"Fascinating action packed romantic fantasy"

The evil race of demon Fomorians kidnapped and raped the women of Partholon taking them into the Wastelands to bear their offspring. The Goddess Epona united the people of Partholon to defeat the demons and a century later touched Ephame who took as her mate a hybrid Falorian and drank his blood and took the madness that existed in the hybrids into her self. Now the descendants of the children of rape can go home to Partholon.

Cu, whose lover was killed by one of the hybrids, goes to the wastelands to check out the New Fomarians to see if they are as good and gentle as his sister's lifemate says they are. Brighid, the female centaur goes after Cu and finds the seventy children and handful of adults pure of heart. When they return home, Brighid's sister comes to the keep to tell her that the centaurs are going to war because their High Shaman, Brighid's mother was killed by humans. Brighid, who was running away from her legacy, knows she must drink from the chalice of Epona and become her High Shaman, and fight her brother and his allies before the land is bathed in the blood of battle.

Although Brighid is a centaur and Cu is human, they love each other and mate for life. Their marriage can only be consummated if Brighid drinks from the Chalice because then she will be able to shapeshift into human form. P. C. Cast has written a fascinating action packed romantic fantasy where true love can conquer all. Both hero and heroine go through many hardships and it is only through their love they feel they can overcome all their hardships. This is a special work that will appeal to a variety of readers.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 15, 2005