Children of the Serpent Gate - Sarah Ash

CHILDREN OF THE SERPENT GATE

Book 3 of 'The Tears of Artamom'

Read about the previous books HERE

ISBN - 978-0-553-58623-7
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2005
PAGES - 609
BINDING - Paperback
GENRE - Fantasy

AUTHOR - Sarah Ash

BEST-SELLERS - Lord of Snow and Shadows

SYNOPSIS - Gavril Nagarian is believed dead. But the Lord Drakhaon of Azhkendir lives on. Now he is entrusted with a sacred mission: to rescue the kidnapped Magus, in whose possession are the five priceless rubies that compose the fabled Tears of Artamom. Ancient law decrees that whoever possesses the gems has the power to impose his law over the Empire of New Rossiya.

But the task exacts to Gavril's soul - and to his life - as two deadly rivals unite in a common goal: to destroy Gavril and the Drakhaoul that lives within him once and for all.

EXCERPT - "Where's Gavril Andar?" Raisa paced Minister Vashteli's antechamber. "One moment he's fighting the Tielens at our side. The next, he disappears."

"Has Elysia Andar heard any news from her son?" Pavel asked. He noticed that a single lock of auburn hair had come loose from beneath Raisa's neat kerchief, giving her an endearingly distracted air.

"Not a word. And just when we need his help..."

"Yes." Pavel was remembering the heart-stopping moment when he had witnessed the impossible and learned Gavril Andar's terrible secret. It would take a Drakhaon to spring Rafael Lukan from the Commanderie's clutches.

FL Speak - The worst has arrived. Eugene has let loose all the trapped drakhouls of the serpent gate. But what he didn't count on was the loss of his wife to the Francians who held her and their unborn child hostage. Meanwhile Gavril is in search for the kidnapped Magus and grave situations even brings enemies closer.

Gavril and Eugene shake hands to defeat a third Drakhoul who has possessed the Francian Emperor. But before they could take the gather their wits, Oskar and Andrei, both possessed, whisk the crown of Artamom away in hopes of opening the Serpent Gate.

Sarah Ash continues her story in a break neck pace as all the elements come down crashing to this finale. Eugene has always been the loveable bad guy but here, you actually love him despite all his flaws. For once, it feels Gavril is not the main character anymore. Though the way a Drakhaoul gets hold of a new character is almost irritating. Every time, the character is naive and believes he is meant for better glory. Although I believe, if I was that bloke, I would have felt the same thing.

Eugene realizes his blunder of summoning the Drakhouls when his own daughter and child are kidnapped by the "evil" Drakhaouls. With no one to turn to, he begs Gavril for help as they team up not only to save the children from death, but also the entire world against the whim of the power ravaged daemons.

A fascinating story comes to a deserving end. I must admit, despite the few flaws, I immensely enjoyed it. The concept of a vampire based daemon who needed the blood of pure girls in order to survive and be powerful which allows the daemon take control of the host with every kill was something worth reading.

My Rating - 4 stars

PRICE - INR 346/- [Flipkart Price]

Prisoner Of The Iron Tower - Sarah Ash

PRISONER OF THE IRON TOWER


Book 2 of 'The Tears of Artamom'


Read about Book 1 HERE


ISBN - 978-0-553-58622-0
FIRST PUBLISHED - August 2004
PAGES - 542
BINDING - Paperback 
GENRE - Fantasy


AUTHOR - Sarah Ash


BEST-SELLERS - Lord of Snow and Shadows


SYNOPSIS - Gavril Nagarian has finally cast out the the dragon-daemon from witthin himself. The Drakhaoul is finally gone - aand with it all of Gavril's fearsome powers. No longer possessed, he is instead being driven by the Drakhaoul's absence. Worse, he has betrayed his blood, his people, and put the ice-bound princedom of Azhkendir at risk - and lost.


At the mercy of the victorious Eugene of Tielen, Gavril is sentenced to life in an insane asylum. For the power-hungry Eugene longs to possess a Drakhoul of his own, and his prisoner seems the best way to achieve that goal. Meanwhile, a shattered empire reunites. But peace is as fragile as a rebel's whisper - and a captive's wish to be free....


EXCERPT - "I'll be all right, Mother," he said, forcing a bravery he did not feel into his voice.


"I'll be there, Gavril," she cried. "I've friends in Muscobar. Friends in high places!"


Gavril tried to look back over his shoulder, but the troopers were increasing their pace now, walking him briskly under the archway. The last thing he saw was the druzhina go slowly forward, one by one, to drop their weapons at the Tielen captain's feet.


FL Speaks - The war is over. And peace has finally arrived. But peace is just the wind before the storm hits. Eugene has succeeded in invading Muscobar and when he hears that Gavril is no longer powerful, he sends his army to capture him. To save his kingdom, Gavril surrenders to the emperor. But death didn't welcome him, madness did.


By driving the Drakhaoul away, Gavril saved his soul. By surrendering to Eugene, he saved his people. But in doing so, he has betrayed the bond between his people. Far away in Muscobar, Eugene searches for the Drakhoul in hopes of being all powerful. And declared insane by Eugene, Gavril is imprisoned in a far away place where his head is being operated on to find the hidden memories of the daemon.


You simply cannot hate Eugene. He longs to be loved by his wife who still has feelings for Gavril. But that doesn't deter him and his love for his daughter is overwhelming. 


Nearby, the small kingdom of Smarna rebels against Eugene's rule and as the emperor sends his fleet to silence them once and for all, Gavril, whole again, burns the entire fleet to crisp. But the Drakhaoul has plans on his own to save his long trapped brothers and as Gavril sets them free, one of them possesses Eugene as the countdown to madness descends. Somewhere in between, a forgotten dead prince awakens and plots to win his kingdom back.


Sarah Ash continues her fascinating plot with a faced paced sequel. The only con I found was Gavril's constant whining for the better half of the book. (Dude! You should have thought about that before you sacrificed your power!) Nevertheless, the writing was good, even though there is almost no background of the characters. 


When you write a fantasy, background and worldbuilding are the ones that makes or breaks a book. Sarah Ash is determined to be the exception in this case. The final book is resting on my book shelf and I'll take a little break before I learn how Gavril manages to defeat someone who is more powerful. Or does he lose? Wait for the last book. It promises to be one helluva ride.


My Rating - 3.5 stars


PRICE - INR 341/- [Flipkart Price]

Lord of Snow and Shadows - Sarah Ash

LORD OF SNOW AND SHADOWS

Book 1 of 'The Tears of Artamom'

ISBN - 978-0-553-58621-3
PAGES - 574
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2003
BINDING - Paperback
GENRE - Fantasy

AUTHOR - Sarah Ash

BEST-SELLERS - 'The Tears of Artamom' Trilogy

SYNOPSIS - Raised by his protective mother in the sunny climes of the south, Gavril Andar knows nothing of his father - or of the ominous legacy that awaits him. But now the man who ruled the wintry kingdom of Azhkendir, a man with the burning blood of the dragon-warrior known as Drakhaoul - has been murdered by his enemies.

Expected to avenge his father's death - and still his unquiet ghost - Gavril soon learns that becoming Drakhaon means not only ascending to the throne of Azhkendir but slowly changing into a being of extraordinary power and might. A being that must be replenished with the blood of innocents in order to survive.

EXCERPT - Suddenly hot and faint from the loss of blood, Gavril felt as if he were falling deep into drowning waters. The red torchlight flickered and grew dim...

Were they going to let him bleed to death?

Kostya pressed a pad onto the edges of the cut, swiftly and skillfully binding it firmly in place.

"I can hear voices..." Gavril murmured, "in my mind..."

"The ritual bloodbond between the Drakhaon and druzhina. Sealed in your blood." Kostya took up a ring of ancient keys, rusty and intricately forged, from his belt. "These are the keys to Kastel Drakhaon. Take them; they are yours. Now you are free to go wherever you will."

FL SPEAK - This is one trilogy that I regret picking up late.

Gavril Andar. A young boy's life is about to turn into a nightmare when a dark cloud engulfs him one day. Next thing he remembers is that there is another being in his head which shows him visions of his father, he never knew, being murdered.

The tale of a painter boy in love with a princess turns disastrous when he realizes that he is the ruler of a far away kingdom of barbaric people. But the great power he inherited came with an ever greater curse. The voices in his head grows louder for vengeance as Gavril fights to stay in control of his body and emotions.

Elsewhere the ruler of Tielen prepares to conquer the kingdom of Muscobar, but in his way is the land of Azkendir where Gavril Andar is the ruler. As the forces clash for supremacy, Gavril must give himself up to achieve the terrible power he needs to unleash to save his kingdom. But with every use of his power granted to him, he becomes less human.

The Drakhoul in him screams for vengeance to seek out the killer of Gavril's father while his mother is turned into a pawn in a game of deadly betrayal. With the duty towards his kingdom in one hand and the life of his mother on the other, Gavril must find a way to save both before the Drakhoul finally takes control of him.

Stunning 1st book. What I loved most about this tale was the European flavor in the setting. Also there are few characters and it helps in not getting lost with everyone's perspective. This may not be a brilliant book in terms of fantasy but it certainly is unique.

Not much to complain about, as I certainly did like it. I would recommend this for sure. The only negative point maybe is that I read it in a couple of hours. I certainly wanted it to last and stretch a bit more. Good beginning though. Am anxious to know the fate of Gavril and Muscobar in the sequel.

My Rating - 3.5 stars

PRICE - INR 379/- [Flipkart price]