Silevethiel The Vaelinel Trilogy Book 1 by Andi O’Connor Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Following her father’s murder, Irewen is betrayed and left for dead in the forests of Mistwood. Rescued by an elf, Irewen awakes an exile with no home, no country, and no people. But as the horrific memories of murder and betrayal return, she realizes the nightmare is only beginning. The world of Vaelinel is failing–its fate bound to her in ways no one fully understands. A mysterious elven prophecy may provide her with some answers, but continuously hunted and fighting for her life, Irewen quickly learns that unearthing the truth will be more difficult than she ever imagined. Can she accept the friendship of the Wood Elves, or will she stand alone against the terrifying evil now threatening to destroy the entire world? Add to Goodreads Amazon * B&N
The Speaker The Vaelinel Trilogy Book 2
The Vaelinel Trilogy continues with this absorbing sequel to Silevethiel! Alone and hunted by the Drulaack, Irewen takes advantage of her only option for survival. Pushing her concerns aside, she lets the dead keep her. But her refuge doesn’t last long. Driven out of their hosts by Laegon, a handful Drulaack have returned to the Spirit World. No longer having the protection of the dead, Irewen is forced to return to Vaelinel. Finally reunited with her companions, the burdens placed on them are taking their toll. Thoughts of suicide and mistrust plague the company. Slowly unravelling, they must conquer their personal battles before standing against the evil threatening the land. For the Corrupter thirsts for revenge. And he’ll stop at nothing to satisfy his hunger. Add to GoodreadsAmazon * B&N
A Prophecy Fulfilled The Vaelinel Trilogy Book 3
Regrouping after their escape from the Light Elves, Irewen and her companions fear the worst after black smoke plumes on the horizon. Allowing compassion to rule over reason, they ignore Finnwyn’s warning and return to Lilendvelle, hoping to help some of the survivors stranded in the city’s wake. Instead, they run into a trap. Completely surrounded by an endless army of Drulaack, they fight for their lives, but their efforts aren’t enough. Irewen is captured and dragged into the heart of the Corrupter’s lair. Having his prize, the others in the company are granted their freedom, but at a great cost: the one named in the prophecy who is meant to unite the elf forces and stand against the Corrupter is lost to the world – trapped beneath the Corrupter’s talons. With the aid of his mother’s spirit, Brendell must now find a way to gather an alliance strong enough to march against the Corrupter and his army, but his time is running out. Each day that passes brings Irewen closer to death. And the world closer to destruction. Add to Goodreads Amazon * B&N
Andi O’Connor is a multi-award winning author of epic fantasy novels and short stories with a healthy dose of paranormal mixed in. She sits in front of her typewriter (yes, typewriter!) every day and loses herself in her worlds and characters in hopes that her readers will fall in love with them as well. When she’s not clacking away, you can find Andi dancing her butt off in the ballet studio. Rest assured, she’s not the next Natalia Osipova, but she has a mean collection of leotards and always finds an excuse to buy more. She loves bats and dreams of turning her yard into a certified bat habitat. She has three dogs who constantly work hard to drive her insane, but their fluffy cuteness outweighs any insanity they can bring. Her husband ‘Honeybee’ is wonderfully supportive of her author life, and her son ‘P’ may or may not have claimed her typewriter as his own on several occasions. Deadpool is her spirit animal, and her motto is Embrace Your Crazy. We’re all unique and crazy in our own ways, and Andi hopes others will join her by being proud of their quirks and embracing their crazy! Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Excerpt 2 from The Speaker
“Irewen.”
Irewen turned, searching the darkness. “Father? Where are you?”
Since first communicating with her father, she’d entered the Spirit World
numerous times. Each encounter went smoother than the one before, but she still
wasn’t comfortable being the only living person in the land of the dead. Regardless of
whatever ability led her to this place, she didn’t belong.
“Irewen.”
“I’m here, Father.” Instinct told her to continue searching through the penetrating
blackness, but experience told her otherwise. This wasn’t her world. She wouldn’t find
him. He had to come to her.
A soft white light appeared before her, barely able to fight against the dark.
“Irewen.” Her father stood only feet away. Shrouded in an eerie violet mist that seemed
to flow through him, the Spirit World didn’t allow her to forget that he was a ghost. No
matter how much she wanted him to be real – to be alive – he wasn’t.
They were standing so close all she had to do was reach out her arms and pull
him toward her in an embrace. But she couldn’t. She’d tried touching him during a
previous visit by running her fingers down his cheek, but her hand had passed through
him. Touching nothing but air, the experience left her with a suffocating sense of
emptiness and a lingering icy pain on her fingertips.
She’d never be able to touch her father again. The pressure of his warm lips
against her forehead would never again greet her in the morning before they sat down
to breakfast. His comforting hugs wouldn’t ever be there to help fight her growing
loneliness. She couldn’t go to him when she needed to ask advice or when she simply
wanted to talk. Not truly. Not while being in a world where they both belonged.
“It’s good to see you, Father.” Irewen said, being sure to keep the distance
between them.
“Likewise, my daughter.”
She smiled, remembering when he’d first tried to speak to her in the Spirit World.
The words wouldn’t come and he’d been forced to show her images in order to help her
understand his message. Now, he spoke in death as effortlessly as he’d done in life.
“What do you wish to tell me, Father?” She didn’t waste any more time with
niceties. Chatting in the Spirit World, even between father and daughter, wasn’t
welcomed among the dead. He’d come to give her information. Nothing more.
“The Drulaack. There are six of them. They passed through Mistwood
undetected, avoiding Silverden completely. The elves sent you to your death. You will
not reach the border of Lündvelle.”
“No!” Irewen insisted even though she’d had that very thought only hours before.
“There must be a way I can defeat them! I did before with the magic of the Sea Elves.”
“That magic is unpredictable and unreliable. Until you are taught how to use it
properly, it is useless. It came to you before out of desperation. It may come again. It
may not. You cannot depend on that to save you.”
“What can I do, Father? I’m alone. My Guardian was ordered to remain behind.
None of the Elven Knights or Protectors were sent to escort me. Thanks to Laegon, I’ve
had some training with weapons, but my skills aren’t great enough to defend myself
against six Drulaack. Their speed alone would see me dead in a matter of minutes. I
can’t outrun them—even with the remarkable speed of Lord Brandir’s horse Melldren
who he was gracious enough to lend me for the journey.”
“You can stand your ground, Irewen, or you can flee. No matter how each choice
is weighed, the outcome will be the same. They will both end in death.”
“I refuse to believe this is the end!” Irewen balled her hands into fists, channeling
her mounting frustration into the fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. “I
refuse to believe my fight is meant to end even before it’s truly begun! Elthad cannot be
left unchallenged, Papa! By his hands, the entire world of Vaelinel will be destroyed!
There must be a way for me to finish what I started!”
Her chest heaved with each quick breath as she tried in vain to control her
frustration. She could hardly believe the words had sprung from her lips. Hours earlier,
she had given up on her convictions, surrendering to the death she knew awaited her.
But hearing her father speak so candidly of her demise as if her existence had never
mattered sparked an intrinsic determination to prove him wrong—to prove herself
wrong.
Her father’s grey eyes, once vibrant and full of life stared at her from behind the
mist, completely devoid of emotion. “There may be a way.”
She had to fight to control her excitement. “Tell me.”
“It is dangerous and will most likely still end in death.”
“That’s a risk I must take.”
“There is a place where the enemy cannot sense you. There is a place where
Elthad’s bond cannot reach you. Walk in the shadows.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, irritated at her father’s answer and
subsequent silence. “I don’t understand!”
A faint trace of a smile flitted across her father’s lips and disappeared before she
could be sure it ever existed. “Let the dead keep you.”
She didn’t have time to react. Her father’s apparition faded into the darkness,
once again assimilating with the one and the many.
She spun around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her father hovering somewhere
else in the abyss. “Papa! Wait! Don’t leave me!”
Her cries were useless. He was gone. No explanation would come. He’d left her
to figure the rest out on her own.
She sank to her knees, going over his words in her head. It seemed like absolute
drivel. There wasn’t anywhere she could go where Elthad and his army wouldn’t be able
to sense her. Walk in the shadows. Her father’s thin voice seemed to echo throughout
the Spirit World. Let the dead keep you.
“No,” she whispered. “He couldn’t mean…” Her voice trailed off. The penetrating
cold lessened, and a friendly warmth filtered into her body. A faint breeze floated about
her, carrying the soft murmurs of the dead. She couldn’t make out any distinct words or
phrases, but she somehow understood their message.
She studied the blackness, searching for the strange white light and violet mist. It
wasn’t there. No one had come. She remained alone. But for the first time in all of her
visits to the Spirit World, she didn’t feel like an outsider. The dead reached out to her.
Caressing her, they welcomed her into their community. Tears filled the corners of her
eyes.
Let the dead keep you.
The meaning of her father’s words was suddenly as clear as if he’d written it out
for her and handed it to her in a sealed envelope. The dead were offering her safe
passage through their world.
They were giving her their protection.
Yet, that didn’t feel quite right. Something else her father said tugged at the back
of her mind. Then she felt it—the slight hint of hostility. It only came from a tiny, distant
section of the many, but it was there all the same. Not everyone in the Spirit World felt
she deserved their safekeeping, and rightly so. She was of the living. They owed her
nothing.
If she accepted her father’s proposal, their hostility would fester and propagate.
Asking for their aid would instigate war among the dead. And her life would be the price
of victory.
The tears finally glided from her eyes, disappearing unnoticed into the blackness.
If she said yes, she would bring war to a world she had no right to enter. If she said no,
the Spirit World would remain untouched, but her death would allow the Drulaack to
roam unchallenged and destroy the world of the living.
Hugging her arms to herself, she tried to control the growing sense of defeat. No
matter how she analyzed the situation, all she saw was death. She didn’t want either
option. But while one was certain, the other gave the people of Vaelinel a slight glimmer
of hope.
“What choice do I have?” she whispered.
None.
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The book cover and the plot are intriguing. This would definitely make a good read.
The series sounds very interesting. I love the covers. The Speaker intrigues me.