Book Review - THE ARKHEL CONUNDRUM by Sarah Ash

 

(Title: The Arkhel Conundrum / Author: Sarah Ash / Publisher: Independently Published / Publication Date: October 19, 2019 / Pages: 620)

Book Blurb: 

Azhkendir, land of snow and shadows, harbours many secrets - and a powerful ancient winter deity is awakened when a foreign mining company begins to strip out the rare mineral resources beneath the mountains.  Old clan hatreds are stirred up.  The High Steward of Azhkendir, Lord Gavril, and his wife, Spirit SInger Kiukiu, hope to seek help from the Emperor Eugene.  But their onetime enemy turned ally is distracted by his competition to build a flying machine.  Is someone from their past trying to destabilize the fragile peace of the empire?  Or are there supernatural forces involved?  The Magus, Kaspar Linnaius, may have the answers...but he has disappeared and no one knows where he is or how to contact him.

Review:

Before I begin my review of THE ARKHEL CONUNDRUM, I must first say how much of an admirer I am of author Sarah Ash and her writing.  Her Tears of Artamon series ranks among my favorite fantasy series of all-time, with its blend of a Russian/Siberia-like frozen wasteland setting and dragon mythology.  It truly is a unique trilogy and Sarah's beautiful prose and wonderfully-crafted magic system only serves to elevate it even higher.   So much so in fact, that it has become one of my go-to comfort reads whenever I get into a reading rut.

Fast forward some 15 years or so and there is a much anticipated new installment in this incredible series, for which Sarah Ash was gracious enough to provide me a review copy.  Even though her previous series ended on a very satisfying note, there were still a few questions regarding the fate of some of our favorite characters in that series.  I'm happy to say that this book answers every one of them and also gives you one heck of a story all its own to digest in wrapping up the story arc of Tears of Artamon.

I won't give away too much of the plot since this really is a book that revisits a lot of what took place in the previous three volumes, but what I will say is every page of this 600+ tome is so elegantly and brilliantly conveyed and the story, despite the gap between books, never misses a beat in my opinion.  I really can't put into words how much I love this frigid and fantastic world, and I was so glad to be able to revisit it once again.  

Interwoven in all of this are characters who feel as if they are physically emerging from the pages.  Lord Gavril in particular still has some of the same insecurities and fragility that he did way back in Lord of Snow and Shadows even though he has so much responsibility hoisted upon him.  Yet this same insecurity is what also makes him the leader that he is because it forces him to face his fears head on and endeavor to defeat them.  But unlike the challenges he encountered previously, this time the enemy may be more than he can handle alone.  

If you enjoy fantasy stories that involve a rich amount of folklore, take place in the most desolate frozen environs one can imagine, elicit the strongest of emotions as each character battles demons both real and also within themselves, and bring you on a wondrous journey utilizing some of the most enchanted storytelling you will ever encounter, then you need to read the entire Tears of Artamon series, culminating with this astounding sequel THE ARKHEL CONUNDRUM.  It will move you through the entire spectrum of human emotions and remind you of why you began reading fantasy books in the first place.

Rating: 9/10