RELEASE DAY -REVIEW: The Hencha Queen - Tharassas Cycle Book #3- J Scott Coatsworth

Title: The Hencha Queen
Series: Tharassas Cycle Book #3
Author: J Scott Coatsworth
Genre: Colonization, Science Ficton, LGBTQ Science Fiction
Publisher: Water Dragon Publishing
Release Date: March 14, 2024
Format: Kindle
Pages: 368
Source: Amazon

Silya finally comes into her own, but will she be enough?

Silya finally has everything she always wanted: She's the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is mastering her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart?

Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East. If she can't convince a reluctant city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everything—and everyone—she's ever cared about.

As Silya wields her abilities, dry wit, and sheer determination to save her city, she's joined by Raven and his new friends, just as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away. Will their aid help tip the scales? And will she and Raven finally find out what happened to Aik?

Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.

Review By Ulysses Dietz

Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

The third book in the Tharassas Cycle brings us right to the edge. Raven is the Dragoneater, his longtime friend Aik is the Gauntlet Runner, and in book 3, Aik’s ex and Raven’s reluctant mentor, Silya, steps into the fullness of her role as the Hencha Queen of Tharassas. All three of these characters, young people whose plans have been overtaken by events, have grown and matured and have come to see (or at least suspect) their greater roles in their planet’s destiny.

Then there’s Spin, the little shiny bit of past-futuristic technology, the ship brain from the last flight out of earth. His origin is revealed, adding a powerful new dimension to the part he might play in the unfolding drama. He and his three friends—because all of them get to know him, finally—find themselves on individual quests, the exact purposes of which are not clear to them.

Raven now has his new friends, both the verents and their riders, but he yearns to find Aik, who he now understands is his soulmate. Aik is pulled forward by the insidious presence of the gauntlet with which he bonded. He believes it is taking him to find Raven. Silya, trying to find Aik and her mother, Triya, realizes that her guard, Kerrick, is going to be more to her than just a protector. She knows that the future of Tharassas depends on her, but she is unsure what she must do.

And, while it’s not a cliffhanger, the final scene in the book makes you think “oh, no

Scott Coatsworth has created a richly painted world that is both beautiful and sinister, evoking landscapes that are as much science fiction as Tolkienian fantasy. There is as much emotion as action in the narrative as we watch the essential players for the final book gather. We, as readers, see more of the picture than anyone else, because we have met the Death-Bringer.

I have the fourth book ready to read. See you on the other side.