By: Nora Roberts
Synopsis
From the book dust jacket:
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword – representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young middle-school teacher has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own.
Breen Kelly works at a job she hates while trying to pay off her student loan, pinching pennies, and fighting off anxiety attacks. She’s prone to those, along with headaches and strange dreams – like the one she just had in which she encountered a dragon. But as vivid as the dream was, she knows that the bedtime stories of magical places that her father told her about long ago, before he disappeared, were just that: stories.
Only lately she’s noticed a silver-haired man who seems to follow her everywhere yet always eludes her when she tries to catch him. She thinks she hears his voice in her head: Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home.
Then a sudden shock interrupts her everyday worries. While dutifully house-sitting for her cold, critical mother, she finds papers that had been previously locked away. Records of an investment account worth nearly four million dollars. An account that is in her name. A fortune that her long-lost father has been wiring to her for years, hidden from her by her mother.
It’s a discovery that would turn anyone’s life upside down. But for Breen it will change things in unimaginable ways because, after she takes her rightful ownership of the money and flies to Ireland in hopes of finding her father, she will follow a dog into the forest in Galway and enter a place where fairies and elves and mermaids dwell; where a man named Keegan will train her to fight; where she will embrace powers she never knew she had; and where a newfound courage will lead her toward her destiny.
My Thoughts
This is my first Nora Roberts novel, and I’ll admit that I picked it up because of the enticing cover as much as the interesting synopsis. I enjoy fantasy, but I don’t read a lot of it. I’m so glad I decided to read this one! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I found myself becoming quickly invested in the characters. Breen’s best friend, Marco, was a favorite of mine. The world building, the landscape descriptions, and the character development were all exceptionally well done. I enjoyed watching Breen find herself and discover her worth. I found myself smiling at Sally and wishing I had a Sally in my life. I loved Talamh and all the people we met there: Morena, Keegan, Breen’s grandmother, Aisling, Harken, and the rest. I’m anxious to learn more about them. The book ended on a cliff-hanger, which usually annoys me. However, with this one, it was a good ending and I cannot wait for the next installment in the trilogy.
What did you think of this book? Let’s talk.