She is paired to a taciturn, regimented, seasoned military commander with a unique heritage as the only thunderbird Wyr shifter. Harrison takes the bright, breezy, coquettish young public relations expert and reveals the traumatized, yet determined Dark Fae Queen who must step into her true destiny. This is understandable, considering she was very young when she sought refuge with Dragos from her murderous uncle and usurper Urian. With Niniane, it's not just adopting a certain level of human-ness, but also due to being part of the Wyr society, she in some ways adopts some of their values. But many manage to keep that part of themselves and also integrate those uniquely American traits. How becoming American does require that one adopt Americanness and in some ways shed one's true heritage. There is an interesting metaphor in our society for many who share that commonality with Niniane. Beneath is a troubled young woman who lost everything that she loved, and became a refugee from her homeland.

She comes off as very contemporary and trendy, very human in her values, but it is clear that this is just one aspect of her personality. I have always loved faerie themed stories, and Niniane's backstory as the lost Dark Fae heir is super intriguing. With that perspective, there is a lot to love about this book. I appreciate that each book is different, because the characters are different. With hindsight, I am able to appreciate it more. I have to say that I liked this a lot more on the reread. I reread Dragon Bound, and that inspired me to reread this one as well.

So I decided to go back and re-read this one via audiobook, since I got so sucked back into this series after reading Serpent's Kiss.

Runemate reviews