Child of a Dead God - Book 6 of the Saga of the Noble Dead
By Barb and JC Hendee

Magiere, Leesil, Wynn, and Chap leave elven lands for the South. Magiere has been having disturbing dreams driving her to an artifact in that direction. But she is not the only person after the artifact. Her evil half-brother and one of the Noble Dead, is following Magiere hoping to get his hands on it. And a group of elf assassins will do anything to bring the artifact back to their own lands.

Each installment has gotten a little more dark and violent. The character development has gotten more in-depth as well. The Hendee's have become true masters of character and world building. This is a fast-paced, action and adventure-filled dark fantasy. The vampires are cunning, the elves are deceptive, and Magiere doesn't even know what the object she's searching for is supposed to do.

While some of the plot lines that have arced over the entire series have been tied up in this sixth novel, the ending has definitely been left open for the coming spin-off series. I'm looking forward to seeing which characters this new series will follow, and more of the fabulous dark fantasy world that the Hendee's have created.

Fallowblade
Crowthistle Chronicles Book 4
By Celia Dart-Thornton

Fallow Blade, the final book in The Crowthistle Chronicles, continues on from Book Three: Weather Witch with the story of Asrăthiel Maelstronnar. Due to her unique heritage, Asrăthiel has inherited some rather unusual skills: weatherworking and immortality from her father's side of the family, stunning beauty and an inability to accept the status quo from her mother's. Asrăthiel also has the ability to wield the sword called Fallowblade that can defeat Goblinkind.

The book in the middle of a world war that engulfs all four human kingdoms of Tir. There's backstabbing, betrayal, brothers pitted against brothers in nasty choices of honour versus love, lies, deceit and attempted genocide. And that's just the humans.

Once upon a time the Goblins were defeated by the weathermasters and Fallowblade. Now they're back and wreaking havoc on the war-divided humans. These unseelie hordes are riding out of the northern mountains, led by the Goblin King, with nary a shred of mercy to their names. They may look human, but they are not. They are very alien in their reasoning, motivations, morals and goals.

This book is recommended if the prospective reader enjoys rich language, epic storylines and ending that are not so much "happily ever after" but rather, "setting things right". A worthy ending to the series.