A very rich story. I've read it before, but a long time ago. The author refers to it as a Changespell prequel - I didn't link it to Changespell before, though mage lure appears in both. It feels more like the King's Wolf series, with a senior royal guard forced out and on his own, and dealing with problems in the court without being able to be there. Which, of course, means I need to reread the Changespell series and see the echoes of this... Good solid world and characters - Ehren and Laine get most of the POV scenes, with brief glimpses of others (Shette, at least). The villain is pretty obvious from the start, but the why of it is much deeper - deeper than anyone knows, it takes them the whole book to put together all the pieces and uncover...most of the the secrets. There's still some hiding at the end of the book. There certainly could be another story of Ehren, let alone Laine, but there doesn't need to be - matters have reached a solid conclusion, as well. Excellent, like most early Durgin. I wish she'd drop the contemporary romances and urban fantasy and come back to this sort of writing. ( )

Prequel fantasy novel which works well as a standalone. The Barrenlands of the title are a magical wasteland that forms an almost impassable border territory between two countries. But where there is a border, there will be crossings, and people who make a living bringing things across that border, whether it is with or without the blessing of the governments concerned. Ehran, head of the King's Guard, will end up tangling with it more than once in his quest first to find the murderers of his beloved king, and then to find and dispose of the family of the king's brother. He's been sent on the latter mission supposedly to prevent the exile trying to seize the throne from the king's young son, a mission he rightly sees as a means of getting him out of the way of an unknown traitor within the court.

Some nice world-building here, with appealing characters and a worthwhile mystery. It's obvious from the first who the villain is, because Ehren's not stupid and already has his suspicions. But means and motive are another matter, and untangling those make for an entertaining story. A short novel offering an enjoyable way to pass a few hours. ( )

In a fantasy world of magic, a king is assassinated and his surviving guard, Ehren, has spent a year trying to hunt down the culprit. Then the wizard Varien sends him to find the family of the dead king's older brother, who ran away years ago marry the woman he loved. This family could threaten the claim of the current king, a rather spoiled young man. Ehren falls in with a merchant caravan guided by Laine, a young man who can See dangerous spells. Laine and his sister, Shette, end up helping Ehren on his quest to track the assassin. Then Ehren realizes that they are the children of the runaway prince, and decides he cannot betray their friendship. They begin to realize that there is a big smuggling conspiracy behind suspicious military changes, and that the evidence points to Varien. Together, Ehren and Laine confront and defeat Varien.
An engaging, involved story. ( )

The neighboring countries of Solvany and Therand have long been separated from each other by an almost impassable wasteland known as the Barrenlands. Created by magic, the rift strips sanity from any non-royal person who steps across its boundary without special dispensation from one of the royal families. Getting trade goods from one country to the other has evolved into a tidily profitable market for a few brave traders willing to make the long and treacherous journey through the mountains to the east. Tradition has it that the Barrenlands keep peace between the two countries, but when tentative negotiations seem to spell the end of centuries old hostility, it threatens a fragile balance -- and a profitable sideline. Solvany's king, and the majority of the royal guard are slaughtered. The question of just who is to blame takes Ehren, the only surviving guard, on a journey that may cost him his life, or, if he's lucky, gain him something more precious.

A good story which starts with a bang and then lags a bit. Although clumsily plotted in places, it shows promise. I was reminded of Mercedes Lackey's early series. I will definitely look for more from this author. ( )

TBR