Skies (Sharani Series: Book 3) by Kevin L. Nielson

Publisher: Future House Publishing

Date of Publication: August 18th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Series: Sharani Series

Twins—Book 0

Sands — Book 1

Storms — Book 2

Skies — Book 3

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

For the Rahuli people, the world has just gotten a lot bigger.

Gavin, now the leader of the displaced Rahuli, grows increasingly frustrated with the members of the so-called slave “rebellion.” The former slaves are frightened by the Rahuli’s war-filled history, but the their warrior ways might be the only thing to stop the Orinai from slaughtering them all.

Meanwhile, Lhaurel is held prisoner by the Seven Sisters, the mysterious and ruthless mages who rule the Orinai. Cut off from her magic, she is forced to travel to the Orinai capital under a threat against the Rahuli. But, despite their promises, the Sisters have no intention of letting the Rahuli live.

Their armies march toward the Rahuli once again. To defend his people, Gavin must earn the trust of the former slaves, or nobody stands a chance against the approaching horde.

Can Gavin defeat the Orinai, or have the Rahuli entered a fight they cannot win?

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I will start this review by saying you must read Sands and Storms first. Skies is not a standalone book. I made the mistake of not reading Sands and Storms before reading Skies, and I was so confused that I ended up stopping reading Skies, buying Sands and Storms, reading them, and then restarting Skies. This is why I didn’t have my review ready when it was released.

Lhaurel’s character progressed from the first 2 books, and I felt awful that she was shut off from her powers. I also felt bad that she was held captive by those creepy Sisters. When I think of Sisters, I think of kind little nuns in their habits. From what I gleaned about these Sisters, they are the opposite. They wear tight-fitting clothes, filed their teeth to points, and were generally badass bitches that no one wanted to mess with. I loved it. I did like Talha. She seemed the most easy-going out of all the Sisters.

The other storyline focused on Gavin and his band of Rahuli. Gavin is having a hard time being the ruler and trying to keep the peace with the head of the village. Brisson kept reminding Gavin of the hardship the Rahuli are putting on his people, and Gavin keeps reminding Brisson that his people could help. It’s a stalemate until Gavin decides he has had enough and forces Brisson to accept him as an equal.

Not going to go too much into that storyline, but I was impressed with how it ended up, and I loved the twist at the end. Absolutely freaking loved it. There were hints pointing to the twist, but I was still surprised when it came.

Lhaurel’s storyline was a little more complicated but just as enthralling. I liked the waking dreams, and the end of her story was not what I expected. I honestly thought that it would go another way.

The author did leave it open for a 4th book. But no cliffhangers. He wrapped up each storyline so that it closed the door to that story and opened a new door for the next story.

I would recommend Skies to anyone over 16. There is violence but otherwise is a clean book.

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