Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn

“The King’s Rider Justin has been dispatched to the small town of Neft where he can easily watch any suspicious activity at the nearby Lumanen Convent. Under the rule of Coralinda Gisseltess, the convent houses the fanatical Daughters of the Pale Mother, who worship the moon goddess and believe all magic-wielding mystics are evil. Assuming the guise of a stable-hand, Justine befriends Ellynor, a young novice from the convent. Although her order forbids her to associate with men, Ellynor gladly disobeys. Born in the Lirrenlands, Ellynor has always worshiped the Dark Watcher, the goddess of the night. It is the Dark Watcher’s blessing that has bestowed Ellynor with the gift of healing and the ability to move through the night unobserved. As love blossoms between Justin and Ellynor, he discovers her magical talents. Fearing that her convent sisters may mark her as a mystic, she swears Justin to secrecy. When Ellynor finds herself unable to escape the convent, it falls to Justin to risk everything—his own secret, the trust of his friends, even his very life—in order to save her.”

I enjoyed this third book quite a bit. It was very interesting to see things from Justin and Ellynor’s perspective. The majority of the story takes place in Neft, where Justin is working undercover trying to determine what exactly Coralinda is up to. He comes to the rescue of young Ellynor on the streets of Neft and the two quickly become captivated with one another. Up until now, I had a certain image of Justin in my mind, so it was somewhat odd to see things from his perspective, because he now comes across totally different than the character I had pictured. This is the first time he is completely on his own and he doesn’t like it much. That is one reason why he bonds so quickly with Ellynor. It also gives him a chance to really become independent from Tayse and build his confidence and make his own decisions. I thought Ellynor was a welcome character to the story, she is a bit naive and inexperienced, but has a strength, savvy and kindness about her that makes her very likable. I was happiest when all six characters were together again, the story is at its best when we can see them all interact and it’s nice to see how much they have come to love and respect one another. I can’t wait to read book four.

Has anyone else noticed that Justin kind of got ripped off in the name department? Everyone else has these really cool unique names: Senneth, Tayse, Donnal, Cammon, Kirra and then Justin. I like the name Justin but it seems so plain compared to everyone else’s.