From Publishers Weekly
Convoluted intrigues, rivalries and romance provide an entertaining tangle in the second book in Australian fantasy author Fallon's Hythrun Chronicles (after Medalon). The rebellion led by Tarja Tenragen and his half-sister R'shiel against their mother, the ruler of Medalon, has succeeded, but not without costs. Medalon is threatened by neighboring Karien and internally torn by those still loyal to the fallen First Sister of the Blade. Sorely wounded R'shiel (half-human and half-demon) lies in the hands of the legendary Harshini healers—but the Harshini have their own agenda, and the race's prohibition against violence doesn't prevent them from manipulating others to do their killing. While a recovering R'shiel is groomed to destroy the fundamentalist Kariens' god Xaphista, Tarja allies with dashing Damin Wolfblade, Warlord of Krakandar, and settles into Treason Keep to prepare for a Karien attack. Meanwhile, Hablet of Fardohnya sends his strong-willed daughter Adrina to forge an alliance with Karien by wedding crown prince Cratyn. Although the fates of Tarja and R'shiel form the series heart, Damin and Adrina are the heart of this exciting story, accompanied by a large cast of compelling characters. While new readers may have trouble getting up to speed initially, their patience will be well rewarded; fans arriving straight from book one can dive right in.
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From Booklist
The Sisters of the Blade, backed by warriors known as the Defenders, have ruled Medalon for two centuries, forbidding pagan worship or belief in any god. The people of Karien, to the north, are fanatic worshipers of a single god, and to the south, fervent belief in the heathen gods prevails. Eighteen-year-old R'shiel has long fought her coldhearted mother's domination, but her half-brother, Tarja, is a colonel in the Defenders. When their mother becomes First Sister, however, the two defy her machinations and, forced to flee for their lives, get caught up in a rebellion against the Sisterhood. Also part of the mix are the mysterious Harshini, who were assumed to be extinct, and the gods themselves, who readily mix in human affairs as they search for the Demon Child they had created to destroy an evil god. In her first novel, beginning the Hythrun Chronicles, Australian author Fallon conjures a viable, richly detailed world and its disparate societies. Characterizations, including those of the interfering gods, are well realized, and the suspense is palpable throughout. Sally Estes
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