Note: If you haven’t read the first two books, Draykon and Lokant, there are some minor spoilers in this post.

“War has broken out between the humans of the Seven Realms and the long-lost draykoni race. Llandry’s home city is under attack, its defenders scrambling to find a way to fight the draykon enemy. The outcome of the conflict seems certain – until the draykoni vanish. Where could they have gone, and why?

Lady Eva Glostrum is convinced that this means bad news. The Lokant sorcerer Krays is still at large, and his mysterious projects centre on her world – and the draykoni. Could he have something to do with their disappearance? If so, why? And what will it mean for the Seven Realms when the draykoni come back?

As Llandry fights to defend her home, Eva sets out in pursuit of Krays. Determined to learn the truth, she’ll go to any lengths to prevent him from damaging the Seven. Her quest will take her right into the heart of Krays’ Library – and there she will uncover another long-kept secret.”

Orlind begins a mere few days after all the twists and turns in Lokant – we are greeted by familiar characters and thrust immediately into the story. It is quite fast paced and though the war between the draykoni and humans is a primary focus, it plays out more like a mystery than your typical epic fantasy. It’s less about numbers or finding that perfect weapon and more about discovering all the little pieces in a very important puzzle. For the most part, all the things you thought you knew in Lokant were true; you just didn’t have all the information to piece it together. In Orlind you discover that information and sooooo much more.

Over the three books Eva seems to take on a gradually more important role and I found that at some point she ousted Llandry as the focal character. It seemed to me that she had the biggest role to play and without her the story would not have been as lively as it was. I found myself wishing to know more about a few of the other characters; Pensould and Devary to name two. The lack didn’t detract from the story, it’s just a readers wish to delve even deeper into a few characters she found quite intriguing.

In Orlind we cross even further into the steampunk/science fiction universe. There is much more in the way of technology and one or two things which I can’t tell you about that practically jump up and down shouting “HEY I’M SCI-FI!!!” – Don’t worry though, if you’re more of a fantasy buff you’ll like it anyway!

For a tiny clue, take a good look at the cover image at the top of this post. ;) You can click on it to view it larger. The cover is stunning, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed. It was only released yesterday, perfect timing for my review — I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled I was about that particular detail! As with the previous two covers, this one is stunning. It’ll definitely attract all those who never learnt the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ lesson. (I must admit… I am rather guilty of that myself.)

If you don’t like to start a series until it has all been written, it is time for you start reading this one! I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot and the big final twist was cleverly done and ties everything up with a lovely shimmering bow. If you enjoy endings that leave you content and with a smile on your face; the Draykon series is a must-try!

You can find Orlind on Smashwords (with formats for any ebook) and Amazon (US and UK). It will make its way to Barnes & Noble and Kobo Books over the next few weeks, unfortunately they always take a little bit longer!

You can also find a great review on Ritesh Kala’s Book Reviews. He’s featuring ‘Orlind’ for the whole week and is even hosting a giveaway; be sure to stop by and enter!

/5