Review: Talonsphere (Legends of Marithia #3)

Talonsphere

Series: Legends of Marithia, Book #3

by Peter Koevari

(Legends of Marithia 3 can be read in its own right or in sequence in the Legends of Marithia series) The glowing stronghold of Marithian resistance, Greenhaven, has been recaptured from the Forces of Darkness in a victory overshadowed by a dark secret's revalation. Vampire-sorceress Kassina is hell-bent on seeing out the Blood Red Moon prophecy and enact a grim conclusion to the world as they know it. As the realm of the underworld merges with Marithia, the Lord of Darkness, Shindar, is ever closer to marching into Marithia with his army. Prince Vartan must walk his fated path and seek out Talonsphere, the ultimate weapon that will save them all that resides in the elusive location, Daessar. He is aided by the legendary dragons, a woman from the stars, a demon hunter, and a trusted knight. Everything they fought for has led to this moment, and the gods watch from the stars above as the prophecies collide. Who will be left standing?

Peter Koevari is a writer that holds fantasy dearly close to his heart. From an early age, he was immersed in all media of fantasy that he could get his hands on. Memories of movies such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Star Wars, Conan, The Last Starfighter, The Princess Bride, and many more are cherished memories of fantasy nostalgia.

Peter’s hunger for storytelling was growing from a young age. Feeding off movies, video games, and books, the hunger had never been quenched. There was a yearning for something, as if he was enchanted by a spell and did not know how to release it.
The worlds held inside his imagination had to be shared with readers of the world.

It took over 10 long years to unlock the doors to worlds such as Marithia, and to pen them into books to share with anyone willing to travel to his worlds, but once he found the key and began to write… everything made sense.
Peter’s writing will surprise you, may shock you and take your emotions by its talons, but will transport your mind into a world of fantasy like you have never read before.

It is always difficult to review books that are part of a series without giving spoilers, but as always, I will keep it spoiler-free, and hopefully convince you to give Peter Koevari's books a try.

Before my feelings get all over the place, let me warn you that this series is intended for adults, as it contains violence, sex and a Dark Fantasy theme in general.

I also feel obliged to let you know that after reading and reviewing the first two books in the series, I have become friends with the author, and actually proofread most of the novel years ago, before the first two books in the series were re-edited. There's also a new character in this third book named after me and based on my personality. However, I believe this doesn't influence my rating in any way, nor does it mean I will start praising it for reasons other than its awesomeness.

Since I've read the second book in the series around 2 and a half years ago, I was afraid at first that I wouldn't remember all the characters and plot. The good thing though, is that the book was written so that it could be written on its own, which was perfect, as there are quite a few new characters in it, with old characters being reintroduced.

Legends of Marithia - Talonsphere tells the story of Prince Vartan, who is ready to follow his destiny and give up anything to save Marithia from Shindar, the Lord of Darkness, who plans to take over the world. While powerful and all that, he is banished in the Underworld, and Kassina, vampire and sorceress, acts in his name. Apart from elves, dragons, seers, gods, demons and skeletons, which are present in the previous installments, the book also introduces new creatures, my favourites being the mermaids. Oh, and we also have pirates.

The first part of the book is a little bit slow (as in lacking of battles and deaths), but as you know from previous reviews of mine, I actually like that in Fantasy books, as long as it has a purpose for my understanding of the fictional world. But after a while, I had to buckle up because it gets so action-packed, full of surprises and plot twists that you have to stop and take it all in.

I must admit, there was a certain battle in which a certain character dies and I found it so frustrating and unfair, knowing it was necessary for the main character to fully embrace his mission, but I somehow felt it was a pointless, pointless death other than for the plot, and it was the only thing I disliked about the book. Reading more and nearing the ending, I realised what I thought was the author pulling the strings for the plot's sake was actually... not quite true. Someone other was pulling them.

It was also the reason I decided I'll rate it 5 stars instead of 4. But I'll let you discover that as hopefully, I've convinced you to start (or continue) the series - which doesn't end here.