Princess Iya Neveah travels with her brothers, King Ayris of Aurdor, and Tan, to the icy reaches of Londeshardeen in hopes of gaining an alliance with the stronghold’s rulers and guardians, the Silvermane brothers.  Violent storms and earthquakes have ravaged their lands, and they need answers and assistance.  What Iya and her brothers discover is that the Silvermane brothers are beings of myth and magic: Elves. 

The darkness is rising, seeking to lay claim upon the entire world.  The hand guiding this evil is terrible, and the desire behind it is to destroy everything.  Iya, Ayris, Tan, and the Silvermanes must join together to conquer and defeat this reawakened foe before all is forever lost. 

Reunion: Ties of Blood is an epic fantasy tale created by an author who understands and loves fantasy.  I delved into over 500 pages of action and suspense, magic and mayhem, and still wanted more.  The book will make readers recall Lord of the Rings, and anything else that was later influenced by Tolkien.  Influenced or not, Ties of Blood was nigh to bursting with fascinating characters, sinister villains, and anything else I tend to associate with the fantasy genre.  World building, storyline realism, vivid imagery, and the never ending conflict between the Light and Darkness, are enhanced by Ms. Leighton’s straightforward, precise writing style.  The narrative carried a few of the elements that have always engaged me in earlier works like R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt Series and Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman Dragonlance chronicles.

Fianna Leighton knows her way around fantasy, and anyone could argue and say, “Oh, I’ve seen this before, yadda, yadda,” but the truth is, if she hadn’t done it so well I would not be championing her work.  I was so intrigued I went on to view her artwork after learning that she created her own cover.  Her character sketches are nice extras to explore.  Visuals briefly aside, I was glued to the pages, and it just kept getting better until I reached the epilogue.  This is a gem in Red Rose Publishing’s garden that truly shines, and deserves to be recommended.