Kirsten Reviews: The Dog in the Dark by Barb & J.C. Hendee
The Dog in the Dark by Barb & J.C. Hendee
Noble Dead Saga: Series 3 #2
Barely escaping the city of Calm Seatt — and the elven assassins hunting them — Magiere, Leesil, and the elven dog Chap sail south in their quest to find the powerful orb of Air before their enemies do. But they are not alone, much to their frustration.
The aging elven assassin, Brot’an, has forced himself on them by offering his protection for Magiere from enemies among his own caste. Chap doesn’t believe this ruse and seeks to uncover the assassin’s true agenda — as well as the cause of the secret civil war that has erupted into the open among Brot'an's people.
Meanwhile Magiere is struggling with her own dark nature, using Leesil’s love as an anchor to keep her grounded. For the personal price she paid to procure the orb of Fire up in the northern “Wastes” was more than she thought — and more than she wants to reveal to anyone else.
But that is exactly what the cunning Brot’an wants to know. And he is willing to do whatever it takes — even if he must reveal his own dreaded secrets that may cost the entire party their lives.
The Dog in the Dark is the newest novel in the Noble Dead series by Barb and J.C. Hendee.
With a vampire/human hybrid at the forefront of this novel, the story continues to get more complex, and motives, as well as the plot grow darker, moving this book further into the morally gray areas of fantasy.
Fleeing for their lives, and with assassins on their trail, Magiere, Leesil, and Chap are once again searching for a powerful orb, that of Air, in hopes of finding it before their enemies use it to start a war, the likes of which has split the loyalties of Bro’tan’s people. They are especially intent on doing so, as Bro’tan has insisted on traveling with them, seemingly to help them in their quest. But, his motives center more on the price that Magiere paid in handling the orb of Fire. The assassin has his own secrets, and the more he presses Magiere, the more obvious it is that her control is tenuous at best, and it’s only Leesil’s feelings for her that are keeping her in check. Of them all, Bro’tan is at least forthright about wanting to reach his goals, even if there are things that he shares only reluctantly.
On top of all this, they’re also being pursued by the Loyalists of the Most Aged Father, who are out to get them for their holy mission, as well as to settle personal grievances with the group. The book does a good job of making readers think twice about characters and their motivations, and raises the stakes both personally, and for the entire world.
However, although this book is filled with action, and characters that are facing their own struggles, and also external obstacles, it has many more flashbacks than are necessary, and they slow the pace down dramatically. Summed up, a strong addition to the series, but new readers should start from the beginning to better appreciate the scope of the series and character development.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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Previous Books:
- Between Their Worlds
