WHITE PASSION is an immense and thoroughly impressive book, but don’t start here. This is the eighth book in the Kestrel Harper saga, and there is so much worldbuilding, character development, and story in previous books that it's very difficult to begin here and get anywhere close to the entire rich picture of what’s going on. And this isn’t a series for the faint of heart; if the other books are anywhere near as long and expansive as this one, then it's not only a fantasy epic but a substantial emotional and mental commitment. It’s worth it, though.
The worldbuilding here is intricate and beautifully done. Author Tamara Brigham has come up with entire cultures, even a new language with its own poetry and song, making them feel real and alive without tedious explication or overly detailed backstory. Her language is also not for the faint of heart, and anyone trying to read this book aloud should be aware that there is a pronunciation guide in the back for the difficult Elyrian words such as “ghdededhasur” and “k’ilshwythnec,” along with other appendices including a map, a character list, and a glossary. The book’s religious and magical aspects are well-developed, interact with other parts of the plot in believable ways, and add to the richness of the background without being intrusive or overly relied-upon for easy solutions.
Characters are three-dimensional, well-drawn, and human. Particularly Kavan, the legendary bard burdened with fame and expectations who longs for a safe retirement with his family but gets drawn by his rival’s old hatreds into a war that might claim his life. The story is continent-spanning and full of plots, counterplots, internal and external battles, deposed monarchs and usurpers, young people finding their feet and their talents, old people mourning their dead and working towards a future they might never see. Meanwhile, a thread of magic, mystical faith, and power culminates in an explosive climax—as well as a resolution that combines satisfying victory and irreparable loss in almost Arthurian fashion.
The first half of the novel can occasionally get a bit bogged down in characters planning, plotting, and waiting for action; but even that lets us watch their personalities grow and develop. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of multiple characters, exploring their doubts, fears, hopes, loves, what drives them, and what pulls them back—drawing readers into their lives while completely engaged in their stories. All in all, this book (and the whole series) repays the reader's major time and emotional investment with an unforgettably epic story.
With some truly impressive world-building and character development, Tamara Brigham's WHITE PASSION: The Kestrel Harper Saga Book 8 is a dramatic conclusion to an epic fantasy series. A stirring and emotionally intense tale of battles, kingdoms, family, and faith.
~ Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader