Veena’s review of Shadow’s End (The Elder Races, Book 9) by Thea Harrison
Paranormal Romance published by Berkeley 01 Dec 15
Pia and Dragos remain my all-time favorite of all the characters in this series. It is wonderful to come back to New York, the heart of the Wyr demesne, and catch up on what’s happening with my favorite Wyrs, while Graydon gets his HEA. Ever since we met Gray, we’ve known there’s something in his past which as it happens is hundreds of years in the making. Fortunately the author is able to cover the spectrum of the years with a stroke of her pen and takes us back in time to the beginning of the story and then quickly fast forwards us to the present, weaving in threads and characters from several of the stories in the series for a stunning conclusion.
Gray is a powerful personage in his own right, but, even so, Beluviel consort to the Elven high lord is way above his touch. Their first meeting inspires feelings within him that his friends warn him can go nowhere because of who she is, but hearts forge their own path regardless of will and mind. A simple errand of friendship, as he escorts her on a journey to rescue her stepson, brings him a love that will be doomed for centuries and an enemy who will haunt him during that time.
In the present day the situation has changed such that the stepson is now the Elven high lord after the events in Lord’s Fall which leave Beluviel’s consort dead. It would seem that Beluviel, if she chooses, could embrace Gray now, but there is still the case of the mistrust between the elves and the Wyr, as well as the binding of the Djinn Malphas that stands in the way. Malphas needs to be neutralized before he can do more damage, not just to Beluviel and Gray but to all of the Elder races through the new Elven high lord, whose soul he owns. As New York gets ready to celebrate the busy Masque season, Gray calls in his markers and sets into motion events to eliminate Malphas under the cover of the festivities.
Reader, beware if you are new to the series or have missed books in the series that might be pertinent to the characters who form Gray’s army. You might feel a little lost and miss the full impact of the back stories that lead to this day for each of these characters as they bring their own unique strength and back history to the planning and execution of one of the most dangerous battles fought in the Elder series.
As is true of most battles, the aftermath is painful as much for the victor as for the loser, repercussions of this will be felt in this world for books to come. On the bright side, Beluviel is definitely transforming the Wyr tower into a place of natural beauty, while Peanut is coming into his own. I don’t think I’m quite ready for Peanut to grow up and get his own romance, but things are definitely a changing…
Grade: A
Summary:
For Beluviel, consort to the Elven High Lord, and Graydon, gryphon and First Sentinel of the Wyr, even the slightest desire for each other is forbidden. But two hundred years ago, after a desperate play to save Beluviel’s stepson left them indebted to the cruel Djinn Malphas, they found their fates inexorably linked together—and the hunger between them growing too strong to ignore…
Two centuries later, with their debt to Malphas coming due, Beluviel and Graydon realize that, if they are to stand any chance of saving their souls, they must once again work together—this time more closely than ever before. But every moment they spend with each other brings them nearer to losing something even more vital—their hearts…
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