Orlind by Charlotte English

Synopsis

War has broken out between the humans of the Seven Realms and the long-lost draykoni race. Llandry’s home city is under attack, its defenders scrambling to find a way to fight the draykon enemy. The outcome of the conflict seems certain – until the draykoni vanish. Where could they have gone, and why? 

Lady Eva Glostrum is convinced that this means bad news. The Lokant sorcerer Krays is still at large, and his mysterious projects centre on her world – and the draykoni. Could he have something to do with their disappearance? If so, why? And what will it mean for the Seven Realms when the draykoni come back? 

As Llandry fights to defend her home, Eva sets out in pursuit of Krays. Determined to learn the truth, she’ll go to any lengths to prevent him from damaging the Seven. Her quest will take her right into the heart of Krays’s Library – and there she will uncover another long-kept secret.

Review:

I have kind of been a massively huge fan of this series for a while now. Charlotte English is one of those authors that I truly believe give the world of indie publishing a great name. She's a diamond in the rough, the real deal, in fact I remember thinking when I read the first book "how is this book not published the traditional way?" Her books are edited fantastically, written in a manner than lets you know she put tons of time and effort into crafting a great experience for the reader, and this latest book is no exception to that. And seriously talk about some amazing artwork that brings the book to life! 

The series has progressed really well, and so with this book being the final book, I'm not sure exactly how I expected it to end, but in true Charlotte fashion it ended just right. First and foremost before you read this review, read the other two books, because it's really impossible to talk about this book without giving away a lot of the previous two. 

For me the second book was pretty much setting the stage for the culmination of events that take place in this book. The war that you felt was coming has finally started. And all the big players from the previous books are going to play huge roles. Llandry and Eva for me are the two main characters in the series, and their evolution throughout the first two books shines through in this third book amazingly. 

When I look back and read about what Llandry was like in the first book, it's amazing the transformation she goes through, both emotionally as well as of course with the transformation to a Draykon. But really she started off as a girl who was more than willing to hide behind her parents to a woman who can start on her own two feet a world she probably could have never imagined. 

Eva on the other hand, a woman in her own right when the series began, really finds out what is important to her. From early on in the series it was pretty clear to me that Eva was secure in who she was as a person. But even though she was a powerful woman in her own right at the beginning, she found herself in situations that required her to "rise to the occasion" so to speak. It's in this situations that we find Eva becoming more than I think she ever thought she could be. Although it's kind of my opinion that the last thing Eva ever expected was to find herself in love, so that is an evolution of the character I really enjoyed following along with. 

Charlotte does a fantastic job and bring this series to a close. The book had more love and romance than the first two, but it all felt so organic to the characters. More over Charlotte still has the ability to surprise me throughout the course of a book, which let me tell you never gets old. When the book was finished a felt satisfied with how everything all ended, and was happy to have traveled this journey along side all the characters. 

It goes without saying that I would recommend this book to just about anyone, seriously give this series a shot, you won't regret it.