The Secret of Isian

The Isian Series, Book 3

By: Serena Clarke

Narrated by: Carolyn Kashner

Many prophecies have been uttered about the impending war and those who will seek to stop it. With the war finally upon them, Rimelda, a talented seer, has heard the prophecies and believes she can help. Prince Ander, doubtful of her abilities and her true intensions, but determined to save his kingdom, accepts her help and they proceed on a quest to end the war. Hindered by enemies as well as their own doubts, Ander and Rimelda must search for guidance in unlikely places and unravel the mysteries of the prophecies. With the world shrouded in darkness, will Ander accept his destiny in time to save the kingdoms and will he admit his true feelings for Rimelda?

©2015 Serena Clarke (P)2016 Serena Clarke

Good Solid Finale to this Romance/Fantasy Trilogy

The kingdoms are preparing for war, gathering behind Prince Garin or his power hungry younger brother. Darkness has descended on the land and rain hasn't fallen for months. As the heir to the throne, Prince Ander is once again sent on a quest for a powerful artifact by the seer Rimelda. This time, she insists on going with him. Rimelda claims that Ander has a destiny greater than what he imagines for himself, but he doubts Rimelda's visions and his own self worth. As they travel further, Ander begins to understand his place in prophecy and his feelings for Rimelda.

This is the third book in the Isian trilogy and I'd recommend reading the first two books before this one, although it's not required to understand the plot. While the country has descended into war, it happens off screen and the book is focused on Ander's journey to find a secret weapon to end the war. Because of this, there's no sense of urgency and it doesn't feel like the stakes are that high, so the book can vacillate between action and romance with no harm to the overall plot.

I enjoyed the characters, the story is told from Ander's point of view but we still get a good impression of Rimelda's personality. Ander is a humble prince, a good leader, and a compassionate person. Rimelda has a strong presence, but she does tend to keep things from Ander. My favorite characters were the band of men traveling with the pair, with their distinct personalities and their jokes and squabbles. They added a lightness to the story whenever needed.

The trilogy has the same narrator for all three books, which I always appreciate, and she did a great job narrating this one as well. Her voice is pleasant and she portrayed the characters well. I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Captivating story

The Treasure of Isian is the first book in The Isian Series. Prince Garin is a brave, proud, adventure-seeking prince. Elani is his most trusted servant and she would do anything for him.
The Secret of Isian follows the fantasy theme. You will see battles with interesting and characters and mythical creatures as she has created. This fantasy is also an exciting story that will keep you on your toes and wondering what will happen next. And of course, there is some romance there!

You will want to keep reading until the end of the book to find out what the interesting twists and turns will lead you to!

The narrator is Carolyn Kashner, who has great expression as you listen to the story. It was really enjoyable listening to her pleasing voice as the story progressed and new characters were introduced all with interesting voices.

You will really enjoy this book, I know I did!

I received an Audible version of this book from the author for my honest review.

SO GOOD! THIRD INSTALLMENT KEEPS IT COMING! :)

I have listened now to all three in this series... and it's awesome!
I love a good story, and this series does not disappoint!

Each of the books in this series is full of adventure, danger, and lots of fun and maybe even a little romance.
Serena Clarke has created a series that can appeal to so many audiences,
Beautifully written and narrated, I was totally captivated by all that is Isian!

I definitely am so happy to have found this author, and this series. I am a fan, and there are a lot of us! :) :) :)

magic and adventure

Loved the ending of this trilogy. Brought back some of the characters from the previous books. Full of adventure and fantasy and romance. clean story and I loved it!

Enchanting Action Adventure Fantasy!

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend The Secret of Isian and the entire Isian Trilogy by Serena Clarke. It is an enchanting adventure series filled with mystery, action, and romance. The Secret of Isian is the third and final book in the series, which centers around Prince Ander. He is a truly remarkable hero who garners the respect and admiration of everyone with whom he meets. Ander is sent on a quest to find a secret weapon that will help protect his people and end the war that has been brewing since the first book. Rimelda is a “seer” who helps Ander on his quest to end the war. Despite Ander doubting her abilities, there is an undeniable attraction between the two. I especially enjoyed how Ander and Rimelda are both humble and good natured people who would sacrifice themselves to save just one man.

I listened to the Audible version of this story narrated by Carolyn Kashner, who did a great job narrating with varying voices for both male and female characters. Because this story picks up almost immediately after the second book (The Alliance of Isian), I recommend starting with the first book (The Treasure of Asian) to better understand the overarching premise and interrelationships between the characters. For example, the villain in this book is introduced in the first book, but not mentioned at all in the second. And the hero and heroines of the other two books make appearances in this one. Be forewarned though: once you start listening to this series, it will suck you in and won't let you go until you are finished with it!

Thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I had a hard time at first figuring out who was who. However, I quickly became engrossed in this story. The narrator did a very effective job of differentiating between the characters and making them believable. Overall, it was a well written and enjoyable book.

Delightful Fantasy

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this third book in the series very much. It took me a little bit into the book to place the characters (the ones that had been introduced in the previous books). The story was very engaging and and I loved how it kept moving quickly. I struggled just a little on the audio version every time "Ander" and "Andrew" were in the same scene. Sometimes I wasn't sure which character the narrator had said (the names closely resemble each other to my ears). I listened to the book in my car and I kept wanting to listen to more whenever I reached my destination. To me that's a sign of a great audiobook! I'm also a lover of books that end well without any lose ends. Thank you Serena Clarke for a very entertaining book!

Good, clean YA fantasy

This is a good fantasy book, and even though the story can stand alone, I have read the previous books in the series. I think I actually liked the previous two slightly better than this one, but I enjoyed seeing the overlap of characters and learning more about them. This book has action, mystery, and romance (as well as some light humor), so it has a lot to like, and I appreciated that it was "clean"/family-friendly, though the interest-level would be closer to young adult. I listened to the Audible audio version narrated by Carolyn Kashner. I thought she did a good job with her different character voices and keeping the story moving along. If you clean fantasy, this is a good series to check out.

wonderful

I totally enjoyed reading this book. It’s well written and the characters were fantastic. I would suggest this book to my friends that like this sort of genera. this was an excellent book

Prophecies

Rimelda is a seer has offered help during the conflicts and war going on, and the prophecies. He doesn’t trust what she is doing, and to save his kingdom agrees, an attraction is there. This had more to be with strategies of the war, and not much with romance. Good series to enjoy
Given audio for my voluntary