Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: The Oath
SERIES: The Adearian Chronicles #1
AUTHOR: Shannon M. Harris
PUBLISHER: Sapphire books publishing
LENGTH: 302 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2016
BLURB:
Ex-mercenary, Lanis Welsh, is finally at a place in her life where she is content with what and who she is; High Priestess Anya’s Protector and Lover. After an unexpected request, she has no choice but to leave Anya’s protection in the hands of someone else and travel back to the one place that holds nothing but bad memories. When she is manipulated into signing an oath she has no desire to fulfill, she questions the very truths she has built her life on. As strangers become friends and enemies become allies, Lanis must face the demons from her past. It doesn’t take her long to realize there is more going on than anyone could have ever foreseen and nothing and no one can be trusted.
REVIEW:
This story is primarily a paranormal adventure. A journey that demanded my attention from the get-go. There are a lot of things going on and a lot of characters to wrap your head around. The slightest distraction had me losing my grasp on the plot. A few times I backtracked and eventually started jotting down notes to keep track of who was who. I will say the author did a fabulous job of holding it all together.
The world building is well done, there are a number of fantasy elements, such as magic, the ability to blend, shadow people, etc. There are a number of info dumps, or should I say background information provided along the way to explain the way of the ‘world.’
The lines of good and evil are blurred. Ally’s are tested. People die, people are abducted. Someone wants Jalen dead, but why? There are jesters and rogues, or are they rogue-jesters? And if that isn’t enough all the while I had to wonder what the despicable man, Dimitri, was up to.
The two month journey, Lanis, Elston and Rose set out on was no easy trek. To begin with the battles they endured had my blood pumping right along with them. By the end, not so much. My one minor quibble about this story is that I personally found the trek a little drawn out.
Rose was an interesting character, I liked her despite her aloofness. When her motives were revealed I smiled – an evil satisfied grin.
The story flicks back and forth between Anya and Lanis. Anya is a tough cookie in her own right. She too has vital decisions to make; loyalties and bonds of trust are sorely tested. The entire time, I was routing for Lanis to survive the journey so she could once again be reunited with her beloved Anya.
This story ends with a cliffhanger of sorts. I say of sorts as I normally cry fowl over cliffys that leave the reader dangling on the edge. This was more like watching an episode of one of your favorite series. The ending leaves you happy on one hand, but also needing to know what comes next.
Verdict – This is an entertaining story I’d recommend to readers who enjoy fantasy settings, with a lot of characters, twists, and turns. Fainthearted and squeamish readers, approach with caution.
RATING: 
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