SERVANT OF DIS by Celina Summers

The Black Dream Book 1

Celina Summers

August 31^st, 2016

ASIN# BO1LC9WDKC

Fantasy, Mythology, Action-Adventure

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Author

5 Hearts

For Elven Queen Tamsen Ka’antira, the time after the Ilian War was peaceful. She could spend her days ruling the elven kingdom, relishing in her husband and children and just recovering from the war that she fought alongside many allies. But the peace that the gods promised her disappears when she and her husband, Elven scout and Prince Consort, Brial, are lured out of Leselle and into a diplomatic crisis that will bring war once again to the seven kingdoms.

Tamsen will need to gather her allies and friends once again to battle for their right to survive and thrive. But there are shadows looking for weaknesses in the Elven Queen and her allies for the peace the gods gave her has ended. Something new is coming and if Tamsen doesn’t stop it in its tracks, everything she holds dear and worked hard for will disappear in a blink of an eye. Danger mounts and Tamsen will have to help the one person she doesn’t trust or like to get the answers she needs.

Wow, just wow. I adore the first four books of Tamsen’s series, The Asphodel Cycle and had to reread them to get caught up again with Tamsen, Brial and all my favorite characters since it has been many years since I read the series. I fell in love with Ms. Summers world all over again. Elves, humans, amazons, gods and monsters all are part and parcel of this series and I, for one, am in awe at how this author just weaves their spell around the reader. From the first page to the last, this is an author who leads the reader on a journey that will leave the reader gasping in shock, tears running down their face and more. The worldbuilding alone just defies my expectation s and I found so much depth in the story from that alone. It’s remarkable and I swear this is an author who could give Jim Butcher a run for their money in world building.

SERVANT OF DIS opens to Tamsen enjoying her peace after the last Ilian War brought much fear and more to the seven kingdoms. She has three children with her Elven husband Brial and when they are lured out of Leselle over the accord she brokered before the second Ilian War, well let’s just say things go from peace to chaotic within minutes. I love catching up with all my favorite characters. Tamsen must find that fighter within her again as she tries to unravel the mysteries this time and work with a former adversary that needs her help. With a swift moving storyline, captivating and intriguing characters, Ms. Summers crafts a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t let go until the very last page is read.

SERVANT OF DIS is a story that just captivated me right from the beginning. Its full of twists and turns that just come out of nowhere and all you can do is flip the pages quickly to see if your favorite characters live to fight another day. The mysterious bad guy is not revealed until the end and I was shocked to find out who it was. Word of warning though, you need to read this series in order, starting with books 1-4 of the Asphodel Cycle then move to this one because past characters pop up and feature heavily in this spin-off series. Plus, past events also are mentioned and talked about in SERVANT OF DIS. It helps to understand the main players in the series and whatnot.

If you enjoy Jim Butcher or Kevin Hearne’s fantasy books, then you will enjoy Celina Summer’s Asphodel Series. This is an author who delivers a new twist on the elves, gods and mythology that is fresh and new. I finished this one and had to get the rest of the books in The Black Death series to continue reading about Tamsen’s adventures. Word of warning, the book ends on a cliffhanger and I almost threw my kindle down when I saw this story ended. I needed to know what happened next. So be prepared to get swept away with amazing cast of characters, a world that just begs you to visit and be prepared to run the gauntlet of emotions as you read SERVANT OF DIS and the Asphodel Cycle books.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement