The Dawn Star

love cobalt's character and feel he is the strongest one for me anyway. He shows strength from both ends of the emotional spectrum. To love someone so deeply you would level the lands to find her, avenge her death. That's a lot of passion. So much so that it barely believable that it can be contained in one human being. Mel as certainly released something in him. I hope there is more about cobalt and Mel to come. I really enjoy reading about them. I haven't found an author that has given me so much enjoyment out of reading till now and I hope she continues with this line of writing. I love the fantasy fairytale. It's just what I love to read. It has the magic and fantasy that I love but it also draws in that fairytale that princess, castle, old world time life that takes you away and lets your imagination roam. The best of both worlds come together in one story. I haven't found anything else like it and I love it.

Dawn Star is part of the Misted Cliff series by Catherine Asaro. Just where in the series this book falls is complicated. There are books that cover what has gone on before and books that have covered what has happened later. This is a Fantasy. But it is a good read, I enjoyed it.

'The Dawn Star' is closely connected to part 3 of the series, 'The Misted Cliffs', which should be read first. Cobalt and Mel have found love and happiness and there has been peace for a year after Cobalt conquered the countries that had been split off his grandfather's realm 200 years ago. But his relationship to his grandfather, the man who raised him and mistreated him as a child, is still ruled by the old man's hatred and jealousy, so Cobalt's emotional wounds haven't completely healed. Things get worse when the queen of Taka Mal, who fears Cobalt and his strong army, decides that the best way to prevent a war is to take Mel's uncle hostage. She achieves the opposite when a spiteful neighbouring king, who thinks he can force her into an unwanted alliance if there is a war, kidnaps Mel and lets Cobalt know that she was tortured and murdered in Taka Mal. Soon the armies of four countries assemble near the Borders of Taka Mal, while Mel is desperately trying to get back to Cobalt before it's too late. And while war looms and intrigues threaten their lives, her uncle and the queen of Taka Mal are falling in love against all odds and dangers... This is another wonderful addition to this fantasy romance series - a definite winner and a real pleasure to read. It continues Cobalt's and Mel's story and introduces a new couple in Jade (the queen of Taka Mal) and Mel's uncle Drummer, a minstrel and mage.

The Dawn Star (2006) is the third novel in the Misted Cliffs series, following The Misted Cliffs. In the previous volume, Princess Melody Dawnfield of Harsdown was married to Prince Cobalt Chamberlight of the Misted Cliffs. Cobalt and Varqelle -- the former king of Harsdown -- led the Misted Cliffs army against Blueshire and Shazire and conquered these lands. Varqelle was felled in the final battle against Shazire. Mel used her magics to try to heal him, but failed. Still, Varqelle died knowing that Cobalt loved him. In this novel, Drummer Headwind is in trouble again. He has been abducted by foreign agents. They take him to the Topaz Palace in Taka Mal and install him in a suite. Drummer is now a hostage against the good behavior of Cobalt Chamberlight, the husband of his niece Mel. Vizarana Jade is the queen of Taka Mal. She inherited the throne as her father's only child, but she has rivals for the position. Her cousin Baz loves her and wants to marry her, but believes that a woman has no business being the head of state. The Atajazid D'az Ozar of Jazid also wants to marry Jade, but he too would take away her throne after becoming her husband. Meanwhile, King Stonebreaker of the Misted Cliffs dies from a stroke and Cobalt is now King and Mel is Queen. After receiving the news about Drummer, Cobalt wants to invade Taka Mal immediately and totally raze every village and town. Mel talks him out of this course, but he tales most of his army with him to the border for the negotiations. Naturally, Ozar has the Jazid army arrayed along the border when the Misted Cliffs troops march toward Taka Mal. The armies of Aronsdale and Harsdown also march toward their border with Taka Mal. In this story, Jade visits Drummer in his guarded quarters after his arrival in the Topaz Palace. Drummer greatly admires her beauty and Jade admires his music. But she derides the honeyed words of his songs. Drummer starts to love Jade and she loves him. She presents him with fine clothes and invites his to a feast, where he meets the leaders of Taka Mal and Jazid. Then she comes to him in the night and they make love. Jade offers him a Topaz Pact and he accepts it. But he doesn't really understand the agreement. Drummer is very confused. When he find his door unlocked, he leaves the room and goes to the stables. He buys a horse with a ruby on his clothes and rides away from the palace. When an embassy from Aronsdale and Harsdown arrive in the Topaz Palace, Jade lacks a hostage to trade for a treaty. She sends troops to find Drummer and stalls the negotiators. Her troops follow Drummer into the Rocklands, a waterless waste. This tale introduces the inhabitants of Taka Mal. Two hundred years before, these people had broken the empire of Misted Cliffs and taken away the lands of Blueshire and Shazire. Now that the Misted Cliffs have retaken their lost territory, the people of Taka Mal believe that they will be the next conquest. Drummer le

Cobalt the Dark married Mel Dawnfield so that Harsdown would eventually return to Cobalt's heirs because it is part of his wife's dowry. What began as a marriage of state quickly became a love match. He conquered Sharize and Blue Shire and is heir to the Misted Cliffs, ruled by his abusive grandfather Stonebreaker who made his and his mother's life miserable as a child. Cobalt would love to add the countries of Jazid and Taka Mal to his empire but Mel doesn't want her husband to become the dictator of the world. The country of Taka Mal, fearing Cobalt's expansionist ideas, kidnap the queen of Aronsdale's brother Drummer, Mel's uncle and a minstrel with a voice that could make grown men weep for joy. The ruling queen Jade quickly falls under Drummer's spell and wants to marry him because Cobalt would never invade a country that is tied to his wife's family. Before that plan could be put into motion, Mel is kidnapped and it is made to look like Taka Mal performed the deed. Cobalt marches towards Taka Mal intending to level it unless Mel can escape her prison and explain the truth to her beloved. Nebula award winner Catherine Asaro writes a spellbinding romantic fantasy as well as she does hard science fiction. Fans of her Skollan empire series will find THE DAWN STAR a softer, more people driven tale with characters well suited for this sword and sorcery tale. Although there are plenty of action scenes, the plot is more about political chicanery and the political intrigue scenes are fascinating.