finds herself on a daring and dangerous adventure of her own. A great read and series.
Having read the first two books in this series, I’ve been waiting for Anneth to get her story, which she does here. As well, Bran and Mara’s stories move further along. This story was fraught with danger, magic, battles, and did not disappoint. I loved it as much as the first two. I hope this isn’t the last of this well-crafted world. I’m not ready to leave it.