Katherine A Smith – författare

Jessika, Kassandra, Rikah, and Karolan found a home among the wild griffins and there grew safely towards adulthood, but they have never forgotten the home they came from: the conquered kingdom of Northnest. Certainly Jessika has not. She was third born of the royal children. Northnest is both her birthright and her people, taken by wizards and their swarms of drakes. Now the girl has become a woman, and she thinks to reclaim her country. Being raised by griffins, far from human cities and society, has its drawbacks, however. She can’t possibly know what obstacles she will face in her venture. The conquerors still hold her country and aren’t inclined to give it back. The people, too, have learned to live with them and aren’t eager for another war. Worst of all is the danger she brings onto her adoptive griffin family, as any reckless move could reveal to the conquerors the presence of the wild griffin Aeries.

Third in the Northnest Saga, "Hearthsraven" follows Vor, a young mage introduced in book 2. Orphaned on the streets of a conquered city, Vor's fledgling mage powers kept her alive, but also drew the attention of the conquering lord, Altare Dhordirh, who took her for his apprentice. Now, recent events as seen in book 2 and as continued here, will force on her a choice: follow her master's bloody path, or find the courage to rise up and defy him.

It is a gruesome and passionate turn for the series, as Vor endures the trials of a blood path mage and struggles with her own conscience and desires. She is not the only actor on the stage, however, and familiar faces return to both challenge and assist her, as well as new come adversaries--or perhaps allies?

Ms. Smith pulls few punches in this third installment, and a venture into Vor's world is not for the faint of heart. Magic, griffins, and unicorns--staples of the series--make their presence felt again, but the situation is no longer so simple as a princess wanting her kingdom back. The series begins to show signs of expanding beyond the little country of Northnest and the griffin Aeries, and the stakes are getting higher for our heroes both new and old. Book 3 also has a much stronger romantic presence than either of its predecessors.

Travelers to Northnest, venture in, and told on tight.

Vor Hearthsraven spent the winter in her mountain hermitage, pondering her past and future. She emerges with the spring, prepared to seize her present. She will return to her home country of Weldom, to reunite with Giri Holstor and investigate the path to becoming a Weldom Wizard, but she''s not sure yet if either wizardom or Giri are what''s best for her. Before she can decide, Vor finds herself in the midst of rising civil unrest. The growing scarcity of mage-stone has allowed the birth of mages among the common people, who have long resented the nobility keeping magic to themselves. Now they launch an assault on the Wizard''s Citadel. Vor and a group of wizards plunge deep into the rock below the city, racing the rebel mages to the city''s magical anchor with the hope they can stop them from destroying the entire capital.