A Fantasy World Filled with Violence and Abuse

In this fantasy world, the royals are the focus of the story. They live in a castle in the city of Highfall surrounded by the starving townspeople. There is also a roving band, the Slonim. This group is somehow connected with Highfall and have a mission to break the magic bonds. They have been working at it, breeding children to get the savior, for five generations.

Nate is a member of the Slonim. He is recruited as a child to become a magician and a healer to enter Highfall and help to bring about the unbinding. The rest of the story centers around the four children brought up in the castle. Judah is a orphan brought up in the castle because she has a bond with Gavin, the heir to the throne. They share each other’s feeling which is where some of the abuse comes in. Theron is Gavin’s younger brother. He’s very bright, but overlooked. The fourth child is Eleanor, she is supposed to marry Gavin and is in many ways the most likable character in the story.

I did not care for this book. The premise is interesting, but the telling is filled with violence, and the plot is so obscure you only get relevant information at the end of the book. The characters are not likable. It’s hard to care about their fate, particularly when the events are loosely held together and you're not sure where the plot is going.

I can’t recommend this book unless you like very long fantasy novels.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.