Archives: Book Reviews

In Amyrantha, power is given to the immortal Tide Lords by the rising of the Tide. Coming in at book three, I’m not sure if the Tide is literal as well as figurative, but with it only rising every thousand years Amyranthan mortals have plenty of time to forget their Lords’ very existence. Possibly because of this, most of the Tide Lords are thoroughly unlikeable as they lie and scheme their way back into power with the aid of their magically-compelled servants, the intriguing (and difficult to picture) canine, feline and reptilian Crasii. Each of the Tide Lords wants to find the Chaos Crystal, stolen long ago by the Cabal of the Tarot, in order to control the Tide - but Cayal the Immortal Prince wants to use it to die.
 
Book 3 is primarily concerned with the fortunes of Arkady Desean, a mortal woman having an unpleasantly eventful life as the focus of at least two immortals’ obsession. Also caught in the web are Warlock and Boots, two canine Scards - Crasii who somehow have free will - recruited by the Cabal to infiltrate the Tide Lords.  The story roller-coasters along, shifting point of view from chapter to chapter, but after 580 pages of immortal intrigue and bickering, I hope either the Cabal or Cayal manages to kill them all in book four.

review by Deb Alvers