The Forbidden Realms by H.C. Newell

 

An immersive continuation of the Fallen Light Series

If you haven't read the first book, stop and hop over to the review for Curse of the Fallen.

Synopsis:

Nerana is a sorceress. An exile. The Child of Skye.
And she isn't alone.

After a vicious attack against the Order of Saro, Nerana finds herself lost in the wastelands of Aragoth. Forbidden of humans or evae, the desert is a land teeming with fire and vengeance, and Nerana's only hope for survival lies in the trust of another.

Aélla, a powerful evaesh sorceress, travels the desert on a pilgrimage of sacrifice and strength. Determined to enter the Realms of elements and see her quest completed, she must survive the hardened warriors of the desert, the vaxros, who banished her kind for their land centuries ago.

But the vaxros aren't the only threat, and the weight of such imbalance could shift the fate of the world.

Thoughts:

I had a bit of a book hangover after reading this one.  In the best of ways. I love the world, and how immersive and complex it is. The characters and their development are also deeply complex, but don't let this intimidate you. Just dive in. 

We are still following Neer's story, and we have some new characters that were talked about in book 1 but we never met. Like I had hoped, we get to hear more about Avelloch's sister in this book.

Neer teams up with Aella, and we meet some new characters Y'ven, Dru, and Thallon.  These are all such unique, multidementional characters, and I love how they all come together to form this group. HC Newell writes her characters like real people with a history, triggers, and their own coping mechanisms. I think this is why I get so pulled in. There's so much thought in this entire series. I'm here for it.

 If you enjoyed GoT, LOTR, ACOTAR you will love this series. 

The Forbidden Realms is available on Amazon and is also on KU!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!