Book Review: Harp of the Winds by Maggie Furey
Harp of the Winds by Maggie Furey is the second novel in the Aurian series. In Aurian, we watched Aurian grow from child to adulthood. She is torn from the only home she has known and the only friend she has known due to a terrible accident during her sword training. Her friend and guardian Forral (a mortal), nearly kills her during a practice session. He takes off for parts unknown and Aurian is sent to Nexius to be trained in her mage powers at the academy.
The Archmage, Miathan, knowing how powerful she will be, arranges it where she will trust and depend on him. Then Miathan makes a fatal error, he brings Forral back to head the garrison of Nexius. Aurian(no longer a girl) and Forral becomes friends again and that friendship deepens into more powerful. Mortal and Mage pairings are forbidden because Mages believe themselves to be better than mortals (in fact they despise them) and Mages live until they decide to stop unless they are killed or take ill and die. Since mortals live such short lives, a pairing with a mortal can only cause a mage sadness. Children of Mage/Mortal pairing can take after either parent. Aurian and Forral become lovers anyways and this steams the Archmage. Aurian becomes pregnant and Miathan decides the child must be killed. Anvar, Aurian's servant who is a mage in his own right although Miathan has stolen his powers and silenced him, discovers the plot and tells Forral. Miathan has also found the Caldron of Life (ancient artifact) that can take life as well as give it. He uses it against Forral. In an ensuing battle, Forral is slain and Aurian and Anvar flee Nexius. Aurian and Anvar find themselves shipwrecked in the southern lands. They need to find a way home and they must find the other three ancient artifacts to defeat Miathan.
By the beginning of Harp of winds, Aurian and Anvar who were split when they shipwrecked find each other and discover that they have deeper than friendship feelings for one another. In Aurian, Aurian recreates the Earth staff, one of the ancient artifacts that she is searching for. They are also freed from the southern lands and have been traveling across the desert with the prince of the southern lands. Due to an incident at one of the oasis, Aurian and her friends are left behind in the desert by the prince. While Aurian and company are traveling in the desert, Anvar and Aurian become separated from the group. They survive a sandstorm in which they were assumed lost. (Beginning of Harp of Winds) While waiting for them to reappear, Raven a new found thought friend has been betraying them to Miathan with the help of the southern Prince who left them in the desert. Raven convinces Aurian who is now six months pregnant (mages lose their power from the sixth month until birth) and helpless that it would be better to stay in an old Winged folk (one of the ancient people who are humans with wings) tower. She agrees unknowing that an ambush awaits her. Miathan also has an arraignment with the priest of the Winged folk who wants control of Raven (princess of the Winged folk) so he can reign as her consort. Miathan takes Anvar to the Winged city from which he cannot escape because he cannot fly. The priest is supposed to watch him. Some of Aurian's friends escape the ambush one is Shia, a big black cat, whom is also intelligent. Shia and Aurian have been able to communicate by mind speech. Shia escapes ambush with the Earth Staff. With all her friends locked up and her powerless and unable to escape because of fear for Anvar, Aurian tells Shia to take the staff to the Winged City and give it to Anvar so he can escape and save her (he reclaimed his mage powers during the desert trip–keep in mind these mages can manifest on a spirit plane). Can Shia survive the long journey into her enemies territory–Winged folk have hunted her kind for their furs, and can Anvar escape and save Aurian in time to save her child? There is also a subplot that involves Parric(a cavalryman from Nexius friend to Aurian and Forral) and the Xandim people. These people used to be the horses of the phaerie, but were taken from them. Before they were taken, the phaerie gave them the ability to become human so that they could survive. Their Windeye (seer) sees that they must help the bright spots (Aurian) and plots on how to do so. The Windeye looks to become a great friend of Aurian in the following novels.
This novel was better than the first in some respects. I am starting to get a better feel for some of the characters. Anvar is really developing, and Shia too. Aurian is a good character–she has hardened a bit, but not too much. Parric may be interesting to watch as well as the Windeye. Raven's character is lacking but she doesn't look to be that important.
The front of this novel drug a bit while the Xandim plot was set up, but it was a necessary evil. What I didn't like was that the details of Raven's plotting was left out. When we get to the second novel its just there. We are told what has been going on, but that part of the plot is missing. The end of the book moved well. I would say that Furey's storytelling is getting better with each novel. I have noticed that Furey is really good with foreshadowing in ways that don't give away the plot, but make you go, oh yeah when something happens. Like having made Anvar love music and he is also an accomplished musician and he is the one who finds the Harp of the Winds (second ancient artifact that needs to be found) She does have a detailed world here for us to explore. Join me in the exploration and read this novel. It's a good one. I'll let you know how Sword of Flame (Aurian's series #3) turns out.