The Plague Diaries: Keeper of Tales Trilogy #3 by Ronlyn Domingue

The Plague Diaries: Keeper of Tales Trilogy #3. Ronlyn Domingue. Atria Books. August 2017. 432 pp. ISBN#: 9781476774282.

Secret Riven is no longer advertising her magical powers.  Instead she has become somewhat of a self-educated scholar who works as an archivist in the magnate Fewmany’s offices.  This is not your local library, but rooms and rooms of books in every possible subject, including books and objects to do with magic, sorcery, legends, myths, etc.  The formerly very close relationship between Secret and Nicholas the Prince has changed with their separation, something Secret doesn’t realize until they meet again well into the novel. 

The story herein grows at a sedate pace in which the reader grows to share Secret’s love for animals, plants, and nature wherever they are found.   Little by little, the reader finds that Fewmany has a purpose in befriending Secret, although she doesn’t really figure that out until much later.  Meanwhile, Fewmany seems to be trying to broaden Secret’s horizons, inviting her to dinners, etc. at which some guests and scenes frighten Secret.  These pages are replete with weird costumes, animals and figures with strange powers, and strange events.  One gets to know many of the main characters in the government.  The author does a marvelous job in stretching all of this out in an intriguing way so that the reader doesn’t really mind that the crux of the quest isn’t revealed immediately.

The Old Woman who was introduced in the first novel of this series, a new character Harmyn, Nicholas and Secret eventually will try to discover the connection between a certain symbol in an ancient manuscript and other symbols available elsewhere.  No spoilers here, but it all ties together eventually.  In the process, Secret Riven becomes aware that her repressed gifts of connection to nature and languages can be used maturely when appropriate.

This reviewer appreciates this final version of the Keeper of the Tales Trilogy as well-written, even though it is a stand-alone novel, and highly recommended to readers who love a good mystery with paranormal features, friendship, loyalty and engaging quests. 

The Chronicle of Secret Riven: Keeper of Tales Trilogy - Book Two by Ronlyn Domingue

The Chronicle of Secret Riven: Keeper of Tales Trilogy – Book Two.  Ronlyn Domingue.  Atria Books.  May 2014. 400 pp. hbk. ISBN #: 9781451688917.

A thousand years after the Mapmaker’s war (described in a previous novel by this same author), Secret Riven is born to a historian father and a mother who is able to translate multiple languages.  Secret cannot speak for years, a lack that seems to strengthen her talent for telepathically communicating with plants and animals.  Her contact with nature is limited at first until her father receives a plush job that enables them to move to a town bordering on multiple forests and groves, filled with animals that are totally unthreatened by Secret.  In fact their love for each other as well as respect is obvious on their every meeting.

During these later years her mother’s emotional attacks increase.  They seem somehow to be related to her own mother, Zavet, but nothing is ever described to clarify what these attacks are, why they occur and how she can be helped since Secret immediately hides as soon as these horrible episodes occur and her father is almost completely unaware of their occurrence. 

Secret does have two very special friends, one Prince Nicholas, the son of the kingdom’s ruler and the other an old woman who lives in the forest.  Nicholas accepts Secret exactly as she is, even after she develops a sickness with an extremely high fever and awakens to discover she can translate an old, almost unknown, language.  At the same time, her mother dies and Secret believes the two events of illness and death are connected.  The old woman in the forest is there for Secret but all of a sudden Secret seems to be reluctant to share all of her thoughts and feelings with her former friend.

The rest of the novel concerns an attempt by a powerful man to “use” Secret’s skills for a secret purpose.  The novel is rather vague from this point on, but Secret has several fearful experiences that increase her suspicion that an evil battle is nearing, one she can’t pinpoint but feels in every fiber of her sensitive being!

The Chronicle of Secret Riven…is an interesting read but is rather slow-moving and never seems to provide enough clues to keep the reader’s interest.  The development of her special skills is what holds the reader’s attention.  More clues and action are needed and hopefully will be provided in the sequel to this novel.

The Mapmaker's War by Ronlyn Domingue

The Mapmaker’s War. Ronlyn Domingue. Atria Books. March 2013. 240 pp. hbk. ISBN #: 9781451688887.

Once upon a time…how many times in the past does a reader enter a tale where a person battles evil and wins peace and happiness for a very long time? Despite the stark realities that age imposes about how much goodness and evil humans can foster, a part of us subconsciously dares to dream of a Utopian existence, a Shangri-La, a fantasy yes but all the more sweeter for the dream!

Aoife is our heroine in this wonderful tale.  Although girls and women have their affixed roles in the home, Aoife is allowed to develop her significant skills as a mapmaker.  First she charts the local area and then after being mentored and trained travels afar, loving her unique job and yet always aware that her good fortune exists because of the gracious will of her King.  Her life is about to undergo a whirlwind change when she inadvertently comes upon a magic village where a dragon and people with special powers live. A huge treasure pile stuns her and she quickly realizes what other greedy people would do for such a bounty.  What most impresses her, however, is the sense of total peace these people emanate and she absorbs.  Her desire to stay is intense but she knows her duty.

The challenge in this tale as in all stories of real life is the fall Aoife experiences when her lover, Prince Wyl, becomes King and allows his brother to twist his mind regarding the land Aoife found. This will cause a horrendous war that brings unbearable suffering to the members of the peaceful town, especially their Warriors.  Because Aoife has told her King about this land and mapped the way to its borders, she feels responsible; remapping with a deceptive path changes little.  She will suffer dire consequences, leave and return to that other place for the rest of her life where she will come to understand how gifted these people are, trained to handle all that would poison a healthy and whole lifestyle, and establish oh so loving relationships that will delight the reader. She will re-learn what it is to be a fully present wife, mother and community member in a fully-functioning cooperative society.

The Mapmaker’s War is a lovely tale in which this talented author inserts tension and conflict in all the right places, as well as including some amazing unique scenes that will enthrall the reader.  Superb story and this reviewer so looks forward to the sequel in this classic fantasy tale!!!