Barb Hendee

:rubs hands together:

Guys. GUYS. Look. Preamble these books are not connected beyond that lady and her looking Glass (and the vague European/french fantasy-esque environment).

I have my CLEAR favorite (Book 2: A Choice of Crowns) and my clear UNFAVORITE (Book 3: A Girl of Winter White), as well as the one I enjoyed but not quite as much (Book 1: Through a Dark Glass).

A CHOICE OF SECRETS KNOCKS THEM OUT.

We have Nicole, a happy, carefree not quite 18 year old who is puzzled by her older show more sister's forthcoming marriage but largely unconcerned. To her way of thinking her beautiful awesome older sister is a catch and Christophe - family friend and neighbor - is the best. Heck Nicole is even content with the notion she'll likely never marry and care for her parents in their old age while being a spinster aunt to her nieces and nephews. As she puts it "[she is] a daughter of White Deer Lodge" and everything that entails.

When I say this girl is happy with her life and future I quite mean it.

Unfortunately drama must occur and it comes in the form of an indiscreet affair her sister is embroiled in that has the potential to screw everyone's lives up.

Nicole's first choice is to tell her older brother Erik who is besties with Christophe but would certainly do the right thing to solve this issue. That goes as well as you'd expect when you ask a warrior to be subtle.

While the ending works out potentially the best (in terms of how it effects everyone's lives), it does leave Nicole feeling less content with her future life.

Choice 2 is to remain silent. Again this goes as well as you can expect since her sister's lover is a cad, scoundrel and downright cruel. It's okay for a hot second.

In the end a lot turns out better then it could have, mostly because Nicole (once again) puts in a lot of effort to give everyone a better ending.

Choice 3 is Nicole tells the family. Which...does not go as well as one could want. Oh at first it's mostly okay. Like Nicole knows there's not great stuff in the future but that's a LATER issue and one she's pretty certain no one will listen to her about anyhow (she's not wrong). Its also, like in Books 1-3, where she chooses LOVE for herself (though not at first, I'll get into that).

The ending is the best for Nicole since she has a life that she truly enjoys and feels fulfilled by.

Much like Olivia's choices in CROWNS this came down to two things: how much pain could Nicole tolerate for herself versus other people. Truthfully all three endings would give Nicole a measure of fulfillment in life, but it would also cause people she cares about to suffer.

For Nicole there are two people she is constantly, through all three Choices, trying to protect. Chloe, her beloved elder sister who's only real fault is she fell for an unscrupulous cad and Christophe, who she only begins to see in a new light after his desperate confession (one can make the argument she obviously cared for him a great deal more since she catered to his preferences in food and clothing but I digress).

In the 2nd Choice she says to Christophe again and again "She is my SISTER" in regards to why she (more or less) takes Chloe's side. Which I think is the important part here, especially in regards to her chosen path at the end. Nicole is the younger sister, but she is clever, determined and observant. Chloe is skilled at being a Noble Lady, but when push comes to shove she let's her fears overwhelm her innate talents at taking control of a situation. Nicole by contrast is constantly thinking thinking thinking of ways to save everyone or at the least cause the least amount of pain.

I found her choice interesting. I felt for sure she'd go a slightly harder path, but I can understand the compromises she made. They are very in line with her character and the person we see in all three choices.

For Nicole - who in every path did her best to save her sister, save her family and bring Christophe a measure of peace - she has to learn that no one is "one side" or perfect. Not her brother, not Chloe, not Christophe. People are hella complicated.

I feel with her choice she understood that. You have to take the good with the bad - understanding each day comes with it's own sacrifices.

SO WHAT IS BOOK 5 ABOUT? show less

The Dead Seekers is the first book in a new series and that is something that I'm bloody happy about since I really loved this book! And, now I will try to write a review about a book I love which I hate to do since I just want to say read it, it's brilliant. But, I will try to be a bit versatile than that.

The book starts off with Tris Vishal being born. But, he never breaths and the midwife has to tell his poor parents that the baby is stillborn. Then, the midwife notices that he starts to show more breathe when she carries him away, but there is something strange about him that will mark him as different from others. He has the ability to send spirits back to where they come from. But, he also risks the lives of everyone who is close to him. Mari Kaleja learns this the hard way as a child when her whole family is slaughtered by spirits. Now she first for revenge, and it's The Dead Man she is after. But, when she finally finds Tris must she be certain that he is the right one. But, traveling with him may not be the best idea. She watches him, and he is not as she had expected. Could this really be the man she has been chasing all these years?

I found myself really enjoying this book, both the setting and the characters. Trish whose gifts are a burden for him and Mari who has spent years looking for revenge. I'm usually not much for romance in books, but one can't really say it's any romance in this book since it's more two lonely people getting to know each other (with a hint of romance). And, that's probably one of the reasons I love the book so much. There is no lusting or instalove.

As for the story itself. I loved getting to know more about Tris power, and Mari's own secret is interesting and very handy. It was also great reading about how their relationship developed from an uneasy alliance to more of a worry about each other, although Mari still wanted to kill him. But, she is a bit conflicted. The last part of the story is the best when they have to figure out who is killing soldiers. Is it a spirit or a revengeful man/woman?

I loved the ending of the book. It's the kind that put a smile on my face and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less

This is a hard book to review. There is a lot of intrigue as several factions of elves reveal various hidden agendas under stress. There is relatively action though, and as some of the other movers in the bigger story comment this story is very much an offshoot, a tangent to the main quest and it feels like it too.

Leesil, driven to rescue his mother, has dragged Chap, Wynn and Magiere into Elven lands and the elves, for large parts of the story, come across as laudably not human. They end in show more faction politics that grows organically from the story, but seems rather human in its drive - but that might be my feeling that they don't write intrigue so well coming through.

The thing that does work amazingly well, and in a fashion that makes me hope they're not writing from their personal experience for their sakes, is being on the brunt of prejudice - and there's no other term for it. There are elves who hate for a reason (you may think hatred is a bad emotion, but you understand why they feel that way), but there is an amazing level of impersonally directed hatred at the "evil humans" and "vile half-bloods" as well. It's perhaps a terrible reason to like a book, but I'd use it start a discussion about prejudice any day. show less

Rebel Fay, by Barb and J. C. Hendee, is the 5th book in the Noble Dead series. With each book better than the last, this is definitely one of my favorites series. And there’s a spin-off series in the works, so I won’t have to wait an entire year between each novel.

Rebel Fay begins with Magiere, Leesil, Wynn, and Chap continuing on their journey into Elf territory in order to find and rescue Leesil’s mother. Unsure of whom to trust, they must be on guard at all times in a land where show more they are the enemy. And worst of all, they have to put themselves in the hands of the caste of assassins in order to find Leesil’s mother.

But there are two sides of an old war at work. Both sides have their plans for Magiere (a dhampir: half-human, half-vampire) and Leesil (half-human, half-elf). And the shocking truth is finally revealed.

The Hendees continue to shape this story and their characters in an epic fashion. While this story is almost entirely centered in the elven lands, it never gets slow and never lacks suspense. Every character is unique and described in such a way that you feel that you know them.

Unlike most that I read, this series must be read in order, as things that happen in one book would spoil the previous one. And the endings of each leave you craving the next. If you like medieval fantasy with plenty of action or vampire-slayer novels, this series is a must. show less