Harshini (Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy, #3)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Harshini (Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy #3)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 1,830 ratings · 41 reviews

Medalon has surrendered to foreign invaders, Tarja is once more an outcast, the Defenders have scattered… and their only hope is Damin Wolfblade.

But Damin has his own problems--the High Prince is dead, so Damin must lift the siege on the Hythrun capital and defeat an usurper before he can come to Medalon's aid.

For R'shiel, time is running out. She must find a way to bring...more

Paperback, 512 pages

Published April 4th 2006 by Tor Fantasy (first published 2001)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Favorite Fantasy Novels, BESIDES those by J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis

99th out of 712 books — 387 voters

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Best Australian Fantasy Reads

38th out of 182 books — 70 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,429)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it 2 of 5 stars

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Up till now I've enjoyed Jennifer Fallon's Demon Child trilogy; her writing is competent (not beautiful, but competent), her characters intriguing, and the story was interesting enough. But I always had this feeling ... the same feeling I get when I watch my 2 year old daughter constructing a tower of blocks by stacking the big ones on top of the smaller ones ....

Sure enough, just like my daughter's tower, in Harshini, it all comes crashing down.

R'shiel fi...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Up till now I've enjoyed Jennifer Fallon's Demon Child trilogy; her writing is competent (not beautiful, but competent), her characters intriguing, and the story was interesting enough. But I always had this feeling ... the same feeling I get when I watch my 2 year old daughter constructing a tower of blocks by stacking the big ones on top of the smaller ones ....

Sure enough, just like my daughter's tower, in Harshini, it all comes crashing down.

R'shiel finally embraces her role as Demon Child and we at last see her putting her riding leathers to good use -- she actually rides dragons in this novel (though it doesn't help much when taking a trip on a flying dragon takes just as long as it does in a rowboat). And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about R'shiel. She was never a particularly loveable heroine, but in Harshini, she's just a b*$. She is suddenly an outspoken expert in world politics and military tactics and the rulers of all the lands jump to obey her (even though she has no political or military experience and her grand plan in the last novel was a complete disaster). If they don't obey, she threatens to sic the gods on them. She's a bully, and it's hard to like people who act like that.

Then we still have the problem with the arbitrary activities of the gods, the demons, and the Harshini. Gods and demons are called on to help at random times in random ways. I was really ticked when a demon popped out of nowhere to protect Brak from a crossbow bolt and Brak informed us that "the demons live to protect the Harshini." Huh? If this is true, why haven't we seen them protecting Harshini before now? R'shiel is supposedly undertaking this very dangerous and important mission, so where were the demons when she was beaten, raped, captured, stabbed in the gut, etc.? And, if they exist to protect the Harshini, why are they running around trying to gather believers so they can become gods? And, about the Gods: okay, I can understand a goddess of love, but a god of thieves? And, if Xaphista (the "bad" god) can so easily coerce people to try to kill R'shiel, why does he only try it with one person (who fails)? Why not several people? He's bad, but he's not smart. And I won't even get into the hypocricy of the Harshini not being able to do anything that might indirectly cause death -- there are too many logisitcal problems with that.

The climax and ending of the novel was also random -- R'shiel's weird idea for killing the "bad" god was just plain silly. Most of what R'shiel does to solve problems is arbitrary and easy. She puts on a glamour to escape. She puts on a glamour to help other people escape. She threatens someone into doing what she wants them to. She gets crazy ideas that end up working. This randomness causes the reader to never be concerned that things won't work out in the end. I never felt any sort of fear or tension. Got a problem? Call a god or a demon, or do some random magic trick. Fantasy novel needs tension, and Fallon fails to deliver it in the last Demon Child novel.

But, she's a good author -- I will not hesitate to pick up another Fallon series someday.
Read more Jennifer Fallon book reviews at Fantasy Literature .(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Erica Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, fantasy

This is the third book in the Hythrun Chronicles. Don't even try to jump in here if you haven't read the first two books--you'll be completely lost. Of the three books, I would say that this one is the weakest, but it's still miles beyond most fantasy out there.

My major gripe is the structure of the ending, which will not please romance readers.

SPOILER

The book ends with R'shiel confronting and defeating her nemesis Loclon. While this is a necessary plot element, I was disappointed that Fallon...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2009 Marlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

First of all, I had a great time reading this trilogy. I pretty much devoured it in a week. Medalon was a bit darker than the others, and I liked Treason Keep best, mostly because of the pairings. However, Harshini the Hythrun Chronicles cuts a close second. Fallons witty dialogue, the believable characters, and the well depicted world she creates make The Demon Child Triology fun, exciting, and simply very enjoyable. Hence, I am looking forward to the other trilogy set in the same world, but ab...more

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 celestialchild rated it 3 of 5 stars

Where Treason Keep is probably one of my all-time favorite reads if for nothing more than the fun character dynamics, Harshini is a one-time read. Having first read Fallon's The Tide Lords I was sad to find that the ending of this trilogy was also unsatisfying (although, certainly not to the same extent).

Once again it is the adventures of Damin Wolfblade and Adrina that gave me the most joy and helped me turn each page with thrill. I still don't quite understand how their distrust of one another...more

like · see review

Aug 31, 2010 Carolyn-anne Templeton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I started reading this book a bit worried... the last Fallon series I ended did not end as I would have liked, but the depth of this author's worlds and character keep me reading even when I'm upset with what's happening to them. The book started off the same. The say that I was a bit panicked about Tarja's change of personality would be an understatement (I might have cheated and skipped to the last chapter... evil, I know.) However, the way she weaved the story and plotpoints kept me reading e...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 25, 2010 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, the series wrapped up with a sense of regret. I did enjoy these books, and went out immediately to buy up the next series. The Wolfblade series is in the same world. Somehow, I feel this is the end of the story for both series. *Sigh*

Good to get lost in, I really enjoyed this trilogy. The main characters were interesting, and there was less repetitive bores in the plot in the second two books. Really to see it come to an end. Let's just say, everyone gets their just desserts. So the ending...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Josh rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have a really big bone to pick with Jennifer Fallon in this book, other than the titles (Medalon, Treason Keep and Harshini) which turned out to be little more than three arbitrary elements plucked from the story. No, worse than that was the fact that she got halfway through the book before it dawned on her that the whole Harshini magic system was flawed beyond belief and that for the ending to have any credibility whatsoever, she was going to have to introduce a few more rules that had someho...more I have a really big bone to pick with Jennifer Fallon in this book, other than the titles (Medalon, Treason Keep and Harshini) which turned out to be little more than three arbitrary elements plucked from the story. No, worse than that was the fact that she got halfway through the book before it dawned on her that the whole Harshini magic system was flawed beyond belief and that for the ending to have any credibility whatsoever, she was going to have to introduce a few more rules that had somehow never come up before. Um, hello? WE'RE IN BOOK THREE!

The climax was a spectacular fail almost on par with Jemisin's Kingdom of Gods (I've been really raking poor JemJem over the coals lately). I've said this time and time again, yet it seems to be an acceptable norm for some fantasy authors ... just because you're using magic doesn't mean you can throw all sense of logic and reason out the window. Your protagonist cannot just draw on some incredibly powerful and unprecedented level of whoop-ass, making some flashy lights and then pass out, only to find everything has miraculously turned out the way you hope. Fallon dedicated the better part of two whole pages to the fate of Xaphista which as I recall, was the point of the whole three novels. And he really didn't put up much of a fight.

This was where the series really fell down for me. In the end, R'Shiel's quest took a back seat to everything else that was happening. Fortunately, the 'everything else' was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, because the poor demon child received so little screen time the whole thing because a half-arsed effort and detracted from the series as a whole. All she really did was get some powers, pretend to look at some scrolls, put in a token effort to appear helpless and overwhelmed, and then miraculously defeat the bad guys in less time and little more than rolling over in bed.

Throughout Treason Keep and most of Harshini I really hated R'Shiel. She was very similar to Harry Potter in Order of the Phoenix ... you know when he goes all annoying and angsty and everyone wants to hit him over the head with a stove? R'Shiel is so inconsistent and in fact has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Towards the end however, this was pointed out by Fallon in a no so subtle way, that in fact she's meant to be like that. Her brutal upbringing, her confusing heritage and her unwieldy powers have all contributed to making her a selfish and annoying bitch and just because she finds herself the heroine of a fantasy series doesn't automatically make her a noble and gracious warrior goddess. Hmm ... maybe I underestimated you Fallon ... you can have this round.

Adrina and Damin were once again in fine form, providing some much needed witty banter and more than a few comical moments. Actually, one of the funnier moments was Brak and R'Shiel's arrival at Talabar at which I actually laughed out loud. I think this was when I started hating her a little less.

The world-building is quite strong in this series and the history and politics between the four nations is what makes up the bulk of the narrative (at least the interesting part). I would really have liked to see a little more of Karien and perhaps some part of the story from a Karien point of view. In fact now that I think about it, the story could have included a lot more and did feel a little rushed.

Harshini like its two predecessors was incredibly easy to read and is a credit to Fallon's uncomplicated and flowing prose. From this point of view I really enjoyed reading it - it was really only the eye-roll-worthy moments and the gaping plot holes that were a little disappointing.(less)

like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 Weirdology rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was very bored with this book. I lost interest in the story by the end of book 2, but thought I would try continuing with the series anyway. I got about 3/4ths of the way through and gave up. It took me a little over a month. I think that's the longest I ever spent on one book. I kept putting it down. The beginning was very slow. I don't even remember what happened. When it finally started to pick up, around the middle, it was still pretty slow and also very predictable.

I ended up just skimmi...more I was very bored with this book. I lost interest in the story by the end of book 2, but thought I would try continuing with the series anyway. I got about 3/4ths of the way through and gave up. It took me a little over a month. I think that's the longest I ever spent on one book. I kept putting it down. The beginning was very slow. I don't even remember what happened. When it finally started to pick up, around the middle, it was still pretty slow and also very predictable.

I ended up just skimming the chapters from Damin's and Adrina's point of view. Damin has always been boring to me, but in the second book Adrina used to be one of my favorite characters to read about. I know characters are supposed to evolve with the story and the author was just making her a better person, but it also made her boring. About half of this books plot centered around Adrina's and Damin's relationship. I'm not big on romance, so of course, this bored me too. Even when these two characters weren't in a scene we're still reading about them because whosoever point of view we're reading from (R'Shiel, Brak, etc...) is thinking about them and their relationship and getting all mushy brained. It was odd. I don't think most people give that much thought to other peoples relationships, especially if you hardly know the people, like Brak.

(view spoiler)

So yeah, the romance was too heavy for me. The first book started out full of politics, religion, social issues and culture and I feel like those themes have been replaced (mostly but not totally) by romance.

I'm giving it two stars because it's not completely horrible like other books I've read, just boring and not my cup of tea.(less)

like · see review

Mar 27, 2008 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff-fantasy

Final book of the Demon Child trilogy.

R'Shiel (the Demon Child) accompanies Damin Wolfblade and his new wife, princess Adrina back to Hythria so that R'Shiel can help the Hythrians accept the unorthodox marriage and to cement an alliance between the Hythrians and the Fardonyhans. Once they arrive, people are awed by the Demon Child but dismayed by the marriage of the heir to their throne and the daughter of their enemy. While R'shiel, Damin and Adrina try to convince them all of the necessity of...more Final book of the Demon Child trilogy.

R'Shiel (the Demon Child) accompanies Damin Wolfblade and his new wife, princess Adrina back to Hythria so that R'Shiel can help the Hythrians accept the unorthodox marriage and to cement an alliance between the Hythrians and the Fardonyhans. Once they arrive, people are awed by the Demon Child but dismayed by the marriage of the heir to their throne and the daughter of their enemy. While R'shiel, Damin and Adrina try to convince them all of the necessity of the marriage and the alliance, civil war breaks out and Damin must fight for his rightful place as High Prince.

Meanwhile the God Xaphista is not content to wait around to be killed by the Demon Child. He is busy planting doubt and attempting to suborn those closest to R'shiel to kill her first. R'Shiel is on her guard, not knowing where betrayal may come from.

And Medalon is a kettle ready to boil. Joyihinia, now possessed by the sadistic Lochlon is issuing orders that are subtly overturning centuries of Medalonian law. The Defenders are quietly preparing for rebellion and the Harshini may not be able to hold Sanctuary for long as King Korandellan is dying.

This series, which started less than stellarly for me, finished up quite nicely. This book was well written and quickly paced. I like that Fallon jumped from Hythria to Medalon to Fardonhya and back again so you could see what was going on in each place. She ratcheted up the tension very nicely.

As I reflected back over this series I couldn't help but compare it to other series (trilogies especially) that featured a central, pivotal female character. Elizabeth Moon's Deeds of Paksenarrion trilogy, Raymond Feist/Janny Wurtz's Daughter of the Empire trilogy, Elizabeth Haydon's Rhapsody trilogy and even Jennifer Fallon's own Wolfblade trilogy all spring to mind. I enjoyed these trilogies very much. And I can acknowledge, first book notwithstanding, that I enjoyed this Demon Child trilogy very much. However I know that my enjoyment of those other series was largely because i very much liked the main characters. Paksennarion, Mara, Rhapsody and Marla were all quite engaging and easy to root for. I can't say the same for R'Shiel. I actually had a very hard time with R'Shiel and instead gravitated to the secondary, yet infinitely more interesting Adrina. Rather than liking this series because of R'Shiel, I liked it in spite of her.

I do respect the fact that Fallon didn't go easy routes with R'shiel. In the end, R'shiel is a Godslayer. A very powerful person who affected great change in her time and place. So great that she basically united four warring regions and restored a persecuted, dying race back on the road to their former glory. Having accomplished all this it would be easy to give R'Shiel a nice, simple Happily Ever After. But she is denied that. Sure she triumphs and she is granted justice, but her road isn't the walk into the sunset that almost everyone else gets (even though, I think in the end R'shiel does literally walk away as the sun is setting...but you know what I mean). And I liked that very much. It felt very apropos.

Also while this book was overall a great read, it does lose a few minor points with me in it's portrayal of Marla. My impression of Marla is very much one that I formed reading the Wolfblade trilogy, which was written after this one. And I don't believe that the Marla she created in that trilogy would have reacted to Adrina the way she did in this book. I agree she would have been appalled at the political implications of Damin's marriage to Adrina, but the personal scorn of Adrina seemed out of character given how both of these societies view sexual relations. It just seemed to strike a discordant note with me considering how well she maintained continuity with Damin's character from one trilogy to the next.(less)

like · see review

Jan 13, 2008 Nanci rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Booklist says: "Book three of the Hythrun Chronicles moves inexorably toward the final battle against the god Xaphista and his fanatical followers. R'shiel has accepted her role as the demon child and, though still learning her great powers, knows she must defeat the god before he destroys the Harshini and takes all the lands as his own. Medalon has surrendered to the god's forces, and Tarja and the Defenders have been forced to flee into the wilderness, where Tarja hopes to join forces with Dam...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

conclusion of trilogy. so r'shiel has to step up and be the demon child, but has to give up humanity. how does she defeat the evil primal god patterned after the stringent moral beliefs of the catholic church? by a moment of pleasure with nothing labeled as "sin." one could see how i could take issue with the book. i do like the flow of her books - she doesn't overdo things.

like · see review

Feb 15, 2010 Lynn Abbey rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes mature fantasy

Recommended to Lynn by: publisher

Shelves: fantasy

Taken as a whole, this trilogy is above average. The good v. evil elements, while present and well-handled, aren't what makes Fallon's storytelling stand out. That honor goes to her main characters who are always true to their intelligence and their flaws. Fallon's dialogs are particularly crisp and she makes good use of shifting POV to reveal her main characters' strengths and prejudices

like · see review

Apr 16, 2009 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fluff-reading

Interesting plot twists and turns. Has some happy endings to some relationships that I had been watching (I often read for characters or relationships). Don't remember any scenes I had to specifically skip for cleanliness reasons, but there were probably one or two considering the middle book.

like · see review

Jan 18, 2012 Cecile rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: english, fantasy

In this last part of the Demon Child Trilogy, the whole story is rushing to its conclusion.

After her first battle of will against Xaphista, R'shiel is more than ever determined to get rid of him, and at the same time she's developing a bit of a grudge against the other gods, who messed up with her life. So she progressively comes up with a plan. Having the Demon Child taking matters in her own hands gets everyone else worried, but she's got a knack of convincing both mortals and immortals that h...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Kara Prem rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 18, 2012 Chichi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This book just reminded me on why i love the fantasy genre so much!!! Although, the Brak-R'shiel 'relationship' was a bit too far-fetched perhaps. Made me cry. Made me smile, BRAVO JENNIFER FALLON!

like · see review

Jul 31, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this trilogy, but I didn't love the ending. I get what the author was trying to do, but it just wasn't satisfying. Too bad there's not another book to make up for this.

like · see review

Jan 13, 2010 Jacinta Hoare rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, 2010, fantasy

Final instalment in a series of three. The plot remained interesting until the end. My only complaint is that there were still too many improbable escapes for our heroes. Still a good holiday read and a nice wrap up to the trilogy.

like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Jimmy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good conclusion of the trilogy, though I feel like something is missing.
Jennifer Fallon does write a pre story to this trilogy, but I would like some more afterwards too!

like · see review

Jun 03, 2011 Audry rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked it, but was a little slow, and didn't know what herione was going to do. There were funny parts, but they do not have the same values I have. Interesting book.

like · see review

Feb 24, 2009 Petrina rated it 3 of 5 stars

From what I remember, this serries had a very disappointing ending. but I could be off, its been awhile.

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Nicole Dymond rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not a standalone book. You will definitely be confused if you haven't read the previous books. Great story

like · see review

Jan 10, 2009 Aaron J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable and light, really depends on the whole trilogy more than a stand alone book.

like · see review

Dec 31, 2009 Gina added it

awesome fantasy book. Great character development throughout the three books

like · see review

Mar 09, 2009 Lauren Beurlot rated it 4 of 5 stars

The third book in the Hythrun Chronicles. Again, really good read.

like · see review

Oct 13, 2010 Addy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing - as all her books are!!

like 1 like · see review

Jan 08, 2010 Lynn Calvin added it · review of another edition

ereader ebook

like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Sarah Mohammed rated it 5 of 5 stars

BRING BRAK BACK!

like 1 like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Abr added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arbooks

like · see review

Mar 03, 2013 Soraya Hekate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Breathtaking, couldn't put this down.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 80 81 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
R'shiel's hair on the cover	3	15	Aug 17, 2012 07:54am

combine
Other Editions (11)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

198 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

16 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

7 users

Fantasy > Magic

6 users

Fantasy > Dragons

5 users

Epic

5 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

4 users

Paranormal > Demons

3 users

Science Fiction

2 users

Adult

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jennifer Fallon

Jennifer Fallon was born in Carlton (a suburb of Melbourne, Australia) and lived in Caulfield until she was 11 when her father, a senior public servant, transferred to the national capital, Canberra. She lived in and around Canberra for about 8 years and went to school at Catholic Girls High School (now Mercy College) in Braddon. She is the ninth child in a family of thirteen girls.

In 1995, after...more

More about Jennifer Fallon...

Books by Jennifer Fallon

Medalon (Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy, #1)

Treason Keep (Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy, #2)

Wolfblade (Hythrun Chronicles: Wolfblade Trilogy, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Harshini

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Harshini
avg rating	preview: Harshini Goodreads rating: 4.01 (1830 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/384354.Harshini?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316636642l/384354.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/384354.Harshini?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Harshini by Jennifer Fallon[/url]

Harshini (Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website