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Once, an evil Dark Lord set out to take over a magical place. This Lord was a necromancer, the most evil of all evil creatures. With powerful magic he was able to control those whom death had claimed, and with his army of the dead, he was all but unstoppable. Only love, and the ultimate sacrifice, could bring an end to his domination. A small courageous group must forfeit everything to save their world. Love, youth and eternal life are all forsaken to save an only child - a child of both good and evil, dark and light.
Two hundred years have passed since the fall of the Dark Lord. Peace has reigned, and the once mighty Castle Storm has fallen to ruin in the years of quietude. Young Tania is a serving girl in the musty, tumbledown castle. She lives there, along with her grandfather, leading a life of drudgery and boredom. Tania longs desperately for some adventure - but when adventure finally comes knocking at the door of Castle Storm, she gets more than she bargained for.
Forced by recent rumors of a new Dark Lord's emergence, her grandfather must finally reveal Tania's true heritage to her. She is not a serving girl, but a lady - one who was born two hundred years ago. And Tania is not the only one who has secrets. Shabaz, the old white horse that she has cared for all of her life, has a secret of his own. He is not a horse at all, but is instead a wise and noble unicorn. Even Tania's grandfather is not who he seems - but, how could he ever have been her true grandfather, with him being an elf and Tania being purely human? Tania's greatest shock comes when the truth of her lineage is revealed to her. How could she be a product of both evil and good?
With nothing but sheer courage, a gallant heart and her unicorn steed, she sets out to fight the new threat from the Dark Lord. But, many things are not as they seem. Who can Tania trust in her endeavor to fight this evil magic? And will she, too, have to make the ultimate sacrifice to set things right again?
THE SECRET OF SHABAZ is a wonderfully engrossing, finely detailed adventure through mystical lands, bursting with elves, spells and secret surprises. Author Jennifer Macaire has written a magical masterpiece! Reminiscent of Tolkien's engrossing works, THE SECRET OF SHABAZ is sure to delight all readers of fantasy fiction.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
October 6, 2004
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