Siege by K. F. Breene

Siege by K. F. Breene is book number five in her Warrior Chronicles series. Loved it. 5 stars. Highly recommended for fantasy fans and woman warrior lovers. The Warrior Chronicles is not a Young Adult series. ^#suspense ^#adventure ^#thriller ^#quest ^#medieval war fantasy ^#supernatural ^#explicate sex ^#violence

The Sales Blurb from Goodreads:

The land has become unnaturally quiet. It’s as if everyone is waiting for some sign that Xandre can be beaten. That someone will stand up to him, and win.

With Shanti calling the shots, and Cayan’s battle know-how, it seems certain that the Chosen can be the catalyst. That they can lead the oppressed to freedom.

But Xandre didn’t become the Being Supreme by chance, and he doesn’t intend for his rule to be stripped away so easily. He has already started to gather his forces, and with the entire land under his control, gaining a foothold against him seems impossible.
The final battle is brewing, and the winner is anything but decided…

So far in this fantasy of medieval myth and magic we've been treated to four parts of a six part story, the story arc reaching one of its zenith points of increasing crescendo in Siege, our fifth book of the series.

At the beginning of the book we are in the quiet time of uneventful activity after having...

===== Let the Spoilers Begin =====

... won back Cayan's city from one of the most determined and clever commanders of the Graygaul military. The losses have been great and the pain of loss cuts deep. They are gathering their allies and preparing for the inevitable attack that is certain to come.

Shanti and Cayan have become a force unequaled in history and they have gathered the most feared warriors in the lands. The dreaded Shadow People. The long lost relatives of Shanti's decimated people.

The Westwoods people know they are massively outnumbered, barely a city's military facing a country of brutal warriors. At every turn they discover that Xander and the Graygaul have weapons they were unaware of, and determination they had not imagined. Xander, the Being Supreme is a genius at strategy and have tactics and weapons our heroic freedom fighters have yet to encounter.

Stealth attacks on their stronghold rips away from them some of their key personel, cutting deep into their confidence. It is also obvious the Being Supreme is focused like a laser on Shanti and Cayan. Each painful lesson and loss both increases their anxiety and depression and press Cayan and Shanti to encourage their people with hope and for many, revenge.

Throughout the country Benson, the mind silencing enigma of a prophetic old man, has been quietly spreading hope among the cities foretelling of the coming of the Wanderer who will unite the people to win back their freedom. Through the previous four novels are hints at a silent but growing resistance. Prostitutes and women are silently building networks among the oppressed and are developing deadly and covert weapons and defenses.

Then, after another brutal stealth attack Cayan decides they have to win a major battle to give the people of the lands hope that they can overcome the oppression of the Graygaul. While everyone seems optimist, even enthusiastic, the leaders like Shanti, Cayan, Rhonan, Sorson, and The Honor Guard know their chances of winning against Xander are slim and less.

With determination they set a course to start the battle that will spark the war for freedom. They have unfortunately underestimated Xander's preparedness once again.

---

Within Siege are a number of character driven plot twists that send readers on breath taking journeys where dread threatens hope at every turn. There's something for everyone in this volume of The Warrior Chronicle. There is love, explicit sex, fast paced and exciting battles. There are unexpected and heart breaking defeats. Like watching prize fighters, the outcome is never clear, and more often than not the odds for against our heroic freedom fighters dwindle page after page. Thankfully there's humor to break up the tension that Ms. Breene so expertly increases as we journey though this next to last book in the series.

I've always been reluctant to give Ms. Breene the praise she deserves as a USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR. I can't explain the hesitation as I've enjoyed almost 10 of her novels, I lose myself in them, and am lonely for her characters when a series reaches its conclusion.

I read this novel & audiobook on Saturday, September 14, 2019 and Sunday, September 15, 2019

See my Goodreads reviews here.