Eidolon

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but it was more of a romance. This one is dark fantasy, much more to my taste. The Kai, a non-human race, are the victims of a spell gone wrong that has freed the galla, ghoulish demons who destroy any warm-blooded creature in their path. The royal family has been exterminated, and it's up to Brishen, the last Kai prince, and his human wife, Ildiko, to save the world using an army of undead.
I loved the rituals that made the Wraith kings, as creepy as it was. And the galla are horrific, able to mimic their victims to lure their loved ones into their traps. Court politics are also in the foreground, as in the first book. Brishen and Ildiko struggle to do their duty which also threatens their show more marriage. It's a much different tone from the first book, with more of a variety of characters. I would have liked some of the other Wraith kings to have dropped more of their back stories, but perhaps that will come in future books in the series. show less

“My dear, treacherous mother,” he breathed. “What have you done?”

In her quest for power, Secmis (the Shadow Queen of Haradis) unleashes a malevolent force into the world. Using her old Kai powers, she not only dooms her kingdom and the rest of the world, but also her royal family; herself included. Her youngest son Brishen ("The Kai prince of no value") and his human wife Ildiko ("The noblewomen of no importance") suddenly find themselves the rulers of a kingdom marred by a sinister darkness and on the brink of war and total destruction.

As the new king of the Kai, Brishen must take extreme measures to rid the Earth of galla, the vengeful damned who are set on slaughtering all of the living (both Kai and human alike), but he can show more not do it alone. Ildiko accepts her role as queen and works hard to support her kingdom in every way she can, but she must decide whether or not she can give up the man she loves to secure his throne.

“Privilege,” she said “gives the crown its shine. Duty gives it its weight. It’s because you are now king that you can’t do as you wish. The person you are—honorable, brave—will do what’s required.”

Although the surrounding kingdoms are enemies, the three must unite in order to save each other. Brishen, the reluctant king, must raise an army of the dead to defeat an army of the damned, but in order to do so he himself has to die and become a Wraith King first.

“I would have been content to live my life as just Brishen,” he whispered into her hair. “Who was loved by Ildiko.”

[b:Eidolon|25056040|Eidolon (Wraith Kings, #2)|Grace Draven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442413744s/25056040.jpg|44737528] is the second book of [a:Grace Draven|2759153|Grace Draven|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1318912237p2/2759153.jpg]'s Wraith Kings series. While [b:Radiance|24473763|Radiance (Wraith Kings, #1)|Grace Draven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422721500s/24473763.jpg|40780371] (book one) mostly focuses on the relationship between Brishen and Ildiko and the reasons that brought them together, this book mainly focuses on the wonderful fantasy world this story is set in and the horrors left behind by the malicious former Kai queen.

Written in a third person perspective in alternating chapters, Grace Draven shows her readers two different sides to her story. We see how Brishen, Ildiko and co. are fairing in Saggara and how Kirgipa, Necos and Dendarah escape the demon attack in Haradis (within the kingdom) with a very important and precious secret in their hands and fight their way to their new king and queen. When I realized that we would be reading from other perspectives I was a bit put out because I was worried it would take away from my favorite duo, but it didn't. While this book is less about Brishen's and Ildiko's relationship, we still get plenty of great moments between them. I really enjoyed seeing the other side of the war through other characters eyes; it was a nice touch.

Although book two has more of a serious tone to it, all the humor, witty sarcasm and romance that made book one so great are still here. I loved how the author wrote more in depth about Kai magic and how it works, their politics and their history. We meet a bunch of new characters in this book, but sadly, we lose some too. The characters are all fleshed out, and the world building is even better in this installment.

I don't normally like to start series unless all (or at least mostly all) of the books in the series are already published. This is only book two out of a (possible) six book series and the waiting is going to be torture, but so worth it! haha. I'm so glad that Eidolon doesn't end on a cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book, and I think I'll be adding Grace Draven to my auto-author buy list now. show less

I need to stop letting reviews influence me so much. I was planning to skip this one because it sounded like a whole lot of relationship hand-wringing, but a friend green-lighted it for me, and I’m glad I picked it up. There was minimal hand-wringing, compared to what I was expecting, and I liked revisiting this world and its leading couple. Even when Ildiko’s actions were frustrating, she still managed to be admirable, and Brishen was great throughout. Definitely still one of my book boyfriends.
I felt like it kind of sped through the saving the world stuff with the wraith kings, as well as Ildiko’s regency. I can imagine both plots taking much longer to resolve than they did. But I also think these books are romance first and show more fantasy second, and the romance is swoony and lovely.
Looking forward to the next. show less

Ildiko cupped Brishen’s face. “It’s so dark in here. Except for your eye, I can’t see you.” He kissed her, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue, before sliding into her mouth to gently tease her tongue. When he pulled back, they were both gasping. “That’s not true,” he said between planting more kisses across her forehead, cheeks and nose. “Dark or not, you see me. From that first day in the gardens at Pricid—our wedding day—you’ve always seen me.”

This is the conclusion to Brishen and Ildiko story and this started where we left off in its predecessor with the Shadow Queen of Haradis in her quest for power unwittingly unleashing a living nightmare onto the populace of the land.
The Galla malevolent show more creatures of cruelty that feed on magic and leave nothing but a trail of death and destruction in their wake cut a path across the countryside hunting the fleeing Kai as they lay waste to all in their path, none is safe from these demons neither Kai or human stands a chance against the dark stain spreading and infecting the land.
The Humans and Kai now have to join forces to contain this threat to there very existence and as magic brought them forth so it must be used to banish them back into the dark abyss they sprang forth from.
The answer Wraith Kings of kai and human alike to summon the dead and coral the Galla back to whence they came.
There is also some added strife between Brishen and Ildiko brought forth because of there current circumstances and the weight of now holding the crown.

“Privilege,” she said gently, “gives the crown its shine. Duty gives it its weight. It’s because you are now king that you can’t do as you wish. The person you are—honorable, brave—will do what’s required.”

This has two separate story arcs on a collision course one the new king and his queen and what he must do to save his people and secure the crown and two palace guards escorting a nursemaid and her precious charge to safety.
Like the first book, this still felt very medieval in its setting and execution.
I adored the old day's fantasy vibe it gave off.
The prose used here was just so beautifully lyrical and I appreciated this just as much as when I first read this a few years back.
This author just has such a way with words and has yet to produce anything that I haven't adored.
As well as the action in this one this is also such an exquisite love story that gave me shivers with its intensity of emotion.

“I would have been content to live my life as just Brishen,” he whispered into her hair. “Who was loved by Ildiko.”

This duet is up there with my favourite reads of all time and is one I really do recommend highly.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com show less

This one for me was very good, but just not quite as good as the original. There was a bit too much focus on them jumping each other every 2 seconds and it kinda got old after a while. I mean I get it, you love having sex with one another, but I just personally felt we didn't need that much of it. The second thing that kinda got to me was Andras. He didn't even know Megiddo for like more than a few hours and he was acting like they had let his best friend go. Dude you had known each other for less than an hour. Andras wasn't even there for the male bonding sesh the night before, so I just felt like he needed to get the stick out of his butt and move on. No way was anyone going to sacrifice the world for one guy and I find it hard to show more belief Andras would feel that way on such a short acquaintance. I didn't even know Megiddo well enough to feel even a drop of sad.
But overall it was good, it was a good read. Just not as good as the first. show less

Ildiko cupped Brishen’s face. “It’s so dark in here. Except for your eye, I can’t see you.” He kissed her, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue, before sliding into her mouth to gently tease her tongue. When he pulled back, they were both gasping. “That’s not true,” he said between planting more kisses across her forehead, cheeks and nose. “Dark or not, you see me. From that first day in the gardens at Pricid—our wedding day—you’ve always seen me.”

This is the conclusion to Brishen and Ildiko story and this started where we left off in its predecessor with the Shadow Queen of Haradis in her quest for power unwittingly unleashing a living nightmare onto the populace of the land.
The Galla malevolent show more creatures of cruelty that feed on magic and leave nothing but a trail of death and destruction in their wake cut a path across the countryside hunting the fleeing Kai as they lay waste to all in their path, none is safe from these demons neither Kai or human stands a chance against the dark stain spreading and infecting the land.
The Humans and Kai now have to join forces to contain this threat to there very existence and as magic brought them forth so it must be used to banish them back into the dark abyss they sprang forth from.
The answer Wraith Kings of kai and human alike to summon the dead and coral the Galla back to whence they came.
There is also some added strife between Brishen and Ildiko brought forth because of there current circumstances and the weight of now holding the crown.

“Privilege,” she said gently, “gives the crown its shine. Duty gives it its weight. It’s because you are now king that you can’t do as you wish. The person you are—honorable, brave—will do what’s required.”

This has two separate story arcs on a collision course one the new king and his queen and what he must do to save his people and secure the crown and two palace guards escorting a nursemaid and her precious charge to safety.
Like the first book, this still felt very medieval in its setting and execution.
I adored the old day's fantasy vibe it gave off.
The prose used here was just so beautifully lyrical and I appreciated this just as much as when I first read this a few years back.
This author just has such a way with words and has yet to produce anything that I haven't adored.
As well as the action in this one this is also such an exquisite love story that gave me shivers with its intensity of emotion.

“I would have been content to live my life as just Brishen,” he whispered into her hair. “Who was loved by Ildiko.”

This duet is up there with my favourite reads of all time and is one I really do recommend highly.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com show less

Eidolon is the second book in Grace Draven’s The Wraith Kings Paranormal Fantasy Romance series.

I loved the first book in the series, Radiance, for its depiction of how a human adapts to the dramatically different culture of the Kai after an arranged marriage borne out of political interests. Eidolon, while not focusing on the same themes as Radiance, introduces a peril on that world that demand the three nations unite and fight.

I loved the continued world-building of Draven.

Plot: The threat in this book is a horde of demons from the pit of Hell released by the former self-obsessed queen. They pillage and feed upon any living being. The stakes have never been higher and failure is not an option. It was certainly a creative and extreme show more conflict to be sure.

While the plot introduced a significant conflict, I thought the transition between book one and two was a bit abrupt. I mentioned this in my review of the first book. For it was in the epilogue that Draven crafts this conflict. While the scenario would have been possible based upon the character of the queen she’d set up, I would have like to see the story flow and the narrative create this problem on its own, not an epilogue.

I will not give any spoilers, but I found the execution of the conflict and resolution lacked an emotional hook for me. It seemed academic and while “big”, I wished the events leveraged the emotions of the female protagonist, Ikaido, as well as her husband, Brishen, more. It felt like Draven built the tension and then we moved to lots of action that lacked anything but the occasional pining of the husband for his wife while he’s slaying the bad guys.

Characters: I enjoyed the continued growth of both Ilaiko and Brishen. They have gone from willing pawns in a political game to husband and wife who are deeply committed to each other. I thought the misunderstand between them and how it impacted their relationship (duty vs desire) was well done.

Overall, I give this 4.0/5.0 stars. show less