Shadow Gate

I couldn’t put it down. It was even more compelling than the 1st.

The Crossroads series is an excellent example of well written, carefully thought out fantasy. Unlike so many other fantasy series, this series has a tidy beginning, middle, and end. The characters are three-dimensional and varied, and you find yourself really identifying with many of them. The world is richly detailed and fully realized, with many systems of religion, and society. I highly recommend this read!

Kate Elliott is always a good read, in my humble opinion. For me, she can't write her books fast enough! thx, Kate

This is the sequel to Spirit Gate, and if anything is even better, though it opens out more so that we have quite a few more POV characters. Marit, who was killed at the end of the first section of the first book, returns at the beginning of this one as a Guardian--who can't really be killed as long as they retain their cloaks. How she came by the cloak isn't at all clear to me, but in any case it brings her back to life 19 years after she died. And she learns that five of the Guardians have entered the Shadow Gate--i.e., have turned evil, and are leading the armies that are devastating the Hundred. Since there are only nine Guardians, those five can decree the deaths of those who oppose their plans (although one of them, Hari--uncle of Mai and brother of Shai--would probably be willing to oppose them if the four non-shadowed Guardians could unite against them). Two others are known--the blonde girl known as Cornflower in the first book, but whose name we now know is Kiriya, and the envoy of Ilu who accompanied the Qin caravan into the Hundred. The ninth hasn't appeared yet, and no one seems to know even what kind of cloak he has. Meanwhile, Mai's pregnancy proceeds, and Anji accepts the command of all the Olo'osson military, beginning to train their militiamen in Qin tactics and generally drill them into more effective fighters. We spend a good deal of time in the POV of Avisha, a pretty young Hundred girl whose father was killed by the rebel army and who finds herself stuck with her 9-year-old brother and toddler sister when their stepmother is chosen by one of the eagles to be a reeve. She comes out all right, though, by coincidentally stumbling into the Qin compound in Olossi and meeting Mai, who befriends her. Several segments are also from the POV of Nallo, her stepmother, who's good-hearted but has a bad temper. At the end of the book the city of Toskala has fallen to the rebels and all the senior reeves there have been killed. Things look bad, but I trust that the third book, Traitor's Gate, will wrap things up satisfactorily. It's due out in August, so I should be reviewing it soon.

The eagle riding Marit the reeve died three years ago (see SPIRIT GATE) while working alongside her lover reeve marshal Joss as they and others tried to save the mortals of the Hundred from an attack led by a rogue Guardian. Now Marit awakens lying naked on a Guardian alter. She is bewildered to be alive as she remembers being murdered and knows her soulmate eagle is dead. Marit begins to understand what has happened to her while wondering if Joss lives and if the war is over who won. As she concludes she somehow has become one of the Nine Guardians, she vows to be different than they were. She will directly help the Hundred instead of taking an apathetic position as the Guardians she served seemed to have taken until one of them turned rogue. Marit learns that the hostilities remain with the people struggling to survive against the horde led by hostile Guardians. SHADOW GATE, the second Crossroads epic fantasy, is a tremendous thriller that grips readers from the moment Marit wakes up on the altar and never slows down in spite of numerous complex subplots that highlight a world turned from justice and order to injustice and chaos. Although the climax occurs suddenly and leaves major threads for book three, fans will appreciate the deep look at a world in trouble, but recommend perusing the previous tale first (see SPIRIT GATE) to fully comprehend the complexities of the Elliot cosmos. Harriet Klausner

I spent Sunday devouring this book. The lawn didn't get mowed. Phone calls didn't get answered. But I didn't care. I was totally engrossed in Shadow Gate. I loved Spirit Gate, the first book in this series and the sequel maintains the high, no, very high standards of the first. Kate Elliott has always been a top fantasy writer and seems to only get better with time. If you like thrill a minute action stories look elsewhere. The story is complex and nuanced and focused as much on relationships and world building as anything. The world that Elliott has created is rich with widely different cultures. The bad guy, who is mostly in the background is truly evil. If you enjoy complex characters, excellent plotting and enough action and intrigue to keep you reading at the expense of your regular life, give Shadow Gate a try.