I'm not going to give this a rating. If we say for the sake of simplicity that it takes ten drafts of a book before it reaches publishable quality, I'd say this was a draft 2, maybe a draft 3. The other books Shinn wrote after she left Ace Books (those Echo books that no one but me enjoyed, The Shuddering City) read more as drafts 5 or 6, all of them with enough of a snappy pace and nail-biting tension to keep me turning the pages in spite of any perceived flaws. Whatever your opinions of those books were, they at least had a vague idea of where they wanted to go and how they were going to get there.

I think Shinn knew where she wanted Whispering Wood to go, but was still finding out how she was going to piece everything together. I won't bother listing off the issues, but they were all traits a story might have in its early stages. I might have looked past this if the two leads (Our MC and her romantic interest) had been properly developed, but they too felt they were still very early in the making, with both of them barely skating by on the tropes and vague ideas Shinn had for them. This isn't a crime at all. It's okay to have shaky characterization in your early drafts. It's okay to have shaky anything drafts 1-9. I just wish this had been a draft 10. I so wanted it to be.

Good points of the book: 1) Darien was a very strong and present character. All the best scenes were with him. 2) Sibling drama between Darien and Valentina! 3) Shinn's writing is very elegant, clean, and an overall pleasure to read, even if I was disappointed with her plot and characterizations here in Whispering Wood.

I was over the moon when I found out we were finally getting a hunti book (the element I related to the most), and was ecstatic to hear it would be about Darien's sister! So naturally I'm disappointed. I'm definitely always greedily awaiting Shinn's yearly releases, but I would have been happy to wait a year or two longer for her to whip this book into proper shape.

Do I blame Shinn? No. I can't be certain, but I don't think she has a professional editor anymore, as Fairwood Press is a one-man army. I think she's doing the best she can on her own, and to her credit, her writing is such that I would take even this book any day over the mediocre new releases (from other authors and publishers) I've tried reading over the past ten years.

I DO blame Ace books. I don't know what happened there. If they dropped Shinn entirely, if her editor simply retired and none of the others clicked with Shinn's work. It's possible Shinn decided to leave on her own and no one is to blame. Nevertheless, I strongly desire to find whoever is in charge of Ace and throttle them with my bare hands. They should have tried harder to keep her on their roster. And other publishers should have jumped at the chance to take Shinn on.

Although. Given the state of the publishing industry and the kinds of books on the shelves these days, it is highly ly that an editor would not have done anything even if Shinn had had one. Can't remember the last time I read a new book and thought, "Hm, yes, the editor really did a decent job here."

Sorry for another review that dovetailed into a critique of current publishing trends, but what can I say. I'm frustrated.19 s5 comments Jennifer495 246

Oh, Sharon Shinn...the hell happened to you? This was not very good, and it was frustrating because I know Shinn is capable of much, much better - characters who leap off the page, romances that even grumpy misanthropes can get behind, plots in which things happen and matter. None of those are evident in Whispering Wood.

This is the story of Darien Serlast's neglected sister Valentina, who has come of age largely without the attention of her increasingly absent older brother. While he was hobnobbing with royalty, she was burying their father, then their mother, and running a farm. Now, at 27, Val has been summoned to Darien's coronation in the capital, and she doesn't know what's worse - having to socialize with her relatives, picking up her strained relationship with her brother where they left off, discovering that her childhood friend is in town and involved in something unsavory and dangerous.

Not a whole lot happens until the final quarter. Val is hunti (wood and bone) Darien, sharing some of his stubborn, unyielding temperament, initially determined to not forgive her brother or his wife and daughters. There are meals and shopping, random blessings, and a sadly chemistry-free romance that held no appeal for me. I have no patience for attracted, unattached adult couples who somehow find ways to not be together.

I think what Whispering Wood does well is grief - Val's grief for her dead mother and lost brother, grief as an ugly, physical thing with long suckers that latch on even years later.

Val is twenty-five and her mother has just died. The event is both long expected and absolutely catastrophic. Val had thought she was prepared for grief, but she finds that the expectation of loss and the reality of loss are such totally different experiences that they have absolutely no resemblance to each other. [...] She expected grief to be an emotional reaction, but instead it is almost physical. She feels as though her body has been hollowed out, her insides scraped clean. Her stomach and her lungs and her heart are no longer functioning; her feet trip constantly, her hands are clumsy, she does not seem to be able to judge speed or distance. Her head, by contrast, is hot and dense and packed with a tangled swirl of words and images and thoughts she cannot pin down.

Val is otherwise not a very interesting heroine, unfortunately, and comes across as much younger than 27. Other Shinn books have had heroines with huge personalities who dominated their stories - Zoe from Troubled Waters and Rachel from Archangel - but Whispering Wood seems to be less about Val than about wrapping up arcs for characters in previous books in this series. All the couples are there, all apparently still happy (what are the odds?), getting on with their happily-ever-after, which feels a bit pat.

It's a boring note for this series to end on. Despite one very interesting scene with trees, I think I Whispering Wood least of the five books. It was a gentle, steady slide down from the five stars of Troubled Waters. Let's say 2.5 stars, rounding up for nostalgia.

I still the world enough to print out the elemental blessings from Sharon Shinn's website and pull three random blessings for 2024. They are:

Serenity (torz - earth)
Certainty (hunti - wood and bone)
Health (torz - earth)

Not a bad set, and all things that were sorely lacking in 2023 for me. Let's hope this one's better!17 s4 comments Hirondelle1,087 249 Read

A new, almost surprise Sharon Shinn book, the 5th (and thematically completing) a well loved series of her fantasy books - each a standalone romance. I was very happy at the news of it

I am not going to rate it, rating is hard. But just warning any accidental readers, do not judge the rest of the series by this, there is an ocean of difference between say this and Troubled Waters.

It feels very much a romance series, rather than a fantasy series, in the sense that books late in the series focus a lot on the reader spending time with characters of the previous volumes and basking in the HEAs - not a standalone. Not my cup of tea for sure. Otherwise the plot was a bit wonky for me. And sadly (for me at least), the romance just felt perfunctory, I was feeling nothing for them both.
fantasy15 s8 comments Melindam745 352

By itself and compared to other authors in the genre, this book merits at least a strong 3,5 or a "weak" 4 stars.

Compared to the Big Bang that was Troubled Waters in this series and Jeweled Fire that was a lesser one, but still a Bang, it is 2,5 stars at most.

It was very readable, nicely written and entertaining, just not enough.

Let's go for 3 stars as an in-between. fantasy romance13 s Barb in Maryland1,958 153

Shinn returns to the world of the Elemental Blessings for this romance/adventure involving Valentina Serlast, sister to the new king of Welce, and Sebastian Ardelay, her childhood friend who is fond of a little danger in his life.
There's a lot of adventure and international intrigue in the story, mixed in with a touching and emotional story of family reconciliation and personal growth. And romance, of course.

I had a few quibbles with the book. The story and characters were worth 5 stars. Shinn knows how to spin a tale and populate it with real people. But while I was engrossed in the story, the occasional rough patches in the prose would trip me up. The book really needed another edit to eliminate the repetitions, polish the rough spots, etc.
However, the technical issues didn't really prevent me from enjoying being back in this world. It was a long-delayed reunion with old friends.
I am a longtime fan of the author's work and I've read everything she's written. I don't know why she is no longer with a major publisher, but I'll keep reading her books no matter who puts them out.keepers romance-goodies sf-f-goodies7 s Christina (A Reader of Fictions)4,391 1,762 Shelved as 'dnf'

Normally I don't comment on a DNF, but I did read 100 pages, and I did buy this at full price, so I do want to say a little something.

The biggest problem here is the lack of professional content editing. It hits hard before the book even opens. In an opening note, Shinn explains that in Troubled Waters, Darien said he had two sisters and a hunti mother, but in this book, he has one sister and a torz mother. The reader is meant to assume he was so thrown off by his attraction to Zoe that he forgot the number of sisters he had. This really threw me before I'd read a word. I never would have known; despite having done and seriously enjoyed a full series reread before picking this up, I have no memory of that line. What this said to me is that somewhere along the line, Shinn found the consistency error and decided not to edit the book to be accurate to the series and to just ret con her own work. It's a very strange choice, given that at least in the first hundred pages, those facts would have been easy to modify to be correct.

Aside from that, characterization of Valentina and her love interest is lacking, though he is developed enough that I do already dis him. It's hard for me to say if Valentina doesn't feel real or if it's that I can't help knowing that she's not real because of that intro note.

Maybe I'll give this another shot someday since I do own it, but for now it was a disappointment. Boy do I wish the publisher had gone ahead and done the fifth and final book.on-my-shelves owned-ebook-kindle4 s L (Nineteen Adze)292 40

3 stars for me, sometimes verging on 3.5. I continue to love the world and the magic-light worldbuilding: Sharon Shinn has a real gift for making stories flow well. Unfortunately, the core romantic relationship didn't quite hook me-- and after so long waiting for a book with a hunti (wood and bone) female lead, I found Val a bit underwhelming. She comes off as younger and less certain than I expected, more an emotional teenager than a grieving adult. She's also been quite offstage for the rest of the series, without the lead-up that the previous few leads have had, so the groundwork isn't quite there. I'm not sure if this just needed a few more revisions, but the result didn't quite click for me in the way that gems Troubled Waters and Archangel have. RTC.2024-reads bingo-2023 fantasy3 s Mariko76

To put it briefly, what I enjoyed about this was soured by the frankly breathtakingly bad racial politics of the world. In particular, the decision to make the nation that is broadly coded as African 1) backwards and “scary” and 2) ruled by a cartoonishly evil king is just inexcusable. I believe this came up in the third book as well but it’s center stage here and just sinks the whole book for me. 3 s Olga GodimAuthor 11 books80

3.5 stars
It was a darn good yarn. I got to spend time with several of my favorite characters from the other books of the series. And I met a new one, the new protagonist - Valentina Serlast, the sister to the king of Welce.
Val is a complex, multifaceted character, and although she isn't as captivating or charismatic as some of Shinn's other female heroines, she is worth reading about. I enjoyed her story.
The writing is as strong and clear as I'm used to from this author, the pacing is quick, and the tension grows steadily as the story progresses.
The only complaint I have is in formatting. I read the kindle version, and in some parts of the text, the letter 'j' was inexplicably replaced with '***'.
Otherwise - a decent addition to the Elemental Blessings series. fantasy-scifi2 s1 comment Karen Hayes117 8

I enjoy this series so much! I finished the book in one sitting, and loved getting to return to Welce and in the point of view of someone so very different! I really grew to Valentina, and hope more books in this world can be written!2023 fantasy gentle-magic ...more2 s Lindsay690

Val is a great character. She can come off as rigid, rule-following, and inflexible, but she is at the same time the Hunti traits loyal, steadfast, and stubborn. I d how we saw both. I also really enjoyed how explicitly she is *not* chosen, over and over. (I mean, I didn't enjoy it so much as I appreciated a main character who is trying so hard to deal with how she feels nobody really sees her, instead of automatically being the Chosen One.) I also d the by-play of how having a relationship with her estranged Hunti brother really requires a lot of communication so that they just don't take each other at face value, and how they both have to work at it and unbend a little. He's not uncaring and she's not boring, it just seems that way.

Val has experienced a lot of grief and loss, and really not that many people were actively looking out for her. This comes through really well, and I love the work done in naming and showing her "unsympathetic" traits and making them sympathetic as she comes into focus.

I also unreservedly love this world, and I am so glad that Shinn got to finish out the last book in the set. That said, Troubled Waters will always come first in my heart... perhaps with this one as a close second, as I really identified with what Val went through. (I have been meaning to re-read the others, but who knows when that will happen.)

Perhaps unfortunately, almost none of this excellent character work had much to do with the plot, which was not quite fully baked. And a lot of the views of other nations... why do they all have such cringe-y, bloodthirsty, literally murderous people in power? And this idea of making arranged marriages a possible choice for disadvantaged Welchin women in Soeche-Tas? When everyone thinks that Soechin people are repulsive? (or is it just the upper class?). To me it seems that the idea that this is necessary because there aren't enough Soechin women to marry only makes sense if we track that directly from the one-child policy here on earth, which is ... a different place. Which we hopefully would not stereotype so negatively in a work of total fiction.

I'm glad Shinn is writing and publishing. I hope she makes money off this book. Hence the rating. I did really enjoy it, even as I was more interested in the flashbacks and Val's story than in the political plot. I also d that Val felt ready to take her life in a new direction at the end, and felt that she had agency. I also think that it was the best character work in these books (though to be fair, princesses are hard to do well!), so I don't feel too bad about nudging the rating up. Worth it for those who have been waiting for it, but definitely not the place to start with these books.

(As a side not I found it interesting, in retrospect, to see how Shinn set up this world from the beginning with so much instability and betrayal at the palace, even as the Welchin people in power seem fundamentally decent now. All those queens and randomly-fathered people. What a mess. I wonder if it was really necessary long-term? Or maybe she wasn't thinking of it that hard. I guess it gave the books a few plots, anyhow.)1 Babydoclaz328 10

A wonderful entry in this world. Each of the books in the Elemental Blessings can be read as a standalone. However knowing the other characters and seeing how each is viewed by themselves, and then by others in the other books lends a richness to the world. This book has a different and equally interesting main character, Val. I so enjoyed her story. There is something evocative and lyrical about Sharon Shinn 's writing that makes her a joy to read. I was so sad when I finished the book, not because of the story resolve, but because I wish I could keep reading about this world and these characters indefinitely. There is always re-reading, I suppose.1 Casey BlairAuthor 10 books136 Read

Darien's final moment in this book is sheer perfection.1 Danielle32

I loved this book. Valentina was one of my favorite characters. And she had great growth as a person throughout.

Also loved the love interest!1 Elena84 2

lovely ending to the Elemental Blessings series

I want to say this series of Sharon Shinn’s is my FAVORITE, but honestly . . . they’re ALL my favorites because of her fantastic writing. The angels, the safekeepers, the Thirteen Houses, the shape changers: ALL OF THEM.
The first chapter of this book immediately drew me in. I loved the way the chapters that looked back started with Valentina’s age, made it so clear, I was never guessing or confused and I really enjoyed the backstory of the childhood summers she and Sebastian shared. Also, the incredibly romantic and loyal ways that he finds to gift/contact Valentina every year on the anniversary of her mother’s death SLAYED ME. And Darien’s surprise at the end! No spoilers, but it made me laugh out loud.1 Aphelia367 46

I love this series so much, this book feels visiting old friends! Although I was surprised by the lackluster , I do understand some of the issues, especially with uneven pacing and the difficulty of connecting with the main characters, which I believe is by design. This is not a standalone story - I highly recommend reading the series in order.

In the Elemental Blessings magic system, the Hunti are the most enigmatic. Independent, stoic, stubborn and affiliated with trees, they dis change immensely and can be incredibly hard to read and relate to, in general.

Valentina Serlast is the much younger sister of Darien, now King. Summoned by societal expectation to attend his coronation, Val reluctantly travels to the Welce capitol of Chialto for Darien's coronation. Having recently nursed her mother through a long illness to her death, Val is still grieving and resentful that Darien's political duties left the full burden of her mother's care on her shoulders.

However, once in the city, events conspire to pull Val in a new direction. As she gets to know Darien's wife Zoe and finds an unexpected ally in their firecracker daughter Corene, an old childhood friend resurfaces and their relationship gradually transitions into something deeper.

I loved Val and headstrong fiery Sweela Sebastian Ardelay and how their two contrasting Elemental personalities sparked off of each other and ultimately kindled into a twin flame. The story alternates between their past and present. Both characters can be difficult to or understand at times as both are very stubborn and set in their ways but they share the blessing of Loyalty and watching them finally figure out what they feel for each other is fascinating. It is a testament to Shinn's wonderful writing that such prickly and occasionally frustrating characters are so compelling. I always love the little grace notes ( the missing coin on Sebastian's blessing necklace) that tie her tales together.

I did find the pacing of the story a little odd as it was a slow start and most of the action happened in the last quarter of the book, but I couldn't put it down! I also would have d to have seen more of some of the other characters - Leah and Foley both seemed underused in their brief cameos - but it was a joy being back in this world and I hope this isn't the last book in this series!
ebook_scribd favorites-i-do-not-own Susan1,685 55

3.5 stars rounded up because I've been a Sharon Shinn fangirl since her 1996 debut Archangel. It's been seven long years since the last novel in the Elemental Blessings series, Unquiet Land, was released. Shinn provides a helpful list of characters in Whispering Wood and the basics of the world she has built for the series, but I still had to go back and review the descriptions of the previous four books in order to fully appreciate the fifth.

Valentina is the newly crowned King Darien's sister, a "hunti" whose blessings include steadfastness, certainty, resolve and determination. She's introverted, organized, and change-averse. But when she agrees to stay in Welce's capital city for a while after the coronation, her life becomes more chaotic as she develops complicated new relationships with Darien's wife and his daughter, as well as other Welce luminaries. She also reunites with her childhood BFF Sebastian, whose wild, adventurous "sweela" personality has led him to an illegal smuggling career.

There's a lot of talking in this book, and not much action, until the final 50 pages. Until then, things happen around Val that could have dramatic effect on the kingdom, but she's usually an observer or unwilling participant. Between the lack of forward momentum and the need to keep checking the character list to remind myself who is related to whom, I enjoyed this book less than most other titles by this author. I suspect that at least part of the problem is that Shinn has self-published her last few books and lacks the editing support that she (or any author) needs. Boo hiss to Ace Books, which released the first four entries in the series but not this fifth and (presumably) final one.

Reading this book felt seeing old friends from whom you've grown apart - you're happy to see them but it's a little awkward and not quite as satisfying as it used to be.fantasy2 s1 comment Rosario968 69

This had pretty severe pacing issues. The first 2/3 of the book, I was wondering what this even was about. Mostly we're wandering about aimlessly, spending time with the protagonists from other books in the series. Our POV character, Valentina, is really not at all interesting in these sections, and her supposed romance bored me to tears (while thinking that this person and Valentina really aren't suited to each other). It's a pretty readable boring story, as it's Shinn, and I do enjoy just being in the worlds she creates, but seriously, this really needed some merciless editing.

Things get a bit more interesting in the last third, when a plot suddenly emerges and Valentina develops a more active personality. I enjoyed that section quite a bit. I warmed to the romance a little bit, while still not being convinced Valentina and this guy suited each other. Maybe the problem was also that I find characters that (who do illegal things just because it's fun and exciting, and following the law is boring) insufferable.

Not good, but not terrible, either. 2 s2 comments Alicia3,245 34

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/1...

Shinn's latest is a return to the Elemental Blessings series, so I was super psyched for it! And I mostly d it a lot—the main character is the new king's sister, come to the city for the coronation and persuaded to stay even though she’s grumpy about it. And she was great, and I loved her gradually opening up and getting caught up in the politics. But the whole time I was , maybe this is the first book in the series that won’t have a romance, bc the love interest is her childhood friend, and I would have d to see a book about friends! (I was also not into him as a love interest at all until the very end.) I wonder if this is the end of the series, bc there’s now been a book for each of the major elemental categories, but there’s also definitely room for more (I secretly hope for lesbians in the next one—there are several queer women side characters). B+. Jo Oehrlein6,341 9

So good.

The story of Valentina Serlast, sister to Darien, who is crowned king at the beginning of the book.

Valentina isn't very able in the beginning, basically because she starts off talking/thinking about how she HATES everyone around her.

This is a story of a hunti girl, daughter of the hunti prime, who has been in love with someone she met when she was 8. She's suffered through the deaths of her father (thus losing the place they lived) and her mother, and feels ignored by her brother, who is busy with politics.

She has built a life on a farm and tells herself she's hunti and doesn't change. But her time in the capital for the coronation and the days she stays afterward DO change her in ways that are still true to her, but match her with her love, re-unite her with her brother in the best way, and bring her new friends in the form of Corene (Darien's daughter), Zoe (Darien's wife), and Melissande (a Coziquela princess who is a friend of Corene's). Debra Lentz12

Talent, Imagination, and Creativity are this author's blessings!

In the fifth (and presumably last) of the Elemental Series, the author has blessed us again with her creativity and imagination. This book is about a woman whose element is hunti, favoring wood and bone, who is dependable and prefers that there are absolute rules for everyone and everything. Those rules get challenged by people she has known all her life, and she is forced to reexamine everything she has always known to be true. An excellent story of maturity and growth.

I would personally be quite sad if this were the last book Shinn writes in this world. The characters are people I would enjoy knowing. Shinn's style strikes me as dreamy, but not slow or boring at all, similar to Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine's Castle series. Very enjoyable. Maria4,145 109

Valentina Serlast reluctantly comes to the big city for her brother Darien's cornination ceremony. He's be chosen to replace the old king, who he served faithfully. Valentina is much more comfortable living in isolation on her country estates, even if she feels resentment that her brother has all but forgotten her. In effort to repair their relationship, Darien convinces her to extend her stay. This one decision draws her deeply into the royal family, political intrigues and danger.

Why I started this book: I had some travel time while my sister was visiting and wanted to read something entertaining and gripping.

Why I finished it: Interesting to come back to a favorite series from the viewpoint of a character suspicious of the main characters from previous books. I imagine that this book will grow on me more.fantasy series2 s Laz the Sailor1,613 82

Each of the books in this series has a different flavor. Some of the leads are strong, or sarcastic, or adventurous. Some of the challenges are intellectual, others physical. In this fifth story, the heroine is quiet and reserved. The first half of the book moves very slowly, with the threats and challenges happening around her. Lots of elegant descriptions, family drama, and political intrigue - all well written.

In the second half, the flood gates open, with real dangers and people at risk. The romance is almost buried by the turmoil that surrounds and separates them. But the excitement is real and thrilling, waking up in the middle of the night to a ferocious thunderstorm.

Enchanting and delightful conclusion. Unfortunately, we'll need to wait a while for the next book.fantasy1 Edith PawlickiAuthor 7 books64

I just love Val.

Okay, so in the first chapter, I wasn't sure if I was going to Val - I wasn't even sure I was going to stick with this book - because she was crabby and not fun. Almost the opposite of Zoe, who I adored going on an adventure with in Troubled Waters because she dared do much that I would never. But as the book progressed, I realized Val was a heroine me - she's shy, she's unsociable, she has trouble with change, she's prefers boring and stable to exciting and unpredictable. Yet adventure is thrust upon her, and she does her best in her very serious way. I just related fo hr so much that her triumphs felt so powerful to me! And the romance and friendships here were great. I adore this world and subtle magic Shinn has created - this book features a Julia Butterfly Hill moment with magic tree - and I hope to return over and over again! Islansya24 2

I will preface this by saying I've been reading this author's books for at least a decade and a half, possibly two by now. So, I really looked forward to this book, especially since it's been so long since the last Elemental Blessings book. I enjoyed seeing several past characters show up (including all four past MCs).

Unfortunately, Valentina ruined this for me. She was consistently immature (I would have assumed she was younger than Corene and roughly ten years younger than she actually was), petulant, and self-centered. I didn't think much of her male counterpart either, but I can at least name some positive traits he had.

My takeaway from this is that I should've just reread Troubled Waters or Jeweled Fire again instead. annapi1,760 13

I love this series. Despite the fact it usually starts slowly, somehow Shinn just draws you into her world and you just want to soak in it. This one focuses on King Darien's sister, Valentina Serlast, a hunti with an affinity for the forest.

To explain this fascinating world would take too long, so let's just say that as in most of Shinn's work, the characters and the world are what draws the reader in. I only hope she continues to write more in this world, but she seems to be running out of elements to feature - she's already gone through water, air, fire and earth in the first four books. All I can do is cross my fingers for more.fantasy1 Kathy True1 review

I understand the concerns a few of the readers have with this book. I rate books on how they engage me as a reader. I did not want to put this book down, I cried and I laughed. I connected with this book. Her passages on loss and how it effects characters felt almost healing.

Also-whether you her leading ladies, or not, Shinn respects women and requires her male characters to as well. She does not rely on “enemies to lovers” or “love triangle” tropes to engage the reader. Her main characters figure out how to love each other in respectful ways. No toxic love bullshit in her Elemental Blessings series. Kay KenyonAuthor 47 books245

I have to admit, I have been hooked on the Elemental Blessings series from the start. I love, love, the blessings idea so much and it always heartens me to think a culture would include such a custom and the aspirational idea of it.

Coming back to the characters in this book felt a reunion (a sweet one), except that the stakes are amped up to the international. I also d that the major character this time was Val. A strong woman, a bit fierce, attracted to a rogue--so a rough surface in some respects, and a bold choice for a romantic lead. All this worked so well.

The scene in the grove of trees: the prose soared and made me wish to be a hunti woman. Sara444

I love Sharon Shinn's Elemental Blessings series! I was so happy to see she wrote a new book and downloaded it to read on the plane. It felt good to visit with old friends again and to see what's benn happening since the last book. Valentina Serlast, sister to the newly crowned king Darien Serlast, has been deep in grief out in the country estate of her dead mother. She carries a good deal of anger toward her brother for multiple reasons, abandonment most of all. Valentina's oldest friend, Sebastian, lives on the fringes, but never forgets Valentina. Their friendship evolves into something more during the course of this book, and changes come along with it. Kate_Nagy37

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