Olena Nikitin
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
In the final instalment of their Season’s War Tetralogy, the writing duo under the pseudonym of Olena Nikitin have bought us a finale filled with chaos, war, love and betrayal. Summer Veil is action packed, from the first page to the last, and, as someone who has followed Lady Inanuan of Thorn’s journey from her very first Little Accident, it has been an absolute joy. Their books are filled with Slavic mythology and magic, entwined with a dash of Cornish mysticism and Norse Beserkers.
Following directly on from the events of Spring Blight; Ina and her (heavily pregnant) friend Velka have been knocked out and kidnapped. Marcach and Sa’Ren are hot on their heels, vowing to find Ina. But, because of Ina’s aunts’ betrayal, the Chaos Mage can no longer feel the bonds that ground her, stopping her from becoming consumed by her chaos magic and destroying the world. But, war also threatens, as the Iron Empire is encroaching on Cornovii’s northern coast; and is demanding that Ina be delivered to them in order to stop the pending invasion. Can Ina rediscover her bonds with Mar and Ren in time, or will she succumb to the power of her magic and break the world?
The thing I love most about Nikitin’s writing is that they place little clues in plain sight; throughout the four books of Season’s War (not including the prequel A Little Accident), they’ve left clues to Ina’s true ancestry as well as some little pointers as to how the series will end. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything – but just know that not everyone in their wonderful world are who they first seem. Enemies appear as friends, and vice versa. Sometimes, the reveal is obvious, but also sometimes they’re also incredibly gasp inducing. Just as one is in Summer’s Veil.
And, let’s not forget the romance! The bond between Ina and Mar is so strong, that not even death can sever it. There are some red hot scenes between the pair, as dragon and witch show their love and passion to each other. Ren and his dragoness, Anyi, also have a love that defies logic – and which gives Ina a new ally and friend.
Nikitin’s writing style has also greatly improved over the series. One criticism I had early on in was that the point of view of the narrator would slip through characters without any warning, leaving the reader confused. In Summer Veil, this is no longer the case – with the story following one character at a time. It makes their work easier to read – and much more enjoyable. Which, when the story is this good, is incredibly important. You want to be able to concentrate on the action and not be wondering whose point of view the plot is being told from.
S. A.
Summer Veil was sent to me directly from Olena Nikitin in return for an honest and fair review. It is available from Amazon from July 28th 2023. It is also available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited.
* Some links on The Indie Book Nook may contain affiliation. Your rights are not affected by this, nor is the price. The Indie Book Nook may receive a small fee from the seller if you purchase through this link.