From Publishers Weekly
Telepathically-gifted horses star in this fluidly-moving second installment (after The Finest Creation) to Rabe's breathtaking and horrific YA fantasy trilogy, along with assassin birds, hungry wolves, a monstrous Bishop Therland DeNogaret and a brave, young orphan, Kalantha Montoll. The Bishop, with help from his supernaturally controlled birds, plans to kill the fugitive princess and her older brother, Meven Montoll, the bewitched boy-King of Galmier, so he can rule the entire island continent of Paard-Peran. He plots their murders with a chilling glee that would be comical were it not carried out with merciless viciousness by his fine-feathered servants: Eyeswide, a creepy owl, and the falcon, Ninéon, whom Eyeswide trains to serve in his vile quest. But the Bishop doesn't count on the fierce resistance of Kalantha, who's aided by Gallant-Stallion ("Rue"), one of the Finest Creations (equestrian guardian angels who protect "Fallen" humans). The fairy tale landscape, riven by the eternal mortal struggle between good and evil, evokes of a darker Narnia. Though the avian killers and body count might alarm younger readers, J.K. Rowling and Garth Nix fans should find this trilogy exciting and memorable.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Rabe continues the adventures, begun in
The Finest Creation (2004),
of two young royals marked for death. Kalantha and Meven have been secretly shepherded by Gallant-Stallion, one of the Finest--divinely forged, horselike creatures with the ability to communicate telepathically with humans (the Fallen Favorites) given them to protect and keep. Meven, 14, is the youngest king of Galmier and has been an easy pawn for his legal guardian, greedy, power-hungry Bishop DeNogaret, long aligned with the dark gods and intent on uniting Paard-Peran through war and declaring himself king. Kalantha, 12, is fleeing DeNogaret, who wants her dead. Although formidably protected by the Finest, she and Meven are repeatedly attacked and nearly undone by flocks of malevolent birds controlled by another servant of evil, Eyeswide the owl. For courageous, strong-willed Kalantha, doing what is right, if not easy, is the most important thing, and she is the only one who can save Paard-Peran. But she is tired of running and sick at heart, and not even a Finest can save her from self-defeat. Gripping.
Paula LuedtkeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
