Courage of Falcons by Holly Lisle

My co-worker keeps me well stocked with Holly Lisle books as she is his favorite author. I can see why. This was the third and final book of a three part series called ‘The Secret Texts’. This one was my favorite of the trilogy. I had a hard time actually getting into the book as I had like three other ones I was reading at the time I had it sitting on my nightstand. I just kept looking at it and feeling guilty that I was borrowing it from him for several months in a row! Then I got sick with a terrible stomach flu and was not able to read much of anything but the closed lids of my eyes as I slept it off for several days. As I recuperated I started reading it in earnest and really became interested in the story. Wow. The plot moves a mile a minute and held my interest so well I could barely put the book down until I finished it. Now, after shedding a few tears while finishing it, I’m sad it’s done.

This book chronicles the further saga of Kait, a shape shifting human known as a ‘karnee’ who has been the main character in the trilogy. They return with the artifact that they had been seeking and realize it is a terrible weapon of evil instead of a blessing that will bring Kait’s slaughtered family back to life. There were many threads to the story that continued on and eventually were resolved in this final book of the series but there were also lots of plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, too. This book contains soul stealing wizards, shape shifting humans, guardian ghosts, spells, drama, mutiny on the high seas, a small band of heroes desperately trying to save the world, politics, love, war, and a few disturbing characters as well. I guess they were disturbing to portray how evil they were supposed to be. But all in all a great trilogy and the last book, Courage of Falcons, was especially well done and definitely worth the read. This is the sixth Holly Lisle book I’ve read this year and I will look forward to eventually reading all of her books and enjoying each one. She has a great web site about her books and it also contains tips for budding authors, so go check it out. (5 stars) ( )