Veena’s review of Spellbinder (Moonshadow, Book 2) by Thea Harrison
Romantic Fantasy published by Amazon Digital Services 19 Jul 17
This story is as spellbinding as the title with its eclectic mix of Arthurian legends and Midsummer Night’s Dream featuring characters like Oberon, Isabeau, Morgan Le Fae, Mordred, and Puck in interestingly different characters. Sidonie Martel is human with no discernable magic, except she makes music that make the Gods weep. Read on to see what happens when a human decides to take a stand against magic.
After the debacle which leaves the hellhounds defeated at the end of Moonshadow, Morgan retires to a small town to hide and heal, where he finds himself at a Sidonie Martel concert. Her music is like a light that pierces the darkness that shrouds his soul. Unfortunately for Morgan, his interest in Sidonie has been noted and she becomes the perfect tool to galvanize him to action against the light court. Perhaps even more unfortunate for Sidonie, she finds herself kidnapped from her world and transplanted into the court of the Light Fae and at the mercy of Queen Isabeau and her lover Mordred.
Resourceful Sidonie manages to escape from her prison and offer the queen a musical treat as a bargain for her freedom. Morgan’s help and healing has had a strong emotional impact on her, quickly turning into lust if not love. Puck also quickly learns of the truth behind Morgan’s actions and becomes an ally to Morgan and Sidonie, helping Morgan hide while Sidonie enchants the queen and the court with her beautiful rendering of modern tunes on a classical lute. Clearly, while it’s a love story with a happy ending, the path to love is not smooth and there will be some interesting trials before Morgan and Sidonie can win free.
Sidonie is a delightful, three dimensional, complex character. I love how she uses words and phraseology in a magical world to bargain for what she needs, whether it be with the God Azrael, or the Djinns, who come to enjoy her music, or with the queen when offered a bond. The encounter with the Wyr, Lord Cuelebre, is very interesting and leaves some questions that I hope the author will answer soon.
A page turner with a very interesting twist on Arthurian legend.
Grade: A
Summary:
From author Thea Harrison comes the latest story in the New York Times bestselling Moonshadow trilogy….
Kidnapped while on tour, musician Sidonie Martel is transported to the mystical land of Avalon. A human without magical ability, she is completely vulnerable to the deadly forces surrounding her.
When she defies her captors and refuses to share her music, an act of violent cruelty leaves her broken, her ability to play silenced, maybe forever. Her only hope is a whisper in the dark, gentle hands that offer healing, and a man who refuses to show her his face yet who offers advice she dare not ignore.
One of the most feared and powerful sorcerers in history, Morgan le Fae serves a Queen he despises, Isabeau of the Light Court. Once a famous bard and an advisor to kings, Morgan has been enslaved to Isabeau for hundreds of years, acting as enforcer and the commander of her deadly Hounds.
Sidonie’s music touches Morgan in places he had abandoned centuries ago, and her fiery spirit resurrects feelings he had believed long dead. For Sidonie, trapped in captivity, passion offers a comfort she cannot resist.
But Isabeau holds Morgan bound in magical chains that only Death can break. And in the court of a cruel, jealous Queen, the only thing that burns hotter than love is revenge…
Other books in this series:
