CS fantasy reviews: Morning's Journey by Kim Headlee

CS fantasy reviews: Morning's Journey by Kim Headlee 

Originally posted 09/2020/13 by Craig Scott

Gyanhumara and Artyr are now married but duty leads them to long periods of separation that neither are happy about and puts a strain on their relationship.  Gyanhumara also falls pregnant and has to deal with the realization that her life may change irrevocably and her warrior days may be behind her. She is also aware that any child they have will become a target for Urien, who is making plans to speed up his succession to the leadership position in his own clan. Meanwhile other outside forces have plans of their own.

Like the first novel (Dawnflight) Gyan remains the star of the show and the various tensions she has to deal with lead to some very strong character development. Both Artyr and Angusel face their own obstacles and their development is equally well handled. While there are certainly moments when both Urien and Morghe hint at more depth for the most part they are remain driven by selfishness and remain one-dimensional. The minor villains in the piece were actually much better fleshed out than these two and made for more compelling characters. 

Pacing in the first quarter of the book is a tad slow but after this point it picks up and is well controlled for the remainder of the story. I love the way Headlee infuses historic languange to really flesh out the cultures and history of her world.

Overall strong characters, good pacing and a vibrant world make for a compelling read. I would still like to see the main villains fleshed out more. 8/10. Also rated 4 stars on Amazon.com.