Three brothers on very different paths come of age as heroic soldiers as they seek to protect their country from both the invading hordes of neighboring Wanonia and the traitorous Ruschmann Blackwell and his ruthless bandits. The eldest brother, Borus, is a master swordsman, the middle brother, Kass, an archer, and the youngest brother, Jules, has studied hard at the Trinity Page and Squire School and now excels at weather magic. Through the six year time frame of the novel the brothers follow their own trajectories until they unite in a titanic battle with Waha, a sorcerer who can change into a dragon at will.
THE HAWK’S FLIGHT (Book Two of the Three Brothers Trilogy) is a dramatic and well paced novel which colorfully evokes a time of medieval knights and their tales of valor. There are plenty of swords and a lot of sorcery. There are dragons and whispers of demons, fairies and other strange creatures. Author Elizabeth R. Jensen is excellent at world building and her imagined realm of Etria and its surrounding countries is a convincing simulacrum blending elements of the historic middle ages of Europe with the elevated fantasy of Arthurian legend. Her lead characters, who have grown in age, of course, but more importantly in stature since they debuted in the previous novel, The Wolf’s Den, are well drawn and their fraternal bond is a nice counterbalance to their individualized, sometimes headstrong, desires. Jensen continues to build on the familial regal lineage with the shadow of the elder Wolfensberger ever present.
The novel is surprisingly violent including blood thirsty battle scenes and the late appearance of a severed head. More sensitive younger readers should perhaps approach with caution but for most the relentless action will thrill. Jensen’s decision to write in the present tense lends an immediacy to the proceedings and heightens the drama as the brothers cope with whatever obstacles are thrown in their path. In addition, illustrator Melissa Stevens provides a wonderfully detailed map at the beginning of the novel which sets the scene perfectly. Indeed, the layout and design of the entire book is very stylishly executed.
Elizabeth R. Jensen’s THE HAWK’S FLIGHT (Book Two of the Three Brothers Trilogy) is a beautifully designed and thoroughly entertaining sword and sorcery fantasy that builds on the groundwork of the first book and showcases a fully rounded cast of characters with enough intrigue and jeopardy to hook young readers into needing to find out how this saga will conclude in the final volume.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader