"A vivid story of good vs. evil, magic and adventure"
In this first tale of the Tarlisian world, Julie D'Arcy
spins a vivid story of good vs. evil, magic and adventure. So the legend goes... Garrick le Fey, the First King of
Tarlis, sacrificed himself and his freedom to protect his
people from evil. He is transformed into a black dragon
and trapped in a magical book, with his old nemesis,
Narokah, high priest to Arahmin the God of Blood, who
turned into a red dragon when Garrick tried to kill him. Centuries later, a carpenter unknowingly breaks the spell
binding Narokah and Garrick, unleashing a great horror on
the world once more. Dragon by day, man by night, Garrick
must retrieve an ancient elven sword, the only weapon
capable of destroying the high priest, and prevent the
final ritual that will release Arahmin. Meggahn du Val, daughter of the Low-Lord of Gola-Dah, is
doomed to a marriage with the sadistic Baron Madric le
Mordah, the Red Lord. When contemplating her fate on her
final night of freedom, she sees a black dragon shoot
across the sky. Deciding to ask the dragon for aid, she
sets out on the first steps of a grand adventure. Whoever
would have thought she would have her life irrevocably
changed and her heart stolen by a legendary king of old? The journey is just beginning in this book, with escapades
on every page that will keep one eager to see what comes
next, all the way to the surprise revealed at the end.
This story is primarily a fantasy novel, but it does have
its underlying love stories. The descriptions of the world
are brilliantly done; with scents, sounds, and colors
jumping out at the readers so they can't help but be drawn
into the story. The characters are realistic, with thoughts and feelings,
fears and desires, just like everyone. Garrick's only wish
is to protect his world and his people from being
destroyed by dreadful evil. He is even willing to
sacrifice himself if it means keeping those he cares about
safe. Meggahn is a brave woman, wanting her freedom from a
dreadful man, as well as wanting his reign of terror to
their people to cease. She is willing to do almost
anything to see that happen. All of the secondary
characters add to the story as well. There is Vellandril,
the elven prince who puts duty to his people above matters
of the heart. One will love Johden, the young servant to
Garrick who longs to be a warrior. And who can forget the
frightening Narokah and Madric? Yet their desire to
inflict living misery on the people is matched by the
goodness of Ejinerah, guardian of the Orb of de Danann,
and Arkron the wizard friend of Garrick. This book captivated this reviewer and has made her eager
to read the rest of the books in the series written by the
talented Ms. D'Arcy. © Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2005. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted August 24, 2005
|
