The Secret of the Keepers Review

"No one has ever doubted that you would die for those you love.

The question then becomes ... would you live?"

How lucky am I in that I didn’t have to wait that long after reading The Light of Asteria by Elizabeth Isaacs before I got to read the sequel, The Secret of the Keepers? VERY is the answer! But for everyone who had to wait, let me tell you that it is so, so worth it! If you’ve read my review for the first book here then you’ll know how much I love this story and I couldn’t wait to dive back into the world of Kailmeyra. I’ve come to know and love the characters almost as much as Nora does I think and I’m glad that I can continue with them on their journey. Here’s the synopsis:

“Life for Nora couldn't be better; she has married the man of her dreams and loves living in the pristine land of Kailmeyra.

That is, until the darkness threatens her perfect world.

Now war is upon the land. She and Gavin must strengthen their clan and prepare to fight. But the enemy has an ally—one that not only wields power, but holds knowledge of the ancients' secrets. Secrets that could destroy creation itself.

As the darkness grows, doubt seeps in ... protectiveness hinders progress ... and the unthinkable comes to pass. Bewildered and alone, Nora shoulders the responsibility of leading an entire race to war. As she struggles with decisions that seem impossible to make, she is haunted by one choice.”

How jealous do I feel or Nora in the beginning of this book?! She’s married the man of her dreams and they are most definitely in the honeymoon period, living in one of the most beautiful, purest lands there is. Now THAT is my idea of bliss. This part of the book is written with such beautiful sensitivity that the whole thing is incredibly romantic and I really appreciated that. But you know what? The honeymoon can’t last forever and Nora has one hell of a fight on her hands with the Dokkalfar who threaten EVERYTHING she’s come to know and love.

This book was WOW. I loved it and couldn’t put it down! I laughed and cried as I shared Nora’s journey which was tumultuous to say the least. Be warned that there are quite a few revelations in this book and some shocking twists and turns that you won’t want to believe are true.

All the old characters are present and I have to say that I love Reena even more in this book, if that’s possible. She is such a bundle of joy that I wish I could pluck her out of the book and have her come live with me! Of course, then I’d also have to bring Weylin too *swoon* and just so you know, the only reason I wouldn’t take Gavin is because he is spoken for! Ah, but who pray tell is Waylin, I hear you ask? He’s just some hot, single warrior who oozes confidence and enjoys a challenge. I’M RIGHT HERE WAYLIN!!!! *adds to ever growing list of literary boyfriends*.

Another new character is Rune who I picture as a bit of a leprechaun/dwarf kind of character. I don’t know why, I just do *shrug* but he is adorable.

One of the things I enjoyed most about The Secret of the Keepers was finding out more about the culture and belief systems of Kailmeyra. I’m absolutely fascinated with the idea of everything having energy (which btw it does) and how this can be harnessed (which btw it can). And we find out the secrets behind Kailmeyra but unfortunately, so does the enemy and it aint gonna be pretty.

I love reading stories that explore the power of thought and also the power of faith which is why this series totally floats my boat. The writing is beautiful and strong for the most part but sometimes I got lost with who was speaking and where in time and space the characters were. The story is so strong however, that this did not detract from it at all. Overall, Elizabeth Isaacs definitely has talent and her books just keep getting better and better. I’m going to need book three STAT.

The Secret of the Keepers is published on 1st November, 2011. To find out more about Elizabeth and her books, click here to visit her website. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter. I am pleased to tell you that I am part of The Secret of the Keepers blog tour so come back on 4th November for my post :)