Dark Star Publications (Ebook), ISBN 1-929034-62-8
Bet you can't read just one. 

The first book in a trilogy that acts as a prequel to the nine-volume WindLegend Saga, WindFall gives new meaning to sword and sorcery fantasy -- so much so that waiting for the next offering creates a growing hunger for more of this author's work. Boyett-Compo grabs the unwary reader by the imagination and pulls him or her deeper and deeper into a world of magic, love and treachery that never ceases to amaze, entertain and bemuse. 

Prince Kaelan of the Hesar Clan loves Gillian Cree (the very young daughter of an ambassador to his father's court). Gillian loves him in return, and even though she lacks the years to make a mature decision, they vow to wed when appropriate. The powers-that-be decree a different and far more painful future for them, using deceit and misdirection in order to bring that future into being. Kaelen weds as ordered. But when Gillian reaches a marriageable age, she flees rather than marry the man chosen for her. Gillian's brother Nickolas helps her escape but manages to get them lost in a raging blizzard. Nearly frozen, they stumble onto shelter in the form of an isolated castle that houses an outcast and accused wife-killer. 

Most of the faults I found with this book could be my own, because I read other books in the saga prior to this one and out of sequence. However, Boyett-Compo fails to provide sufficient explanations of some institutions and conventions of the world of WindFall. In later books the mysteries dissolve and become part of the tapestry of the intriguing tale, but if you read this one first, it will leave you seeking answers -- answers you can find in the succeeding volumes of this marvelous series. 

As I said at the beginning of this review, I bet you can't read just one.

Patricia White 

Patricia White is the Sapphire Award-winning author of A Wizard Scorned. Her current book, the contemporary PS, I’ve Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books. 

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