This book was very different than book one, Things Unseen. In many ways, it was shockingly different. It made book one feel like only introduction to the story--and I thought it was fabulous, so that is by no means a criticism. But book two, The Dragon's Tongue, jumped into the war.

The fae are being hunted, but also, so are the Christians. Something evil is out in the world, and it will stop at nothing to take down anyone and everyone in its way. After Lord Owen rescues a number of the fae, Colonel Grenidor takes matters into his own hands, increasing the level of cruelty toward the few fae still under his control and watching one turn to the dark side. The colonel also wrestles with how far he is willing to go to gain power and eradicate his supposed enemies. But can he trust the being who claims to want to help him?

At the resistance headquarters, the fae are wrestling with issues of faith and forgiveness. Is their god, El, the same as the god of the Christians, and if they are the same god, then can the grace and forgiveness offered to humans in the Bible be offered to the fae as well?

Aria and Owen are less main characters, but still significant as they wrestle with their own issues. Owen isn't healing well and struggles to relinquish guilt over what he did while in captivity. Aria learns secret after secret that threaten to change everything. And Bartok prays. A secondary character in the previous book, he has risen to prominence in this story, as his faith and understanding of the Bible makes him highly sought after by friends and enemies.

This is a strange book for me to review. It had hints of Frank Peretti and Randy Alcorn's spiritual warfare stories and yet remained entirely something of its own--a new fantasy in the best sense. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the saga and finding my own faith and hope challenged to grow as a result. ( )