Dark Moon Defender

Another captivating tale from Sharon Shinn's 'Twelve Houses' series.

This time, it is Justin, a King's Rider, who is the focus of the story. He is sent on a lone undercover mission to Neft, the nearest town to Lumanen convent where Coralinda Gisseltess, the Lestra, maintains her cult of the Pale Mother - the goddess of the moon. There, he discovers that the Lestra is actively persecuting mystics - and that, unbeknownst to her, Ellynor, one of the novices within the convent has mystical powers. When he rescues her, Justin - who has had little use for women in his life up till now - could lose his heart.

This story is told mainly from Justin's point of view; but it also show Ellynor's life as a novice, and follows Senneth's and Cammon's show more group in different parts of Gillengaria, on the King's business.

The goddesses, who - apart from the Pale Mother - have long been forgotten in Gillengaria, start to play a more active role, and magic, which is little understood, seems to be getting stronger. Although the focus is Justin, very soon the six main protagonists we have been following through the series are back together again, and even non-mystic Justin feels he can almost see their bond to each other.

There is a fair amount of romance as various members of the group of six find their match (not to mention the political match-making Senneth and Kirra engage in), but it suits the mood I'm in and there is plenty of danger and suspense to balance it.

I am really enjoying this series; I like the group of six, who all bring different strengths to the table and, despite danger, fight in their different ways for king and country. show less

gang I'll be so for real I wasn't expecting this to be so entirely romance. I don't know why, but half the time I was going can we PLEASE get back to the POLITICS. I think there is something notably really funny about how the main characters' ages are just going down through the series (34/39, 25, 22, 20) and it shows especially with them looking to Senneth for help LOLLL
yeah so the good news is I don't think skipping book 2 was a mistake. did I miss the Princess Amalie arc yes but also it'll be in book 4 too and I was nawt putting myself through book 2 for that. There was enough reiteration of previous plot points that I think I caught the drift of how we ended up in this precarious position with Gisseltess even more than before. also show more catch me squealing at 3am (I gotta stop doing that) about Senneth and Tayse (I am SO GLAD I didn't miss THAT whole deal) redeeming factor of the romance aspect of this book l m a o look I'm fine with Justin and Ellynor as characters but was not invested in their romance at all and am a little annoyed about the constant references to how small Ellynor is (and lowkey also to Tayse being so big). Kirra being self aware about that was incredible. I do find Justin's arc really funny though from the perspective of his friends and especially Tayse. on that note the relationships of the six are the highlight of this series for me shoutout to them and their bonded friendships and proclivities for falling in love with the absolute worst person for their positions. obsessed with the way they're constantly showing up for each other and diverting from their mission for it. so yes for some reason I feel this is so much more flat out romance than the first book and I don't think I was 100% the target audience for it lmao... but things are developing in the conflict and I'm interested in what happens next hello political intrigue. I think it's mostly because I am not terribly interested in the forbidden romance part of this and holy it felt rushed and dramatic but. telling myself it's because they're like 22. did enjoy Ellynor being a convent Daughter and seeing that through her eyes and Rosurie.
diabolical magic system what is HAPPENING EVER. shapeshifting is an insanely OP talent and I will stand by that, especially with what Kirra and Donnal can do for themselves and others. it is kind of interesting that Senneth is the really powerful one then, even with Cammon's ability to sense across huge distances. crazy sequence with Ellynor and the goddess. uh yeah well... war when (I hope not I hope they succeed in their quest) show less

Eh, it was fine. I guess Ellynor wasn't actually totally helpless, but Justin sure treated her like she was. And I know other characters there acknowledged that it was a relationship dynamic that he would like, but I didn't! And individually, Justin and Ellynor were fine and cool and whatnot, I just didn't like their dynamic with each other.

Also, I didn't know this was a romance series going in, and it's actually getting kind of frustrating. I want cool political intrigue and wars or stuff to happen, not every non-evil character to get paired off. In the space of a year. Sheesh!

I'm still interested in seeing how the state of the kingdom will turn out. If war will ever start. Whether mystics will start fighting back. This scale is too show more small, I want stuff to actually *happen*.

Or the Thirteenth House left a scummy aftertaste in the rest of this series for me. I don't know yet. show less

Book 3 focus is on Justin [Spoilers], the bulk of the story telling of his soldiery and rescues that culminate in his love for Ellynor (of the "impossible to marry into" Lirrenfolk). Only 3½ stars because the Justin and Ellynor theme didn't feel very plausible in the way Shinn developed the romance. As well, the story's plot regarding Justin's mandated activities (to spy) was a weak ploy to bring him into Ellynor's orbit. Despite these difficulties, the overall story line carries forward well and builds suspense for the upcoming nastiness of the final combat. Other characters have time in the sun (e.g. Mayva Nocklyn) which adds a dimension to the story.

Book 3 of Twelve Houses series. "King's Rider Justin goes undercover to investigate the fanatic "Daughters of the Pale Mother" convent. Justin falls for Ellynor, a young novice from the Lirrenlands with forbidden healing powers, forcing him to choose between duty and protecting her from both the cult and her own protective fam." Liked the universe and the writing. Plot moved at a good pace. Wasn't deeply invested in the romance.

Third in Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series, centering this time on Justin. So far, this was my favorite installment of a series which I have really enjoyed. Justin is one of the original six main characters, a surly and cynical Kings Rider with a harsh past. Asked to reconnoiter the city of Neft, nearby the convent of mystic hating, Pale Mother fanatics. He meets Ellynor, a novice sent to the convent by her family to watch her unruly, impulsive cousin.

Justin's protective instincts are activated after he rescues Ellynor on the streets of Neft, and they form a fast friendship. Their relationship has many obstacles, and both have secrets that they attempt to keep hidden. This becomes more difficult as Ellynor's safety is increasingly show more threatened.

I liked the exciting story, and Ellynor was distinct, consistent, and easy to love. I also liked that the other 5 main characters made appearances, and seemed essential to the story.

No complaints, and I am already on to book 4. show less

I don't know why, but I really loved this book. I was unhappy to discover how many readers thought it was a fairly useless effort that didn't advance the plot sufficiently. Turns out it's one of the author's favorites, too. So there!!!

2025: still holds up for me. I had fun re reading about Justin’s adventures.