Vassal

Firedark #3

by Mereda Hart Farynyk

Sir Gabrel, the firedark, is an outlaw. The sorcerers are rising up to take the kingdom. The Imenti are seeking to destroy the known world. And King Haylan does not know whom to trust.

The question becomes all the murkier when he begins to doubt even his own mind—when he begins to think that the enemy has taken control of and manipulated his thoughts.

As Kalla tries to protect Haylan from their unknown adversary, Gabrel seeks to discover the secret to saving Candelaon from the sorcerers, and Iyt is faced with a difficult decision: will she help the Imenti or the people of Candelaon? Will she save the world she came from or the world she has come to know?

Vassal is book three in Mereda Hart Farynyk’s Firedark series.

576 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2021

About the author

Mereda Hart Farynyk has always been captivated by fairy tales and far off places. From the earliest age, she would wander the forest, looking at the light filtering through the branches, and dream up endless fantasies of fairies and princes and great evils being overcome. She would drink up the study of ancient civilizations and marvel at how mysterious and foreign they were. Growing up in theatre and dance, she immersed herself in countless lives and emotions and perspectives, and what started out as a simple fascination with the magic and mystery of other worlds soon became a deep love of how those other worlds could help us to better understand the richest truths of this one.

Spanning a variety of genres, her books explore questions of spirituality, love, the search for truth, and the motivations of the human heart.

She grew up in North Carolina and resides there still with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✧･ﾟ: * ❝ I have begun to think we tell legends for a reason. That they bear seeds of truth ❞ ･ﾟ:* ✧

╰┈➤ ✿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ . . . :･*✧ ♩♪
。°⋆✫Legend ⇾ The Score✫⋆°。
1:00──●─────3:09
◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹


Honest to goodness truth: this is my favorite in the entire series (so far): We follow our rag-tag cast of beautifully crafted characters as they discover secrets of the Imenti, sorcerers, and the plot to overthrow Candelaon. A boy-oh-boy is it a rollercoaster


This book...was on fire (no pun intended 😉)



Somehow as the series goes on, the books keep getting better and better. And considering I've never not liked one of Farynyk's books, I don't think the end of this series will be a flop. Which makes me want to read it even more


I need to buy my own copies of this series so I can put them on my bookshelf! 😭 This series...this series is my everything



˚｡⋆📖˚｡⋆What I liked
🔥Somehow, despite this book's length, this is the fastest I've gotten through one of Farynyk's books! This was so fast paced. I literally could not put this down. Many nights I found myself up until three in the morning, and yet it was still a struggle to close the book and sleep
🔥I love all the characters. Each one is given the right amount of virtues and flaws that they feel so real. And I like that they don't try to excuse those weaknesses, but instead try to overcome them
🔥 The Biblical ties and messages sprinkled throughout this book, along with the subtle but powerful representation of spiritual warfare and a unique take on (what I think) the Bible and Jesus Christ living inside us all, guiding us to make the right decisions
🔥 Gabrel and Kalla's romance is so wholesome. The second-to-last chapter I was grinning ear-to-ear with a heart that was pitter-pattering. I really enjoyed the small scene where Garridon asks Gabrel about Kalla and Gabrel couldn't even suppress his smile when he said Kalla was his woman.

🔥Lord Caldraeg, what you did to Garridon I will never forgive you for, but your obsession with books. I relate🙂‍↕️
🔥Drex and Iyt. That's all I have to say. Their banter when they could finally understand each other was just...✨loved it✨If Drex and Iyt aren't endgame...I'm riding at dawn🥰🔪

.・。.・゜・.・・゜・。. .・。

˚｡⋆❄️˚｡⋆What I didn’t like
⚔️ This isn't something I didn't like, but Twyford annoyyyeed me. Like, dude, I don't care if Haylan is your nephew, he's your king, give him the respect he deserves ☺️
⚔️This book ended way too soon, I need the next one, oh my gawwwsh

.・。.・゜・.・・゜・。. .・。

˚｡⋆🐎 ˚｡⋆CW(spoiler free)
-language:
2 bastard (in the literal sense), 1 vixen, 1 b*tch
-sexual:
3 non-detailed kisses, a vague attempted r@pe scene, talk of being alone with men being improper
-violence:
mild violence, a character gets stabbed through the chest, it's all pretty PG-level
-magic:
mentions of enchantments, sorcerers, mages, spells, and dark spirits. Some characters have the ability to control fire and/or ice using magic they were gifted with. Dark magic is tapped on very briefly toward the end by an antagonist

☆•° . *verdict:rated PG/ages 12+* . °•★

[Hannah Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a journey this book was! Loved it.

[Kaela McCorkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling, tantalizing, lovely, just a joy to read. The character development, the spiritual undertones and romance are all incredible. Love love love. Go read this series! It won't disappoint.

[Aria Carter]

I want moooore! :) Highly recommend for folks who like fantasy/romance.
But be warned: this book is long. ❤ (Reading things on my Kindle it's always a surprise. ;)
Also, I think this is my favorite Firedark cover so far. (Easier to fit in "Vassal" than "The-Children-of-Maglan-and-the-Children-of-Blane", eh? 😂)

[Alicia Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY BRAIN IS GOING CRAZY. All I can say is WOW. The mental and spiritual topics/parallels that Mereda pulls at in this book and how she weaves them into each character's development have absolutely blown me away. I feel like I can't jump too far into commenting here without giving things away, so just, GO READ THIS BOOK. So much intricately culminates in this book, and yet the plot continues to thicken. This is ART. True art. Also, warning to any reader: If you're reading the ending of this book in bed while your spouse is sleeping, perhaps go into a different room so that you don't wake them up when you come upon some incredible answers to some questions the author has created. :)

[Lindy Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner for sure! The scope of the story is so far reaching and I appreciated how it was told from 5 perspectives. Seeing the events unfold through the eyes of those very different characters, as well as the emotions and thought processes of each, helped do justice to an intricate story with a lot of moving pieces!

Also, though there was much left hanging, I liked how some elements of the ongoing conflict were actually resolved by the end of this book. The last chapters were a great blend of questions and answers that left me feeling both satisfied and eager for the next one!

[Gina Mendola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Mereda Hart Farynyk’s writing! Book three of the Firedark series is another page turner. Reading this series transports me into another realm, one I hate to leave when I have to put the book down. The characters are so real and relatable that I can easily envision each book as a blockbuster movie. MHF has an extraordinary natural writing talent and I look forward to reading everything she publishes!!

[sadie aramendia]

The journey continues


The journey so far has packed a punch. An unravelling of characters spinning their webs, lies and betrayal, plot twists for some and relationships tested for others.. Will love and friendship be enough, or will the ever increasing magic prove too dangerous and devour what is good? this journey is far from over.

[Rhianwen the Elf-Heart]

Ok introducing more romances now I LOVE. Of course I can't wait to see how the main relationship continues to develop. It's super special that we get to see it over so much time; I feel like a lot of romances leave it at "happily ever after" but I really am enjoying seeing the two of them grow together. Thought about binge-ing because I have the next one, but I'd rather savor these.

[Diane Helfrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. The twists and turns are mounting in this book. Risk is everywhere and we still don’t really know who we can trust. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of new discoveries in this one!! And some great plot twists!! Plus you get more depth on a few of our favorite characters which I loved. I'm excited for the adventure that's about to happen in the next book.