Book Title: The Seer’s Secret
Author: Brittany Fichter
Book Series: Legacy of the Time Stones (Trilogy)
Spoilers Ahead!
A curse has settled upon the land. It has turned the sun poisonous. So people have sought shelter and safety underground. In the Walled City, the last humans have created a refuge using shafts of light to grow their food-plants which are tended only at night. Outside the city, monstrous creatures still prowl the land. To guard the people against their attacks, warriors train in the citadel.
Eirin is one such individual. Selected when she was young, Eirin has spent the past 12 years training with the city’s most promising warriors. Learning how to protect herself and the other inhabitants of the city. Only Eirin is not a good warrior. Compared with those around her, she is weak, unskilled and a liability. It is only her position as the King’s favourite that has kept her in the citadel. With her final tests coming soon, Eirin knows she will fail and finally return to live with her family. At least that is the future she sees.
Recent attacks on the city by the shape-shifting monsters have whispered secrets. Seer, they said. Eirin doesn’t know what that means. She doesn’t know a lot. Like why the King has kept such a weak warrior at the citadel all these years. Or the worry Eirin’s mother has about the unborn baby. Things become even more confusing when the King calles Eirin to him. In a sudden motion, the King sends Eirin, his Heir, Drystan and several other warriors from the city and into the dying lands beyond. The King promises an answer to the unlikely group, if they can find one old woman living beyond the safety of the city’s walls.
Eirin and Drystan are the two protagonists throughout the story. Their past is complicated by some undisclosed incident that happened six years earlier. Their presence is made more challenging by the King’s order for Drystan to protect Eirin at all costs.
Added to the mix are Drystan’s best friend and long-time companion, Qeb. From Eirin’s year group are Alys, Eirin’s best friend, Nuru, Eirin’s nemesis, and Thane, a promising warrior. Mistress Alanna is the adult of the party, in that she has experience outside the city walls.
Of course leaving the city is a challenge. The world beyond is not what our party of explorers expect. It is both more and less dangerous than they had been told. There are people out there, shape-shifters, who are not evil. In fact it is only once they leave the city the greatest secret is revealed, our heroes are not human. They are the monsters they have sworn to destroy. It was a well set up plot twist that made sense to the story. That along with how they deal with the sun-sickness I thought was really interesting.
The evolution of the relationship between Eirin and Drystan was enjoyable to read. It was a predictable romance, but still well written for the most part. The twist about Drystan’s parents was not specifically expected, but nor did it feel out of place. Learning that Eirin was the only human worked well with the setup of the story.
The other thing I thought was pretty interesting was the choice of shape-shifters. Literally every mythological creature the author has heard of is present. From the English Fae to Japanese kitsune. There are your standard greek creatures and Thunderbirds from North American First Nations. While I like the eclectic mix of species, I preferred when everything was renamed to something different. At least, I thought it was odd when the names shifted from Alfar to Elf.
My biggest complaint with the story was the pacing. It had a strong and interesting start heavy with world exploration and mystery. The ending is more muddled and drawn out. There is no clear climax. There is a big emotional punch when Drystan learns that Alanna is his mother, moments before she dies. The remaining members of their small party are sent back to the Walled City, while Eirin and Drystan escape on the back of a dragon.
Only the story continues with Eirin and Drystan heading west, then getting caught by the people from their home, then imprisoned, then escaping – but not before some more exposition can explain what is happening. I get the importance of explanations, and while the section could have been interesting, it felt more like a waste of time after everything that came before. Finally, Eirin and Drystan escape the city and the Elders who have decided to focus on amassing power and control rather than correcting the curse. And yet, we are not done until Drystan battles the city’s elite warriors, turns into a dragon and more of Eirin’s yearmates join the pair in their escape. In the attempt to pack the ending full of twists, exposures and conclusions, it dragged and lost its emotional punch.
While I am kind of curious to know how the curse is lifted, I am not excited about the next book. This is a trilogy according to the title. From what has happened in this book, the next is shaping up to be the traditional book of betrayal. A conflict in perspective, a few new characters and I foresee the fracturing of friendships (and the budding romance) between Eirin and Drystan. This rift could potentially expand to Eirin and the rest of their party too – after all she is the only true human in the group. She will likely make many friends with other true humans, jealousy will arise, motivations will be questioned, friendships will break. Of course, most of this will be overcome in book three.
So, while I did like the book – giving it 4 stars out of 5, I am not waiting with high anticipation for the next novel. I might read it. I might not. It is difficult to say at this point.