PG13- "The Darkangel Trilogy" (some v,slight x)

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The Darkangel trilogy is a stylized epic set on what one soon realizes is the moon: a dry, thin-aired world that barely supports its population through magic and machinery. It is a world that could still sustain life, were it not under the curse of the White Witch and her seven unnatural sons, the darkangel vampyrs. The division of this world into 14 "countries", each with its own "ethnic group", makes it hard for the people to band together to defeat the Witch. The Ancent protectress of the world, Ravenna, has walled herself off in the crystal city, not to be seen for hundreds of years. Many of the wardens she created to protect the world have disappeared. Will the world slowly fade to dust? Or will someone have the courage to fight the darkangels and their evil queen? Though labeled for young adults, these novels are complex enough to entertain the adult mind as well.

Aeriel is a slave, a foreigner in Avarra, the country of her mistress Eoduin. Near the end of one day (two weeks, in Ancient terms), she and her lady are out gathering nectar-flowers for someone's wedding. Suddenly, The Darkangel swoops down and steal Eoduin away. Injured and frightened, Aeriel flees, only to be blamed for the disappearance of her mistress. Despite her fear, the next sunrise finds Aeriel standing at the scene of the kidnapping, waiting for the black-winged demon to retun and steal her to care for his thirteen horrid-looking brides, including her beloved Eoduin. In one year, he will seek his last bride and become the true seventh vampyre son of the Water Witch. Does Aeriel have the courage to stop him, even if she finds herself falling in love with him? This is a strange romance, both beautifully elegant in teh epic style, and pragmatci, just like Aeriel herself. This novel has a tone reminiscent of L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, though it is aimed at an older audience.

Though she has rescued Irrylath and exchanged hearts with him, making him human, Aeriel longs to be loved by her distant husband. Despite her home troubles in Esternesse, she leaves on a quest to find the missing lons who once protected the lands of the West. Across the Sea of Dust she sails, discovering the magic Lighthouse of Bern and the strange lands that she must defend. Along hte way, Aeriel collects A Gathering of Gargoyles she once befriended in Irrylath's castle at Tour-of-Kings, frees a young woman named Erin who was meant as a sacrifice to one of the darkangels, and discovers her own past and family. This novel is a classic quest-epic, where every detail is significant, and every strange discovery is a link in the chain of fate. Aeriel is the perfect mirror of her world, powerful yet innocent, and she is loved or hated by other characters according to their own natures. Though her world contains pure good and evil, the story focuses on the gray edge between these extremes, on sacrifice and redemption rather than physical battles. Aeriel's purpose is not to destroy her enemes directly, but to fulfill the prophecy of Ravenna and gather foces to defeat the White Witch.

Bearing The Pearl of the Soul of the World, a young woman with no memories is wandering in the underground world of the duroughs, searching for the city of Crystalglass and its keeper, the lady Ravenna. Without the lady, the woman cannot be cured, nor can she learn the rest of the rime that will tell her how to lead the armies of the West against the lorelei and her soulless minions. As she rediscovers her memories, Aeriel also learns the histories of the moon, the Ancients of Oceanus, and the Water Witch herself. Must she sacrifice her life to redeem the lorelei? Will Irrylath die in the battle against his former "brothers"? The bittersweet conclusion of this novel is much more twisted and unpredictable than the endings of the other two, and the question of freedom and love versus duty and control is a powerful one that puts the rest of the trilogy in a disturbing, more mature perspective. I very highly recommend the entire trilogy for young adults ages 10-14, and I think it can enchant older readers as well.

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Last Updated: January 19, 2000

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