SYNOPSIS: Darkness is covering the land. As the city of Mezrah grows with power and greed, the rest of the world can only stand by and wait for their inevitable destruction. The only hope against this growing power is an ancient prophecy that people have stopped believing in.

Then a star begins to fall.

Princess Kyla of Taramon stopped believing in the power of light the day her father died. Trapped in a city she does not care for, under the watchful glare of her mother, the queen, she struggles to accept her fate.

Then a star begins to fall.

Jethro has loved Kyla for as long as he can remember. Learning that she was to marry his cousin drove a wedge between him and the feisty princess. Watching her from a distance is a torture he is unable to free himself from.

Then a star begins to fall, sparking an ember of hope and sending two seekers on a treacherous journey into the unknown.

MY THOUGHTS: Epic fantasy is a tough genre to write in, and Melissa Pearl launches into it with a flying leap with this series. When I was send an advanced reading copy of this book, I was interested in the fact that Melissa had leapt out of the Urban Fantasy / Paranormal, and into the Epic realm, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m a total sucker for ass-kicking heroines, and Kyla meets my expectations in every possible way. Kyla is stubborn, lovable, and has a few flaws to boot. She’s engaged to be married to Athra, but is thrown into a life-threatening quest in order to save the world from imminent darkness – with a gorgeous man who is in love with her.

Wow. If that’s not a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.

The first book of this trilogy focuses on the first part of the quest to find the Elements in order to help Jethro and Kyla defeat the darkness. No one knows how this prophecy is going to play out, or even what Jethro and Kyla are supposed to be doing. So while they have a little guidance, most of their journey is about themselves discovering more and more about who they are, each other, and the path that they have been thrown on.

It’s a great fast read, and even if you’re not an avid fantasy reader – pick it up. There is so many parallels in this book that we all face in humanity. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m going to rate the first book of this series as 4 stars… because I can’t wait to get my nose into book two and three to find out what happens in the rest of the story. I have no doubt that on balance, this trilogy is probably going to be a five star read.

If you want to purchase a copy of this book – you can find it on Amazon or Smashwords.

***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review***