Covenant of Queens by Silvia Shaw is the high fantasy adventure conclusion to the Imperial Rand trilogy.
Archaeologist Savannah Cole, suddenly bound to the Circle of Sheda on a dig in the desert is transported unexpectedly from Earth to Rand in the first book of the series. She must learn about her new magical home, her role as the Chosen One, and survive the fierce Commander Pela. The second book ups the ante as the world prepares for an invasion and the Chosen One must navigate the many political and personal complications in her new world. Savannah and Pela must somehow bring everyone together without tearing apart their own relationship.
In this conclusion to the series, Savannah and Pela and a host of new characters battle foes across the world as she races to completely learn the full extent of her powers and discover the secret to the mysterious new third moon in the night sky. If she and Pela cannot marshal Rand’s forces, the entire world will be lost. The battles become more personal and more dangerous, creating a possibly untenable strain on her bond with the fierce commander.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
The third book of the series introduces even more new characters, places, situations, and magical creatures. It’s not absolutely necessary to have read the first two books to dive into the world of Rand, but it would be a lot easier to know who everyone is before encountering even more. Language helps ease the reader’s way. The author uses a sort of fantasy lite style that isn’t heavy handed and at times reads almost like a children’s fairy tale. This is the most magical of the three books, with loads of dangerous creatures, and seriously evil evildoers.
Slow burn romance continues, this time between warrior queen Lilybeth of Beria and the powerful Guardian of the north, Countess Gladofin. They both hide their emotional hurts from the world at large and have waited a very long time to find true love. Each book features a sweet and satisfying romance, though it is never the main focus of the plot. I found myself rooting for everyone who finds their true love in all the books, but it was especially satisfying in Covenant.
All the queens of Rand are powerful and fiercely independent and need to work together to stop the relentless foe. Navigating their personalities and political needs is something Savannah mostly leaves to others this time as she travels the world searching for the right time and place to stop the enemy. She is powerful in her own right now, and she needs every bit of that power to get through many scrapes. She faces a wildly varied series of monsters along the way, and I never got tired of reading how she managed to get through yet another dangerous tangle, or solve yet another mystery.
The author doesn’t let the reader forget about Savannah and Pela’s passion for each other, though they don’t spend a lot of time together in this book. That’s a shame, because I really like this couple, especially how Savanna causes Pela to melt. This may be the most impressive thing about Savannah to the people of Rand, because they are universally afraid of her wrath. It’s a bit of a running joke in a book that has little humor otherwise.
Cons And Heads Up
There are many battle scenes, so descriptions of violence and people do get hurt or killed.
The Conclusion
I found this book to be a solid fantasy adventure. The traditional heavy hitters, elves and dwarves, are in the book but not as main characters. The author has created a whole new fantasy world of geopolitical intrigue, history and customs, and various magical creatures. After reading these books I feel like I could live on Rand, though I think I would stay away from Savannah because trouble seems to follow her. There’s never a dull moment, and if you like to read about heroes fighting magical battles then this is a good choice.
Excerpt from Covenant of Queens by Silvia Shaw
When Gladofin said, “I’d better get back to work,”Lilybeth felt a wave of remorse. The Countess hadn’t been anything but kind to her, nursing her through her injury. And whatever herbs she’d put on the wound, Lilybeth had remarkably little pain now.
But before she could say something to mend the rift, a dumpy woman in her fifties with corkscrew curls burst into the hall. “I was reading one of the scullery maid’s fortunes, Your Gracious … sorry, luv, I meant Majesty, and was in a trance to see who she fancied, when I saw ‘em,” she panted out.
“Calm down, Esme,” Lilybeth said soothingly. “What did you see?”
“Crows. Five of the little black bastards. They were staring at a woman in a red dress.”
“What did she look like?” Gladofin interrupted sharply.
Esme looked at her slyly. “She aint got your class, Countess. She was fairly burstin’ outa the dress. Let’s just say she’d be more at home in one of them houses of ill-repute. A fancy one though. She wouldn’t be cheap.”
Lilybeth looked at Gladofin who mouthed, “Reagan.”
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Imperial Rand
Forgotten Realms
Covenant of Queens
Bits and Bobs
AISN number: B0BDQCWZKH
Publisher: Indie Author
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