Morbid Romantic

Book Review & Personal Blog

Today we welcome Chris Evans to Morbid-Romantic.net. I just had the pleasure to read book 1 and 2 of the Iron Elves series, so it’s an honor to welcome Book 2: The Light of Burning Shadows here for a blog tour. If you would like to know more about the author, you can read more about Chris Evans at his blog, or visit the Iron Elves Homepage.

About The Light of Burning Shadows

Musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy vie for supremacy once again in this second epic fantasy adventure from acclaimed author Chris Evans. As the human-dominated Calahrian Empire struggles to maintain its hold on power in the face of armed rebellion from within, the Iron Elves’ perilous quest to defeat the power-hungry elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, takes on greater urgency.

The Iron Elves, shunned by their own people for bearing the mark of the Shadow Monarch, and desperately wanting to forever erase this shame, became legendary for their prowess on the battlefield as the Calahrian Imperial Army’s elite shock troops. But when their commanding officer, Konowa Swift Dragon, murdered the Viceroy of Elfkyna, he was exiled, and these brave elves were banished to a remote desert outpost, doomed and leaderless, their honor in tatters.

Recalled to duty to reform his regiment from the dregs of the Imperial Army, Konowa thwarted the plans of the Shadow Monarch at the Battle of Luuguth Jor — ensuring that the fabled Red Star, a source of great natural energy, did not fall into Her hands. Now Konowa must cross storm-tossed seas to seek out the lost elves and the prophesied return of another Star somewhere in a desert wasteland roiling with mysterious power, infernos of swirling magic, and legends brought back to life in new and terrible ways. And the fate of every living creature will come to depend on a small band of ragged and desperate soldiers, whose very loyalty to the Empire they have sworn to serve is no longer certain. When death is but a temporary condition, a terrifying question arises: who is the true ally — and fearsome enemy — in a growing conflict that threatens all?

My Review of The Light of Burning Shadows

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy
Finished: July 28, 2009
Rating: 4 Stars

The Red Star will stay with the Elfkynan people, but more stars will certainly fall. Konowa Swift Dragon and his Iron Elves now realize the full weight of the curse they are bound under and fear their immortality of service. Konowa and his men want the curse to end, but they don’t know how to end it. To strengthen and reinforce their numbers, Konowa sends the Iron Elves south to look for the former elven members of the group. With the Shadow Monarch still alive, the new Viceroy of Elfkyna under her spell, and his men upset that Konowa chose to let the Elfkynan keep the star instead of use it to free them of the curse, Konowa is ever more determined to use the power in the acorn given him to defeat the evil forces and free his men.

He just doesn’t know how.

Still suffering the Prince who wants to use the stars as collections of knowledge while expanding the oppressive Calahran Empire, Konowa is at the breaking point. Private Renwar is also battling his own ghosts. Almost killed during the last big battle, he lost a leg and neared death. Getting so close to the other realm has put him in a state of living limbo. Along with the constant pain of his wooden leg being rejected by the magic of the frost fire curse, he is connected to the shades of the dead Iron Elves.

The Viceroy of Elfkyna, now a dark servant to the Shadow Monarch, is set out on a mission to spread her dark forest, which he does dutifully as Her Emissary. The frost fire curse gives the Iron Elves the ability to destroy the dark forests, but the more they use the powers, the deeper they fall into the curse. Now there is also a new flame, a white flame that consumes the shadow until the body is dead. Most interesting is that those who die of the white flame are cured of the curse and do not return as shades. Unfortunately, though, they still die. Can the Iron Elves harness this power to free them of the curse? Will they find the former Iron Elves and defeat the Shadow Monarch, keeping the stars out of the hands of darkness?

If you think this book is going to resolve anything, you are wrong. But isn’t that great? It means there are more books to come. At the end of the book, you are literally left at the edge of your seat because you cannot believe that what has happened indeed really happened. Evans very effectively wraps up his story with a proper cliffhanger to leave you wanting more. I absolutely loved the foreboding way The Light of Burning Shadows ended and am going to watch the web for information about book three, which I have to read.

Even more masterfully, Chris Evans weaves in elements of our world into the one he has created. I like connecting the parallels such as the Dwarf slave trade, the one omnipotent creator one soldier raves about, and the imperialist spirit of the Calahrian Empire that seems very familiar when one understands the history of our world. If not for the magic and mystical creatures involved, one could easily see this series as an historical and Napoleonic epic. Fans of military fiction, battles, and fantasy are going to love this book. I also think there’s something about the dark nature of the book that will appeal to people who enjoy supernatural and paranormal fiction. The Shadow Monarch and the Viceroy are certainly evil enough to sate anyone’s need for dark forces! For those of you who love romance, there is some of that included, too. Konowa and Visyna like each other, but they can’t seem to see eye to eye and Visyna is worried for Konowa as he wields the dark power. She feels that he won’t be able to properly control or resist it. He, of course, sees differently.

I cannot wait for book three because I need to know how the book will end. I hope for the best for Private Renwar and I hope that the darkness is defeated, that the men are severed from the power of the curse, and that Konowa becomes the elf he has never been. Oh, and that he and Visyna stop fighting long enough to love each other properly.

Participating Sites:

The Epic Rat: http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Must Read Faster: http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/
Carol’s Notebook: http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/
The Crotchety Old Fan: http://crotchetyoldfan.wordpress.com/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
A Book Bloggers Diary: http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
Horror and Fantasy Book Review: http://horrorandfantasybookreview.blogspot.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
Temple Library Reviews: http://templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com/
Fantasy Freak: http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Review: http://booktionary.blogspot.com/
Pick of the Literate: http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/
Books Joseph Reads: http://booksjosephreads.blogspot.com/
Poisoned Rationality: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/

Title: A Darkness Forged in Fire (Book 1 of the Iron Elves)
Author(s): Chris Evans
Genre: Fiction – Fantasy
Finished: July 27, 2009
Rating: 4 Stars

Konowa Swift Dragon was exiled to the woods and his elite band of Iron Elves, all elves cursed with the black ear tip as sign that they are children of the Shadow Monarch, were disbanded and sent away for his killing of the former Viceroy who had fallen into darkness by serving the will of the Shadow Monarch. The Shadow Monarch, an elf, is possessed by a magic that she wishes to consume the world with, spreading her dark forest. After a few years in isolation, wandering with his only companion Jir (a bengar), Konowa is approached again by the Calahrian Empire he once served to once again become a soldier.

The Red Star has supposedly fallen, which foretells the return of a magic and knowledge many people and creatures want: the current Viceroy, the Price of Calahr, and the Shadow Monarch included. Given an acorn from the elven Shadow Monarch’s Silver Wolf Oak, Konowa feels a strange power and connection to her, which he wants to use to his advantage to defeat her and her forces once again. As an elf born with a black ear tip and rejected from the birthing meadow so that he never bonded with a tree as elves do, Konowa has never felt much like an elf and was shunned for being cursed.

With stories of the Red Star, old and evil extinct creatures are being resurrected, so it is imperative that someone or something stop them. Konowa is told to reband the Iron Elves, but he is not given his old elves. No, instead he is delivered a scattered section of people and races. The new Iron Elves is made up of elf, human, dwarf, and giant alike. But, committed to their service, they take the oath to serve as Iron Elves. Unwittingly, though, the power of the acorn bonds the Iron Elves to their oath such that not even death can separate them from service. Even after death their shades must serve.

Unfortunately, too, for Konowa, he must act as second command to the Prince of Calahr, Tykkin. The future king of Calahr has no military experience and cares more for finding the Red Star and studying the world than properly defending it. Another source of frustration for Konowa is the elfkynan witch Visyna, who he likes but disagrees with his usage of the Silver Oak acorn and wants the Red Star for her and her people in order to liberate them from the Calahrian Empire. Plagued by nightmares of the Shadow Monarch, Konowa has a lot to worry about.

I must say, I enjoyed this book from page one all the way to the end. My love of reading began with the fantasy genre, after all, so I will always have a very deep love for all things magical. The world that Chris Evans creates is indeed separate from ours, but parallels ours enough that I can see similarities. In the various stories of races and conquest, I see vestiges of our history and culture. For some reason, this helped me connect to the characters.

Konowa is brave and handsome and a wonderful soldier, but he is a bit stubborn. As is Visyna. The drawf Private Yimt Arkhorn is loud and overconfident and his partner Private Alwyn Redwar is careful and skittish. The prince is properly clueless and the writer Rallie is obscure and mysterious. All of the characters are distinct and layered. I love it when an author can create characters that are distinct, that react just as they would and not in a way convenient to making the story easy. It is not hard at all to simply write a character, but to truly create one is a work of true talent.

What about the story, though? A Darkness Forged in Fire is just the kind of fantasy I like– just enough of everything without it being too much. It is full of action and the questions pile one on top of the other as the story progresses. No resolution is come to by the end, which opens way for book 2. By the end of the book, you are left with even more questions as additional stars must be sought out and kept from falling into the wrong hands. The battles are intense and full of detail, and I really got the sense that Evans knows what he is talking about as far as weaponry and battle tactics go. That sort of attention to detail and accuracy lends a lot of realism to a story. For lovers of the fantasy genre, this book will fit perfectly in a collection of quality fiction. As far as I am concerned, Chris Evans is right up there in excellence with Tolkien and Piers Anthony.

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Disclaimer(s):

- More can be found in my Reviews section.
- If you would like me to review your book, send an email to me at morbidromantic@gmail.com. Read my Book Review Policy for more information.

Lenore over at Presenting Lenore decided to post, in the nature of “full-disclosure”, where she got her last 20 books. At the end of her list, she posed the question: “Where did your last 20 reviewed books come from?”

So, here is mine:

The Wolves’ Keeper Legend by Sylvia Weber-Given by author for blog tour
A Band of Roses by Pat McDermott- Given by author for blog tour
Under this Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell- Got from B&N First Look in order to participate in the August book discussion
Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg- Received from publisher to participate in blog tour
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn- Got from Hachette Book Group to read and review
For Cory’s Sake by Carolyn Wada- Given by author for blog tour
Jack Wakes Up by Seth Harwood- Given by author for a review
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand- Given by Hachette Book for blog tour
The House of the Vestals by Steven Saylor- Traded for on PaperBackSwap
The Man’s Book by Thomas Fink- Given by Hachette Book Group for review
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory- Given by Hachette Book Group for blog tour
My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel- Given by Hachette Book Group for blog tour
Visions by Jean Koning- Sent by author for blog tour
Synarchy: Book 1- The Awakening by DCS- Sent by author for blog tour
Forbidden- The Temptation by Samantha Sommersby- Sent by author for review
Gauntlet by Richard Aaron- Sent by author for blog tour
Chemical Cowboys by Lisa Sweetingham- Sent by author for blog tour
Memoirs of a Fortune Teller by Gary Turcotte- Sent by author for review
Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan- Sent by B&N First Look for book discussion
Outcast by Cheryl Brooks- Sent by author for blog tour

As you can tell, I LOVE blog tours. They’re a lot of fun to participate in.

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Over at Literary Escapism had a cleaning the shelves contest and I won a copy of At Grave’s End by Jeaniene Frost. Yey. Time to PaperBackSwap the other two books so that I can read them before I get book 3.

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

I have the winner for the free 16×20″ Rolled Canvas Print.

The winning number is: 16

Winner:
Marlene – “That is so hard I have so many great summer pictures that I would love to print but I would decide if I won.”

I am going to email all of you now and send your email address to Online Poster Printing, who will send you a coupon code to order your poster print.