Review: Counterpoint: Song of the Fallen Book 1 by Rachel Haimowitz

I've read various reviews of this book and had mixed feelings about reading it. On the plus side is the fact that I like fantasy stories, and I also like master/slave or captor/captured stories (no comments about what this says about me as a person, please!). On the minus side, I often find it difficult to read stories where one character is so wholly under the power of another to the extent that they are completely helpless. In the end, after reading another book by this author, I decided to give this a go and see whether I would have the same reaction as my fellow reviewers.

The story is a high fantasy set in a fictional country where the land is divided between men and elves. There is enmity between the two peoples stretching back about 300 years and as a result elves are viewed with deep hatred and suspicion by men. The story begins as we meet elf Ayden who ventures into human territory to rescue his sister who is about to be captured by men who wish to sell her as a slave. Unfortunately, Ayden fails and he and his sister are brought to the Prince Regent, Freyrik. Freyrik enslaves Ayden for himself, attracted by his handsome looks. Life is not easy for the two heroes though - Ayden finds life as a slave dull, despite his growing attraction and respect for Freyrik and Freyrik is caught up in an oncoming battle between humans and bespelled beasts. More importantly, there's growing dissatisfaction amongst the people about the king's 'pet elf'.

Usually when I read a book where one of the characters is forced into slavery my feelings are mostly on the side of the slave. I found it intriguing then that most of my sympathy in this book was directed towards Freyrik. As slavery goes, Ayden has it pretty easy. He's kept in comfort, provided with all the clothes and food that he needs, and is actually quite indulged by Freyrik. He's allowed to speak his mind to the king - a luxury few have - and although Freyrik has every right to demand and even take his sexual pleasure with Ayden, he doesn't whilst the elf isn't willing. Therefore I found Ayden to be a rather petulant character, prone to fits of surliness and temper. On the other hand, I also admired his pride, spirit and determination not to be cowed by his slavery. The points in the book where I did feel some sympathy for Ayden was when he was exposed to the scorn and hatred of the soldiers. Even then, Ayden isn't broken, choosing to fight back rather than stand and take the insults. By the end of the book, where we see Ayden at his most noble and self-sacrificing, I had grown to like him.

I still liked Freyrik better though! He is standing in as king for an absent brother, something which weighs heavily on him. I felt sorry for Freyrik for most of the book. He has a deep and abiding love of his country and the people he governs and that love is returned. I thought the author did a good job of showing how well respected Freyrik is as a ruler, and how that respect is slowly eroded through his relationship with Ayden. If had any frustrations with the story, it was at how unfair his subjects treat him over his love of an elf, how he is scorned behind his back and forced into a difficult situation just because of his feelings.

Fantasy stories are dependent on good world-building and I felt in this book the author hadn't offered me anything too new - it was the usual high fantasy setting of courts and kingdoms, of battles and glory. Having said that, it also didn't bother me as I felt comfortable within the setting and that the important parts of the book were in the relationships and characterisation, not any elaborate or unusual setting. The book excelled in characterisation and not just with Freyrik and Ayden, but also with the secondary characters who move in and around the couple, helping and hindering in turn. I felt there was a good mix of court machinations, quiet couple time, high drama on the battlefields and tense confrontations to keep my interest throughout the book. In fact, I found it very difficult to put the book down and would have read the whole 350 pages in one sitting if it hadn't got so late!

One final thing to say is that this book is the first part of a duology. As a result, this book finishes half way through the story. I didn't think it was too bad a place to leave it - the heroes are about to move away from the current setting into a new one and embark on what could be a dangerous journey for them. However, that didn't stop me feeling disappointed about having to wait until the second book is released (later this year, apparently).

Those of you who love high fantasy will not be disappointed in the sweeping narrative of the story, nor the tightly written scenes of high drama and intrigue. Those of you looking for a quick erotic read need to steer clear of the book. There is eroticism, but it plays a second role to relationship, character and plot. I enjoyed Counterpoint a great deal, and give it a well deserved grade of 'Excellent', and I suspect it will be a story which stays with me for some time. Now I just need to be patient and wait for book 2!

Buy this book HERE.