Rating: 5 (A recommended read)
Gharek of Cabast is The Spider of Empire’s cat’s paw, a
henchman who dutifully fulfills his mistress’s every malicious demand. He is a
wanted man now that the Empress is dead. Gharek hunts for the one woman he
feels betrayed both him and his daughter. He finds Siora, but he also stumbles
across something much more malevolent than his former employer. Gharek and
Siora become unlikely allies to not only evade the evil creature but to
retrieve a certain magical artifact. Can Gharek learn to let go of his need for
vengeance? Or will he lose far more than what he bargained for?
Siora is a shade speaker, a person with the ability to
see and to communicate with ghosts. She is the former nursemaid to Gharek’s
young daughter. She tries desperately to outrun her previous employer, but she
notices something sinister is devouring ghosts. Now its attention focuses right
on Gharek and certain other living beings. To safeguard him and the dead, Siora
offers to help Gharek retrieve a certain magical relic. She cannot ignore the
hold the cat’s paw has on her. Will Siora embrace her full potential? Can she
defeat the evil entity bent on destroying the world?
I am so pleased that Gharek got redeemed. He deserves it!
The past two books show Gharek is not inherently evil, just a desperate man
forced to do unforgivable acts to insure his daughter’s well-being and
protection. I admire Gharek for never once forgetting the atrocities he has committed.
He does not fault his victims nor their families for their hatred of him.
Gharek also believes he does not deserve forgiveness or redemption. What I
adore the most about Gharek is his parental love towards his daughter. He knows
how the world, with its ugliness and cruelty, would treat her because of her
deformity. Gharek wants nothing more than to shield Estred from all that
negativity.
Siora is a woman who believes in doing the right thing
despite the consequences and her circumstances. I kind of sensed there may have
been something brewing between her and Gharek in the previous book. I have no
objections because I feel they counterbalance each other nicely. I
adore how Siora interacted with Estred. She did not see a deformed child but a
delightful girl full of innocence and curiosity. Siora loved Estred as if the
girl were her own. What I admire the most about Siora is how she saw the man
beneath the mantle of cat’s paw. Siora may not have approved of his methods,
but she understood what drove Gharek to do the things he had done.
RAVEN UNVEILED is the third book in Grace Draven’s
fantasy romance series, FALLEN EMPIRE. I would not recommend reading this book
before the previous two. The first novel sets up the author’s fascinating world
and its outlook on magic and politics. This story takes place during the
aftermath of all that transpired from the prior novels. There were some events
I had forgotten, but the author does a wonderful job of refreshing the
important events.
I adore how Malachus, Halani, and the free traders from
DRAGON UNLEASHED, book two, play a significant role. It was wonderful
revisiting with them again. I also like that the author did not neglect Gilene
and Azarion, the couple from PHOENIX UNBOUND. They may not have made an appearance
in the story, but they are loosely referred to.
RAVEN UNVEILED is an epic fantasy enemies-to-lovers tale
of forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption. Grace Draven has this knack of
appeasing my high fantasy needs. I cannot get enough of this series! I hope
this is not the last adventure in the collapsing Krael Empire.
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