BORN TO LIBERTY

In this third installment of a fantasy series, a king and queen search for a missing friend and face a threat of war.

King Louis and Queen Selen of Trevalden receive a cryptic message that Lissandro is in danger in the Windy Isles. They journey together to find their friend, which entails a stopover in the city of Kilcairn. Unfortunately, Kilcairn’s king, Dywel, is apparently still irate over Louis’ refusing to marry his daughter years ago and instead embracing Selen, a man, as his queen. As it turns out, the Kilcairn princes and princesses’ blatant ridicule of Selen isn’t the sole reason for a general sense of unease in the city. Selen learns that local women have inexplicably vanished. And though Lissandro is reputedly somewhere in the Isles, Louis and Folc of Tyntagiel, the captain of the king’s royal guard, look for their cohort in Kilcairn—just in case. When someone subsequently takes Selen captive, Louis aligns himself with a vampire to track down his queen. Meanwhile, Selen’s captors enlist him and Kilda, a fellow captive who’s a vampire, to locate and somehow close a portal for invoking demons. Traveling north to the portal in the Frozen Mountains could earn them their freedom, if Selen and Kilda can trust their abductors. Alas, an even greater menace looms: Someone may be planning to declare war. If and when Selen and Louis finally reunite, there’s a chance they’ll have to race back to Trevalden so they can defend their kingdom.

Carlsson shrouds this series entry in tension. For example, Selen and Louis are surrounded by untrustworthy people in Kilcairn, a precarious situation that the news of missing women only aggravates. Other scenes are ominous, such as Louis’ riding into a town in the Frozen Mountains: “Those shacks gave out the impression a curse had descended upon them. Many had broken roof tiles, loose shutters, and unkempt backyards….The echoing clops of his mount’s hooves filled him with a sensation of vulnerability. Before he reached the end of the street, all the town would know about a stranger’s arrival.” There are spurts of shocking violence throughout at the hands of assorted characters, including villains and the Trevalden king and queen. And while this book has its share of battles and confrontations, its steady pace owes more to Selen’s and Louis’ various objectives, from tracking down missing individuals to closing a portal. As in preceding novels, solid character development takes precedence over fantasy trademarks. There are only a few genre elements, like telepathy. The series protagonists are sublime, both as a romantic couple and as leaders. Their romance further makes the two sympathetic, and numerous scenes of Dywel’s royal family deriding Selen are no less difficult to stomach than the eventual brutality on display. Supporting characters are equally engrossing, particularly the vampires. While Louis’ undead companion can indulge in blood excessively (and sometimes does), it’s not a substance as readily available to Kilda, who’s a seemingly reluctant vampire.

A remarkable and densely atmospheric tale featuring two indelible monarchs.