SYNOPSIS:"All things are composed of patterns..." And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:
In Alorin... three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor's brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D'Lacourte's mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he'll have to find him.
In the kingdom of Dannym... the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord.
In the Nadori desert... tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them. Honor-bound to serve the First Lord in return for his life, Trell continues on his appointed path, yet each day unveils new and stranger secrets that eventually call into question everything he knows.
Isn't this an amazing map?!
Oh where to start with this review... When approached to review for this tour I was a bit apprehensive. 654 pages is definitely an epic size! But, after a few arm twists, I was convinced that it was worth my time. And boy was it! The first few chapters were a little rough, as to be expected in the first book from any author. After the author worked through her intense descriptions, the book took off like a rocket. I really enjoyed the flashbacks, although they were a bit hard to distinguish at times. All throughout the book I was transported to the author mystical land and had a hard time coming back to reality. The characters are easily lovable and the story line keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. Overall, I say that this is a great start to the series. I can't wait to see how the author's writing style develops and what comes in the next book :)
Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. A long-time student of philosophy, she is passionate about the Fantasy genre because of its inherent philosophical explorations.
Ms. McPhail lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats. Cephrael's Hand, her first novel in the series "A Pattern of Shadow and Light."
Brittany, thank you so much for reading and reviewing Cephrael's Hand. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it and can recommend it to your following. Thank you as well for highlighting my new map. For book 3 we'll be expanding it into Agasan. I'm looking forward to that!
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