Toils of the Valiant: Book Two of the Chronicles of Vrandalin (The Lael Chronicles #2)
by Julius Bailey
Description:
DOOM COMES. FAITH WAVERS. HOPE HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
The battle for Darfrandor is over, but there is neither time nor mood for celebration. Having received word of the approaching power of the Dread Palace, time is yet again in short supply for Brandegan, Allon, and Merch—and all of Vrandalin with them.
Heeding lessons learned from before and during the battle with the Morkathleam, Brandegan decides to leave Darfrandor without delay. Though he renders a stark warning to the people of the capital that there can be no victory in the fight against Ezirg Haur without the intervention of the Ayestærè, he begins to feel in his heart that the Vellneranians will never again have faith. Urging them to flee south on a desperate journey to Krandarmain Ilse, he leaves them to their choice. Yet the journey south will present Brandegan himself with hard choices to grapple, and force the silver-haired man to confront not only perils of the future, but burdens of the past.
For Allon Bracken, the way forward seems both clear and clouded. His will knows that he is not the same man that fled Varalel, yet his heart will soon discover that some wounds remain tender long. He must come to terms with both shortly, for in this time of final deeds, the hurting and the lost, the fearful and the hopeless, commoner and noble alike, will need someone to lead them.
As for Merch Provender, his difficulties come in many forms. From the worry over his home village, to the increasingly constant necessity to kill or be killed…to the often withheld thoughts and feelings of a new traveling companion. Yet all these difficulties must be overcome, for the clock is counting, and ale won’t last forever.
But for Parma the healer, leagues to the south in the proud city of Mariz, darkness has already arrived. Only newly loosening the grip of cold policies enacted against the southeasterners by Governor Parfidy, she is forced to push back against the malice of mysterious bandits who threaten the lives of those she protects. But in doing so she discovers a sinister plot against Mariz itself, and soon finds herself fighting the ghosts and foes from a past wrought with heartache. It will cost her bitterly.
Sacrifices are made, bonds are broken, and the powers of the realm are shaken in this epic conclusion to the tale that began in Strife of the Mighty. Let the faithful keep strong.
My Review:
Toils of the Valiant is the second in the Lael Chronicles, a story set in a fantasy world beset by a growing evil that threatens the people of Vrandalin. Brandegan, the ageless warrior, leads Merch and Allon, and new companion, Lairen, on a quest to Mariz, while in Mariz, Parma and Lora work against a deceptive threat to the southeasterners who have taken shelter there.
I spent the first 20% or so re-acquainting with the characters and the storyline. The next 30% getting into the story as it ramped up to a mid-book climax. Very exciting and good action sequences. Stopped at around 59% because it felt like an ending. That’s the problem with mid-book climaxes. Killed the momentum.
But, let me tell you, when I picked it up again after a little break, I enjoyed it and finished it pretty rapidly. The final battle was almost as exciting as the mid-book one, and I really enjoyed how Merch and Allon stepped up as new heroes.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I must say it reads and feels just like I expect from epic fantasy. Merch and Allon still reminded me of hobbits, but other than that, good stuff. There’s magic, battles, and heroism from unlikely sources. Lore and mystical beings, both good and evil. This book felt like an ending, but there was a hint of future adventures.
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to fans of epic fantasy.
I received an ARC of this book from the author.
About the Author:
Adventurer, wonderer and wanderer, creative thinker and eccentrically unconventional, Julius Bailey tends to tread the peculiar paths. Born to the humidity, tropical sights, and gators of Florida, he lived in the Sunshine State for fourteen years of his life before moving to the rolling hills and red clay of Oklahoma. At the age of twelve he fell in love with a book called ‘The Secrets of Droon: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet.’ From thence his love of reading bloomed. Having taken a keen interest in the fantastical realms of Fantasy, his jaunts mainly focus thitherward. He currently resides upon a hilltop thronged with hilltops, and avidly welcomes communication from his readers.
Author Links:
http://juliusbailey.blogspot.com/
Twitter@kingdomwanderer
Goodreads
New to the series?
Check out my review of Book 1, Strife of the Mighty, on the blog at PureTextuality.com
here.
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