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Lords of Arcadia #3
The Roads of Taryn MacTavish
The wizard is dead and there is peace in the Valley, but peace doesn’t necessarily mean that life gets easier. As summer drags on, Taryn MacTavish must find a way to cope with the inevitable changes peace has brought: Her baby griffin is growing up, the Dragon-born Pathfinders have opened the Roads between Arcadia and Earth, the long-exiled Cerosan are returning to their homeland, and Antilles, lord of the Valley of Hoof and Horn, has defied all tradition and asked Taryn to marry him, but perhaps the greatest change is the one growing under her own heart—the child conceived by the wizard’s mark.
But while Taryn’s new family on Arcadia and her old family from Earth come together in celebration, a new shadow grows, an ancient evil which sends Taryn alone into strange new lands on an impossible quest from which there may well be no return.
R. Lee Smith’s powerhouse erotic series, Lords of Arcadia, continues a dark vision of fantasy and sensual suspense that grips the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go. Fans of Smith’s provocative style will not be disappointed by this return to Arcadia, where life and death, sex and savagery, are often waypoints on THE ROADS OF TARYN MACTAVISH.
And look for the dramatic conclusion in: Lords of Arcadia: Book IV
THE ARMY OF MAB
But while Taryn’s new family on Arcadia and her old family from Earth come together in celebration, a new shadow grows, an ancient evil which sends Taryn alone into strange new lands on an impossible quest from which there may well be no return.
R. Lee Smith’s powerhouse erotic series, Lords of Arcadia, continues a dark vision of fantasy and sensual suspense that grips the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go. Fans of Smith’s provocative style will not be disappointed by this return to Arcadia, where life and death, sex and savagery, are often waypoints on THE ROADS OF TARYN MACTAVISH.
And look for the dramatic conclusion in: Lords of Arcadia: Book IV
THE ARMY OF MAB
665 pages, ebook
First published July 14, 2010
47 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 17, 2021
Why did I want her to end up with the Dragon?
Why?
...
OK, I know why.
And why do I keep wanting this?
I am irrecoverable...
But oh, god, Rhiannon annoyed me for some reason. I can't explain it, I really can't, but if she were real, I'd probably slap her senselessly and i.do.not slap people, not even inside my head (i torture them and then kill them, but I do not slap them). Sure enough, Taryn did indeed do some very foolish things and pulled some crazy stunts which probably made her deserve being tied to the bed in my opinion, but hey, nobody is perfect.
And the Dragon was hot...
I know, I know, I'm a shallow, superficial human being and I should get a life that does not consist of reading fiction all day (and night) long. All in all a great book. I can't explain why I get so happy when I finally get to put my paws on a many paged book. I should probably build R. Lee Smith a golden temple studded with diamonds, that's how much I love all of her more than epic books.
Why?
...
OK, I know why.
And why do I keep wanting this?
I am irrecoverable...
But oh, god, Rhiannon annoyed me for some reason. I can't explain it, I really can't, but if she were real, I'd probably slap her senselessly and i.do.not slap people, not even inside my head (i torture them and then kill them, but I do not slap them). Sure enough, Taryn did indeed do some very foolish things and pulled some crazy stunts which probably made her deserve being tied to the bed in my opinion, but hey, nobody is perfect.
And the Dragon was hot...
I know, I know, I'm a shallow, superficial human being and I should get a life that does not consist of reading fiction all day (and night) long. All in all a great book. I can't explain why I get so happy when I finally get to put my paws on a many paged book. I should probably build R. Lee Smith a golden temple studded with diamonds, that's how much I love all of her more than epic books.
July 13, 2019
If you've made it three books in, they're a couple things you have to accept in order to genuinely enjoy this series; they are as follows: Reverse harems, Taryn's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and to care is to get your lovin' on. That's about it. If the aforementioned doesn't bother you you're all set, if it does, there is no way in hell you'll truly be able to enjoy this tale. Lucky for me, I fully subscribe to the Taryn school of thought and I'm hook, line, and sinker along for the ride.
The Roads of Taryn MacTavish enjoy a nice little time skip from the ends of The Wizard in the Woods. Although we're dealing with the very serious consequences of interspecies breeding, we're in a decidedly lighter place from whence we came. It's a nice light break for our heroine, and although she's got a tough road ahead, it was very nice to see her have a chance to sit back and reacclimate. Sometimes spending time with Taryn, Aisling and Tilly is all we need, although it quickly comes to an end when it's finally time for Aisling to learn more than Taryn can show him. I'm not going to lie though, although expected, I was very unhappy with the boarding school approach for Aisling. I miss him. I missed him through the entirety of this long book. I hope he has more screen time in the finale, because it is a little jarring to have the central character (i.e: the griffin who began this entire journey) disappear over the course of more than 600 pages. I can only hope that when he returns he comes back in: a.) a major way, and b.) with the ability to really be an aide to Taryn.
So we're missing a large character for the majority of the book, but you know what that's not entirely a problem at first. Taryn still has her myriad of friends in Rucombe including everyone's favorite Tonka, and so life continues as it finally should. Until in pop's Aisling's replacement in the form of Taryn's younger sister Rhiannon. Turns out, her human connection isn't as naive as she thought, and her heavily edited 'African photos' aren't cutting it anymore. Not going to lie, Rhiannon's entrance is quite the low point for me in a series that thus far has had few hiccups. I was all for a sisterly reunion - maybe a little hurt, raw feelings, some arguing and eventual make up session and sisterly bonding, I was on board for all of it. Unfortunately for me, Rhiannon is here to play a much bigger role than anticipated, and I'm truthfully not that big a fan of her character.
In one respect she acts as a great foil - she's anti-Taryn, she's brash and cynical, she's the hurt younger sister who seems to be the only person not falling all over themselves to help Taryn. In that respect she's a great character to have. The problem I have with her is that in being abrasive with clearly hidden hurts in her past, her storyline starts to replay as a less interesting Taryn plot that we just spent two books already solving. She's dream stalked by a 'mysterious' angel, haunted by the abuses of Taryn's ex-boyfriend, all while collecting for herself her own horseman and Cerosan a la Tayrn's Antilles and Tonka. So instead of holding strong as a counter weight to Taryn, she reads to me as a Taryn redo - only more whinny and less sympathetic. We already saw Taryn deal with very similar situations and do it with grace; to watch Rhiannon run screaming in terror from everyone while being unapproachable, standoffish (understandable although not sympathetic), and kind of mean, quickly starts to grate on my nerves. And Smith has decided to dedicate entirely too much of the story time to Rhiannon's subplot which also lacks a strong beginning, middle, and end. In fact, at its conclusion, she has failed to exceed anyone's expectations, and has run off once again in misery.
I'll be honest, I've always had a problem with stories where two women share co spotlights, I personally prefer one main heroine on her quest to great-dom, so I'm predisposed to see Rhiannon's entrance in a negative light, but I do feel there are better ways to deal with her insertion then what we are left with. For example, if we've learned nothing thus far, it's that Taryn is a go getter who grabs the bull by the horns (literally) and goes for it. To see Taryn fail to first acknowledge a problem with her sister, then ignore her during her introduction to Rucombe is both a problem with character continuity for Taryn and an overworked plot device to make Rhiannon more relatable. It obviously drives a larger rift between the sisters, while trying to make it seem justifiable the way Rhiannon mopes continuously. Add to that her stalker demonic angel dreams that are a one dimensional redo of Taryn's wizard problem, and the fact that NO ONE, in a town of people who have ALL seen this HAPPEN BEFORE, can identify it, and Smith is hammering us over the head with this idea that we must feel bad for Rhiannon and thus accept and like her as a character, and I for one am not biting. I'm not going to lie, every time a chunk of Rhiannon chapters appeared, I flipped to see when Taryn would come back and then read through them as fast as I could. As of now, they fail to provide any additional useful information and they are repetitive in nature and situation. Suffice to say Rhiannon is boring.
As much time as I spent harping on Rhiannon you'd think I didn't enjoy The Roads of Taryn MacTavish, but that would be a lie. Taryn's chapters are everything I've grown to love and I lived for her section of the story. Although Aisling is gone, Taryn has excellently crafted visits with both the Satyrs and Fauns as well as the Lycan communities. These sections are back to basics if you ask me, and if it's not broke, don't fix it. Taryn is at her best when she is harassing the locals and changing mindsets. It's also nice to see a change occur without it being brought about by undying affection for Taryn (although I can't say I'm upset by her ever increasing harem). With the slow brewing of a clear problem on the horizon it's good to see Taryn paving the roads for eventual allies in the war to come.
Special mention to the Lycan community which was by far the best portion of this book. I love Smith's ability to build these crazy mixed characteristics that would realistically be presents in a group of people who share many traits with wolves. I loved the pack mentality and trouble that ensued because of it. I also happen to really love Kruin and Nakaroth and hope to be seeing them both in the conclusion.
I would rate this so much higher if I could simply scratch Rhiannon off its pages, or better yet, rewrite her to be less abrasive and less central to the plot. I don't begrudge her her romances or even her relationship with Taryn, only her outward presentation to anyone and everyone and her repetitive brokenness. I know she's not going anywhere soon so I'm hoping that maybe Arion and/or Shappa can finally begin to put her back together and she can become useful to the plot as opposed to a counterweight. Maybe then I won't hate reading her chapters so much, although as it stands right now I'd prefer she just stay on Earth and that Taryn could return to the Lycans. Even with many a missed moment for me, ultimately I really enjoy Taryn's saga thus far. I'll definitely be around for her conclusion. ***3.5 Rhiannon-reduced stars***
The Roads of Taryn MacTavish enjoy a nice little time skip from the ends of The Wizard in the Woods. Although we're dealing with the very serious consequences of interspecies breeding, we're in a decidedly lighter place from whence we came. It's a nice light break for our heroine, and although she's got a tough road ahead, it was very nice to see her have a chance to sit back and reacclimate. Sometimes spending time with Taryn, Aisling and Tilly is all we need, although it quickly comes to an end when it's finally time for Aisling to learn more than Taryn can show him. I'm not going to lie though, although expected, I was very unhappy with the boarding school approach for Aisling. I miss him. I missed him through the entirety of this long book. I hope he has more screen time in the finale, because it is a little jarring to have the central character (i.e: the griffin who began this entire journey) disappear over the course of more than 600 pages. I can only hope that when he returns he comes back in: a.) a major way, and b.) with the ability to really be an aide to Taryn.
So we're missing a large character for the majority of the book, but you know what that's not entirely a problem at first. Taryn still has her myriad of friends in Rucombe including everyone's favorite Tonka, and so life continues as it finally should. Until in pop's Aisling's replacement in the form of Taryn's younger sister Rhiannon. Turns out, her human connection isn't as naive as she thought, and her heavily edited 'African photos' aren't cutting it anymore. Not going to lie, Rhiannon's entrance is quite the low point for me in a series that thus far has had few hiccups. I was all for a sisterly reunion - maybe a little hurt, raw feelings, some arguing and eventual make up session and sisterly bonding, I was on board for all of it. Unfortunately for me, Rhiannon is here to play a much bigger role than anticipated, and I'm truthfully not that big a fan of her character.
In one respect she acts as a great foil - she's anti-Taryn, she's brash and cynical, she's the hurt younger sister who seems to be the only person not falling all over themselves to help Taryn. In that respect she's a great character to have. The problem I have with her is that in being abrasive with clearly hidden hurts in her past, her storyline starts to replay as a less interesting Taryn plot that we just spent two books already solving. She's dream stalked by a 'mysterious' angel, haunted by the abuses of Taryn's ex-boyfriend, all while collecting for herself her own horseman and Cerosan a la Tayrn's Antilles and Tonka. So instead of holding strong as a counter weight to Taryn, she reads to me as a Taryn redo - only more whinny and less sympathetic. We already saw Taryn deal with very similar situations and do it with grace; to watch Rhiannon run screaming in terror from everyone while being unapproachable, standoffish (understandable although not sympathetic), and kind of mean, quickly starts to grate on my nerves. And Smith has decided to dedicate entirely too much of the story time to Rhiannon's subplot which also lacks a strong beginning, middle, and end. In fact, at its conclusion, she has failed to exceed anyone's expectations, and has run off once again in misery.
I'll be honest, I've always had a problem with stories where two women share co spotlights, I personally prefer one main heroine on her quest to great-dom, so I'm predisposed to see Rhiannon's entrance in a negative light, but I do feel there are better ways to deal with her insertion then what we are left with. For example, if we've learned nothing thus far, it's that Taryn is a go getter who grabs the bull by the horns (literally) and goes for it. To see Taryn fail to first acknowledge a problem with her sister, then ignore her during her introduction to Rucombe is both a problem with character continuity for Taryn and an overworked plot device to make Rhiannon more relatable. It obviously drives a larger rift between the sisters, while trying to make it seem justifiable the way Rhiannon mopes continuously. Add to that her stalker demonic angel dreams that are a one dimensional redo of Taryn's wizard problem, and the fact that NO ONE, in a town of people who have ALL seen this HAPPEN BEFORE, can identify it, and Smith is hammering us over the head with this idea that we must feel bad for Rhiannon and thus accept and like her as a character, and I for one am not biting. I'm not going to lie, every time a chunk of Rhiannon chapters appeared, I flipped to see when Taryn would come back and then read through them as fast as I could. As of now, they fail to provide any additional useful information and they are repetitive in nature and situation. Suffice to say Rhiannon is boring.
As much time as I spent harping on Rhiannon you'd think I didn't enjoy The Roads of Taryn MacTavish, but that would be a lie. Taryn's chapters are everything I've grown to love and I lived for her section of the story. Although Aisling is gone, Taryn has excellently crafted visits with both the Satyrs and Fauns as well as the Lycan communities. These sections are back to basics if you ask me, and if it's not broke, don't fix it. Taryn is at her best when she is harassing the locals and changing mindsets. It's also nice to see a change occur without it being brought about by undying affection for Taryn (although I can't say I'm upset by her ever increasing harem). With the slow brewing of a clear problem on the horizon it's good to see Taryn paving the roads for eventual allies in the war to come.
Special mention to the Lycan community which was by far the best portion of this book. I love Smith's ability to build these crazy mixed characteristics that would realistically be presents in a group of people who share many traits with wolves. I loved the pack mentality and trouble that ensued because of it. I also happen to really love Kruin and Nakaroth and hope to be seeing them both in the conclusion.
I would rate this so much higher if I could simply scratch Rhiannon off its pages, or better yet, rewrite her to be less abrasive and less central to the plot. I don't begrudge her her romances or even her relationship with Taryn, only her outward presentation to anyone and everyone and her repetitive brokenness. I know she's not going anywhere soon so I'm hoping that maybe Arion and/or Shappa can finally begin to put her back together and she can become useful to the plot as opposed to a counterweight. Maybe then I won't hate reading her chapters so much, although as it stands right now I'd prefer she just stay on Earth and that Taryn could return to the Lycans. Even with many a missed moment for me, ultimately I really enjoy Taryn's saga thus far. I'll definitely be around for her conclusion. ***3.5 Rhiannon-reduced stars***
March 23, 2014
It had some good bits, but mostly I was annoyed with Taryn who flings herself and her unborn child into danger and the constant whining of Rihannon.
January 26, 2022
RLee Smith saved the series for me!!
After not enjoying the first two books in the series, I was ready to dislike the third one too.
- I don't love Taryn.
Actually strike that. If I had Taryn on my "strange world survival team" I would slap her every single day, for routinely endangering herself, and others, because of her causeless optimism. I don't care how nice she is, being her friend is like wearing a target painted on your face.
- High % of horses
Okay Centaurs, not horses. And they are called Farasai. Also, Tonka and Ven, the leaders, are some of my favorite characters. I also love Shappa. But. I jjst really dislike horses.
- Minotaur wedding
Tbc
After not enjoying the first two books in the series, I was ready to dislike the third one too.
- I don't love Taryn.
Actually strike that. If I had Taryn on my "strange world survival team" I would slap her every single day, for routinely endangering herself, and others, because of her causeless optimism. I don't care how nice she is, being her friend is like wearing a target painted on your face.
- High % of horses
Okay Centaurs, not horses. And they are called Farasai. Also, Tonka and Ven, the leaders, are some of my favorite characters. I also love Shappa. But. I jjst really dislike horses.
- Minotaur wedding
Tbc
September 11, 2025
Halfway through this book I realized what an absolute luxury it is to have an R Lee Smith *series.*
Multiple books allow her to meander around, slowly building the world, and introducing us (intimately) to all of the grimy unruly inhabitants of her twisted mind.
‘Roads’ marks the entrance of poor Rhiannon. A character who makes the heart bleed. Insert “You-in-danger-girl.gif”
Holding her up to Taryn, I finally see why so many have dogged on T throughout the previous books. She is rather annoyingly perfect isn’t she? She has no sense of self preservation, even when she is cooking that little Minotaur bun. She pissed me off a bit but what can I say, I enjoy the fantasy of walking the shoes of the most wanted woman in the land!
Speaking of which, RLS writes second male-leads like no one else:
”Just as well,” he said, and turned around. “I would never give you back.”
Oh.
Also I find the Dragon unfathomably compelling.
There is probably a personality/psychiatric diagnosis quiz that can be made from “who is your favorite Arcadian love interest?”
Multiple books allow her to meander around, slowly building the world, and introducing us (intimately) to all of the grimy unruly inhabitants of her twisted mind.
‘Roads’ marks the entrance of poor Rhiannon. A character who makes the heart bleed. Insert “You-in-danger-girl.gif”
Holding her up to Taryn, I finally see why so many have dogged on T throughout the previous books. She is rather annoyingly perfect isn’t she? She has no sense of self preservation, even when she is cooking that little Minotaur bun. She pissed me off a bit but what can I say, I enjoy the fantasy of walking the shoes of the most wanted woman in the land!
Speaking of which, RLS writes second male-leads like no one else:
”Just as well,” he said, and turned around. “I would never give you back.”
Oh.
Also I find the Dragon unfathomably compelling.
There is probably a personality/psychiatric diagnosis quiz that can be made from “who is your favorite Arcadian love interest?”
December 13, 2015
Here, here was the point that I got tired of all the sexual healing... XD But honestly, I think I was just reading too many R. Lee Smith books at once and needed a change of pace. I still really, really, really loved the book. Feels, lols, epic cool.
June 15, 2018
There is no single possible star rating for my complicated feelings about this book.
Here's a bar graph showing my enjoyment of the book in tenths:
As you can see, I loved some of it, but hated much of it. That final star at the end is wishy-washy (*~) because I really have no idea how the hell everything fits and whether or not I like where it's going. It ends on a damn cliffhanger, so it might be leading up to something great...or not.
The things that really fail in this book are all related to character motivations. I simply do not believe Taryn's motivations because I do not understand them. She's motivated by some unseen force in this entire book.
As far as I'm concerned, pregnant protagonist Taryn essentially attempts to commit suicide early in the book.
Seriously, there's no other way I can think to describe such an outlandishly irresponsible act on her part. Suicidal characters are fine, but again, I cannot understand her motivations. It was immensely frustrating to read and I had a hard time getting past it.
The story stayed pretty flat until quite a bit later during *another* of Taryn's attempts to die in this dangerous land o' Arcadia.
Taryn's sister is a potentially interesting character, but her part in this was handled in a way that made her more frustrating than sympathetic.
The other family interactions were almost dream-like in their weirdness. Taryn's parents were totally cool with being surrounded by horse cocks and tits and having it implied that their daughters were taking it hard and deep from minotaurs. And they didn't seem to have any questions about what the hell was going on. I guess they're hard-core hippies or something?
It's a pretty big book and I'm extremely critical about most of it. I could go on and on ranting about the various problems I have with the entire first three quarters.
But in the last quarter, it suddenly picked up. I don't know if it was just in contrast with how bad it had been before or if it really was that good, but I was suddenly loving the story. It was a little over-the-top, but it fit and there was a precedent. It was beautifully described. It was insightful. It was new. It was fun.
That chunk of the book reminded me why I had enjoyed the series so far and what impresses me so much about Smith as an author.
Which is why I'm completely baffled by the ending. I don't even know how I feel about it.
Clearly I need to read the next book to find out.
For the moment, I'm giving Smith the benefit of the doubt and giving this a rating of three stars as a whole. Don't make me regret it, R. Lee Smith!
Here's a bar graph showing my enjoyment of the book in tenths:
Book percentage/Star rating
===========================
10% * *
20% *
30% *
40% *
50% *
60% *
70% * *
80% * * * * *
90% * * *
100% * ~
===========================
As you can see, I loved some of it, but hated much of it. That final star at the end is wishy-washy (*~) because I really have no idea how the hell everything fits and whether or not I like where it's going. It ends on a damn cliffhanger, so it might be leading up to something great...or not.
The things that really fail in this book are all related to character motivations. I simply do not believe Taryn's motivations because I do not understand them. She's motivated by some unseen force in this entire book.
As far as I'm concerned, pregnant protagonist Taryn essentially attempts to commit suicide early in the book.
Seriously, there's no other way I can think to describe such an outlandishly irresponsible act on her part. Suicidal characters are fine, but again, I cannot understand her motivations. It was immensely frustrating to read and I had a hard time getting past it.
The story stayed pretty flat until quite a bit later during *another* of Taryn's attempts to die in this dangerous land o' Arcadia.
Taryn's sister is a potentially interesting character, but her part in this was handled in a way that made her more frustrating than sympathetic.
The other family interactions were almost dream-like in their weirdness. Taryn's parents were totally cool with being surrounded by horse cocks and tits and having it implied that their daughters were taking it hard and deep from minotaurs. And they didn't seem to have any questions about what the hell was going on. I guess they're hard-core hippies or something?
It's a pretty big book and I'm extremely critical about most of it. I could go on and on ranting about the various problems I have with the entire first three quarters.
But in the last quarter, it suddenly picked up. I don't know if it was just in contrast with how bad it had been before or if it really was that good, but I was suddenly loving the story. It was a little over-the-top, but it fit and there was a precedent. It was beautifully described. It was insightful. It was new. It was fun.
That chunk of the book reminded me why I had enjoyed the series so far and what impresses me so much about Smith as an author.
Which is why I'm completely baffled by the ending. I don't even know how I feel about it.
Clearly I need to read the next book to find out.
For the moment, I'm giving Smith the benefit of the doubt and giving this a rating of three stars as a whole. Don't make me regret it, R. Lee Smith!
March 15, 2015
Well Shit! Satyrs, Sileni, Lycans and In-Laws....oh my.
AWESOME! I lost so much sleep to this book.. You wouldn't believe.
But I could barely put it down to go and live my everyday life....I just
want to stay in Arcadia with Taryn. The Lycans were truly scary in the beginning
but after a while u get used to them just like all the other fantastical beings. And Antilles's
Family are awesome except for his hateful bitch mom of course. Rhiannon is heartbreaking and
needs a good dose of Love, and I hope she gets to kick her dream-tormentors ass.
I truly don't want this series to end. But now I'm on to the last book...let's see what
crazy, brave, reckless, foolish things Taryn gets up to.
AWESOME! I lost so much sleep to this book.. You wouldn't believe.
But I could barely put it down to go and live my everyday life....I just
want to stay in Arcadia with Taryn. The Lycans were truly scary in the beginning
but after a while u get used to them just like all the other fantastical beings. And Antilles's
Family are awesome except for his hateful bitch mom of course. Rhiannon is heartbreaking and
needs a good dose of Love, and I hope she gets to kick her dream-tormentors ass.
I truly don't want this series to end. But now I'm on to the last book...let's see what
crazy, brave, reckless, foolish things Taryn gets up to.
March 29, 2018
I just finished the book last night and my mind is still in the world this morning. I'm loving my book hangover. Arcadia is a character itself and keeps getting larger and larger with each book in the series. Just when I think I have this place figured out, it grows just a bit more. Arcadia's inhabitants are so rich and their stories are all grand and so well developed that I love finding out about their histories. I'm glad there are more books in the series because there is so much story left to tell.
November 8, 2013
It started going down in quality. We'll see what happens in the fourth book. Review soon.
November 5, 2018
The cost it seems is never enough for Taryn and I can't even seem to dislike her.
Taryn is a character that I would want to characterize as infantile, naive, impractical and reckless. I've never read about a character who has been raped by gods, ghosts, wizards, dragons pawed on by minotaurs, satyr, and cenaturs and still be so happily adventurous and no care given to personal sacrifice.
She has been starved, beaten, of course raped but she's pregnant, has a Griffin son and she is still pushing the boundaries even against those she loves because she thinks she's right. I would love to call her arrogant, but she has paid the cost of her over-confidence and naivety over and over again but she'll do the same thing even at the cost of her life.
I can't say she's brave or courageous because when she pushed by those who warn her of danger and does it anyway, and when the fallout falls not only on her shoulder but also on her loved ones she can only be seen as vain.
There is brave and then there's not
I am at the point where she figured out that humans with guns have invaded Arcadia. Instead of warning them with precise words of 'gun wielding humans with the capacity of mass genocide' she stays quiet and becomes obsequious, letting herself be taken by the lycans to prove a point. She's still heavily pregnant and she wants to save the world.
It's very odd and highly ironic that instead of appealing to the humans for peace, time and time again she turns to the magical beasts, victims of humanity's perversity for understanding and goodwill. I can't even ask for her to be less stubborn because there would not be a story.
Her sister
I 'm not sure how I feel about her sister Rhiannon. On the one hand i feel horrible that she was slut-shamed and her whole school shamed her as well. I didn't like that she just didn't tell anyone and spilled all this nasty and petty feelings on everyone. I wished she'd told her supportive and loving mother, her courageous father and admittedly absentee sister. I absolutely hated that she made Axiom feel like he raped her. SHe should have said no and that she wasn't ready. I didn't understand what those weird dreams were about with Gabriel were about and that again she, Rhiannon didn't ask for help.
The biggest disappointment though was Taryn. She can save a imprisoned sex slaves freed from satyr but she couldn't and wouldn't see that her sister needed help and was in pain. It goes all back to Taryn 's stubbornness. What she sees as important is all that matters and everyone follows along.
Taryn is a character that I would want to characterize as infantile, naive, impractical and reckless. I've never read about a character who has been raped by gods, ghosts, wizards, dragons pawed on by minotaurs, satyr, and cenaturs and still be so happily adventurous and no care given to personal sacrifice.
She has been starved, beaten, of course raped but she's pregnant, has a Griffin son and she is still pushing the boundaries even against those she loves because she thinks she's right. I would love to call her arrogant, but she has paid the cost of her over-confidence and naivety over and over again but she'll do the same thing even at the cost of her life.
I can't say she's brave or courageous because when she pushed by those who warn her of danger and does it anyway, and when the fallout falls not only on her shoulder but also on her loved ones she can only be seen as vain.
There is brave and then there's not
I am at the point where she figured out that humans with guns have invaded Arcadia. Instead of warning them with precise words of 'gun wielding humans with the capacity of mass genocide' she stays quiet and becomes obsequious, letting herself be taken by the lycans to prove a point. She's still heavily pregnant and she wants to save the world.
It's very odd and highly ironic that instead of appealing to the humans for peace, time and time again she turns to the magical beasts, victims of humanity's perversity for understanding and goodwill. I can't even ask for her to be less stubborn because there would not be a story.
Her sister
I 'm not sure how I feel about her sister Rhiannon. On the one hand i feel horrible that she was slut-shamed and her whole school shamed her as well. I didn't like that she just didn't tell anyone and spilled all this nasty and petty feelings on everyone. I wished she'd told her supportive and loving mother, her courageous father and admittedly absentee sister. I absolutely hated that she made Axiom feel like he raped her. SHe should have said no and that she wasn't ready. I didn't understand what those weird dreams were about with Gabriel were about and that again she, Rhiannon didn't ask for help.
The biggest disappointment though was Taryn. She can save a imprisoned sex slaves freed from satyr but she couldn't and wouldn't see that her sister needed help and was in pain. It goes all back to Taryn 's stubbornness. What she sees as important is all that matters and everyone follows along.
August 27, 2023
it’s four stars if you skip Rhiannon’s chapters
February 17, 2012
4 Stars? 3.5 Stars? 3 Stars..This book varied between all of these ratings but in the end, I grant it the highest rating because, well, I'm writing this directly after finishing. When I hit a series that I enjoy so well it is hard for me to stop and write a telling thing or two to describe for any willing to listen to my perfunctory words- I just want to keep on reading to the next book until there is no more.
I'm about to purchase the next in this series (tonight!) and I'm kind of angry! This one had a serious cliff hanger if you ask me.
I've read four books by Smith in the past few days so I clearly enjoy her. But I'm noticing a trend..the woebegone woman that is practically traumatized beyond all reckoning because she creates a mountain out of a molehill. They cause so much fucking drama and torture themselves so much it makes you wonder why they haven't been put on suicide watch in an institution somewhere.
Smith introduces the siblings! So now we can see little sister Rhiannon (total chip on the shoulder and just fuming and lamenting like a 15 year old on her period) walking around bitching everyone out for caring one iota for the cloud of misery she drapes herself in. She is having supernaturally awful nightmares. Hides under tables and avoids food and makes horribly stupid attempts to say no to sex but then wanting sex but NOOOOO. The entire back story to her "trauma" is just ridiculous. These were the less than 3 star moments in the book. Almost every chapter about Rhiannon- at first I read through them diligently awaiting for the story behind the story to make me realize why she's such an idiot. Then it just never happens. So near the end I just didn't care at all if Antilles little bro wants to hit it up with Rhiannon and oh gosh they are having troubles! Arion should look elsewhere, his mom as much of a horrible person as his mother is- is kind of right. All the Farasai, I love the damned centaurs but they were as a race entirely more Mary Sue to annoyance. I would like to be inducted as a kinswoman right now- because they will put up with any bad day I have and if I feel like having a ten year slump I'm sure they will just give me sexual healing, some chess games, lots of food and tonics and pat me on my back and heal me. I kind of wished Rhiannon would get eaten by some rampaging Fellcats..or that stupid Kelpie. I don't care if her plot line even finishes up in the next book I swear I'm just going to skim her chapters.
Taryn: Ok so some say she's getting all saintly and magically makes things better. But she's fun. She is fun to follow around and see who she's going to fix next and how she's going to do it! She's a pioneer healing woman cum girlscout- what's the highest rank for girlscouts? Are there Eagle Girlscouts because whatever, she's like super Girl Scout + idk, queen of luscious amazing spiritual sex. And you know what? Great! She's not a damned whiner, she has down moments but she's a can do chick and I like that. When encountering vicious animal- stones and sticks will make you epic and she is. She discovers something truly interesting near the end of this book in this universe and I was excited about it. This entire series barely touches upon the Avalon connection but wow, there is a Planet of the Apes moment at the end that is really cool IMO. This kept the stars high on my rating.
The Satyrs:
A let down. Not much happened IMO and I just felt it was just another side mission/quest filler. If it had been a longer stay for Taryn and more well developed it would have been much better - but the Satyrs were truly disgusting in their habits and decades long campaign of vengeance against all humans and barely redeemable. Although Taryn being Taryn does everything in her ever loving heart to right their ways and forgive them since they make amends and attempts to turn around it just seems too easy and poorly developed.
The Lycans:
Generally tolerable supernatural race in this universe- very wolfish and extremely primitive and slightly interesting. I did enjoy seeing Taryn cope with her own doubts and having her Pollyanna attitude ripped out of her spirit a few times because this is realistic.
I wish we had more about the Sileni and what happened with Rhiannon.
I wish we had more the Lord Dragon!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want more of the Aerie domain now please.
I want to know more about the Romany that is now/man.
I wish that Taryn had another better sibling that could hook up with the Lord Dragon- or something. As it is I'm not looking forward to reading more damned Rhiannon. I hope she shoots herself and Taryn has to cope with the grief and ends up saving the universe by overcoming said grief by sleeping with Quiabe.
I want more Quiabe.
Poor Fuans! Poor Arkes!
Sex with gods-- give me more Smith!!!!
So I will swiftly purchase the last installment of this..knowing that I will be at least slightly disappointed. There is a climax building up and I can already tell there are too many tantalizing things that are going to be left unanswered.
I'm about to purchase the next in this series (tonight!) and I'm kind of angry! This one had a serious cliff hanger if you ask me.
I've read four books by Smith in the past few days so I clearly enjoy her. But I'm noticing a trend..the woebegone woman that is practically traumatized beyond all reckoning because she creates a mountain out of a molehill. They cause so much fucking drama and torture themselves so much it makes you wonder why they haven't been put on suicide watch in an institution somewhere.
Smith introduces the siblings! So now we can see little sister Rhiannon (total chip on the shoulder and just fuming and lamenting like a 15 year old on her period) walking around bitching everyone out for caring one iota for the cloud of misery she drapes herself in. She is having supernaturally awful nightmares. Hides under tables and avoids food and makes horribly stupid attempts to say no to sex but then wanting sex but NOOOOO. The entire back story to her "trauma" is just ridiculous. These were the less than 3 star moments in the book. Almost every chapter about Rhiannon- at first I read through them diligently awaiting for the story behind the story to make me realize why she's such an idiot. Then it just never happens. So near the end I just didn't care at all if Antilles little bro wants to hit it up with Rhiannon and oh gosh they are having troubles! Arion should look elsewhere, his mom as much of a horrible person as his mother is- is kind of right. All the Farasai, I love the damned centaurs but they were as a race entirely more Mary Sue to annoyance. I would like to be inducted as a kinswoman right now- because they will put up with any bad day I have and if I feel like having a ten year slump I'm sure they will just give me sexual healing, some chess games, lots of food and tonics and pat me on my back and heal me. I kind of wished Rhiannon would get eaten by some rampaging Fellcats..or that stupid Kelpie. I don't care if her plot line even finishes up in the next book I swear I'm just going to skim her chapters.
Taryn: Ok so some say she's getting all saintly and magically makes things better. But she's fun. She is fun to follow around and see who she's going to fix next and how she's going to do it! She's a pioneer healing woman cum girlscout- what's the highest rank for girlscouts? Are there Eagle Girlscouts because whatever, she's like super Girl Scout + idk, queen of luscious amazing spiritual sex. And you know what? Great! She's not a damned whiner, she has down moments but she's a can do chick and I like that. When encountering vicious animal- stones and sticks will make you epic and she is. She discovers something truly interesting near the end of this book in this universe and I was excited about it. This entire series barely touches upon the Avalon connection but wow, there is a Planet of the Apes moment at the end that is really cool IMO. This kept the stars high on my rating.
The Satyrs:
A let down. Not much happened IMO and I just felt it was just another side mission/quest filler. If it had been a longer stay for Taryn and more well developed it would have been much better - but the Satyrs were truly disgusting in their habits and decades long campaign of vengeance against all humans and barely redeemable. Although Taryn being Taryn does everything in her ever loving heart to right their ways and forgive them since they make amends and attempts to turn around it just seems too easy and poorly developed.
The Lycans:
Generally tolerable supernatural race in this universe- very wolfish and extremely primitive and slightly interesting. I did enjoy seeing Taryn cope with her own doubts and having her Pollyanna attitude ripped out of her spirit a few times because this is realistic.
I wish we had more about the Sileni and what happened with Rhiannon.
I wish we had more the Lord Dragon!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want more of the Aerie domain now please.
I want to know more about the Romany that is now/man.
I wish that Taryn had another better sibling that could hook up with the Lord Dragon- or something. As it is I'm not looking forward to reading more damned Rhiannon. I hope she shoots herself and Taryn has to cope with the grief and ends up saving the universe by overcoming said grief by sleeping with Quiabe.
I want more Quiabe.
Poor Fuans! Poor Arkes!
Sex with gods-- give me more Smith!!!!
So I will swiftly purchase the last installment of this..knowing that I will be at least slightly disappointed. There is a climax building up and I can already tell there are too many tantalizing things that are going to be left unanswered.
December 12, 2020
Spectacular writing,poor story.Taryn is not the heroine that set out to save the griffin. With new set of clothes,came out new,slutty Taryn without moral standarts or even inner conflict about what is right and what is wrong.Author tries really hard to paint her as honorable,sacrificing heroine while reader sees her as very selfish and stupid. Aisling is all but forgotten save for two pages to explain his absence.It is very disappointing and totally undervalue initial Taryns goal of caring for him. Antilles is barely present and Rhiannon, oh God,she is truly something.Her story is unbelievable on some extreme level. The reason behind her attitude is shallow at best and in no way excuse her behavior. She is the most hateful,spiteful, rude and mean bitch in all the books. Especially because none of it comes from her hurts.Once you start paying attention to her inner thoughts, you realize that her biggest problem is jealousy. She is choking on jealousy of Taryn and mostly just tries really hard to get everyone hate and hurt her,just so she could feel better and more valued.Yet she refuse to earn her place. God,how I hated her. I got an impression that author meant her to be just broken,but she failed to show it. She is just rotten and by her own will and choice. Let's hope will get eaten by some monster to propell Taryns story.
Reads easier than first books but have the feel of no set goal. Author just puts whatever came to her mind on paper and rarely any of it tied together in one solid story. Story itself deserves 1.5 stars,the other 1.5 are purely for my love of author of "The last hour of Gann".
Reads easier than first books but have the feel of no set goal. Author just puts whatever came to her mind on paper and rarely any of it tied together in one solid story. Story itself deserves 1.5 stars,the other 1.5 are purely for my love of author of "The last hour of Gann".
November 10, 2019
Better than the first two books, because Rhiannon is here, and at last, we have a real person. Taryn continues to be an unbearable saint (only a hero too, because being pregnant just atomatically makes you one), and like every other character, still has that one dimension to her character.
Also why the hell is that the last I don't know how many stories I've read from R. Lee Smith, all contained pregnant heroes? I really would want to see them lose the child because of their unbelievable adventures. (Yes, I hate pregnant women that much.)
Also why the hell is that the last I don't know how many stories I've read from R. Lee Smith, all contained pregnant heroes? I really would want to see them lose the child because of their unbelievable adventures. (Yes, I hate pregnant women that much.)
March 29, 2021
Well, I finally finished it. Like its predecessor this took longer than expected (although we need to factor in starting a new job into this).
Firstly, our hero is basically no where to be seen. Aisling has gone off to Griffin boot camp, and this sucks.
Secondly, in terms of plot, there’s a wee bit more in this story, or at least until half-way through. We spend a significant part of the story planning for the wedding, which of course involves Taryn stomping around inviting unwitting locals along with some rather odd consequences. One of the key groups is that of the Satyrs and Fauns, who miraculously change their ways once Taryn sits them on the naughty step – at least the horsemen put up a bit more of a fight. Taryn’s family also arrive onto the scene, and apparently have known about her antics the whole time which is pretty bizarre.
However, once the wedding is over we’re back to the meandering not-really-going-anywhere story telling. I realise that it is eventually building up to something, but the pace is so glacial its hard to see the light at the end. Taryn ends up with some werewolves in another foolish attempt to make friends and it feels very much like her time with the Arkes, but with a tad more peril. I also don't care anymore that she has Irish heritage. Please stop.
Then we have the continuing presence of her sister. Now I'm not really sure if she’s supposed to be an unpleasant whiney person, or this is some well-meaning attempt at portraying her poor mental health, but she’s certainly not my favourite addition to the main cast. I did enjoy the tension that built between her and Antilles’ brother, but her constant attempts to push everyone away is mostly frustrating, if only in its realistic reflection of someone who is truly troubled. I really wanted to sympathise with her and her past, but the writing did make this difficult. I also didn’t really enjoy any of the mind-rape dreams she had – we already went through a better written version of this with Taryn, and it’s not something I ever wanted to revisit.
Like book two, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Its certainly better than the Wizard in the Woods and I did like it, but its definitely not my favourite Smith story.
Firstly, our hero is basically no where to be seen. Aisling has gone off to Griffin boot camp, and this sucks.
Secondly, in terms of plot, there’s a wee bit more in this story, or at least until half-way through. We spend a significant part of the story planning for the wedding, which of course involves Taryn stomping around inviting unwitting locals along with some rather odd consequences. One of the key groups is that of the Satyrs and Fauns, who miraculously change their ways once Taryn sits them on the naughty step – at least the horsemen put up a bit more of a fight. Taryn’s family also arrive onto the scene, and apparently have known about her antics the whole time which is pretty bizarre.
However, once the wedding is over we’re back to the meandering not-really-going-anywhere story telling. I realise that it is eventually building up to something, but the pace is so glacial its hard to see the light at the end. Taryn ends up with some werewolves in another foolish attempt to make friends and it feels very much like her time with the Arkes, but with a tad more peril. I also don't care anymore that she has Irish heritage. Please stop.
Then we have the continuing presence of her sister. Now I'm not really sure if she’s supposed to be an unpleasant whiney person, or this is some well-meaning attempt at portraying her poor mental health, but she’s certainly not my favourite addition to the main cast. I did enjoy the tension that built between her and Antilles’ brother, but her constant attempts to push everyone away is mostly frustrating, if only in its realistic reflection of someone who is truly troubled. I really wanted to sympathise with her and her past, but the writing did make this difficult. I also didn’t really enjoy any of the mind-rape dreams she had – we already went through a better written version of this with Taryn, and it’s not something I ever wanted to revisit.
Like book two, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Its certainly better than the Wizard in the Woods and I did like it, but its definitely not my favourite Smith story.
January 24, 2018
What the fucking hell was that?!?! 2.5 Stars. I had to slog through this book. Seriously!! If I wasn’t so invested I would have probably bailed. I’m annoyed that Smith chose to use such a similar mode of conflict to move her story along. I’m over the wizard dreams already.
Rhiannon is beyond annoying. Her inner conflict and wounding is tiresome and irrational like right out of the gate. I will say I was glad to see her get less page time as the story moved on.
Taryn’s TSTL walk with a lycan coupled with her resulting freak out at the end was so similar to Rhiannon’s mindless self loathing that I just can.not.even!!
I have to finish this story but I am not happy about it. I would bail if I wasn’t already investing in these characters. I am so annoyed at this point.
Edit: Now that I’ve finished the final book in this series I will say that this 3rd book is the worst of the lot. The whole series needed a good editor. An entire book worth of trimming would have seriously made it better. This series had the potential to be epic instead it’s bloated and inconsistent with main characters that seem bi-polar at times, gratuitous shock-and-awe bestiality, and a repetitive villain theme.
Rhiannon is beyond annoying. Her inner conflict and wounding is tiresome and irrational like right out of the gate. I will say I was glad to see her get less page time as the story moved on.
Taryn’s TSTL walk with a lycan coupled with her resulting freak out at the end was so similar to Rhiannon’s mindless self loathing that I just can.not.even!!
I have to finish this story but I am not happy about it. I would bail if I wasn’t already investing in these characters. I am so annoyed at this point.
Edit: Now that I’ve finished the final book in this series I will say that this 3rd book is the worst of the lot. The whole series needed a good editor. An entire book worth of trimming would have seriously made it better. This series had the potential to be epic instead it’s bloated and inconsistent with main characters that seem bi-polar at times, gratuitous shock-and-awe bestiality, and a repetitive villain theme.
April 14, 2018
My least favorite
I wasn't a fan of this one. Mostly because half the book was from the sisters pov and that was one cesspool I didn't enjoy swimming in. She's mean, spiteful, hateful, ugly and just a spoiled rotten brat. Her past in no way excuses her behavior to everyone that's good to her. The next book could start with announcing her death between books and I would be happy about it. She doesn't deserved redemption. The fact that she has nightly nightmares and it doesn't concern anyone was just beyond stupid after Taryns past. Then Taryn deciding to act just like her spoiled rotten sister when she finds out humans origin was different than she thought was way out of character and just a deus ex machina plot that I thought this author was better than. I expect it from weak authors, not this one. Hope the next ones better.
I wasn't a fan of this one. Mostly because half the book was from the sisters pov and that was one cesspool I didn't enjoy swimming in. She's mean, spiteful, hateful, ugly and just a spoiled rotten brat. Her past in no way excuses her behavior to everyone that's good to her. The next book could start with announcing her death between books and I would be happy about it. She doesn't deserved redemption. The fact that she has nightly nightmares and it doesn't concern anyone was just beyond stupid after Taryns past. Then Taryn deciding to act just like her spoiled rotten sister when she finds out humans origin was different than she thought was way out of character and just a deus ex machina plot that I thought this author was better than. I expect it from weak authors, not this one. Hope the next ones better.
January 18, 2020
I have loved this series but I think the book falls short and loses the whole purpose of the story. Not to mention I am so confused by what is going on with Tayrn's sister and am sick of her whining. Tayrn is supposed to be from this great and cozy family that helps make her be the great person she is but R is ruining that and I dislike how much it takes away from Tayrn's story and purpose. I dislike the sibling rivalry that R is exhibiting. It's too much of a change from the books prior. I will finish this book another time but I think I am going to move on. I read over half the book but there is still too much to read left and the book has lost my interest and diminished my regard for the story and characters.
January 9, 2025
This book plays out in a very similar fashion to the second one. I almost feel stupid for thinking Taryn’s pregnancy would put (at least a small) halt to any harem advances, but I was VERY wrong.
-As many others pointed out, Aisling is noticeably gone like 90% of the book which kinda threw me off.
-Rhiannon was actually pretty likable to me, as her reactions felt like she was processing the weird fairytale happenings like a HUMAN would. I honestly looked forward to her chapters.
-I couldn’t really enjoy the lycan portions—not that it was poorly written—but rather it felt like the same: taryn meets new group of arcadians, taryn is quirky or different or wise, taryn changes an ENTIRE cultural way of life in a week. Idk why i kept reading. It was good in a painful way? 2.5/5
-As many others pointed out, Aisling is noticeably gone like 90% of the book which kinda threw me off.
-Rhiannon was actually pretty likable to me, as her reactions felt like she was processing the weird fairytale happenings like a HUMAN would. I honestly looked forward to her chapters.
-I couldn’t really enjoy the lycan portions—not that it was poorly written—but rather it felt like the same: taryn meets new group of arcadians, taryn is quirky or different or wise, taryn changes an ENTIRE cultural way of life in a week. Idk why i kept reading. It was good in a painful way? 2.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2022
That was not where I expected this book to end... it feels like it ended there kind of as a page count thing and not as a real wrapped up end to the book.
I definitely liked this more than the last but I’m still not a huge fan of this series. I’ll try to finish because I’m this far already and overall I find the premise intriguing though I think the series could have used an editor. I have no clue how this will all end.
I definitely liked this more than the last but I’m still not a huge fan of this series. I’ll try to finish because I’m this far already and overall I find the premise intriguing though I think the series could have used an editor. I have no clue how this will all end.
July 31, 2017
Good but could have been better.
Liked this book like the previous ones before it but the amount of sex scenes are just a little too much at times as to detract from what is actually happening. Will be buying the final book in the series but only because I want to know how it all turns out.
Liked this book like the previous ones before it but the amount of sex scenes are just a little too much at times as to detract from what is actually happening. Will be buying the final book in the series but only because I want to know how it all turns out.
April 1, 2021
I don’t like cliffhanger endings and so would be sorely displeased if the next book were not already published - and tbh, it really didn't need the cliffhanger - At this point, three books and literally thousands of pages invested, it's unlikely that you are not going to keep reading to the bitter end....
March 12, 2018
So to keep it short:
Rhiannon is annoying.
Taryn is inconsistent with the Taryn of the first book.
Character development and consistency is definitely lacking.
BUT:
Action has picked up. Almost a bit too much. But it has a nice pace.
Rhiannon is annoying.
Taryn is inconsistent with the Taryn of the first book.
Character development and consistency is definitely lacking.
BUT:
Action has picked up. Almost a bit too much. But it has a nice pace.
May 6, 2018
Roads
An extremely pregnant Taryn is playing international relation coordinator. Meaning she is off getting herself into trouble by trying to bring all the Lords of Arcadia together. How can 1 one get herself into all this trouble? Read and find out!
An extremely pregnant Taryn is playing international relation coordinator. Meaning she is off getting herself into trouble by trying to bring all the Lords of Arcadia together. How can 1 one get herself into all this trouble? Read and find out!
January 15, 2020
Can we just leave Rhiannon in Earth, please. I don't need this annoying, whining and insensitive human in Arcadia. She is seriously spoiling my enjoyment of this series. I want to slap her and feed her to the wyverns everytime I read her scenes. I want MORE Aisling and ZERO Rhiannon!
July 15, 2020
I couldn't bring myself to read this installment based on the reviews. I don't like where the storyline is going, and everything I loved about the initial book is gone. I might pick it back up someday.
June 12, 2021
Roads
I'm not even sure how I feel. I loved the book but it sent shivers up my spine at times. There are new allies to be gained and new creatures introduced. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
I'm not even sure how I feel. I loved the book but it sent shivers up my spine at times. There are new allies to be gained and new creatures introduced. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
October 6, 2020
Great addition to the series
Taryn’s adventures get darker still if that is even possible. The Roads (Book 3) is another excellent novel from R.Lee Smith.
Taryn’s adventures get darker still if that is even possible. The Roads (Book 3) is another excellent novel from R.Lee Smith.
April 27, 2021
She felt humanity like a stain inside her and she hated it.We continue with The Adventures of Taryn's Magic Ambassador Pussy.
Okay, but really, this was a nice step up from the thirsty insanity in book two. Primarily, this improvement was on account of the addition of a new POV character: Rhiannon, Taryn's younger sister, joins our titular heroine in Arcadia . . . and she comes with some major baggage.
A lot of reviewers seem to despise Rhiannon. I'm seeing tons of words like "whine," "complain," "attitude," etc. The general consensus seems to be that she's an annoying brat who won't shut up about her problems, which I think is a staggeringly bad take, though obviously I can't change anybody's personal response to a character. It's intimate, I get that, but as somebody who has been where Rhiannon has been, mentally, my opinion is that those kinds of responses are reductive. Rhiannon is clinically depressed, creeping closer and closer to the point of suicide. The sexual and emotional trauma she experienced at the hands of her former lover and peers devastated her, obliterated her sense of self-worth, and destroyed her relationship with sex.
I personally loved Rhiannon's storyline because it represented the ugliness, the--yes--maddeningly repetitive cycle of self-abuse and self-degradation so well that it actually kind of triggered me, stirring up memories from some of the worst years of my life. Smith has a shaky relationship with pacing, usually beleaguering a topic for slightly longer than is effective, but this is more an issue with her oeuvre as a whole rather than an issue with this specific character. The truth is, for me, this tendency to over-expostulate actually worked with Rhiannon's problems because trauma doesn't get cured overnight and depression doesn't disappear as soon as some asshole tells you to "get over it" or "be stronger." It felt realistic to me, that resistance to recovery, that continuous rejection of help or kindness or self-reckoning.
Is it cute or endearing or likeable? No. Was it represented well? I think so.
It also worked really well as a foil to Taryn's journey in Arcadia, particularly as a commentary on sex culture and the way female bodies are coerced and commodified right up until the point they are "soiled" through the act of sex, specifically if that sex is done with multiple partners. I loved that we got to see Rhiannon reflecting on the unfairness of Taryn's situation as compared to hers, specifically how she had sex and was hated and ostracized but how Taryn had sex, perhaps with far more people and within the bounds of a relationship, and was universally loved. It felt like Smith actually took a step back in this novel and, for the first time, thought, "You know, Taryn's kind of an insufferable paragon, isn't she? What if we talked about that a little?"
And MAN was that examination necessary! Taryn doesn't really change all that much in this novel. She's still running off like an absolute dumbass, winning allegiances and shifting centuries- or millennia-old paradigms just by being, like, really self-righteous and saying "How could you?!" and then sexing somebody up, or whatever, but at least we have Rhiannon's moody practicality as a counterweight.
The problem is that Rhiannon's storyline is too Taryn 2.0 for my taste. She arrives and is immediately the target of nocturnal mental manipulation by the late wizard's brother, Gabriel; she becomes the fascination of Shappa, a Jiko worker in Rucombe, and Arion, Antilles' recently-returned-from-exile Cerosan brother. I mean in almost every way, we were repeating the events of the first two books except with a "new-and-improved depression flavor."
Actually, I preferred Arion to Antilles, who I just increasingly disliked as the books went on (what does he even do, somebody please fucking tell me that), and in certain ways I found Gabriel and Rhiannon's interactions more intriguing due to Gabriel's (presumably) earthborn past as well as the extreme, devastating disability he lived with. I found that most of that potential was wasted, but I'll talk about that in book four. Point is, there were some cool new themes introduced that I really vibed with.
No one really wanted to meet an angel, after all. Strip away the wings and the haloes, and what were they but the swords God sent to do his smiting?I also really liked the scenes in the satyr's village and the Land of Tooth and Claw. Smith does well with representing different cultures (well, specifically alien/supernatural cultures, not so much existing human cultures). The whole "Taryn teaches a community how they are bad/wrong/ignorant" is tiring and offensive, imo, but that doesn't change that the scenes were interesting.
Overall a great improvement, but still too much Taryn worship and not enough coherent exploration of/resolution to introduced themes.
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