As storms rage across the land and the Traitor God's creations seek to kill all living creatures, Olivr, a knight sworn to truth, discovers the most horrific truth hiding within himself. Facing it will lead to either salvation for his world or his death, or both. Vivian, a god-forged Sentinel, admires young Olivr's commitment, and even if their attraction may be doomed from the start, she wants to travel as his guide to the Battlefield, where the terrors destroying their world begin and end. But Vivian also has orders to make sure Olivr isn't corrupted, and the closer they grow to each other, the harder it is for her to contemplate killing the man she loves. Cooper completes the trilogy of The Stormbringer and The Nightborn with this solid adventure, heavier on fantasy than on romance, which provides crossover appeal. Because of his behavior, Olivr seems much younger than Vivian at times, but the worldbuilding makes up for minor inconsistencies in characterization. VERDICT Recommended for libraries that own the first two books and where fantasy romance is popular.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA

Cooper's disappointing third fantasy romance in her Stormbringer series (after The Nightborn) showcases a surprisingly bland pairing between a sentinel and a knight as the fight against the Traitor God's resurrected priest, Thyran, continues. After Olvir Yoralth, a Sworn Knight of the god Tinival, discovers that he carries a piece of the Traitor God's heart inside himself, a newly revealed prophecy orders that Olvir travel to the Battlefield, the site of the clash between gods that tore the world apart. Sentinel Vivian Bathari volunteers to accompany him, claiming her abilities and magical soulsword could prove useful. Along the way, romance blossoms--but Vivian's true purpose is to protect the world from Olvir if the time comes when he is lost to the Traitor God's heart. The stakes should feel high, but the pace drags and the excessive, repetitive introspection from Vivian and Olvir eclipses both the action and the romance. Readers hoping for closure to the series-long conflict will find it, but this makes for an anticlimactic finale. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (July)