Of Kings and Griffins is the third book in the author’s Tesha series. I did not read the first two and felt no loss. What you are getting when you dive into the book is a rich, story based on the history of the Hittites. Tesha is married to the chief advisor to the throne but the King has just died and she is anxious for many reasons – most of all she wants her husband to keep his influence with the new king. But the new king is only a child and there are forces afoot that aim to take advantage.

As this book takes the reader into the realm of fantasy we also meet an enclave of mythical griffins where Tesha’s sister Daniti has been kept captive. While there though she learns to appreciate the magnificent creatures and there is an understanding that they too only want the best for their children.

In addition, Daniti’s husband, Marak is dealing with a plague of some kind that is killing his soldiers. He cannot understand the how or the why but he needs to stop it before his army is decimated.

All of these subplots are expertly woven together into a fast paced and thrilling tale that combines history and fantasy. The characters are richly developed and all wonderfully distinct and comfortably inhabit their worlds be they mystical or just plain boring. That is the kind of writing you have to appreciate; where you can easily move between griffins and humans and feel that all is right in the world you are reading about.

This was a delight of a book. Well written and quite engrossing. I didn’t get much done while reading it and that’s the kind of book you want, right? ( )