What do you think?
Rate this book
The Legends of Regia #3
Verdant
It all began with one stolen kiss…
10,000 years ago, deep in Regia's forests, the Dryads lived hidden and aloof. Determined to serve the Heart of the World, and keep it secret. Shi was chosen at birth to become a Verdant, one of the twenty princesses to sacrifice to the flame. Plagued by curiosity, one night Shi breaks the rules. A Verdant must always remain pure and innocent and never venture out beyond the boundary. A month after taking the throne, King Leramiun grows restless, confined to the castle by his new responsibilities. After receiving reports about a mass grave in the forests, Leramiun makes a rash decision to investigate by himself. Instead of finding death, he finds Shi, a goddess of life.
One stolen kiss…set in motion the destruction of an entire race.
10,000 years ago, deep in Regia's forests, the Dryads lived hidden and aloof. Determined to serve the Heart of the World, and keep it secret. Shi was chosen at birth to become a Verdant, one of the twenty princesses to sacrifice to the flame. Plagued by curiosity, one night Shi breaks the rules. A Verdant must always remain pure and innocent and never venture out beyond the boundary. A month after taking the throne, King Leramiun grows restless, confined to the castle by his new responsibilities. After receiving reports about a mass grave in the forests, Leramiun makes a rash decision to investigate by himself. Instead of finding death, he finds Shi, a goddess of life.
One stolen kiss…set in motion the destruction of an entire race.
125 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2014
70 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Tenaya Jayne
17 books697 followersReading my bio, huh?
Real life sucks. I bet you feel like that sometimes, maybe even right now. That’s why I write fantasy. I need to escape depression, bitterness, bills, illness…I could go on, but you get it. In the pages of fiction, I can slay the dragons, triumph over the bad guys, be immortal, and never struggle with love handles. For a short time, I can let it all go, and be everything I can’t be in real life. Maybe you’re hurting right now. Maybe you’re in the waiting room of the hospital, or just stuck in traffic. I’ve brought a portal. Come with me…Let’s ditch this crappy popsicle stand and go somewhere great, where we can forget all this, at least for a while.
That’s why I write. I’m not an author, I’m an escape artist.
If you want to come play with me, visit www.tenayajayne.com
Real life sucks. I bet you feel like that sometimes, maybe even right now. That’s why I write fantasy. I need to escape depression, bitterness, bills, illness…I could go on, but you get it. In the pages of fiction, I can slay the dragons, triumph over the bad guys, be immortal, and never struggle with love handles. For a short time, I can let it all go, and be everything I can’t be in real life. Maybe you’re hurting right now. Maybe you’re in the waiting room of the hospital, or just stuck in traffic. I’ve brought a portal. Come with me…Let’s ditch this crappy popsicle stand and go somewhere great, where we can forget all this, at least for a while.
That’s why I write. I’m not an author, I’m an escape artist.
If you want to come play with me, visit www.tenayajayne.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 8, 2016
Okay I was able to sit and think about this and write an actual review.
Shi is a Verdant. She is to remain Pure and Innocent so she can sacrifice to the heart. Ler is the king of all Regia but he really doesn't want to be held down with all the responsibilities. One night he sneaks off to find a mass grave when he sees Shi and is instantly was in awe of her beauty.
Ler and Shi hide their love as long as they can. But Quinn, Ler's brother, has other ideas in mind.
I liked this short story. It was nice to understand why Shi was the way she was. Also it was good to read the backstory of what had happened to the Dryads.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nice little back story of Shi and the Dryads and what had happened to them.
Shi is a Verdant. She is to remain Pure and Innocent so she can sacrifice to the heart. Ler is the king of all Regia but he really doesn't want to be held down with all the responsibilities. One night he sneaks off to find a mass grave when he sees Shi and is instantly was in awe of her beauty.
Ler and Shi hide their love as long as they can. But Quinn, Ler's brother, has other ideas in mind.
I liked this short story. It was nice to understand why Shi was the way she was. Also it was good to read the backstory of what had happened to the Dryads.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nice little back story of Shi and the Dryads and what had happened to them.
November 11, 2019
This is sad and whimsical. I really wanted a stronger story, but I think it was hard to pull off the depth that I wanted from this in so few pages. That left it falling just a bit flat, when it should have been really emotional.
March 29, 2020
I actually liked this short story for this series. I felt for the main characters and their sad end and wish there was a bit more to their overall conclusion than the suffering in togetherness. Maybe if Forest could find a way to set them free. The world of the druids as described was wonderful and well balanced. The druids were not perfect and nor were the vampires all together evil as seen at that time. As such one saw their fallings and could relate to their fear of the outside. A very intriguing story and unique in it’s main characters, just I do wish there was a way to set them free to give the story better resolution. As such I lament not remerging the first two books and as such can reference these two characters from the story better.
July 7, 2014
I found the first book of the series on Amazon. After reading it I went right back to amazon and bought the second book. When I found out a third book was coming I was so excited and couldn't wait. Luckily I was able to grab a copy right after release. Although this story isn't centered around Forest and Syrus it's no less captivating. We get to find out what happened to Shi and how she became who she is now. It was such a beautiful love story. It took my breath away. The ending OMG I was shocked! I did not see that coming. I can not wait to find out where Jayne takes us in the next book. If you read paranormal romance you can not miss this series!!
November 8, 2014
Great to hear the backstory.
It was great to hear the backstory of Shi and the Dryads. It was a little depressing, but interesting nonetheless. I'd like to hear a story with more contact between Earth and Regia, or maybe human slavery or invasion? Her setup's really great, I hope Tenaya drags this series out as long as she can. :)
It was great to hear the backstory of Shi and the Dryads. It was a little depressing, but interesting nonetheless. I'd like to hear a story with more contact between Earth and Regia, or maybe human slavery or invasion? Her setup's really great, I hope Tenaya drags this series out as long as she can. :)
May 21, 2018
Very emotional 😭
This novella for as short as it was, it was most enjoyable. Except... it should come with flashing red lights and warnings for its emotional roller coaster. First, should not start reading before bedtime. Second, should not listen to audible at work. Not unless you want to continuously explain why are you crying your heart out while you click away and type 😔
This novella for as short as it was, it was most enjoyable. Except... it should come with flashing red lights and warnings for its emotional roller coaster. First, should not start reading before bedtime. Second, should not listen to audible at work. Not unless you want to continuously explain why are you crying your heart out while you click away and type 😔
October 11, 2014
It was sad. From what I could remember, I really loved the story of Shi and her King but I hated how everything ended. Just really sad.
July 2, 2016
While I have been enjoying the series on Regia, this was not my fave story or where I would have gone with the story. But what do I know, I'm not a writer and apparently, she knows what she's doing.
August 1, 2017
This prequel novella takes us through the origin story for Shi, Forest’s adoptive mother, including the first great love of King Leramiun and the story of how the Dryads went extinct. I came in knowing that (Shi is a ghost and the Dryads are extinct, after all), but forgot all the dryads died and that was a good kick in the feels.
The plot:
This story is what I like to call “pack a punch.” There’s not a lot of space, but there are plenty of layers and feelings. Yes, feelings. Oh so many feelings. This book made me laugh, had me on the edge of my seat, then crushed me as expected. It was awesome.
The characters:
Shi is an interesting paradox. Despite being deeply innocent, she knows everything about a person the instant she touches them. She reminds me of that phrase “half ancient, half child.”
Leramiun grows remarkably through his relationship with Shi. They were so adorable together and then everything got ruined and now they’re both dead and it’s horrible. Geez, there were a lot of feelings here.
The subplot with Helena had me furious for the first three quarters of the book, I won’t lie. The whole “she’s a concubine, so what does she matter” mentality got old a long time ago. And then is took a turn and YEEEEESSSSSS! Honestly, Helena’s story was probably my favorite part. I mean…the redemption and recognition of her value as a person…respecting her despite her former profession…it was so freaking beautiful.
It’s good to be back in the land of Regia and I’m looking forward to the spinoff series coming this fall! This series is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend.
The plot:
This story is what I like to call “pack a punch.” There’s not a lot of space, but there are plenty of layers and feelings. Yes, feelings. Oh so many feelings. This book made me laugh, had me on the edge of my seat, then crushed me as expected. It was awesome.
The characters:
Shi is an interesting paradox. Despite being deeply innocent, she knows everything about a person the instant she touches them. She reminds me of that phrase “half ancient, half child.”
Leramiun grows remarkably through his relationship with Shi. They were so adorable together and then everything got ruined and now they’re both dead and it’s horrible. Geez, there were a lot of feelings here.
The subplot with Helena had me furious for the first three quarters of the book, I won’t lie. The whole “she’s a concubine, so what does she matter” mentality got old a long time ago. And then is took a turn and YEEEEESSSSSS! Honestly, Helena’s story was probably my favorite part. I mean…the redemption and recognition of her value as a person…respecting her despite her former profession…it was so freaking beautiful.
It’s good to be back in the land of Regia and I’m looking forward to the spinoff series coming this fall! This series is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend.
July 6, 2014
As a Massive Fan of the series: Legends of Regia by Tenaya Jayne when I heard that Verdant was being released I could not contain myself! It has been too long between the last novel in the series "Forest Fire (Book #2 Legends of Regia)" and this novel release, I was getting withdrawal symptoms! Settling down with my obligatory hot chocolate, I dove straight in and lost myself.....
Verdant is based on Shi, Shi is the spirit who guards the heart within the forest, that we have met several times during the first two books in the Legends of Regia series (Forbidden Forest & Forest Fire). She is the spirit of a Dryad Princess who found a weeping young girl (Forest) and taught her about herself, Regia, the Woods nad the secrets that lie within the heart. But she has always been evasive about certain subjects and it is within Verdant we find out why. Forest is able to get Shi to open up and confide in her the epic love story that turned into the destruction of her race and ruined the surrounding woods, damaging everything in it's path.
The name of the novel, Verdant, is actually the name given to the Dryad Princesses that were chosen to care for the heart - in effect Shi is/was a Verdant. Her Story is discovered by Forest quite by accident when she visits the Royal Memorial Chambers in the Onyx Castle to see Zeren. He is there to create a memorial plaque for Christina, although she is not dead she may as well be and it is tradition for all of the Queens of Regia to have their own Memorial Plaque. He asks for her help as he is struggling for inspiration on what it should look like given how much the people disliked her, but for the sake of Syrus he wants it to look at least fit for the title of Queen that she held. So Forest goes further into the Memorial Chambers to look back at previous Plaques to get ideas that may help Zeren, what she discovers shock her to her core. she comes across a Plaque which is dedicated to Shi as Queen of Regia, complete with a crown and a loving inscription written by King Leramium. Forest knows that Shi and Leramium have a complicated past and that as far as she was aware Shi hated him, and that King Leramium was an exceptionally evil King as he destroyed the woods with Black Shaddow Sand, which killed off everything, eradicated the Dryads and damaged the heart. But here she has proof that Shi was mated to him? So she uses her "end of the gate" to go directly to Shi to find out the truth behind her findings.
Forest confronts Shi as soon as she sees her, she shows her the memorial and Shi is stunned, she had no idea. Shi is reluctant to let anyone into what is the true pain and suffering within her heart but she views Forest as one of her own, a child she has comforted, helped and loves so she makes a sacrifice and allows her to see her true face by taking her to the waterfalls and getting her to look into the silvery violet water that reflects back not the wooden tree like spirit Forest has always known but a stunning woman with glowing skin, shining hair and show stopping eyes that entrance.
Taking Forest toward the Heart she eventually caves in and promises to show her the past. As we know from the past novels, the Heart affects Forest in a certain way so the nearer she gets the more pain she is in. But Shi is insistent that she would rather "show" Forest what happened so that she is unbiased in the events that occurred. The Heart is no longer black as is once was to Forest's delight, it is now a grey colour - It's a vast improvement. Taking Shadow Sand from around her tree's roots she offers it to Forest who has no choice but to "snort" it in order to see the past.
What Forest learns during her Shadow Sand induced view of the past, where she is able to see both Shi's thoughts and version of events, and also Leramium's she learns that Love, Lust and Jealousy knows no bounds and what begins as a chance meeting sets off a chain reaction of events that no one could have foreseen. We learn all about the Verdant, the Dryads, their way of life, the Heart and the woods, but we also learn about the Vampires within the Onyx Fortress - Leramium who becomes King, his brother Quinn who has a major part to play in this tale and exactly how trusting someone to do the right thing doesn't always mean they will regardless of their intention!
I went through 6 cups of Hot Chocolate reading this, I lost time, missed my tea and managed to get to bed at 4am after prying myself away from the book eventually. I was back reading it by 9am the next morning! by that afternoon I had devoured Verdant! Forest does feature in this novel, but not in a major prominent role, this novel is about Shi, it's her story and it gives you a whole new appreciation and compassion for her. By the end I was in tears, this novel will whip you up and take you along a journey full of pure emotion. Tenaya Jayne has easily re-created the land that is Regia making you feel as if her first two novel is the series were written much closer to this one ten they were. Pure Fantasy with Romance intertwined together makes this Novel the perfect choice to be crowned as July's Featured Fantasy Review!
Well Done Tenaya Jayne - 5* Must Read (Just Don't Make it So Long Next Time To Give Us Book 4 in the Series! I don't Think I Could Handle The Wait Again!!)
Verdant is based on Shi, Shi is the spirit who guards the heart within the forest, that we have met several times during the first two books in the Legends of Regia series (Forbidden Forest & Forest Fire). She is the spirit of a Dryad Princess who found a weeping young girl (Forest) and taught her about herself, Regia, the Woods nad the secrets that lie within the heart. But she has always been evasive about certain subjects and it is within Verdant we find out why. Forest is able to get Shi to open up and confide in her the epic love story that turned into the destruction of her race and ruined the surrounding woods, damaging everything in it's path.
The name of the novel, Verdant, is actually the name given to the Dryad Princesses that were chosen to care for the heart - in effect Shi is/was a Verdant. Her Story is discovered by Forest quite by accident when she visits the Royal Memorial Chambers in the Onyx Castle to see Zeren. He is there to create a memorial plaque for Christina, although she is not dead she may as well be and it is tradition for all of the Queens of Regia to have their own Memorial Plaque. He asks for her help as he is struggling for inspiration on what it should look like given how much the people disliked her, but for the sake of Syrus he wants it to look at least fit for the title of Queen that she held. So Forest goes further into the Memorial Chambers to look back at previous Plaques to get ideas that may help Zeren, what she discovers shock her to her core. she comes across a Plaque which is dedicated to Shi as Queen of Regia, complete with a crown and a loving inscription written by King Leramium. Forest knows that Shi and Leramium have a complicated past and that as far as she was aware Shi hated him, and that King Leramium was an exceptionally evil King as he destroyed the woods with Black Shaddow Sand, which killed off everything, eradicated the Dryads and damaged the heart. But here she has proof that Shi was mated to him? So she uses her "end of the gate" to go directly to Shi to find out the truth behind her findings.
Forest confronts Shi as soon as she sees her, she shows her the memorial and Shi is stunned, she had no idea. Shi is reluctant to let anyone into what is the true pain and suffering within her heart but she views Forest as one of her own, a child she has comforted, helped and loves so she makes a sacrifice and allows her to see her true face by taking her to the waterfalls and getting her to look into the silvery violet water that reflects back not the wooden tree like spirit Forest has always known but a stunning woman with glowing skin, shining hair and show stopping eyes that entrance.
Taking Forest toward the Heart she eventually caves in and promises to show her the past. As we know from the past novels, the Heart affects Forest in a certain way so the nearer she gets the more pain she is in. But Shi is insistent that she would rather "show" Forest what happened so that she is unbiased in the events that occurred. The Heart is no longer black as is once was to Forest's delight, it is now a grey colour - It's a vast improvement. Taking Shadow Sand from around her tree's roots she offers it to Forest who has no choice but to "snort" it in order to see the past.
What Forest learns during her Shadow Sand induced view of the past, where she is able to see both Shi's thoughts and version of events, and also Leramium's she learns that Love, Lust and Jealousy knows no bounds and what begins as a chance meeting sets off a chain reaction of events that no one could have foreseen. We learn all about the Verdant, the Dryads, their way of life, the Heart and the woods, but we also learn about the Vampires within the Onyx Fortress - Leramium who becomes King, his brother Quinn who has a major part to play in this tale and exactly how trusting someone to do the right thing doesn't always mean they will regardless of their intention!
I went through 6 cups of Hot Chocolate reading this, I lost time, missed my tea and managed to get to bed at 4am after prying myself away from the book eventually. I was back reading it by 9am the next morning! by that afternoon I had devoured Verdant! Forest does feature in this novel, but not in a major prominent role, this novel is about Shi, it's her story and it gives you a whole new appreciation and compassion for her. By the end I was in tears, this novel will whip you up and take you along a journey full of pure emotion. Tenaya Jayne has easily re-created the land that is Regia making you feel as if her first two novel is the series were written much closer to this one ten they were. Pure Fantasy with Romance intertwined together makes this Novel the perfect choice to be crowned as July's Featured Fantasy Review!
Well Done Tenaya Jayne - 5* Must Read (Just Don't Make it So Long Next Time To Give Us Book 4 in the Series! I don't Think I Could Handle The Wait Again!!)
June 12, 2017
When compared to the length and story of the first 2 books, I don't believe that this one should have been book 3 in the series. I think it would have fit better if it was considered book 2.5 rather than book 3. It just veers off from the main portion of the story too much and doesn't really belong as part of the main story. However, this is all from my perspective. I will say that it was interesting nonetheless. It just wasn't in line with the main story.
January 18, 2018
I was *looking* for a trashy binge read and I thought I found it but I just can't anymore. The characters and plot are as shallow as a puddle and I had a low bar to begin with for these sorts of kindle unlimited reads. The concept of the series is good, but it needed an editor that would prod and this skeleton and develop it better. Reads very intellectually anorexic and again, I didn't go into this expecting quality. Done with this series now.
January 1, 2020
Shi is a Verdant. She is to remain Pure and Innocent so she can sacrifice to the heart. Ler is the king of all Regia but he really doesn't want to be held down with all the responsibilities. One night he sneaks off to find a mass grave when he sees Shi and is instantly was in awe of her beauty.
Ler and Shi hide their love as long as they can. But Quinn, Ler's brother, has other ideas in mind.
It is a quick short story but I was yearning for more. It was still a good story.
Ler and Shi hide their love as long as they can. But Quinn, Ler's brother, has other ideas in mind.
It is a quick short story but I was yearning for more. It was still a good story.
April 18, 2021
It's worth the read
The story is a great story. The books aren't very long which I feel is kinda the down side. I think it could of had more insight about the king after they all died. Or what Happened with shi. Overall it was a good book .
The story is a great story. The books aren't very long which I feel is kinda the down side. I think it could of had more insight about the king after they all died. Or what Happened with shi. Overall it was a good book .
February 1, 2018
Good tale
I enjoyed the story in this book , I just wish it went longer with the ending, jealousy makes people do bad things as shown in this book.
I enjoyed the story in this book , I just wish it went longer with the ending, jealousy makes people do bad things as shown in this book.
February 26, 2018
Oh my!
Falling in love with these characters are so easy. The way the stories are written they just entangle you. I recommend this author to anyone wanting a series to read.
Falling in love with these characters are so easy. The way the stories are written they just entangle you. I recommend this author to anyone wanting a series to read.
April 17, 2018
Good read
Shi certainly carries around a lot of baggage for a ghost? If that's what she is. I think some forgiveness and understanding would go a long way to helping her.
Shi certainly carries around a lot of baggage for a ghost? If that's what she is. I think some forgiveness and understanding would go a long way to helping her.
May 29, 2019
Some really good history of Shi the Dryads in Regia. Some confusion for a while.
October 25, 2019
The ending was a little disappointing but overall a good book!
August 24, 2021
Gave vital context
Filled in many gaps and answered many questions. Pretty good for the third book in a series. Read it yourself.
Filled in many gaps and answered many questions. Pretty good for the third book in a series. Read it yourself.
June 30, 2024
2.5, didn’t really care about the characters.
July 1, 2019
I was a bit bored with this one although it was interesting to find out more about Shi and Regia.
May 19, 2016
Verdant
Okay. Now, first I did not realize that this story of Regia of a novella. I only read the description and because I was very much interesting in knowing the back story of “the wood” and Shi as a friend of Forest…. I immediately started reading it.
I am shook up a little. How tragic was that! Seriously. No resolution and although the ending stated that absolution was to come, I felt it could have come in this book. She was in so much pain and to have never dealt with it, should have made her crazy. And the harem Leramium married…. She was kind and gentle in the end, but I wonder how she really felt about her man loving another woman. I mean is that where the bitterness in the queen’s line started? I don’t know how to rate this one. It was obviously well written because it drew me in with the feelings of love and defiance. The ideal or “Us Against the World” is always appealing. With that said the ending was not ideal and has left me dejected.
Okay. Now, first I did not realize that this story of Regia of a novella. I only read the description and because I was very much interesting in knowing the back story of “the wood” and Shi as a friend of Forest…. I immediately started reading it.
I am shook up a little. How tragic was that! Seriously. No resolution and although the ending stated that absolution was to come, I felt it could have come in this book. She was in so much pain and to have never dealt with it, should have made her crazy. And the harem Leramium married…. She was kind and gentle in the end, but I wonder how she really felt about her man loving another woman. I mean is that where the bitterness in the queen’s line started? I don’t know how to rate this one. It was obviously well written because it drew me in with the feelings of love and defiance. The ideal or “Us Against the World” is always appealing. With that said the ending was not ideal and has left me dejected.
September 3, 2015
A Slow, Short Tragedy
Shi and King Ler's tragic story of brief love lost to malice.
The previous two books hint at this history, but here is the real deal, what really happened to the dryads. It's short, can be read in a couple hours, but a little slow, and there is no closure. The end changes almost nothing from how it started.
Shi and King Ler's tragic story of brief love lost to malice.
The previous two books hint at this history, but here is the real deal, what really happened to the dryads. It's short, can be read in a couple hours, but a little slow, and there is no closure. The end changes almost nothing from how it started.
November 19, 2018
Jayne has done it again! Incredible back story about Shi...don't want to give anything away, so I can't say much more, except it was well written and inventive. LOVED it! Hoping maybe Shi comes full circle with her past in a future book...Looking forward to the next full length Regia book!
March 18, 2015
This is a book you must read it helps understand why shi is the way she is
June 4, 2015
I really enjoyed reading Forbidden Forest and Verdant. They will capture your heart with their stories.
October 20, 2015
Awwesome book! I love this glimpse into the past of Regia. So glad I read it. It's great on Aubible too.
October 1, 2016
I love this fast pace with very interesting view on Dryads. Great Read but Very Sad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews