Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: The Reflections of Zantir Xanderfell
SERIES: Memoirs of the Fated #3
AUTHOR: Jack Harvey
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 62 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2018
BLURB:
As Lord Protector of Icon, Zantir bears heavy responsibilities, but she’s come a long way from her time as a ruthless mercenary.
But when an old acquaintance reappears, she learns the past can never truly be escaped, redemption is not so easily bought, nor love so easily courted…
REVIEW:
This short story is the third in Jack Harvey’s “Memoirs of the Fated” serial, though it is more of a shared universe than a chronological series. Each book so far has been about a particular character within the history of a vast kingdom, and though Zantir herself isn’t my favorite protagonist so far, I was really invested in the heist plot of this story.
King Carnack Cousland has abdicated the throne, leading to long-kept secrets coming out of the woodwork, including the elven Lord Protector Zantir Xanderfell’s involvement in his schemes. Zantir now lives a relatively quiet life with her two lovers, but a surprise houseguest forces her to recall a heist gone terribly wrong from many years ago.
In the flashback scenes, Zantir is cultured and flirty, trying to bed men and women alike (or in pairs), but I wasn’t as drawn to her as I was to Jocasta and Cousland in the previous books. I never got a good feeling for her skills or specialties, and her characterization focused more on her lovers than her actual personality (and the guilt she still carries).
All of the minor characters involved in the heist plot kept my interest. They’re all distinct, even if they only share a few words, and they all have important roles to play—from court fool to hardened warrior. And right until the last page, I was excited to see how the plot was going to end. It’s shocking that this story is only 62 pages long, because the action sequences are suspenseful and well-written.
The first two short books in the series—The Scars of Jocasta Lacroix and The Reminiscence of Good King Carnack—are both excellent stories that can be read on their own but work better as a connected universe. All three of these stories so far go back and forth in time and dimension, recalling how events from one tale foretell events from the next, how a minor character becomes a major player over the years. I’m really enjoying this universe so far, and I eagerly await the next character-driven chronicle Harvey has in store for us.
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