This was a nice conclusion and good set-up for the next spinoff series. Because I let this one fall thru the cracks, I wish I had gone back and read the earlier books first. There was enough recap to jog my memory. But these books are so good at eliciting feelings, that I kind missed that turmoil from the last book leading into the happiness and relief of this one.

Jenna/Ivariel has continued to evolve, mature, and come into her true self. This book focuses less on the action and more on the character growth and relationships instead. I like the analogies between Ivariel and Efe, and I continued to love the presence of the elephants in this series. I can't recall another using elephants in this way, and it was majestic. I can't wait to see what the next series holds for our characters.

Unfortunately I was unable to download a copy of this book to read, it kept sending error messages when I tried to download or to open. Seems this was no fault of the authror, I will be giving 5 stars.

When bad things happen to good people, they can go one of two directions. They become victims and spiral down or they become survivors who fight back. It is pleasing to see a pampered princess become a Warrior Woman. With a life changing event like this, it is only appropriate to choose a new name. Jenna grows into her new persona as Ivariel. Still with this new name and new fighting skills, Jenna is not fully recovered from her ordeal. She does not share her past pains with her new adopted people. She does her best to integrate into the Nyambura lifestyle. But it is hard as they share everything wish to have her wed to one of their own.

I enjoyed the slower pace in this story as we learn more about this world. I also tried to fit this world into what I know about the Twelve Kingdoms. I think I still need this all drawn out with connections or perhaps Venn diagrams to understand how all these kingdoms relate to each other. Nyambura comes across as a civilization which I learned about in Ancient History class. Their way of life tickles at the back of my brain, trying to remember which ancient civilization carried similar philosophies.

This gentle unfolding of Ivariel's healing is cut short when enemies of old come to attack the Nyambura. Since the Nyambura are more gathers and farmers, the aggressive enemy of old attacking them comes as a shock. They are not surprised by the attacks because it has happened previously in older generations. There are warnings for the Nyambura to keep an eye on them. What I find interesting is learning the history of the Nyambura's enemies. This twist makes the attacks a bit more brutal. Thankfully, Ivariel's martial training since she escaped her abusive husband can help prepare her new people. This story ends gradually with a happily for now. The ending also ends in a twist which hooks a reader in to see what happens next. When it comes down to it, family feuds are the most bloody. Looking forward to see what happens next. This high fantasy is recommended to readers who enjoy a coming of age theme.

I picked this up right on the heels of Jeffe Kennedy’s novella in Seasons of Sorcery. That Harlan short really primed me to continue the series. (You would be fine reading the book without it, but why would you want to?)

Anyway, this picks up immediately after the conclusion of Exile of the Seas. Jenna/Ivariel is recovering both physically and emotionally from her husband’s attack in the last book. It’s a struggle. She fears that a monster lives inside of her, one capable of killing without compunction. And she doesn’t want to harm the makeshift family she has grown to love.

Ochieng wants to make a life with her, but she fears she is not worthy and will never be able to be a wife to him in truth. A fair enough concern, given all she’s been through. At the same time, and neighboring clan is threatening the community where they live. Ivariel must decide if she is willing to pick up her weapons again to defend her new home.

I enjoyed this final book in the trilogy, though at times I did wish it would move a little faster. Don’t get me wrong, with all Ivariel went through in the first book and even the second, you do get why her healing has to be a journey. I just kind of thought it would get further than it did here. There are tender moment between her and Ochieng, but I wanted more. And I don’t just mean the lovely epilogue. To be honest, I often have a similar complaint in all of Kennedy‘s books. The story is great and I totally support the romance, but the books always end immediately after a resolution and I don’t get time to really enjoy the couple together.

I also really hoped somehow that we would end up in the same timeline as the novella I mentioned it, but I suppose it makes more sense for that to happen in A Twelve Kingdoms/ Uncharted Realms book. I just want everything and I wanted to know.

Despite a little bit of action, both in the battlefield and the bedroom, overall this is a gentle book. A book about a woman finding her true self and coming to peace with it. It’s only the romance reader in me that wants more of the relationship. When you look at the big picture, the whole series is about this woman’s journey, so it does stay on point in that regard.

Overall, this is a really good companion trilogy to 12 Kingdoms. It has some difficult content, specifically in book one, but it is worth the read overall.

Lexi’s Thoughts:
WARRIOR OF THE WORLD is a wonderful closure to the Chronicles of Dasnaria series as it brings healing and love for Ivariel/Jenna.

Ivariel’s story has been a long one, not in actual time but in the length of her journey. It is easy to forget how young she truly is, her actions and attitude match those of someone well beyond her years. But it is the life lessons she has survived and experienced that give her this. And she finally finds love and forgiveness.

Book two, EXILE OF THE SEAS, was a powerful read because Ivariel went through some tough internal transformation. Now, in WARRIOR OF THE WORLD, Ivariel must complete her transformation with Ochieng.

He’s been patient, he coaxes her, he offers her understanding, and he listens. Ochieng is one amazing man. And he becomes a very tender lover.

4.5 Wines!

There isn’t a lot of action in this final installment. There are some attacks from down the river and there is a great tie-in to an event in the Twelve Kingdoms series. But the majority of the book is in Ivariel’s head as she is healing, communicating and commiserating with the elephants, and learning what it means to be in a loving relationship with Ochieng.

A great read for those who have followed the series. And thankfully we aren’t done entirely with this world because we know Kennedy will bring us a little more of the Twelve Kingdoms!

Great finish to the series. Will not post spoilers, but the characters continued growth is just what I hoped to see. Plenty of action, and a strong heroine.

I enjoyed this book even though it was a slow read, it deserves a solid 4 rating. Warrior of the World is a nice conclusion to Ivariels story.

Jenna/Ivariel has been through quite the journey and seeing her heal and evolve from the sheltered and abused princess she started out as was both heartbreaking and uplifting.

I don't have a whole lot to say about WARRIOR OF THE WORLD. I really enjoyed the story and the growth of the characters. Again, I LOVED the relationship between Ivariel and the elephants. In fact, I love the relationship everyone had with the elephants. They are such magical creatures and they really shine in Kennedy's world.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. I loved the fast forward look, but I would have really enjoyed seeing the years leading up to it. I loved their story and wanted more. I still felt like their story isn't over and I hope I'm right.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Early in the Chronicles of Dasnaria series, and recalled at the beginning of Warrior of the World, Ivariel/Jenna has a vision of three lionesses. Those lionesses are clearly the princesses of the Twelve, now Thirteen, Kingdoms, Ursula, Andi and Ami, Their stories are told at the very beginning of this awesome, interlinked epic fantasy series. If you love strong heroines and enjoy epic fantasy with a touch (or more) of romance, begin with The Mark of the Tala and just enjoy the marvelous ride.

Based on events in the most recent book on that side of the continent – and the series – Jenna’s story will eventually link up to the Twelve Kingdoms/Uncharted Realms series. After all, her younger brother Harlan is now the consort of High Queen Ursula. I’ll confess that I was hoping to see that link here, but it hasn’t happened by the end of Warrior of the World. But the story finally reaches the beginning of that end.

While I’m a bit disappointed not to see the ENTIRE gang finally get together, on the other hand I’m very happy to know that there are further adventures yet to follow in this world and this series. Not merely happy, make that downright ecstatic.

But while I’m waiting for the happy conclusion to the interconnected series, I still have Warrior of the World.

This book, and the Chronicles of Dasnaria subseries of which it is a part, needs to come with trigger warnings. Lots of trigger warnings. ALL the trigger warnings. And you do need to read at least the Chronicles of Dasnaria series from its beginning in Prisoner of the Crown in order to get the full significance of the conclusion of Ivariel/Jenna’s journey here in Warrior of the World.

Because the story of the series is about a young woman who is groomed to be a subservient sexual slave, who is forced to submit to repeated rapes, degradation, physical and sexual abuse by her husband/master, and who eventually breaks free with the help of her younger brother, who loses his rank and status for helping her to get away from the man and the society that brutalized her at every turn.

By this point in Ivariel/Jenna’s story, she is still healing from her trauma. That she murdered her “husband” in a fit of berserker rage is both part of her healing and part of her current trauma. She’s afraid that there’s a monster inside her that will eventually break free and kill those she has come to love while she is in the depths of her unthinking rage.

The story in Warrior of the World is the story of Ivariel learning to embrace ALL that she, both the light and the dark, and finding her path to coming into her own at last.

And learning to share that path with others who will be needed for the final push to victory – and redemption.

Escape Rating A-: As I said, ALL the trigger warnings. Ivariel/Jenna’s life at the Dasnarian Imperial court is simply horrendously awful. Reading about her deliberate grooming for the role her society forces her to play makes for very hard reading – but worth it in order to truly appreciate just how far she has come by the time we get to Warrior of the World.

This story is interesting both as the culmination of the Chronicles of Dasnaria subseries and because of its premise. This is a story about beginning as you mean to go on, about doing the things that signify who you are and not who your enemies – or even your friends – intend for you to be or think you ought to be. At the same time, it isn’t as action-packed as other entries in the combined series. It goes just a tinge slow at some points because healing is a slow process, so Ivariel needs time and process to, well, process.

Ivariel’s life before she found herself among the elephant herders of D’tiembo was a life of reaction. She didn’t act, she wasn’t in control. Even her liberation was a product of someone else’s actions and not her own. She begins the story not knowing how to hope her own hopes or dream her own dreams, and she has to learn those skills. She also has to learn to ask for what she wants and then live with the consequences of that “ask”.

Her healing in this story is about her learning to act and not react. Part of that “acting” is the way that she takes up the mantle of her Priestess of Danu persona in order to wage, not war, but peace. The enemies of the D’tiembo try to bring war to the peaceful tribe, and many want to react with war and vengeance. It’s Ivariel, learning to live with her rage, who points the way towards “waging peace” through bribery, subversion, and absorbing and utilizing the lessons taught to her by the necessary cruelty of her mother. It’s a hard lesson, but it buys time to set up the eventual peace and prosperity of the D’tiembo, so that when the magic finally returns, both Ivariel/Jenna and the D’tiembo are ready to go out and meet the wider world and the fates that await them.

If you don’t finish this story wanting your own elephant-friend, you haven’t been paying attention. The elephants, especially Violet, Capo and Efe, provide some of the most uplifting and heartwarming parts of the entire story.

I loved this book. I found the first book difficult to read, and as a matter of fact I put it down several times. I am glad I finished it and moved on to the second and now the third book. I am not sure if it was the author’s intent, but I found what I thought to be the symbolism in this book to be intense. The ethereal pure Jenna is brutalized by her people and finds herself in a new country—one I assume to be “Africa” or something like it. She is cared for, honored, allowed to heal, and ultimately falls in love with someone who looks nothing like her, but proves to be better than her people would ever hope to be. It’s not the appearance, but what’s in the heart. Her horrible husband meets a fitting end, but I was extremely disappointed by the ending. After the buildup of the relationship between Ivariel and Ochieng, all you get is an epilogue and four kids. Appalling. I’m assuming there is another book in the works that ties in with her reuniting with her beloved brother Harlan and possibly her sisters. I will be front and center to read it. Now I just have to go backwards and read the books that started it all!!!

The good news is that this book puts a clear end to this trilogy and the story of Jenna/Ivariel. The bad news is that it’s generally boring. For most of the book nothing happens. There is a lot of talking about Ivariel dealing with her demons and Ochieng declaring his love. It was nice to get to know Ocheing’s family a bit better, learning about the family dynamics and history was interesting but far from fascinating. Also Ivariel kept asking Ochieng why he loved her, and it would’ve been nice to get a clear answer. I love you because I love you felt like a cop out. Especially considering all of the scars and drama she brought along with her. Even if he was afraid to scare her off a scene with him and one of his sisters where he declared the reasons for his undying love would’ve been nice.

The final conflict fell completely flat for me. There was all the training, and arguing, and finally believing in the goddess only for the solution to have been realized without much if any fanfare, and technically not really fixed by Ivariel. The series started out with so much promise, but it is really the story of a woman going from one sheltered paradise to another.

Princess Jenna has been such a pivotal character in many of the Dasnaria stories particularly for the effect she has on her sisters and her two brothers. I have particularly been intrigued with her story and have enjoyed her transformation from Jenna into Ivarial on her journey of self discovery.
In the last story Jenna successfully faces down her past and abusive husband but does not yet feel confident in who and what she is. This story is her journey of self discovery where she finally embraces her warrior and feminine sides and finds peace and joy.
Even so I have to admit to a sense of disappointment and wanting since I wanted the mystery to be solved for her well wishers in Dasnaria. I felt that the story left that thread dangling and I hope it is the intention of the author to close that loop at some stage in future books.

Another great installment in the series. While the focus was on healing and self discovery, there was plenty of action as well. I have really enjoyed seeing the transformation of Imperial Princess Jenna into Ivariel. From an ideal into a real woman. It has been a wonderful journey. And the epilogue! Can't wait for more!

The young woman who was Princess Jenna before her brutal and horrific marriage has transformed into Ivariel: a warrior who will never again be a victim. Raised in a seraglio, her only education was to please a man in every way and accept whatever treatment, no matter how harsh, given to her. Ivariel has found a home with Ochieng’s and his D’tiembo people. She is learning their language, culture and how to let go of the past and not let it define her future. Being with a selfless man whose only desire is her happiness is something so foreign to Ivariel that she has trouble accepting it as truth. Working and living with a people so different from her own upbringing, Ivariel learns who she is and what her needs and desires are for the first time as a young adult.

Gaining back her strength after a serious injury, Ivariel and Orchieng do the delicate dance of two people who desire each other, but have major obstacles to overcome. Ivariel worries that she may never be able to be free of what she suffered at the hands of her evil and brutal deceased husband. She also is preparing for war and strife to find her again; it comes from a surprising place helping Ivariel to renew her comment as a priestess adding a clarity to what and who she wants.

This story is essentially the second part of Ivariel’s physical and spiritual journey. Her tale began in EXILE OF THE SEAS chronicling an initial escape and transformation into a Priestess of Danu. Also in the anthology, SEASONS OF SORCERY, is her brother, Harlan’s, version of the events that led Jenna to flee and become the warrior woman she is now. Elements from that story and this one will come together in the future to hopefully set in motions something Ivariel has longed and planned for quite some time to fulfill a sworn promise.

Four and a half
Well Jenna started off as a Princess forever controlled by those who saw her only as a chattel in Prisoner of the Crown. In Exile of the Seas we learned how she reinvented herself and began to forge a new path only to see her precarious world come crashing down. Now with this book Ivariel as she now calls herself is forced to plummet the depths of her feelings and somehow find the Warrior woman that dwells within her heart.
The journey this character has traveled is both harrowing and yet also one of hope. Ivariel has in the space of months changed so much and at times it’s easy to forget how young and inexperienced she really is. I’m loathe to reveal too much but will say that the author finally convinced me that the joyful and often playful Ochieng really was man enough to cope with all the aspects of Ivariel.
This story perhaps to some will have a more gentle and dare I say frustrating pace but fear not the ending really does hold surprises that if you have read ( and why wouldn’t you?) the Twelve Kingdoms series will have you bouncing up and down knowing that Ivariel is surely set to somehow recover the parts of her past that meant the most to her. There’s so much development here but if it was a categoric ending you expected with everything laid out then then I fear you might not be completely satisfied. However there is some action, there is progression on the romance front but most of all Ivariel embraces her future.
This voluntary take is of an advance copy and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair.

Winter’s Web by Jennifer Estep
I had fun with this short story with Gin and the gang at a Renaissance Festival. Of course Gin can’t go anywhere without getting into trouble. I think fans of the series will enjoy this story, although you don’t have to read it to continue the series. I’m not sure if people who haven’t read Elemental Assassins will enjoy it as much. I just think they might not understand the world and the magic that exists in it well enough. I do think people who don’t know Gin will enjoy the story, just not as much as fans of the series.

A Wilderness Of Glass by Grace Draven
I’m not at all familiar with this author or this story. It was an interesting story. It follows Brida Gazi a widow in a small town. She now tries to help out her brother and sister-in-law who have several kids. She also helps harvest seaweed. Then she comes across something she’s never seen before.There is also someone who is stalking her.

This was a nice short story with some romance and suspense and a lot of paranormal. I would be interested in learning more about this world.

A Curse For Spring by Amanda Bouchet
This is a stand-alone story. I have read Amanda Bouchet before. I liked her stories. This is another nice short story. Prince Daric is desperate for rain for his lands. There have been nothing but droughts since he was born. His parents are selling off pieces of their assets to get water from bordering kingdoms that have water. He was begging his goddess, Braylian, for help from her cauldron. Then a humanoid figure shows herself. Daric’s father pulls her out of the cauldron and she becomes flesh and bone. She is named Rain, since everyone kept asking her to make it rain.

This is a story of hardship, sacrifice and love.

The Dragons Of Summer by Jeffe Kennedy
This story follows Harlan Konyngrr from Dasnaria. He was also the hero of third book of The Twelve Kingdoms, The Talon of the Hawk. He is now the unofficial consort to Queen Ursula. However, he hasn’t shared everything with her. He has a secret in his past.

This story brings the fans of The Twelve Kingdoms series up to date with all that we’ve learned in The Chronicles of Dasnaria. Or, at least what Harlan knows from that series (there’s a lot he doesn’t know).

This is another story I think fans of the series will enjoy more than people who haven’t read the series. This world Jeffe Kennedy has created is pretty complex, and it is hard to get a full grasp of it in a novella length story. Not to mention, there is a lot of build up to this point.

Overall
I had a great time with all four of these stories. I got to read from two series I love, a new story from an author I’ve enjoyed and a new-to-me author. If you like fantasy stories, I recommend this anthology.

Jenna / Ivariel has finally escaped her abusive Dasnarian husband for good. She stays with the D’tiembo family to allow her body and mind to heal. Jenna / Ivariel fears this new side of her nature and the harm it might bring to the D’tiembo. She also feels she is not the right woman for Ochieng, who has voiced his feelings for her. When Nyambura comes under attack, Jenna / Ivariel gladly dons her role as Warrior Priestess of Danu to protect them. Can Jenna / Ivariel overcome her mental demons to be with Ochieng? Will her skills be enough to protect the D’tiembo from their nemesis?

Jenna / Ivariel has really come a long way since the first book. She is learning to adapt to the new circumstances in her life. However, Jenna / Ivariel still allows her fears and mental demons to control her. I admire how she stood up to Ochieng’s brother when he accused her of being cold and aloof. I wish her relationship with Ochieng progressed a little more, but I also understand her reluctance.
Ochieng and his family are good for Jenna / Iavriel. They are helping her heal from her years of abuse and cold disregard. They are also helping her realize that not all families are like hers. I adore Ochieng’s patience with Jenna /Iavriel. He rather move at her pace than force her into something she’s not ready for. Ochieng may lose his patience with her, but he demonstrates that not all males are like her abusive husband and cold male family members.
WARRIOR OF THE WORLD is book three in Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy genre, THE CHRONICLES OF DASNARIA. I like how this story picks up right on the heels of book two, EXILE OF THE SEAS.

Book 3 in <i>The Chronicles of Desnaria</i> series is WARRIOR OF THE WORLD, by fantasy and romance author Jeffe Kennedy. This is a series that should be read in order. If you’re just starting out in the series, be warned that book 1, Prisoner of the Crown (hyperlink,: http://freshfiction.com/book.php?id=94587), is pretty brutal. It’s a dark fantasy detailing the degradation and despair of a royal princess, Ivariel, who was raised in the imperial seraglio and bartered to be the wife of a psychopath. The brutalized princess fled to another kingdom where she fell in love in Exile of the Seas hyperlink http://freshfiction.com/book.php?id=94588). Another reviewer recently mentioned on social media that Kennedy describes WARRIOR OF THE WORLD as a wrap up to Ivariel’s story with another book in the <i>The Chronicles of Desnaria</i> storyline still to come to wrap all the threads up.


I loved the emerging agency of Ivariel in book 2, now seen here again in WARRIOR OF THE WORLD. Ivariel truly blossoms to become the kick-butt heroine she didn’t realize she is capable of becoming. There’s a continued romance here, but the main kernel of the book is not Ivariel and her lover Ochieng, but rather Ivariel herself, standing on her own two feet. It’s empowering, and just what 2018 needed, in my opinion.


In book 3, Ivariel emerges from her relative isolation in a small village in Nyambura (which comfortingly feels and sounds like Africa), where she had fled in the previous book. She rises up to lead the Nyamburans as they fight to protect their kingdom from outsiders threatening their way of life and their very existence. She makes an awesome Joan of Arc character, and I cheered for her every step of the way! There is plenty of action to be had, with warring magic and majestic battling elephants. Kennedy’s WARRIOR OF THE WORLD is a satisfying conclusion to the story of a young woman emerging from the chrysalis of her captivity into flight on a kingdoms-wide stage.

Well to be honest I was a bit disappointed but that was due more to "Exile Of The Seas" and the novella "THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER" which is included in "Seasons of Sorcery" anthology being so excellent in comparison to this novel.

Jenna/Ivariel is slowly recovering from her battle at the end of "Exile of the Seas" and we spend the vast majority of the time in this book inside her head, the action is sparse and the slow recovery mentally and physically while more realistic than the usual sword fights where people walk away with a "scratch" it is not that exciting to read about.

Her strange relationship with Ochieng is frustrating and confusing, everything stays in a state of flux until the last few chapters. After the last book I really expected more than a well written "day-in-the-life" novel but hopefully there is still a future reunion and we will get to see more of that warrior priestess of Danu that I really liked.

I am giving this 4 Stars but it was a near thing.

Spoilers ahead for the first two books

...

Imperial Princess Jenna of Dasnaria was raised to be obedient and to pleasure the man her father and brothers chose for her. In Dasnaria women have nothing and no power, they are kept sequestered in a seraglio. When Jenna is married she finds her husband is a sadist and enjoys taking out his hatred of her father on her body. Eventually her brother helps her to escape and she travels to new lands, trains as a Priestess of Danu and takes vows of chastity and silence. At the end of the second book Jenna, who now calls herself Ivariel had made a new life with a family in Nyambura where she tends to the elephants and teaches the children to dance the warrior's dance, until her abusive husband tracks her down and she kills him and his men in a beserker fit of rage, although it almost kills her too - until Ochieng and his family rescue her with all their elephants.

In this third, and I believe final, book in the trilogy Ivariel is still recovering from the beating and rape by her now deceased husband but the family face further threats from a neighbouring city after the rainy season extends longer than ever before. The people are starving and so they come to pillage and steal from the peaceful Nyamurans. Ivariel is struggling to deal with her violent impulses, fearful that when the rage descends she could kill one of her friends, but maybe that's just what the Nyamurans need to protect them from the outside.

I still haven't read the first book, even though I bought it when it was on sale, I'm a bit scared about how horrific Jenna's life with her abusive husband will be ...

What can I say? A fitting end to the trilogy. I think you could read this as a stand-alone novel, although the backstory would all be told not shown. Jeffe Kennedy writes such beautiful prose, such engaging characters and such evocative landscapes. I felt like I was tending the elephants with Ivariel, singing the songs with the family, the torrential rain we had last night also felt very much like the rainy season in Nyamura, water everywhere and your clothes are vaguel damp all the time!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.