The Dagger of Adendigaeth is the second book in Melissa McPhail’s A Pattern of Shadow and Light series. I read the first book, Cephrael’s Hand, last year (absolutely loved it, by the way) and even read the book again for this year’s blog tour.
Fresh from re-reading Cephrael’s Hand, I was more than ready to dive into book two. The timing was just perfect because the third book, Paths of Alir, came out this month and I’m also posting a review of that book for this tour! Yay!
Anyway, read on for my thoughts on The Dagger of Adendigaeth and enter the blog tour giveaway! You can win a $50 Amazon gift card or an autographed copy of The Dagger of Adendigaeth! It’s awesome, right? ;)
My thoughts on The Dagger of Adendigaeth by Melissa McPhail
Coming into the Cephrael’s Hand blog tour, I had only read about a couple of books since late last year. That’s how bad it’s been going on with me and my reading “rut” and to be honest I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to manage reading The Dagger of Adendigaeth and Paths of Alir for the tours. PLUS I had decided to revisit Cephrael’s Hand because I wanted to remember the pretty details. That turned out to be such a great idea because it just made reading the next books even better.
In book one, we were introduced to the Players and the Pawns in the game or, you know, the unbelievably amazing story, and at the end of the book we see the main characters come into their paths. In book two, we see more of those paths and get to know the characters more. We also learn more about the history of the realm and just what is at stake. We also meet some new characters who play important roles in the story.
The Dagger of Adendigaeth is a bit darker than the first book since it’s where a lot of the greater and more significant conflict occur, compared to the first book. And of course, many things that weren’t quite known in the first book are revealed and we see the ‘old’ characters grow and come into their own. It’s fantastic really to not only meet new significant characters but also see where all the other characters are going and who they are becoming.
This really is an amazing series. It’s amazing how creative every aspect is. The world building is phenomenal. The depth of the characters and the development of the story are done well enough to keep me interested in all of them. I am constantly blown away by how amazing this world that Melissa McPhail created is. I also love the diversity of the characters. This series is the very definition of EPIC fantasy and has everything I love about fantasy and science fiction even. I can’t wait to read more. ;)
Note: I received a review copy of this book as part of my participation in the tour. All opinions and views expressed here are my own.
Read my review of Paths of Alir here.
About the epic blog tour!! Hey, we have awesome prizes!!!
About the prizes: Who doesn’t love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of The Dagger of Adendigaeth! Here’s what you need to do…
- Enter the Rafflecopter contest
- Leave a comment on my blog
That’s it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win–the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Dagger of Adendigaeth tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!
About The Dagger of Adendigaeth
At long last, the reason for the blessed Adept race’s decline has been discovered: powerful beings known as Malorin’athgul are disrupting the Balance and preventing Alorin’s Adepts from awakening to their gifts. Who are they? Where are they? And how can they be stopped when they wield a power meant to unmake the universe itself?
In T’khendar…Prince Ean val Lorian has forsaken his companions in blood and battle to join the traitorous Fifth Vestal in T’khendar in the hopes of gaining some insight into the tragedies that plagued his Return. Now he must confront the man he’s long thought of as his enemy and discover the role he is meant to play in the First Lord’s darkly magnificent game.
The Vestal Raine D’Lacourte has followed his traitorous oath-brother Björn through six kingdoms and into the distant realm of T’khendar seeking explanation and atonement. But the condemned realm harbors shocking secrets, and Raine soon realizes he’s facing his greatest enemy yet—not in Björn, but in the truth.
Elsewhere in Alorin…the young truthreader, Tanis, faces a new villain in the fiery-eyed man he followed from the café in Rethynnea; the soldier Trell struggles to reconcile his growing feelings for the girl he rescued from the river against the guilt of his unknown past; and in Tambarré, another truthreader named Kjieran van Stone treads the incense-filled hallways of the Prophet Bethamin’s temple hoping to uncover a plot of treachery and betrayal before the Prophet demands his soul.
The time has come for each player to claim his role in the First Lord’s masterful game. All will be tested, but only time will tell how many can survive the dagger of Adendigaeth.
About The Dagger of AdendigaethAbout the author
Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats. Connect with Melissa on her website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.
Giveaway
Check out the books in the A Pattern of Shadow and Light Series
Book 1, Cephrael’s Hand
Book 1, Cephrael’s HandWinner of Best SF/F – Written Arts Awards, ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist
“All things are formed of patterns…” And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:
In Alorin…three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him…
In the kingdom of Dannym…the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord…
In the Nadori desert…tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them.
The strands of all three men are intricately connected, spun through the vast pattern constructed by the First Lord in a deadly game three centuries in the making, a game where there are pieces and there are players. Pieces don’t know a game exists, and only players have a chance of surviving it. Each man must face his own fears and claim a role in the First Lord’s game, but even if they do, they aren’t the only players, and all of Alorin is the prize.
Book 2, The Dagger of Adendigaeth
ForeWord Book of the Year Bronze Winner for Fantasy
The zanthyr leveled Ean an ominous stare. “Players make their moves at will, reassured only by their own resolve, facing dire consequences, protected by no one, and shielded by nothing but the force of their conviction.”
Ean held the zanthyr’s gaze. “How can I be a player if I don’t know the game being played?”
“How can you be a pawn,” Phaedor challenged in return, “when you know a game exists?”
The Game
At long last, the reason for the blessed Adept race’s decline has been discovered: powerful beings known as Malorin’athgul are unworking the realm from within, disrupting the Balance and preventing Alorin’s Adepts from awakening to their gifts. Who are they? Where are they? And how can they be stopped when they wield a power meant to unwork the cosmos itself?
The Players
Prince Ean val Lorian has forsaken his companions in blood and battle to join the traitorous Fifth Vestal in T’khendar in the hopes of gaining some understanding, some insight, into the tragedies that plagued his return. Now he must confront the man he thought was his enemy and discover the role he is meant to play in the First Lord’s darkly magnificent game.
The Vestal Raine D’Lacourte has followed his traitorous oath-brother Björn through six kingdoms and into the distant realm of T’khendar seeking explanation and atonement. But the condemned realm harbors shocking secrets, and Raine soon realizes he’s facing his greatest enemy yet—not in Björn, but in the truth.
The soldier Trell struggles to reconcile his growing feelings for the girl he rescued from the river with the guilt of his unknown past. The young truthreader, Tanis, faces a new villain in the fiery-eyed man he followed from the café in Rethynnea, and in Tambarré, another truthreader named Kjieran van Stone treads the incense-filled hallways of the Prophet Bethamin’s temple in a race against time, hoping to uncover a plot of treachery and betrayal before the Prophet’s lust claims his soul.
From the Wyndlass desert of T’khendar to the icebound mountains of Doane, Raine, Ean, Trell, Tanis and Kjieran must each continue on their chosen paths, becoming Players in the First Lord’s century-spanning game. Each will learn the role they are meant to play, all will be tested, but only time will tell how many of them can survive the dagger of Adendigaeth.
Book 3, Paths of Alir (coming October 2014)
Book 3, Paths of Alir (coming October 2014)In books 1 and 2 of A Pattern of Shadow & Light, we are introduced to the realm of Alorin and a magical Adept race facing extinction. The race’s tragic decline is the result of Malorin’athgul, powerful beings from the fringes of Chaos, whose presence in Alorin has caused a shift in the cosmic Balance. Fate bends to their will, and their goal is Alorin’s destruction. Alone in understanding the threat, Alorin’s Fifth Vestal, Björn val Gelderan, has launched a desperate plan to stop them: a “great game” played upon the tapestry of mortal life.
Now, in Paths of Alir, A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book 3, Björn’s Players have taken the field:
Along the lush Caladrian coast…the truthreader Tanis d’Giverny returns to the place of his birth and finds mysterious and wonderful workings waiting for him. But the zanthyr Phaedor warns Tanis that ominous events lie ahead, and even his mother’s magical lessons might not be enough to keep the lad alive.
In the dungeons of Tal’Shira…held prisoner by theAdept Inquisitor Taliah hal’Jaitar, Prince Trell val Lorian is facing a life of vicious enslavement. Only two paths lie open before him: one means an eternity of torture fighting Taliah’s attempts to break him; the other requires surrendering to her will. But can he really sacrifice everything he is and walk Taliah’s path of twisted magic known as mor’alir?
In the snow-bound Castle of Tyr’kharta…Prince Ean val Lorian must choose to save his brother Sebastian or his loyal men. But to choose his men means leaving Sebastian to an eternity of enslavement; while rescuing Sebastian means abandoning his friends to a torturous end, and his honor along with them. Either decision will test Ean’s newfound skills with elae as well as his conviction, for as the prince soon learns: once a man becomes a Player in the First Lord’s game, not even death can give reprieve.
Nice cover