Ci sono autori ai quali non posso proprio dire di no. Una di questi è Terah Edun, un’autrice simpaticissima e sempre disponibilissima che è stata anche parte di alcuni dei miei giveaway più importanti (non perdetevi l’opportunità di vincere uno dei suoi libri, qui!). Sono ormai diventata una fan della sua serie “Courtlight” ed ero curiosissima dopo aver finito il secondo libro di iniziare il terzo (il quarto, Sworn to Secrecy, nonché ultimo della serie, uscirà a Febbraio 2014). Proprio per questo, sebbene oggi è il giorno della mia partenza, ho deciso di non posticipare la data del blog tour e questo post uscirà in “differita”.
Se non conoscete Terah, ecco le mie recensioni dei primi due libri della serie:
– Sworn to Raise (Courtlight #1);
– Sworn to Transfer (Courtlight #2).
Se non avete mai letto i primi due libri, questa recensione potrebbe contenere alcuni spoilers.
There are authors to whom I just can not say no. One of these is Terah Edun, a very nice and always advising author who was also part of some of my most important giveaway (do not miss the opportunity to win one of her books, here!). I’m now a fan of her “Courtlight” series and I was curious, after I finished the second book, to start the third (the fourth, Sworn to Secrecy, is the last in the series and i will be released in February 2014). For this reason, although today is the day of my departure, I decided not to postpone the date of the blog tour and this post will be released “delayed”.
If you do not know Terah’s books, here are my reviews of the first two books in the series:
– Sworn to Raise (Courtlight #1);
– Sworn to Transfer (Courtlight #2).
If you have not read the first two books, this review may contain some spoilers.
Title: Sworn to Conflict (Courtlight Series #3)
Author: Terah Edun
Date of Publication: December 6, 2013
Language: English
Source: Publisher E-ARC – Blog Tour
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Coming of Age
Ciardis Weathervane fought for the living dead and won. But worse than taking on a mass murderer, was her discovery that she had been deceived by her friends. Now she needs to not only fight a war in the North and survive, but also decide where she stands in the midst of competing sides.
A threat to all she holds dear lies in the North and her heart is not the only thing she might lose. A massive army awaits in the mountain pass, surging closer to the gates of the southern lands. Nothing the Algardis army has done so far has dissuaded their march forward and Ciardis finds out that her powers to enhance are needed now more than ever.
As she faces her greatest fears on the battlefields and her heart is torn between her love of Sebastian and loyalty to her family, Ciardis must choose her fate carefully. For in her path, lies the destiny of the empire.
This third novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Transfer.
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We had left Ciardis struggling with a victory against a formidable enemy, but also with new revelations about her family, who all had hidden until then. Suddenly, the girl finds herself catapulted into the icy and terrible North, at the front, near a camp of soldiers. Ciardis get there almost without realizing it in a state of confusion and delirium, which will lead Maris, her healer, to decided to let her rest in a state of deep sleep. All it will take three weeks to heal and, while she is recovering, the balance have changed and her own reputation was ruined. When she wakes up, she discovers that the general of that army is Barnaren Marcus, who knows Ciardis and that seems to hide something. But Sebastian, the Prince Heir, seems to have changed before her eyes: more angry, passionate and decidedly more adult.
Will Ciardis be able to forget what her friends (and in particular Sebastian) have hidden to her, to defend her actions and to help once again the Empire?
Read a series also means seeing growth in the characters that are part of it and establish a relationship with them, almost a friendship one. With Ciardis and Sebastian the same thing happened to me and I am happy that now in the third book is evident as they change. Ciardis has become a young woman extremely intelligent and capable, able to transform into the savior of the moment or act knowing that she can count only on herself. Sebastian, however, has become more aware of his role as Prince Heir, but he is determined to put always Ciardis in the first place. For this reason, I really liked the romantic turn of this novel, that is much clearer than the other books, and with the long-awaited kiss (YAYYYY!!!).
Many characters will return: in addition to the General Barnaren, we will see the brother of Ciardis, Lord Crassius, and Serena, the sponsor of Ciardis which will have a very important role at the end of the novel. But there are also new characters to become attached very quickly: Maris, the Chimera, who heals Ciardis and grows fond of her; Inga, a “frost giant” and a warrior in the army of General; Kane, the “bodyguard” of Ciardis.
The North is the landscape that serves as background to the whole story and I must say that the comparison with the cycle of “A Song of Ice and Fire” was almost inevitable. On the other hand, it is a very dangerous place where hordes of wild creatures are gathering to attack the kingdom and it is not just a coincidence that Ciardis is over there.
The fact that every time the story takes place in a different location is a great choice in my opinion. Not only create a vision of the world in which the characters live, but it changes the scenario in which they are accustomed to act, putting them in front of new challenges and events about which they know nothing.
In conclusion, “Sworn to Conflict” is a great novel with many twists and turns, some really shocking, that will keep you in suspense until the next book, the last one in this exciting fantasy series.
Rating: 
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In italiano
Leggere una serie significa anche vedere crescere i personaggi che ne fanno parte e instaurare con loro un rapporto quasi di amicizia. Con Ciardis e Sebastian mi è successa la stessa cosa e sono felice di come ora nel terzo libro sia evidente il loro cambiamento. Ciardis è diventata ormai una giovane donna estremamente intelligente e capace, in grado di trasformarsi nell’eroina del momento o di agire sapendo di poter contare solo su se stessa. Sebastian, invece, è diventato più consapevole del suo ruolo di principe ereditario, ma è deciso a mettere al primo posto sempre Ciardis. Proprio per questo, mi è piaciuta molto la svolta romantica di questo romanzo, molto più netta rispetto agli altri libri, e con il fatidico bacio (evvai!).
Torneranno numerosi personaggi: oltre al Generale Barnaren, rivedremo il fratello di Ciardis, Lord Crassius, e Serena, la sponsor di Ciardis che avrà un ruolo molto importante alla fine del romanzo. Però sono presenti anche nuovi personaggi a cui affezionarsi molto velocemente: Maris, la Chimera che guarisce Ciardis e si affeziona a lei; Inga, una “frost giant” e una guerriera nell’esercito del Generale; Kane, la guardia del corpo di Ciardis.
Il Nord è il paesaggio che fa da sfondo all’intera vicenda e devo dire che il raffronto con il ciclo delle “Cronache del ghiaccio e del fuoco” è stato quasi inevitabile. D’altronde si tratta di un luogo molto pericoloso in cui orde di creature selvagge si stanno radunando per attaccare il regno e non è proprio un caso che Ciardis sia finita lì.
Il fatto che ogni volta la vicenda si svolga in un luogo diverso è un’ottima scelta a mio avviso. Non solo crea una visione d’insieme del mondo in cui i personaggi vivono, ma cambia lo scenario entro cui gli stessi sono abituati ad agire, mettendoli davanti a nuove sfide e ad eventi di cui non sanno nulla.
Concludendo, un ottimo romanzo con numerosi colpi di scena, alcuni davvero sconvolgenti, che vi terrà col fiato sospeso fino al prossimo libro, l’ultimo di questa appassionante serie fantasy.
Voto:
About the Author
Terah Edun is a young adult fantasy writer born and raised in the Atlanta metropolitan area, who transplanted to the Northeast region for college, and has spent years living abroad in South Sudan and Morocco. She writes the stories that she always loved to read as a young girl.
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