By Cynthia A. Morgan

 

Book Blurb

Gairynzvl escaped captivity among the DemonFey, who had abducted him as a child through a daring act of treason and was rescued by Light Loving Fey.   Now, he wants to return to the dark realm of The Reviled to attempt a rescue of the innocent Childfey trapped there.

It will take more than one Fey to breach the borders of The Uunglarda and to slip past the legions of Dark Fey who abide there.  It will take magic and strength, courage and military strategy, and it will shake the foundations of everything The Fey of The Light have accepted as truth for thousands of years. But Gairynzvl knows the secret ways in and out of the dark realm; he is able to open portals and through his gifts of telepathic empathy he can find the Childfey standing, waiting, in the shadows.

Slipping into the darkness through darkness is easy.  Escaping out again with terrified Childfey is another matter.  If they are captured his band of liberators will pray for death long before it comes and their success could spark a full-scale war, unleashing the barbaric hatred and viciousness of The Reviled upon the peace-loving Fey of The Light.

Can Gairynzvl convince the Fey of the Light to allow him to return to the Uunglarda, the realm of The Reviled?  Who will join him to aid the Innocent Childfey trapped in the realm of shadows and fear? And Will the Fey of the Light risk a savage war to rescue them?

My Review

Dark Fey: Standing in Shadows is book number two in the Dark Fey trilogy.  Because Standing in Shadows gives light to the characters and the plot, I would recommend that Dark Fey: The Reviled be read first.

The story opens with an introduction to The Uunglarda and the torment found there inflicted upon Childfey by the Reviled, a grotesque, loveless, and evil population that lives in the realm of dark shadows.

On the other side, in the mystical realm of Jyndari, where the Fey of Light live, we learn of a former Dark One, who has undergone the Integration, the process to renounce the Reviled and join the Fey of Light. Gairynzvl enlists the help of the confidence of the Temple Elders and Ayla, a Guardian of Childfey, to rescue those kidnapped, neglected, and tortured Childfey living in The Uunglarda against their will.

What I loved about this second book is that the characters have developed greater maturity.  Yes, we see some jealousy between Marden and Gairynzvl, but they are able to rise above that and work together. Ayla has found an inner strength she didn’t previously possess for the sake of the Childfey.  The descriptions are rich and detailed though not to the point that the reader becomes bored. On the contrary, they give depth to the story so the reader can visualize Jyndari and The Uunglarda and those who live there.  I loved the easy flow of words in this and the previous book, which is so characteristic of the author, whether writing fiction or poetry or, just telling about her day.

What I didn’t like about Dark Fey: Standing in Shadows is the manner in which the Child Malefey and Shefey were treated, even though a lot was through intimation, such treatment was difficult reading, but this is my personal view and it does not impact my review. There are a lot of movies that I don’t watch for the same reason.  I won’t go into more detail to avoid giving away spoilers.

I recommend Dark Fey: Standing in Shadows to anyone who enjoys fantasy or young adult fantasy.  On a scale of 1-5 stars, I would award this book 4 ½ stars.  I am looking forward to reading book three in the Dark Fey Trilogy.

This is my honest review.

About the Author

Cynthia A. Morgan is the creator of the mythical realm of Jyndari and author of the epic fantasy, Dark Fey: The Reviled, Book One of the Dark Fey Trilogy.  “The Reviled” draws the reader into a mystical realm of primordial forests, magic and the lives of Light-loving and Darkness-revering Feykind.  Not to be confused with pixies or “Tinkerbell” type fairies, the Feyfolk of Jyndari are winged beings the size of any human who live in a realm where tradition, magic, and spirituality are fundamentals of everyday life.  Reviews of Dark Fey continue to earn 5 stars by lovers of fantasy as well as readers who do not typically enjoy that genre.  Compared to a fantasy version of a play by Shakespeare, Dark Fey The Reviled is a brutally beautiful story of Love, Hope, and finding Peace in the Darkness.

Dark Fey:  Standing In Shadows, Book Two of the Dark Fey Trilogy continues the story of Gairynzvl, who escaped captivity among the DemonFey, who had abducted him.  Now, he wants to return to the dark realm of The Reviled to attempt a rescue of the innocent Childfey trapped there, but it will take more than one Fey to breach the borders of The Uunglarda and to slip past the legions of Dark Fey who abide there.  It will take magic and strength, courage and military strategy and it will shake the foundations of everything The Fey of The Light have accepted as truth for thousands of years.  Can Gairynzvl convince the Fey of the Light to allow him to return to the Uunglarda, the realm of The Reviled?  Who will join him to aid the Innocent Childfey trapped in the realm of shadows and fear? And Will the Fey of the Light risk a savage war to rescue them?

Morgan is also the author of the popular blog “Booknvolume” where her over 15K following is regularly treated to Morgan’s own brand of poetry, English Sonnets, and musings about life.  She is a current member of the Poetry Society of America; is ranked among the top authors on the Independent Author Network; has had poetry published on numerous poetry websites and is rapidly becoming an Author to keep your eye on.

Some of her other interests include a deep love of animals and the environment. She loves music; is frequently heard laughing; finds the mysteries of ancient times, the paranormal and the possibilities of life elsewhere in the cosmos intriguing, and Believes in the power of Love, Hope, Peace and Joy, all of which is reflected in her lyrically elegant writing style.

You can purchase both books in the Dark Fey Trilogy in these locations:
Dark Fey: The Reviled is available on Amazon and B&N  
Amazon/Kindle:    http://goo.gl/iRl5pZ
Barnes and Noble:   http://goo.gl/OxNr6M

Dark Fey: Standing In Shadows is available in e-book and paperback on Amazon
US –  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018HF4HSA
UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018HF4HSA

You can find Morgan through social media in the following places:
Blog:  www.booknvolume.com
Website:  http://allthingsdarkfey.wix.com/feyandmusings 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/booknvolume
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MorganBC728 & https://twitter.com/DarkFeyMorgan29
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/cynthey728

Publisher:  Kindle/ CreateSpace
Pub Date:  December 4, 2015
Page Count:  205 pages
Genre:  Fantasy / YA Fantasy

Links to the sample readings available on the author’s blog:  
http://wp.me/P3C4k1-304 & http://wp.me/P3C4k1-37q

Book Three:  Breaking Into The Light is currently underway.

Thanks for reading! To return to the FICTION WRITERS BLOG HOP on Julie Valerie’s website, click here: http://www.julievalerie.com/fiction-writers-blog-hop-mar-2016