Oria’s Gambit picks up where Lonen’s War ends. Oria is a Bara, a magical race and part of the royal family. She is also very delicate, in that other people overwhelm her in that their magic is overwhelming. It is really hard to describe. She has spent most of her life in a tower with few visitors to help with this. Lonen is a Destrye. They are more of a barbarian race with no magic. They have been at war with the Bara. We learn why in the first book.
With the deaths of both kings in the first book (I’m not calling that a spoiler since the blurb mentions that Lonen is king and Oria is trying to become queen), Lonen and Oria come together to try to solve the problems of both kingdoms. Oria’s brother is also trying to become king. He is drowning in power and it has gone to his head. Oria decides that she must wed Lonen before her brother finds marriage in order to become queen. She is very scared of how it will run the country with his thirst for more power.
While the first book in this series is mostly war. This book is mostly politics. That doesn’t make it any less exciting. The high priestess (which has a lot of political power) has her own plans for how things should work in the kingdom. Add in monsters, and you have a very powerful fantasy story. The romance has built on the first book, but it is not yet what I would call a romance book at this point. While Lonen is trying his best to make this marriage more than just a political one, Oria is keeping her walls as high and confining as she can make them. I’m sure the fact that she feels pain every time she touches someone has something to do with that.
“It’s not fair, Oria, that you judge me based on fleeting thoughts and emotions. People think and feel many things they don’t act on. That’s part of learning to be a decent human being—knowing that there are dark yearnings in your heart and being strong enough to recognize them as such and exert control. Maybe your mind is perfect, serene place and you don’t understand the human struggle to be a better person, but I’m only a man and a flawed one at that.”
“We might be marrying for political reason, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring something bright to each other’s lives.”
My favorite character in this series continues to be the dragonlet, Chuffta. This isn’t a huge surprise, as I love secondary characters. He is the rock that Oria needs. While she is an adult in the physical sense, she is very much still a child emotionally. The fact that she hasn’t had the socialization that most people have had, really makes this hard for her. She wants to do right by her people, but she is also scared to open herself up to someone else. Chuffta I think is the linchpin to help her open up. He really likes Lonen, though he can’t talk to him directly, only Oria, but he does nod to him and other things to try to communicate. I think he would like to see them together in the real sense.
If you’re looking for a fantasy book with amazing characters and a very interesting world, I highly recommend the Sorcerous Moons series. I don’t know how many books are slated for this series, but so far, they have been a ton of fun.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how wonderful great these covers are. They are so amazing.
**I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.