Arcadia

When the sadistic mage began his quest to hold infinite power, he did not know that the price would be so high…

Alexandra T’Kayn had fled from her home in the fortress of Arcadia seven years ago to escape the cruel attentions of Cerin Tesar. The fortress is situated on a vast maze of man-made and natural caves and fissures, which had provided sanctuary for Alex during her youth. Slinking through these caverns and into the fortress, Alex learns that the home she once knew has been invaded by Regissian Troups, under the command of Cerin Tesar and his son, Sebastian. She is horrified as she covertly watches the rightful ruler, Justin Galliard being cruelly whipped and tortured by Cerin. Cerin is determined to find “the artefact”. He knows that only two people, Justin and the runaway Alex know of its secret location. This artefact, known as “Quyrin” was created by a legendary sorcerer, Thrax, as a means to concentrate and use mind control as a weapon. It was so dangerous that it was supposed to have been destroyed long ago.

Justin would prefer to die than give such a powerful tool to this cruel, whip-carrying maniac. Cerin will stoop so low as to use Justin’s loved ones to get the information out of him. Alex foolishly attempts to retrieve the object and remove it from Arcadia. Cerin captures her and it falls into his evil clutches. The people of Arcadia must now watch in horror as Cerin begins his bloodthirsty reign of persecution.

Cerin Tesar is a brutal, unfeeling despot. Tabitha Bradley quite vividly describes the unnecessarily ferocious “punishments” delivered at his hands. Some of these scenes may be a little too violent for some readers. Even Cerin’s own much beloved son, Sebastian, is whipped to extremes when he dares to disobey his father. Justin has tried to defy Cerin, but he is beyond caring about his own life by the time Alex arrives. His fear for his loved ones and need for revenge are the only reasons he has survived for so long. Alex is strong in spirit and mind; she has never given in to Cerin and may be the key to his downfall, if only she can keep her smart and defiant remarks to herself. He has made it clear that he wants her alive, but Alex is not sure of his reasons. She knows first hand how painfully Cerin’s whip bites. After witnessing Cerin’s treatment of his son, Alex realises that she has empathy for Sebastian, despite his heartless reputation. She has known him since they were both young and Sebastian has made Alex well aware of his lust for her.

Arcadia kept this reader on the edge of my chair; following the many escape attempts and inevitable recapture of the characters. When rulers from another world become involved, they bring their own element of treachery and self-interest under the guise of a helping hand.

At times, with so many characters it was a little hard to keep up with the names, but Cerin’s inconsistent yet evil nature shone through like a beacon in the dark caves. Even Cerin himself is becoming aware of his own instability… This is an excellent science fiction adventure tale, but readers do need to be ready for some bloodletting.

Reviewed by: Naomi