Draven's Light- Anne Elisabeth Stengl

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description: In the Darkness of the Pit
The Light Shines Brightest

Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.

The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.

But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?

My Thoughts: As with all of Anne Elisabeth's stories, Draven's Light is a well crafted and beautiful tale. She fully brings to life both Draven and the two brother knights of Farthest Shore. This book gives a better picture of what the brother's do to build the houses for the light which the Prince has given them, as well as gives the first real look at Akilun the person, rather then the myth.

I did not enjoy everything about the story. While it was apparent that Anne Elisabeth meant for Draven to have truly been courageous, I found that for most of the story he was the coward his father had named him (if not for the reason his father gave). His refusal to kill the prisoner seemed to be less an act of courage than a gut reaction to the spilling of a man's blood. Throughout the story, he continually expressed that he believed he had made the wrong decision and then hid from it and the village. This made his actions at the end far less courageous as it was evident he had no regard for his own life.

The message I would take from this story is that even cowards can do heroic deeds. And that even good deeds can be done out of cowardice, as it is clear by Draven's own admittion that he did not spare the prince out of courage, but out of a fear of killing which was stronger than his fear of being an outcast.

Overall, I still loved the story. The little girl was great character to follow and the story as a whole was a captivating read. I look forward to reading Poison Crown: Part 1 in the future.

I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.