C.L. Wilson - Lord of the Fading Lands

Centuries ago in a magical land beyond our eyes a furious battle of war between virtuous and vicious evoked a moment in time that would change all as it was known. The death of the Fey King, Rain Tairen Soul's mate brought forth a rage of madness that would induce him to engulf the lands with an ocean of blazing fire. Upon the smoldering ashes that remained, the pain of grief drew the heartbroken King to vanish behind the mist of the Fading Lands for a thousand years. Through the course of age and silence that followed, the calm of peace that laid upon the surface of the fields began to change. Through the cracks of soil, the threads of the dark side, ever so slowly, began to weave its way back, unnoticed like a blade of grass reaching for the sun. Saturated with a audacious determination to find a way to save his dying race from extermination, bound to defeat a wickedness the ascending rise of the enemy brings, Rain reaches out to touch the Eye Of Truth, for sacred help from the devout spiritual realm beyond. Acknowledgment for needed urgency, a small fleeting scrap of future is revealed to ignite a spark of hope on the bleak future of all Fey and Tairen that remain.

Longing for a child, the woodcarver and his wife lovingly embraced the green eyed infant with fiery hair as their own. Even though their blood did not flow through her veins, the love from their hearts did. Caring arms were always there to help her through a childhood of ungovernable convulsive seizures and torturing nightmares that were thought to be from the dark side of magic. Always fearing, but always drawn, Ellysetta Baristani unknowingly call the soul of the one being that must join her to be complete, to be one, and to save all that breath life upon the land concealed behind the mist.

Together, from two different worlds, fighting to forge as one, not only for the sake of their souls but for the future that balances on the edge of a sword between life and death, for salvation of the unabridged races of Fey and Tairen. Elly and Rain begin a journey of trials that all hold with scared prayers and hope that together they can fight for the future of the people and lands they love.

A personal note: After reading the first few chapters of this book, I was sure I wasn't going to like it. I stuck with it and was rewarded with a wonderful tale beyond my expectations. The story is a rich, intricate fantasy that I didn't want to put down. What I loved most,... this is not a LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT story, yet it is balanced and shows flaws in the main hero that repeatedly prove he is not the perfect HEA guy, but more realistic to the real world we know (where men are concerned LOL). I am very excited to see where this story continues.

My Rating 4.5
Shonna