Synopsis:
Ominous Omens
Daemus, a low Keeper of the Cathedral of the Watchful Eye, isn’t the only one having visions. His nightmares speak of the ageless sorcerer, Vorodin, who may be able to help. But the answers he seeks may bring him—and the realm—to the brink of war.
Elven princess, Addilyn Elspeth, must discover why she’s receiving visitations from a mysterious creature that shouldn’t exist. She combines forces with Daemus on their harrowing journey to the scholar city of Abacus, where Vorodin’s Lair awaits.
A Plot of Revenge
Their powerful adversary and fallen Keeper, Graytorris the Mad, continues to chase the young Keeper throughout the realm, seeking vengeance against his order while trying to find a cure for his own affliction.
Explore the realm of Warminster, as fantasy and magic mixes with epic adventure and romance. Omens, battles and plot twists await you in the pages of Vorodin’s Lair.
Have you read The Last Keeper, Book 1 of the Warminster series? No? Go read it right now and then come back to this because this review will contact spoilers for the first book.
Read it? Ok, good. Now you can read this review for book 2.
Vorodin’s Lair picks up right where The Last Keeper left off. Faux and Arjun are in jail with a death sentence hanging over their heads. To secure their freedom, they are given the chance to protect Daemus and secure the help of a neighboring ruler.
At the same time, Prince Montgomery is sent elsewhere to secure more allies for Thronehelm, as war is officially declared with the recent defectors.
There are multiple threads of the plot happening in various places to different characters. I started to feel like this novel was going in a similar direction as The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire series have, with so many characters, POV’s and subplots going on that the story doesn’t really move forward. Although I wouldn’t say that I was bored or that I dislike any particular character as to not want to read their POV, there were times when I wish the story stayed with some of the more central characters. Most of all, as a reader, I don’t always want to know everything that is going on. Not knowing what is happening with the bad guys can enhance the plot in a different way.
That being said, it would also been seen as a positive. Yes, I occasionally forgot that other characters existed as I was reading about a different set, but that is more likely because the writing is so good that the reader gets sucked into what is happening in the moment and everything else fades to the background.
J.V. Hilliard has such amazing descriptive skills in his writing, especially during battle scenes, that it’s impossible to put this book down. I felt like my heart was in my throat at times. Deaths can occur so suddenly and I just kept hoping the ones I liked most wouldn’t be the next to die.
I truly look forward to the next installment in this series and to see how the story continues on.
My rating for Vorodin’s Lair is 4 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it to all lovers of fantasy, just don’t forget to read The Last Keeper first.
I’d like to thank the author, J.V. Hilliard for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and this review was 100% written by me.
Thanks for reading!