This entire series has been an absolute blast so far. After teases of the past history between FMC and MMC, Kat and Emrick, I was more than ready to dive into the past and learn how it all began. Walsh did not disappoint (and I never for an instant thought she would).
To give as brief a recap as possible: when her village of sorcerers is attacked/used as bait to summon a greater power by three of their own, sole survivor Katerina finds herself bound to a servant of Death—Emrick, shepherd of magical souls. Power of the Sorceress follows her journey through grief and rage to re-discovery of herself and a purpose as the long road of immortality stretches out before her.
While Walsh has laid the groundwork for the delicious pining and tension between Kat and Emrick in two previous novels and a novella, getting a front-row seat to their story unfolding over the decades was delightful. Sweeping across England in the 12th Century into Crusades-riddled southern France, Walsh writes with a confidence of history and time without overwhelming the reader with the stickier politics of the era, and she uses this higher-level space to great advantage. Helping in this is how her immortal characters perceive time and the deployment of these conversations as the much older Emrick prepares his accidental companion for the future that awaits her.
It is particularly heartbreaking to know where Kat is at the start of the Immortal Sorceress series and to see how her apathy toward modernity is mirrored by the warnings of the past.
As with each book in the series, I require, nay, DEMAND more Adrian in all things. But fans of the fancy vampire will be pleased with the role he has to play and the advice he gleefully doles out to our thick-headed lovesick leads.
ALSO, Walsh has written one of the creepier villains I’ve come across in a while, and I had to set my e-reader down and take a moment before re-reading his first appearance in this novella because it was done SO WELL.
If you like world-weary main characters, found family, and fast-paced fantasy, this entire series is for you. While a prequel, I would recommend starting with Fire of the Sorceress so the emotional beats in Power of the Sorceress hit, but you could certainly start here as a primer and not be lost in the world.
This story gives a good back story to the series, as well as it provides an excellent prequel to the series! This fills in blanks, from the past, that I did not realize existed before. Wow, what an eye opener to everything! Great Novella! I Loved It!!! No Spoilers!
My heart has been craving this story since Krista introduced me to Kat... (& Emerick) in Fury of the Sorceress. I already loved Kat & Emerick "tragic" relationship in previous books but Power of the Sorceress just cements my absolute love for them. Kat is such a strong character, what's not to like.
Power of the Sorceress really had me in its clutches from the first page all the way to the last page. It starts out with Katrina in her home village with her family when tragedy hits. Her trusted teachers had turned greedy and power hungry and wanted all power for them selves. Of which when being too greedy doesn't turn out so good for anybody; and Kate is left the only survivor because she thought for her safety.
After traveling with Emrick for 3 years she still mourned her family and didn't talk much and fought terrible nightmares of what had happened and hardly ate.. it was like she was there but not. Kate was broken inside with guilt over the fact that she was still alive but not her family. Even though Emrick told her that what had happened was tragic but it wasn't her fault. He brought her clothes and food as at times he had to leave her for days on end to do his duties reaping the souls of the magical dead to their final destination.
I loved the family that took Katrina in Jean and Edith.. They helped Katrina realize that the humans in the world were not any different then her own family was to her. Father Godfrey was an amazing help to Katrina.. by telling her to pray when going up against the Demon that Katrina was looking for. These humans were in Katrina's life for only a short time but they had an in-depth impact on her.
Miss Walsh with all her books that she writes takes you for an incredible ride that keeps you captive until the very end. I love that about her books as the are filled with lots of action, small amount of romance with sometimes a forbidden love interest and leaves you hanging with you wanting more to come.
So, If you enjoy Excitement, Traveling through the Wild Countryside, And Female characters coming into their own.. then this book is definitely for you.
This is a prequel to The Immortal Sorceress series and wow! This book has some very powerful emotions! If you are familiar with Kat then you know she is an immortal sorceress bound to Emrick by a twist of fate ruining a black magic ritual. This book delves into the back story of how Kat and Emrick came to be bound and fall in love. After losing her husband and child along with the rest of her clan, she travels the country with Emrick, Death's servant. As a mother myself, this book really gives me the feels and helps me understand the pain and loss that Kat experiences. I was absolutely heartbroken for her! W
hen she finally finds her voice and herself again, she is determined to find the demon responsible got the claims or heresy on the Good Christians. And if you have read Fear of the Sorceress, you will know of this back story. (And in my personal opinion, I think this story was much better for having read book 2 first.) Shogaur is a fear demon manipulating the nobles and the priests into a war. Can Kat find enough power to save herself and help the people she has come to love?
And it does not end there! This is also the story for how Kat and Adrian became such great friends and how the 3 together ended up being feared throughout the supernatural community. Emrick finally realizes he must help her learn how to harness her powers in order to keep her safe. And with that, she begins her journey with Adrian.
I adored this book and loved the look back at Kat, Emrick and Adrian's history. It really was an emotional ride in a very good way! It really explains why Kat and Adrian have ended up the way they did in the first book, out of touch and basically in hiding. I also can't wait to find out if we will ever find out what Emrick's deal with Death was!