Friday, November 3, 2017

Book Review- Prisoner of Death by Celina Summers

The Asphodel Cycle series continues as Ms. Summers brings back Tamsen and the crew in her Black Dream series. This time Tamsen finds herself facing a foe that is not just as powerful but one that will do anything they can to destroy her and her world.

My Rating for Prisoner of Death (The Black Dream Book 2): 5 Stars and Recommended Read


For Tamsen Ka’antira, waking up to find herself being called wife to a man who arouses nothing, but the suspicions are worrisome. It goes from bad to worse when she dreams of an elf lord who has her heart longing for and she tries to clear the cobwebs away from her mind as she puzzles out the truth. But when the smoke finally clears, Tamsen will find just who she is and who had her in their clutches. For the war has started and this time the gods are cut off from the mortal world and events arise that show that the race is on. Can Tamsen and her allies find a way to counter the Eleusis and destroy those determined to bring a new world order to the mortals and gods alike?

PRISONER OF DEATH opens as Tamsen finds herself in an unfamiliar yet familiar place being called by another name. She knows she isn’t this person’s wife in any way but how or why she knows this is a smokescreen in her mind. The story picks up right where book one, Servant of Dis, left off. It is one hell of ride from start to finish and there are twists and turns the reader will never see coming. The author does a masterful job in capturing Tamsen’s confusion, her horror and more as she figures out things and finds out the truth of matters. The world building alone is amazing. The author does an amazing job in creating a world where humans, gods and more roam and interact. This author had me at elves and gods right from the start since those are my favorite fantasy characters. Add in an amazing cast of characters that you can laugh over, cry and long for, well you got the makings of an epic fantasy story within the pages.

PRISONER OF DEATH is a story of not just one person but of many working to the coming good of the world. One woman’s quest brings together many around her, from gods to humans to mages and amazon warriors. Celina Summers delivers an amazing storyline that just transcends the pages. I fell into her storytelling with ease and didn’t surface till the wee hours of the morning when I finished the book. This is truly a master storyteller who knows how to draw her readers in, captivate them and keep them on the edge of their seat. The climatic ending left me racing to book three, Mage of Chaos, to see where the story continues. The cast of characters are what make this series so amazing. You got characters that grow with each book. You will find that some of the ones you met in book one, The Reckoning of Asphodel, will leave in a way that left me seriously thinking of buying stock in Kleenex company. You run the gauntlet of emotions with the main core of characters from the first set of the Ashodel series and in this spin-off, The Black Dream series, it’s been a decade or more since the end of the second Ilian war and peace has reigned in the world. Ms. Summers delivers an action-packed ride that will take the reader on a journey alongside Tamsen, Brial and others as they fight not just for the elves but for the world and the gods. If they fall, then all is lost.

PRISONER OF DEATH is a story that will thrill you, chill you and make your heart hurt at times even as you laugh later. Ms. Summers delivers a wonderful follow up to Servant of Dis and I am eager to see where this author leads us next in Mage of Chaos. If you enjoy the epic fantasy of George RR Martin or Kevin Hearne, then you will enjoy the Asphodel Series by this wonderful author. I do highly recommend you read from the first book series, The Reckoning of Asphodel and its three books afterwar that before you try the Black Dream. There are events from that four-book series that show up in this spin-off that might confuse first time readers. Besides you got to see how Tamsen and Brial met and fell in love because those scenes alone leave me in stiches each time I read them. I look forward to seeing where this author goes in her fantasy series that just draws you into its world and doesn’t let you leave until it has wrung every drop of emotion from you even as it steals your heart in the process.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement


 The Asphodel Cycle Series:


The Black Dream Series:


The Blood Feud Series:



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