Dejhan

Tales from Taihandria #4

by Hetty Crane, P.J. Merchant

Dejhan is the fourth and final book in the Tales from Taihandria fantasy romance series. The series follows the adventures of the rock band Sun as they travel to Arethea, where music has magical properties.

In Dejhan, time is running out for Sun and their Solanese friends in the quest for the lost music of Galian di Wessene. But now that four of the band members are back on Earth, safe and comfortable, will they honour their promise to return to Arethea and help conquer the raging magical fire that threatens to consume Solil?

Manon Valen is still keeping secrets from guitarist Robin Wood -- secrets that might destroy their relationship. Robin, though, has his own agenda, hoping to entice Manon into remaining on Earth, wooing her with promises of life of luxury. And now that the darasham in Switzerland is gone, even getting back to Taihandria is going to be difficult, if not impossible.

Meanwhile, Colin Clought, Sun's lead singer, is stuck in Arethea. If his inadvertent alliance with the Queen of Taihandria was revealed, it could upend Taihandrian politics and destroy Periclea's rule. Arsaan of Braggen, traitor to the crown, has disappeared, but his malignant influence is behind every strange phenomenon, and the threat of civil war grows with each day he remains at large.

Curl up with a cup of kai and read the thrilling conclusion to the Tales from Taihandria series and the adventures of the rock band Sun.

Genres: Fantasy

490 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2022

About the author

Hetty worked many years in a bookstore in Canada, and most of her wages went on acquiring as many books as possible. She has a background in English Literature and Fine Art and loves tales of adventure and magic. She has co-authored four books with P.J. Merchant, and they are working on a fifth book, to be released in 20whenever.

In the meantime Hetty is working on a solo venture, a spin off story set in the Taihandrian universe, aiming to release in November 2025

She lives with her husband and three cats in a small Canadian city where winter never ends, thus affording her ample time for dreaming up stories.

Reviews

[Sharon Swaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Dejhan. After finishing Anostarja in just four days, I jumped right into Dejhan. I needed to find out If Colin would ever get back to Earth! And what a great read! I loved so many things about this book—and the series. I loved that Colin was able (mostly) to right the things he had set in motion early in the series, although my heart aches for him. But so much hope and so many happy endings after such turmoil on Taihandria. And even maybe a way to continue visiting back and forth between the worlds. Here’s hoping!

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to be able to read the next (last?) installment to this entertaining fantasy series. This is the fourth book about the rockband Sun and their adventures. The story unfolds in parallel on the far away world of Arethea, and on Earth, until the two storylines merge again. Over the first three books the members of Sun and their Arethean friends found themselves in quite a few challenging situations, and I loved the way most of them were resolved in this book. I really like the way the characters continue to develop as their relationships to each other change and mature. I also love that the magic of music we can feel in our hearts on Earth, on Arethea translates in real magic. The music and the lyrics work together to weave spells wherein the people from both worlds work together to use that magic to fight the destruction of the country of Taihandria. This book has lots of entertaining twists and turns that keep you fully engaged with the story, ideal to curl up in a comfortable chair to read it to the very end.

[Susan Kost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all 4 of the Daram books in just under a week. The story is full of mystery, suspense, sorcery, deception as well as love and war.
The characters are warm, humorous and full of honour. From the fun loving Fandor to the serious Lyran, I was fully engrossed in their adventures. From the Rock band Sun’s arrival on Arethea to the day they go home, they make you feel hope, they make you laugh and they make you cry. This is one of the best stories I’ve read in a long time that showcases true friendship and the need to share hope and trust and to be honourable. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t rid their world of Braggen. I was very happy for Robin but extra sad for Colin at the end, but can’t help hope that maybe we haven’t heard the end of this story!

[Shernaz Bamji · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Tales from Taihandria series and I would argue the best in the series. It is a fast, fun and satisfying read - the perfect amount of heroism, romance, and action over two galaxies. The attention to detail was notable, with all loops closed and no threads left loose. A perfect series to binge read.

[Laurel McIvor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat to pick up this book and be immersed right back into this adventure – it was hard to put down once I started! I like how the parallel stories build tension and urgency; I was frustrated at the slow search for the lost music on Earth while the situation in Arethea deteriorates. However, this progression gives an opportunity for further character development. Each of the main characters contribute something of value to resolving the challenges they encounter – and their contributions are respected by one another. I appreciate the scientific explanations that account for some of the differences between the two worlds – it makes the story feel plausible and the characters more real. For example, I find myself looking at the night sky and constellations a little more attentively! I’m so glad the story was extended to a fourth book.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure it was to catch up with Sun's band-members! They feel like old friends, as do their Taihandrian comrades.
Dejhan is book four or Tales from Taihandria. It brings the original story arc to a satisfying conclusion while leaving the door open for further adventures.
I found it slightly slow to get going, I think perhaps because the multiple story lines need teasing out to reconnect with the previous narrative. But once I got into the main flow, as usual, I couldn't put it down!
The characters are engaging, the parallel universe is well realised, and the plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep you wanting more.