Traitor to the Blood

Traitor to the Blood

Barb & J.C. Hendee

Series or Stand Alone: Noble Dead series, book four

Release Date: January 2007

Publisher: Roc

Pages: 416

Author Site: http://www.nobledead.com/

My Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Received from Paperbackswap.com

Synopsis [goodreads.com]:

Born a half-breed to an elven mother and human father, Leesil was raised in the Warlands as assassin, spy, and slave for Lord Darmouth, ruler of an independent province. But Leesil's mother trained him well, and he used his skills to escape, leaving his parents to suffer Darmouth's wrath for all such traitors and their kin. Now with newfound purpose in the company of his beloved Magiere, Leesil returns to confront the sins of his past and uncover his parents' fate. Unable to turn him from this dangerous course, Magiere follows Leesil into the darkness of his past in the Warlands. Knowing what may happen should Darmouth learn of Leesil's return, she is prepared to slaughter any who try to take him from her. But Magiere's own past may well pose a more deadly threat. Two creatures of unfathomable power continue to stalk her - one who believes she's the key to his salvation, and one who seeks to destroy her...and all those she loves.

Review:

**Caution: This review may contain minor spoilers...

Leesil and Magiere have moved the troop towards the Warlands under the nose of Leesil's former master Lord Dartmouth. Leesil is determined to find out what happened to his parents after escaping his enslavement so many years ago. But his past actions continue to haunt him as he slowly uncovers the fate of his family. Meanwhile, Magiere struggles to watch Leesil's personality whither away each day. The atmosphere of the book is definitely more dark and violent which is fitting. I enjoy the fact that the Magiere and Leesil are equals in their relationship. Their bond is more on a scale of companions and/or "mates", if I could be so bold as to use that term, with hardly no emphasis on the romantic side.

I'm kind of sad that Chap's character is developing the way it currently is. I really love Chap but the fact that he is what he is is garnering a different kind of attitude from the rest of the company. I find it disappointing that he is treated the way he is although I understand both Magiere's and especially Leesil's feelings of betrayal. I happen to like Wynn the more I read about her. She is certainly no Magiere but she is definitely developing somewhat of a backbone and standing up for herself. I'm extremely curious to see how her and Chane's relationship develops and if it indeed does at all. Welsteil's character feels like a drag at times. His ongoing journey of trailing the team has become quite dull and I'm very read for it to pick up again...

I've come to really enjoy this series. However, I had some trouble getting into this installment. It dragged at times and there were just some passages that were longer than necessary. Despite that though, the ending really picked up in my opinion. And honestly I just can't help but continue on with these books! As a whole, I just love the characters and enjoy discovering new details about them and their pasts. While I do miss the romance found in other books, this dark fantasy series concentrates more on the action and relationships between ALL characters. The ending set up nicely for the next book in the series and I'm excited about starting it. Although TRAITOR TO THE BLOOD wasn't my favorite out of the bunch, the book certainly had some great elements to it.