The second in the omnibus edition of the Riddle-Master trilogy, Heir of Sea and Fire changes focus and follows three women: Raederle, Morgon's promised fiancé, Tristan, his sister, and Lyra, a guardswoman to the Morgol. Word reaches Raederle that Morgon has died, and the land rule that makes him the ruler of Hed - the sense that ties rulers to the land they govern - has passed to his brother. She goes to inform her brother of Morgon's death and crosses paths with the Morgol, discovering that the day that Morgon died is the day the shapechangers were freed from their shape prisons. Choosing to go in search of the truth, to Morgon's death and the shape changers and why the High One would let Hos own harper betray a ruler, Raederle begins a journey to Erlenstar Mountain, home of the High One. She is joined by Lyra and Tristan on a journey that never reaches the mountain itself, but reveals to her who she is, her ancestry, and the power than both give her.
Impression: While still less poetic than Ombria In shadow, I definitely liked Heir of Sea and Fire better than the first book in the trilogy. I don't know, maybe I have a thing for strong female characters. The plotting is a little more predictable, but the world and the characters are far better revealed. Her writing is stronger as well, and the story is a bit more complex, so you can see the beginning of the incredible author she becomes in her later work. It's as if this early trilogy, written in a more traditional way for the genre, were her "learning novels," used to explore her voice and strength as an author. You can definitely see hints of the author she becomes in them.
