Wardens of Archos

Relics of Ar'Zac, Book 2

By: Sarina Langer

Narrated by: Aricka Parent

If she could change their fear into hope she would, no matter how ridiculous she felt in a dress and crown.

Rachael has left her old life on the streets of Blackrock behind and claimed the Rifarnee throne, but being an unprepared queen comes with its own problems. She has no idea what she’s doing, ambassadors from other countries want her attention, and the demons from her dreams are still out there and trying to kill her.

Support comes from a Mist Woman, whom Rachael is slow to trust after her experience with Aeron. Together with her most trusted friends and advisors, she travels to Midoka and Krymistis in search for answers, but she finds only more frustration.

Kaida is hiding something from her, she can’t be sure she’s escaped her would-be assassins, and her once-best friend has been claimed by the Dark One, the infernal ruler of the Mists and Master of the demons trying to kill her. To end His threat, Rachael needs a dragon….

But will she find a survivor of the extinct race before time runs out?

The Relics of Ar'Zac trilogy is a continuous story and should be listened to in order:

Rise of the Sparrows (#1)

Wardens of Archos (#2)

Blood of the Dragon (#3)

Shadow in Ar'Sanciond (can be listened to at any point)

©2017 Sarina Langer (P)2023 Sarina Langer

Great continuation in the series!

I enjoyed the second book in the series as much as the first — a lot. While it could be read as standalone, I highly recommend reading them in order to get the full backgrounds, emotional connections, and depth of the betrayals.

Being Queen should make Rachael's life easier — after all, taking the throne was the hard part, right? But it seemed like more people than ever want to kill her.

The world building was imaginative and built on what readers learned in the first book. In this story the characters visited other countries, so there were new locationa and cultures as well. Some enemies were obvious, but part of what made the story interesting for me was how I couldn't tell who was friend or foe sometimes. I'm still not sure with some of the characters!

There's action, drama, plenty of twists, and family secrets come to light. Once again, no one is safe! The story kept me listening to see what happened to who next. One surprise had me cheering and then dreading what will happen, and like with the first story, there's a big surprise at the end.

Aricka Parent did an excellent job of drawing listeners in with her performance and made listening to the story a pleasure.

Absorbing Dark Fantasy

I enjoyed book 2 of the "Relics of Ar'Zac" series as much as the first one. Once the audiobook started, I had to drag myself away in order to sleep. As soon as I was able, I started it and listened until the end. Rachael and her companions were reeling from the events that occurred at the end of the first book. They all faced many challenges and dangers in this newest story. I appreciated the magical elements that percolated throughout the tale. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series as this story ended on a cliffhanger. Aricka Parent's narration was good, and her performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Action Fantasy Adventure

Oh wow - so much happening in The Relics of Ar’Zac book 2. This story follows on directly from book 1 and sees Rachael taking charge of Rifarne and it’s subjects. Not everyone is happy about her rise to become queen though, and she has many new enemies, some of which are hiding in plain sight. Others come to her in her dreams. Who can she trust? Her journey of discovery is full of action, intrigue, magic, supernatural beings and a whole host of assassins. Romance takes a back seat as priority number 1 is keeping alive. So many secrets, so many people to rely on. I loved it. The audio is narrated by Aricka Parent, who was the perfect voice for the Rifarne Queen - both authoritative and hesitant, shy and proud. This did of course end on a cliffhanger and I’m anxious to start the final book to see where the author takes us. I received a complimentary copy of this audio book. This is my honest review.