A Touch of Stone and Snow by Milla Vane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Summary from GoodReads
Milla Vane returns to a world of kings, magic, and passion in her exhilarating A Gathering of Dragons series, as a great alliance forms to stand against an evil warlord intent on their destruction.
Danger lurks in the western realms. The Destroyer’s imminent return has sent the realms into turmoil as desperate citizens seek refuge—but there’s no safety to be found when demons and wraiths crawl out from the shadows. Even Koth, a northern island kingdom left untouched by the Destroyer a generation past, is besieged by terrors spawned from corrupt magics.
When Lizzan leads the Kothan army against these terrors, only to see her soldiers massacred and to emerge as the only survivor, she is called a coward and a deserter. Shunned from her home, Lizzan now wanders in solitude as a mercenary for hire, until she encounters a group of warriors seeking new alliances with the northern kingdoms—a group that includes Aerax, the bastard prince of Koth, and the man who sent her into exile.
Though they were childhood friends, Aerax cannot allow himself to be close to the only woman who might thwart his treacherous plan to save their island realm. But when a goddess's demand binds them together, Lizzan and Aerax must find a way to overcome their painful pasts. Or there will be no future for the western realms...
Danger lurks in the western realms. The Destroyer’s imminent return has sent the realms into turmoil as desperate citizens seek refuge—but there’s no safety to be found when demons and wraiths crawl out from the shadows. Even Koth, a northern island kingdom left untouched by the Destroyer a generation past, is besieged by terrors spawned from corrupt magics.
When Lizzan leads the Kothan army against these terrors, only to see her soldiers massacred and to emerge as the only survivor, she is called a coward and a deserter. Shunned from her home, Lizzan now wanders in solitude as a mercenary for hire, until she encounters a group of warriors seeking new alliances with the northern kingdoms—a group that includes Aerax, the bastard prince of Koth, and the man who sent her into exile.
Though they were childhood friends, Aerax cannot allow himself to be close to the only woman who might thwart his treacherous plan to save their island realm. But when a goddess's demand binds them together, Lizzan and Aerax must find a way to overcome their painful pasts. Or there will be no future for the western realms...
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REVIEW
The amazing world Milla Vane has created becomes even more wide in this next installment of her Gathering of Dragons series. This time we move to the Western Realms where a new set of characters who I hope will meet the first ones from the first book, have to face their own struggles, fears and danger as the Destroyer draws closer and closer.
Frankly, I dread to see who this Destroyer is. From the stories told from the first book and to the ones from this one, he must be someone very terrifying to behold. Only just the mention of the destruction of a whole city, the killing, and the raping of the women send shivers of fear.
So in this book, we have an amazing warrior Lizzan who is exiled from her realm of Koth for being a coward. Having PTSD after what she experienced in that battle and growing her sorrow...well in drinking, she will face her past in the presence of Aerax, the bastard Prince of Koth who must gather allies as the Destroyer draws near.
Together they will travel the western Realms facing new and old dangers together and also a quest from Vella, the goddess, will bring them together. I loved Aerax. He was a man who loved Lizzan desperately despite everything that had happened between them and he deserves a hug. Lizzan on the other hand I admired her strength and determination as also how she struggled with the betrayals of her country. But Aerax always believed her and he was steady in his love for her.
The fighting scenes were Netflix/HBO worthy. If this series doesn't become a tv series, then what are they doing?! The mythology is amazing, the worldbuilding stunning and the maps that Milla Vane has on her website have helped me understand their journeys. Though I would prefer to see them in the books, I hope this will happen in the future.
Absolutely amazing! And totally recommended!
About the author:
Meljean was raised in the middle of the woods, and hid under her blankets at night with fairy tales, comic books, and romances. She left the forest and went on a misguided tour through the world of accounting before focusing on her first loves, reading and writing-and she realized that monsters, superheroes, and happily-ever-afters are easily found between the covers, as well as under them, so she set out to make her own.
Meljean lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and daughter.
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