Author Allen M Werner

(Perhaps a few spoilers. You’ve been warned) I read Lord of Snow and Shadows (The Tears of Artamon Book 1) by Sarah Ash before and had been meaning to read book 2, but I wasn’t sure why I wanted to read book 2 since I rated this book a 3/5 the first time around. I decided to re-read it again and give it a real review this time.

I understand the 3/5 rating now although it’s probably more like a 3.5/5. not quite a 4. Here’s why.

The first time I read this book, I remember I had difficulty understanding the political world. It’s not a complicated world but reading it a second time made a lot more sense. I still don’t think it was fleshed out well. The leaders, nations, and intrigues. Perhaps that is just me, but I thought it could have been handled better.

The story begins with a simple young painter named Gavril Andar painting a portrait for a wealthy young woman, Altessa Astasia Orlova in Muscobar, which is under Orlov rule. She is betrothed to another man for political reasons.

Eugene of Tielen invaded Khitari, and in order to keep the peace, her family promised her to a prince and this portrait is for him.

Gavril, however, falls for Astasia quickly, and she falls for him. Why? Not exactly sure. He’s a poor painter and has nothing to offer her other than his looks. And then the guards discover them together (he wasn’t supposed to be painting her without a chaperone). Gavril is thrown out of the palace.

Gavril had a rough night, suffering terrifying dreams and seeing shadows. He feels an odd wretchedness in his body that causes him to grow ill. His mother, Elysia, is upset that he lost the contract to paint Astasia because they are poor.

And that’s when Kostya Torzianin, the Bogatyr of the druzhina (warriors) in Azhkendir arrive and tell “Lord Gavril” that his father, Volkh, is dead, and that he was betrayed and murdered.

Gavril has no idea what they are talking about until his mother admits to hiding the truth from him. His father, Volkh, was a clan leader, a barbarian of sorts from Azhkendir. Elysia tells her son that she hid the truth from him because his father was impulsive with a dark, destructive temper, and savagely cruel.

Kostya and the other barbarians say Gavril is the heir and must come with them to Azhkendir, a snow-covered icy world, far different than Muscobar. Elysia tells her son he can simply renounce the inheritance, to which the druzhina respond, he can’t because it is a right of blood. He is Drakhaon.

Gavril goes for a walk on the beach to clear his head and think on Astasia and the new information he’s learned about his father, wondering if this means he could marry the girl, when Kostya kidnaps him. On the ship, they tell him that his father intended to visit him on his 21^st birthday and tell him about his powers. They are unhappy to find that Gavril is no warrior and his mother taught him nothing about their ways. They warn him about the physical changes that will now come because his father is dead. Blue stains on his nails are the first sign.

At the port of Arkhelskoye, they cut Gavril’s hand to prove to the others that Gavril is Drakhaon. The blood was extra dark and releases a blue vapor. Gavril is told that when a Clan Lord dies dishonored, his spirit cannot rest until his son exacts revenge and kills his father’s murderer. Gavril wants nothing to do with this but has no choice.

In the Drakhaon’s castles, we learn that a woman named, Lilias, lives there and she is with child. She has been telling everyone that the child is Volkh’s son although the druzhina don’t seem to care or believe it. A woman named Sosia runs the maids of the keep, of which one is called Kiukiu (Kiukirilya). She is young and has a fondest for Lord Volkh’s son, Gavril, knowing him only by a portrait Lord Volkh kept of him as a boy in his room.

Kiukiu is called by a voice that sounds like Lord Volkh, in a mirror. The voice tells her that she has “the gift”. And through a fog in a mirror, she accidentally releases Lord Volkh’s spirit from the Ways Beyond before dropping and breaking the mirror.

Gavril arrives at the castle and the rooms, especially the one where his father died, seem to speak to him. He has visions of the murder. Kostya is not happy because he realizes that a spirit-wraith has been brought back into the world and he wants to find out who summoned it. Kiukiu is scared because she has no idea how she released it or how to send it back, so she doesn’t tell anyone, although Sosia already knew Kiukiu had this gift and didn’t tell her.

Amazing how many stories there are where young people stumble across hidden powers they have because the adults in their lives didn’t bother to tell them the truth.

A reading of the will tells everyone that Gavril inherits everything which upsets Lilias, who wants her unborn infant to inherit the title of Drakhaon. The druzhina call her a whore and warn Gavril that she will be trouble if he lets her stay there, but he doesn’t even want to be there, so he lets her remain.

Back home, Elysia fears her son has been kidnapped and tries her best to ingratiate those in power to help her. She eventually travels with a small party traveling to Tielen to meet with Eugene who she hopes will help her negotiate for her son’s release.

We come to find out later on that Eugene with aid of Magus Kaspar Linnaius, a wizardly sort, has been engineering werewolves to fight their enemies, and one such was Jaromir, whom he treated like a son. Jaromir had something to do with the death of Lord Volkh and wasn’t captured by the druzhina but hasn’t returned either. There is also a missing doctor who has information everyone wants.

Gavril and Kiukiu end up forming a secret relationship over the recovery of a snowy owl, an Arkhel Owl, which are outlawed in his new country.

Eugene is after all the jewels of an imperial crown, that of Artamon the Great, last emperor of Rossiya.

Kiukiu is finally told by Sosia that she is the bastard child of a leader of Arkhel and Lord Volkh spared her life because of her people’s songs. Lord Volkh apparently wants her to sing him back to life. And when Abbot Yephiny tries to exorcise him, Kiukiu interrupts the ceremony.

While Gavril is away with the druzhina hunting werewolves, another thing he doesn’t want to do, another druzhine named Oleg, presents before everyone some bloody owl feathers. Kiukiu is upset they killed the snow owl but they remind everyone that the creatures are a curse and outlawed. Lilias demands Kiukiu be arrested or exiled. Michailo, who has been left in charge, tells Kiukiu she is dismissed and must leave.

Kiukiu has never been anywhere else and snow is beginning to fall. Sosia tells Kiukiu about people she has in the nearest town and to go there. Alone, Kiukiu leaves but in the night and snow, gets lost.

Gavril, fighting werewolves, experiences for the first time his true powers and somehow burns up the wolves. Weakened, he has difficulty remembering anything about it and returns to the castle to find that Kiukiu has been expelled. He’s upset and sends out search parties.

Kiukiu is discovered by an old woman who turns out to be her grandmother, a descendant the Arkhels, enemies of Gavril’s people. Grandmother takes care of snow owls who apparently host the spirits of lords and ladies of Arkhel. She explains to Kiukiu that she is a Guslyar and they play an instrument called a guslyar which helps them communicate with those in the Ways Beyond. Grandmother begins to train Kiukiu the instrument.

Gavril’s mother, Elysia, is still trying to find a way to find her son, and meets with the doctor who supposedly has a remedy to the curse in his blood.

The intrigues of Eugene eventually lead to Elysia being taken prisoner and the doctor sent to weaken Gavril, so his lands can be conquered.

Gavril learns more and more about the power, the spirit of the dragon inhabiting him and taking over. He’s becoming less and less human. He also learns about a secret passage and secret laboratory in the keep where this doctor had been employed by his father to discover a cure. It turns out his father didn’t want this power either and was looking for a way to be rid of it.

I won’t say more about the story itself other than to say there are some good, exciting moments and it’s a tale I think is well designed and interesting. The problem I have is with the characters themselves. As much as I was enjoying the story and plotlines, I didn’t care about anyone in it. I had no emotional connections at all. I didn’t care who lived or died. I didn’t love or hate any of them. I knew a lot about them, but it somehow didn’t make me even the least bit fond of them. Gavril and Kiukiu had good parts to play but I didn’t even care when she was thrown out in the cold, or he was kidnapped. It just seemed like these things were happening and whatever happened, it was ok.

It was only near the end when Gavril was truly torn between saving the people he had come to care about and the dragon spirit in him, that I felt something for him. I could feel the anguish he was going through. But than a bit about him using the dragon’s powers to save his mother in a far-off city at the last minute took the story to an awkward unbelievable moment which I didn’t care for.

I liked the story itself. I wish there had been more emotion involved. I wish I cared more about the characters or at least hated some of them, even the bad guys. It just wasn’t there. I supposed I’m just a bit interested to see where the story goes next. I will probably read book 2. Perhaps there will be more depth and emotion in that one. 3.5 stars.

Allen M Werner is the author of the epic fantasy tale, The Crystal Crux.

The first book in the series, Betrayal, is still on sale at a reduced price on Kindle and in paperback until the end of the year.
December 31, 2023.

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