Shadow Gate by Kate Elliot

"Shadow Gate" is the sweeping epic sequel to "Spirit Gate," by Kate Elliott. As we entire this book the land of the Hundred is still in great turmoil, and in this book we explore why. As it says on the book jacket, "Guardians can't die. They can kill, but they can't be killed. Now there is a recipe for corruption."

Of course, most of the people in the hundred would tell you that not only are the Guardians above corruption, but that they've been gone for a long time. While its true that they haven't been around, the Guardians are anything but gone, and anything but uncorrectable. In fact we learn that there is a war going on between the corrupt Guardians, and those who are trying to hold out for what is right.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that she brought back the character of Marit. I really liked Marit, and then Elliott killed her off not far into the last book. However, Marit didn't fully die, she became a Guardian. How and why a person becomes a Guardian is still unclear, but the different Guardian's out there each have a special cloak, and it does occasionally pass from one Guardian to a new one.

Marit struggles with her new role as a Guardian. What does it mean? What is going on in the land of the Hundred? Who can she trust? What exactly is a Guardian?

One thing I didn't like about this book is that there was a section of the book that I ended up skimming because it went into to much detail about the abuse that one of the main characters suffered. I understand that it was an integral part of her story, but I could have done with a little bit less detail. Especially the sexual abuses suffered.

Having said that, this is a complex and riveting book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

Spirit Gate by Kate Elliot

"Spirit Gate" is the first book in the "Crossroads" series by Kate Elliot. I don't remember how I stumbled across her work, but I was captivated by this book, and I'm glad I did!

"Spirit Gate" introduces us to the land of the Hundred. A land that was protected by the immortal Guardians, but no one has seen them for some time. Now the only agents of justice are the Eagle Reeves, humans who have each bonded with a giant eagle and travel the land settling disputes. They have been stretched to their limits and beyond however, and they were never meant to do the job with out the umbrella of the Guardians over them.

Now, due to the absence of the Guardians, the Hundred begins to fall under a dark shadow. Lawlessness begins to break loose, and people actually begin to not only mistrust the Reeves, but to attack them as well! It's a perilous situation and the solution will not come easily.

While this is going on we also meet a young girl named Mai, the flower of her family, she works each day tending their market stall in a land far outside the Hundred. One day a soldier, one of the men occupying her home town, comes to her stall and her world changes forever. Before she quite knows what's happening she finds herself married to the soldier, and along with her father's youngest brother and few slaves, traveling with the soldiers towards the land of the Hundred.

"Spirit Gate" is an epic journey full of plot twists, excellent character development, and plenty to excite the imagination. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and more books by this author for that matter!