WAKE OF SINS is the fifth book in the completed THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS SERIES by Catrin Russell. It is the one before last in the series and, as always, how do you give details without spoilers? I’ll try to keep close to the edge but if there’s a little TMI in here, forgive me, but I’m so in love with the story and all its characters.
It begins with a court intrigue, moves on to the happy main couple, Anaya, a light wielding High Priestess, and former arch enemy, now doting husband, Panther Prime and powerful patriarch, Samael. And their son is just so cute! But there’s also teenager Lee who doesn’t know who his father is but is trained by Samael for the Obsidian Trials, sweet as pie, not only Anaya's servant but also her son Aaron’s favourite ride. And I suspect he’s got a crush on a certain tailor-cum-spy.
The Unn are no more, except innocent Nia, her lover Gus and young Jason. Nia agrees to a special mission in order to save the man she loves and he and Jason, in turn, try to help Edric put together the puzzle pieces of his past. (You can read Edric's tragic, dark backstory in The Redeemed.)
And there are my personal favourite characters, Lilith, the headstrong former matriarch, now retired, but still keeping a tab on everything. She is Samael's mother and dotes on her grandson. I love empowered mature women in fiction and this panther peeress is definitely a prime example of it. You’ve just got to love her!
The second is an older male character but somewhat younger still than Lilith and that is Kaedin, a high priest who loves horses, is a former knight whom the king wants desperately back in his service but stays in the priesthood, and he’s just the perfect mix of power, intelligence, strength, wisdom and experience, and hmm-hmmm! Sexy!!! Yes, Kaedin is totally the kind of warrior that makes me go weak at the knees. I’m not the only one but read it for yourself.
There is lots more going on, more people joining the plot, more adventure, intrigue, battle and cunning. But I don’t want to put in any spoilers. Just a word of warning: If you can’t follow a complex plot with complex and varied characters, this is NOT for you. It’s okay. Not everyone has the same mental capacities and can read and discern subtext. It’s sub-tle, after all. So be warned.
The author writes in beautiful style that is different to but can totally hold its own beside the big names of high and epic fantasy. And her storytelling has the added bonus that there’s lots of romance to go with it, all woven perfectly into the storyline. (For the puritans, beware, there are on-page love scenes.)
I’m not ashamed to proclaim that this author has grown on me so much over the course of this absolutely fantastic series that she is now my favourite fantasy author ever!
And even though there isn’t a cliffhanger as such, there are enough open strands that make me wring my hands with impatience to lay my hands on the final installment of this series, The Thousand Year Divide, so I’ll finally be able to piece all these puzzle parts together. Good thing, I only have to walk up to my bookshelf where it’s already waiting for me.
A last piece of advice I’d like to provide you with is a list of items to keep handy:
a bottle of something strong
tissues – lots of them – a play sword
painkillers
and free hands to hold your belly or massage your jaw.
a healthy smoothie to combat an extended book hangover may come in useful as well
This book has made me laugh out loud, shed tears, hold my breath, relax, shoot to the edge of my seat... You want an emotion, no matter which, the author delivers! And you’ll love every moment of that ride. I did. And now I’m looking forward to reading Book 6, The Thousand Year Divide next!
Books by Catrin Russell
A KINGDOM SCARRED SERIES
DARKNESS DIVIDED SERIES
Deathfall Wraith (Prequel 1)
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Catrin Russell is a Fantasy and Romance author from northern Sweden. Her books are all written in English and are mainly part of the Epic and High Fantasy Genre. However, she does use influences from Dark Fantasy, and a touch of Fantasy Romance.
Growing up outside a small town, basically in the middle of nowhere, Catrin eventually moved to Stockholm, where she studied computer game development and design. Meeting her soon-to-become husband online, she lived outside of London for the best parts of a year, before finally settling down in Piteå, back in Sweden. Since then, three children and two dogs have joined the family.
With a background in design and holding a degree as a registered nurse, she writes novels in medieval settings, with plenty of action and romance. She often brings moral struggles, or highlights issues in society, into her writing. Another subject that is often highlighted is mental health.
Catrin also creates concept art, bringing her characters to life on the screen, and her own cover designs, much of which can be seen on her social media pages.
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