Warning: The book reviewed herein is the fifth book, and conclusion, of a series. While the following review contains no spoilers for the book itself, it does contain spoilers for the other four books in the series. If you have not read Hawksong, Snakecharm, Falcondance, and Wolfcry, all by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, please proceed with caution.
The future, the web of possibilities that spans out in front of each and every person, has always been the cause of much fear, paranoia, and worry in the minds of those unable to see what it holds. As history and myth have shown us, that paranoia may lead to destruction if one believes they have insight into that distant realm. For Hai, the protagonist and narrator of Wyvernhail, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ conclusion to the ever-popular Kiesha’ra series, the future, along with the possibilities that it may contain, is all too real, and far too visible. Desperate to rescue her new home, the Wyvern’s Court, from the countless futures of its destruction that she has witnessed, Hai mercilessly manipulates the flow of events in order to prevent the world from resulting in her horrid visions of fire and ice. At the same time, she struggles to come to grips with her own heritage – and allegiances.
Having been brought to Wyvern’s Court by Nicias, Hai longs for the white city she grew up in – the place where she knows she could never be accepted. At the same time, she is largely ignored and avoided at her current place of residence, save by Nicias, a full-blood falcon who swears allegiance to Wyvern’s court, and a small group of rebels that support her ascension to the serpiente throne. With her calculating view of the world around her, and her all too loose grip on reality, Hai makes for a stirringly original and evocative narrator. Her constant glimpses to potential futures come quickly and suddenly, melding with the current storyline until the reader is sometimes uncertain as to what is actually happening. Unique, also, is the perception and presence of magic in the book. While magic has certainly been portrayed in previous Kiesha’ra books, especially in Falcondance, it has never been shown from the perspective of a character as familiar with its ways as Hai. Therefore, magic plays a large role in Wyvernhail, showing itself to truly be an untamable force.
As any long-time fan of the Kiesha’ra series would hope, the narrators of each of the previous four books have speaking roles in Wyvernhail, although Nicias is the only one of the four that can be considered a major character. Indeed, Hai holds the spotlight, for the most part, which would be difficult to endure were her narration not as clear and captivating. Like its predecessors, Wyvernhail discusses the cultural aspects of the serpiente and avian people in great detail, possessing much of the emotional and political aspect that made the first novel in the series, Hawksong, so great. Every aspect of this society – its culture, its leaders, its politics, and the characters that we have come to love through Atwater-Rhodes previous book, is filtered through the measured, garnet eyes, of an entrancing character, simultaneously dark, shadowy figure, and an uncertain and emotionally damaged young woman trying to prevent a future she deems intolerable.
Politics, even in real life, are incredibly confusing. Politics when they involve shapeshifters, magic, and an ancient cult of priests and priestesses? Something only Amelia Atwater-Rhodes can deliver, brought to life with unbelievable characters, emotional realism, and beautiful cultural detail. While I admittedly had my doubts on the series’ continuing excellence, this latest edition provides a suitable, and wondrous conclusion to the Kiesha’ra series, finishing what its distant ancestor, Hawksong, gloriously began.
Please comment and tell me what you think! Do you agree? Disagree? At this very moment plotting my assassination? Feedback is always welcome!
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