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Ham Bone

Reviewed on Dec 26, 2024

Must read 🏆

Nilinriall faces extreme adversity, and battles mortal temptations in this prequel to the first release in the Tale of The Nine Lands saga.

Synopsis

Destiny draws the elf to the mortal world, but the weight of its shadows is more than he can bear.

Nilinriall’s mastery of elfsong is unrivalled. His path is set: ascend to the Songspiren, and then the realm of gods.

Unlike his kin, Nilinriall harbours a deep curiosity for the material realms. When he’s irresistibly drawn to a mortal woman whose singing can make flames dance, he vows to sever his ties—attachment is not the elven way.

But it’s too late. Rejected by the Songspiren, Nilinriall is cast to the mortal realm where every attachment frays his elven spirit, and shame torments him. Yet, he can’t escape the allure of the singing woman.

Terrethedron is treacherous. With his companions Gwynnestri and Dillinir, they face sharded wraiths of Darpirith, the cruelty of the Three Cities, and the greed of the Nine Lands.

Hope faltering, Nilinriall is increasingly seduced by mortal temptations—lust, luxury, and the numbing allure of intoxication—especially as his fame for singing grows.

With every breath, Nilinriall finds it harder to remember who he once was—or why he ever left the light of the aether. Just when he believes he's found his destiny, everything is torn apart once more.

This is the second book to release of the Elderworld/Tale of The Nine Lands saga and serves as a prequel to the first release, providing backstory to a very important elven character named Nilinriall. The story tells of Nilinriall's quest to understand and fulfill his true destiny, albeit reluctantly as it completely conflicts his anticipated ascension to Songspiren, and leads him and his companions to a material realm in search of his true path, and of a mortal woman whom he is mysteriously connected to.


I read this book from front to back on Christmas Day (thanks holiday COVID), and I will admit the the first few chapters began a bit slow, but in the end were quite necessary to help appreciate the constant struggle Nilinriall faced between the Elven way and his battle of succombing to the temptational sins of the material realm. Once Nilinriall and his two Elven besties (Gwynnestri and Dillinir) leave the comfort of Sorrelcrest and are transported to their first material realm, is where the book really picked up for me and had me hooked. Without giving away spoilers, it is thankfully much more complex than simply traveling through time/space to a new realm and connecting with her, and there are many challenges and twists along the way that Nilinriall and his companions (both Elven and anew) must face.

Many familiar characters from the first book emerge as Nilinriall spirals and is consumed by the tribulations of the material realm.


Much as the first book, I was very engaged with this story and found it hard to put down. As mentioned, it was a bit slow to start (which is actually quite befitting to the Elven realm and it's tranquility it is painting the picture of), but once they step through the portal and begin their first encounter in the new realm the excitement ramps up, and each chapter leaves you needing to know what happens next. The ending ties in perfectly to the first book it is a prequel of, and I cannot wait for the third book to come out and see where this goes next.

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Ham Bone

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