Review's Resort: Tome Thursday: Time's Orphan

Hello everyone!

I bring you something good.

Something really, REALLY good!

Remember how, every once in a while on this blog, I'd toss up the review of a really good fantasy book that tells the story of three people blessed with magic - fire magic, shadow magic, healing magic - and then it would all disappear again?

Well, I'm back with it, baby!

And guess what?

We made it to the end.

That's right, tonight's book is the final in the Odriel's Heirs trilogy, so you best believe that it brought its A-game to the show, and what an A-game it was!

I've said this before but I'll say it again: some books just stick with you.

Time's Orphan is going to stick with you for a long, long time.

Links to related works can be found at the bottom of the page, as per usual!

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to properly pen this, as it's basically a bit of a love letter. I can still remember reading the message I was sent when Hayley Reese Chow reached out asking whether I'd like to join her ARC team for Odriel's Heirs, and because the topic was something that really resonated with me, I said sure, why not?

Now, sometimes you pick up books and they're not the best even though they promise to be.

These though? Hooo boy, these delivered AND THEN SOME.

So in as short and sweet of a story as possible: Okarria is a land where the chosen trio live and protect it from Idriel, who's basically the Scar to Odriel's Mufasa, a deity that wants to rule the lands and cover them with the ... undead dead?

I tend to call them Walking Dead extras.

He's repelled in the first book, but kinda makes a return later on in the second book, and the two novellas explore just how bad things get before we jump into the third book.

Now, in Time's Orphan, we're finally in the home stretch. Idriel and his croonies (Ivanora and Conrad) are taking over Okarria piece by piece, despite the fact that the old Shadow and Dragon Heirs are doing their best to keep them at bay, and the young Dragon and Shadow heirs are leading forays and attacks to try and get people out of there.

It's during one such that they find the Time Heir they'd been looking for, only Ioni doesn't really remember: Emara's convinced she's only a tiny little healer, when in reality her healing powers are ... well, legendary?

Anyway, Shadmundar finds her (remember our grumpy cat friend? HE'S BACK!) and helps her survive in her hostage situation until reinforcements arrive in the form of Aza Thane and her Maldibor companion. They then hatch a desperate plan: Emara will let herself be taken to Ivanora, hopefully masking Aza's powerful spirit so that the assassin can take the magus out, in which case Idriel's corporeal form can finally also be annihilated.

That's all well and good, but naturally no plan ever works the first time around - even Gandalf's idea of sending the Ring to Mordor took a little to get there!

It's basically a massacre in which pretty much everyone of our heroes dies or is dying, but we also regroup with ... dun dun dun ... Everard.

Everard's the grumpy magi who turned our grumpy cat into a cat, and he performs a spell that casts Emara back through time, so she lands in literally the slot of history where there's plenty and to spare to be had, and there's Odriel's Heirs times a dozen. The land's at peace, Idriel's the boogeyman, and everyone seems happy.

She's taken in by a young man named Jai, whom she discovers is actually the future Shadmundar, and he helps her get into the palace to speak with Everard, following the old man's own instructions of finding his sister, Bellaphia, who can help her.

Everard is ... well, let's just say he's not as cozy crusty as he is by the time the land's in dire need, so he doesn't really believe Emara and throws her and Jai out. They escape with the help of Chipo, another Time Heir, who promises to get them to Bellaphia since she thinks it's such a fun adventure, but who also recognizes Emara as one of their own rank ... and someone who isn't quite part of them, either.

Chipo continues the teachings Aza already started on the way to Ivanora, so Emara finally, slowly, grows to better understand her powers and how to use them, which comes in handy since she has to save Jai's life more than once - and listen, if you don't clock into the fact that Shadmundar and Emara are going to be a thing, then I don't know what to tell you.

Read more books?

They reach the Deadlands and finally reach Bellaphia, too, but they're being followed by Ivanora and Everard so they're kind of on a time crunch; still, Emara does her best, and actually manages to heal the magi's mind so that she's suddenly all but normal, and can give her the instructions she needs.

Sadly, these include sacrificing herself to send Emara back through time - it's the only way - which totally throws Ivanora to the Dark Side because she loves way too much and is much too clingy.

BUT, Emara makes it back to her own disaster, right around at the same moment when Everard sent her off, and now she has (or understands) the power within her she can and does turn the tide of battle - see, the Dragon and Shadow Heirs can basically fight forever ... as long as the Time Heir heals them.

Some bumps and twists later, Ivanora, Conrad and Idriel are finally all dead. DEAD, dead, I mean, and our heroes embrace.

Emara embraces her destiny as the Time Heir, and when the older Heirs arrive everyone celebrates and reminisces, but she's trying to figure out what happened to Shadmundar. The Maldibor curse had been lifted - they can now assume the big bear/wolf form at will and aren't bound to it - so you can probably catch the drift there.

Shad's curse was ALSO lifted, but he doesn't remember a single thing, so Emara does her mind-healing trick again, and sees that, while Everard and Jai were running from Ivanora, Everard transformed the kid into a cat to protect his life, rather than actually cursing him.

She restores everything to him, and since he was already smitten with her before all this, those feelings return tenfold now that he's got it all inside his head. It's happily ever after from there! The last we see of the Heirs is the next generation - Aza's daughter, Zephyr's son, and Emara's son, who barge into Dorinar's hut (he's the other, shaggier grumpy magus) while he's writing the book on Idriel's demise, and clamor for his help with some problem or other.

So, you know, just like Dorinar figures out: the cycle continues, the world keeps turning, and the Heirs will PROBABLY always need the help of one grumpy magus somewhere.

That's just the way it is.

I have to admit, I may still be the most partial to the first book and it's protagonists, Kaia and Klaus, but it's incredibly interesting - and smart! - to change protagonists as well as generations in each of the trilogy books, moving us further through the timeline and making sure that we actually have a sense of it progressing.

I loved Mari's journey of self-discovery, and how she grew into the person she was supposed to be. I also love the HEAs and the little bit of Dorinar there at the end because, don't we ALL love that cranky magus?!?

I think, given how high-stake the story's been in each installment, novellas included, the twist in this book is rather welcome to allow the reader a bit of breathing time. You get the chance - like Emara Rao - to take a deep breath, figure out the next moves, and see some connections here and there (potentially everywhere ... keep those eyes peeled!).

And finally, when she's strong enough to embrace just who she is and what she can do, we get to see the Dragon, the Shadow, and Time work together as we never have before.

And it's GLORIOUS.

If you haven't picked up this series yet I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. Fast-paced, with likeable characters that overcome and grow through their flaws and fight for a better world, accompanied by a grumpy magus and an even grumpier black cat. What's not to like?!

I'm serious. Okarria is a land that will suck you right in with it's world-building, and keep you there for the romance stories.

After all, don't we all love a good, old-fashioned romance sprinkled in with all the action?

Many, many thanks to Hayley Reese Chow for taking me along on this journey. It's truly been something, and I honestly can't wait to see what's next. This book releases February 8, so make sure you snag your copy at that time.

Until then, I leave you with just the tiniest, little thing ... my own personal headcanon. Oh Shadmundar, how I love you.