From Darkness Won by Jill Williamson

Reviewed by Lori Fox

"I am a huge fan of Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings trilogy, and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm very glad that From Darkness Won is every bit as strong as book two, To Darkness Fled."

Vrell Sparrow is lost in the Veil. Her memory of the past year is gone, and while she 's managed to find her sleeping body, she has no idea how to get back into it.

Achan Cham now knows that he is heir to the throne, the legitimate son of the murdered King Axel and Queen Dara-- not a Stray as he was raised to believe. But being the royal heir is not the same thing as actually being king. The pretender, Esek, has managed to gather a great deal of support, and through trickery has replaced the Council of Seven with the New Council which has elected him as their chosen king. Now Achan must fight for his birthright, and, with Arman's help, push Darkness back.

But how is he supposed to concentrate on a war when Sparrow no longer knows who he is and refuses to speak to him?

From Darkness Won is the third and final book in Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings trilogy. Achan is in love with Vrell Sparrow, the girl who was pretending to be a boy while traveling with Achan's group. But he's engaged to Lady Averella of Carmine in order to secure troops for the fight for his throne. This would be a pitiable state indeed if it weren't for the fact that, unknown to him, Vrell Sparrow is Lady Averella.

While I highly recommend From Darkness Won, I recommend reading the series in order. Williamson does an excellent job of inserting relevant information in the appropriate places without bogging down the story for those who have read the first two books, but you really can't appreciate the depth of storytelling without reading By Darkness Hid and To Darkness Fled first.

Something that I find to be particularly fun about the Blood of Kings trilogy, is that Williamson drew from ancient Hebrew for many names of people and places. If you read the Old Testament often, you'll notice many familiar names in the Darkness books. The actual characters are not in any way related to their namesakes in the Bible, however, so while there's always a thrill noticing where she drew a name from, don't expect to gain any insider information on the story simply because you're familiar with the person by the same name in the Old Testament.

My one concern is that the religion and world view in the Blood of Kings trilogy is based in Christianity. This is subtle enough that most non-Christians will still be able to appreciate the books, and strong enough that Christians will be able to recognize and enjoy the connection. However, the big battle at the end will probably come across as a little too pat for most Fantasy enthusiasts. As Christians, we can recognize the reality of spiritual warfare in the way this battle is written, but fans expecting a mighty flourish to vanquish the foe may feel a little let down.

I am a huge fan of Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings trilogy, and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm very glad that From Darkness Won is every bit as strong as book two, To Darkness Fled.

Lori Fox is a freelance writer who is working on her first novel as well as writing reviews for TitleTrakk.com. In addition to writing, she enjoys reading, making jewelry, and taking as many trips to Walt Disney World as possible with her wonderful husband Kyle. Visit her online at her website.