Warlord (Chronicles of the Warlands, Book 3)

I LOVED Warprize and enjoyed Warsworn as well, so it's not surprising that I ate up Warlord, just as excellent as the first book of the series, in my opinion. This book takes place where Warsworn left off (if you haven't read Warprize and Warsworn yet, stop reading right now and go read, otherwise the rest of this review won't make sense) with Lara, Keir, and the others headed towards the Heart of the Plains. We end up in the Heart and meet some great new secondary characters along the way. I love the way Vaughan develops the secondary characters. They're not filler like in other books and are actually developed and engaging. Each character serves a purpose in furthering and enriching the story. Of course, there are conflicts once Lara arrives for her confirmation. She represents great change, after all, and that's never an easy thing to accept. Her presence among the People of the Plains creates great conflict and tension in the novel, as well as great tension in the romantic relationship between Lara and Keir. They are separated for a good 100 pages almost, by the rule of the Council, but you never stop feeling their yearning to get back to each other and it's very touching (especially in one scene where they're a bit naughty and break the rules). The falling action had me at the edge of my seat, I totally didn't know what was going to happen next and there were some really great emotional scenes here. I agree with what one person said about the ending being a bit unresolved, but, I guess, Elizabeth Vaughan was trying to be a bit more realistic since times are uncertain in this world (think back to Marcus's "death comes in an instant") and although the hero/heroine are happily together at the end, they still have a lot of work ahead of them in merging and improving their societies.

I absolutely adored WAR PRIZE, her next one was OK, but WARLORD is exceptional. I know it was better because I had read WAR PRIZE, so if possible read it first. If not you are still caught in a wonderful world and will want to read it the first chance you get. Elizabeth Vaughan is one very talented writer, I find it hard to believe this is her first series of books. I can't wait for the next one. Lara and Kier have finally reached the Plains, now she must prove herself to the people. She and Kier are seperated and she is taken to the heart of the plains to go before the Elders. Many are very welcomeing and many are not. There is treachery and betrayal at many points but Lara comes through as a sincere loving woman willing to give up much for her Warlord and his people. Kier is busy rounding up support and sneaking in to hold his woman in his arms. Togather they will face every trial and with the solid support of friends and admirers they surely will prevail. This book is so great, never a monent of boredom, always something happening. It is never the expected always the unexpected. I adored it. It held my attention from cover to cover. Do not miss it.

Warlord, book 3 of the Chronicles of the War Lands series, is not your standard romance novel. For one thing, it's written in first person, just to warn all the people that hate that narrative style. Secondly, all though it's marketed as a paranormal romance but that is not true at all. The series is a fantasy for sure, but it focuses not on magic but a clash between two made-up cultures. It's more similar to Kate Elliot's "Jaran" novel, than say, Johanna Lindsay's space barbarian series. Elliot writes about a woman from a highly advanced society adjusting to the culture of the nomadic plains people who adopt her. Lindsay creates a culture around the sole idea of indulging her female domination kink. Lara is the princess of Xy, a kingdom that came under the attack of the warrior tribes of the Firelands. After winning the love of the Warlord, Keir, she has been traveling with his army back to his lands to be confirmed as the Warprize, a sort of living peace treaty for the Firelanders. Keir, for his part, also hopes to use Lara's expertise in herbs and healing to change some of his culture's often brutal customs concerning sickness and injury. Throughout the series Lara has found herself as stranger in a strange land trying to reconcile her ways with those of the Firelanders. Not all the Firelanders are supportive of Keir and would like nothing more than kill Lara. This conflict comes to a head when Lara finds herself separated from Keir by the council of tribal elders and charged with bringing curses to the plains by her enemies. Lara must use all her wits to win supporters and survive the assassination attempts of those that would see her dead. This series has always been about culture and characterization. The culture of Firelanders has been meticulously developed throughout the series, and the tensions between the Xyians and Firelanders is done in a realistic way. It also features a large cast of memorable characters. When the novel was over, I was sad to it end. I hope in the future Vaughan will return to this world and tell the stories of some of the other characters. I think there is plenty of room to explore the continued relationship between the Xyians and Firelanders, and some of the side characters are just so wonderful, I'd be sad to see them go.

This is the third book in Elizabeth Vaughan's trilogy featuring Xylara, Queen of Xy, and Keir, Warlord of the Plains. The first book, "Warprize", was a brilliant work of fantasy with a slow-burn and engaging romance. The second book, "Warsworn", didn't quite reach the same heights for me as our heroine Xylara seemed to be the cause of an awful lot of suffering, although whether she was to blame was debatable. Still, that book ended with hero and heroine having learned that trust in each other is something that has to be earned. "Warlord" begins as the army of the People of the Plains is travelling to the Heart of the Plains (sort of like their capital city only made of tents) to have Xylara validated as Warprize. It seems throughout this story that people tend to keep Lara in the dark - they don't seem to spend a lot of time explaining cultural matters to her, and as they travel towards the Heart of the Plains she doesn't really know what her validation involves. Keir's time as they journey is spent in trying to keep his army together after the devastation of the plague and to counteract the machinations of Iften, Keir's second in command. We meet some new characters such as Keekai, one of the Elders who will be making judgement on Lara's status as Warprize and we learn a lot more about the Warrior-Priests who have had a very bad reputation since book one and which Keir has vowed to destroy. When Lara arrives at the Heart of the Plains the descriptions of life there are excellent - the reality of a harsh nomadic life is tempered by joy of their dances and community spirit. However, by the time Lara arrives, news has arrived from other locations which paint her as an evil city dweller who has spread plague, who lies and who cannot be trusted and she has to fight her corner in a culture so different that it is hard for her to know what's right. She is separated from Keir who hasn't really told her what to expect, so Lara has to make her own decisions and choices to try and help things to turn out right. There were some really excellent parts to this book - particularly the ehat hunt - and as in the other two stories the world building and the cultural differences between Lara's and Keir's people are very well written. We understand the confusion of each of them when dealing with strange aspects of the other's world and yet their bond of love is stronger than these differences. The lifestyles of the Plains people, including homosexuality, are very strange to Lara but she is able to accommodate within her limits (such as still bathing privately) in a way which is a good model of cultural merging. Whilst reading this trilogy I wondered about Iften, the apparent baddie. Would he change? Would we understand and appreciate his opposition to Keir? Would he prove to be a worthy and stalwart supporter at the end? He has some chances to change in this book and we hear just a few hints about his life but I think a little more could have been done with his

Seldom have I read an author whose third book is as good as (and maybe even better than) her first. NEVER have I read an author whose characters live and breathe and get inside my head as Lara and Kier have. I think in their language. I now drink kavage. You have to understand, I am an English teacher. I read a lot. I stayed up until 2am to finish this book. I had to get up at 6. It was worth it! At the end of Warprize, I wanted to immediately turn the book over and start again. After Warlord - I *am* going back to the beginning and reading all three, in order, again. I can't help myself. Letting go of Lara and Kier right now would be letting go of good friends. Thank you Beth for these three wonderful books. I look forward to hearing about she of the red gloves...