The Blood Vier Book Recap

After learning of her father’s death, Taryn flees her childhood home in search of her mother's family, finally free from a promise to never leave without her father's blessing or until his death. She’s tracked down by a man named Vladimir, who reveals that her father Michael Gallows was the most powerful man in the kingdom, the leader of the Kavari. Her father was murdered, and someone claims to have information but refuses to release it to anyone but Taryn.

Vladimir, now leader of the Kavari, offers information about her mother’s secret past in exchange for her help. Taryn wants nothing to do with her estranged father but accepts the deal and rides with him to the capital of Gharridan. They’re intercepted by Crown Prince William, and she grows suspicious when Vladimir conceals her identity from both William and another Kavari named Katherine, who possesses unusual blood-red hair.

As a diarchy, the kingdom is ruled by the Crown and Kavari, and the two parties are in disagreement over who the next instated Kavari should be. Vladimir believes the queen’s candidate Mordakai killed Michael to become a Kavari, but can’t voice his concerns without proof. 

Vladimir and Katherine leave to attend a council meeting the next morning, but William escorts Taryn against her will to also attend. Vladimir is forced to reveal her identity and immediately presents her as a candidate for the Kavari. Taryn is furious, but Vladimir explains that she’s a Blood Vier, a blood heir, capable of inheriting a place in the Kavari just like the crown is passed from one generation to the next. Vladimir asks her to pose as a candidate and vie for a position in the Kavari to buy him time to gather enough evidence against Mordakai. If she doesn’t, he warns she could be hunted down and assassinated to keep her from ever taking her father’s place. Seeing no other choice, Taryn agrees, and the queen declares that a choosing ceremony will take place in one month’s time to determine who will be the next Kavari. 

Taryn begins training, and William taunts her into a duel. She almost beats him and reveals her father taught her how to wield a sword. The revelation angers Vladimir, because Mordakai will now view her as a legitimate threat after she made herself viable competition by displaying her skill. Vladimir questions everything that Michael taught Taryn and why she and her mother were kept secret. He discusses it with Katherine and determines that Michael always intended for Taryn to become a Kavari.

Taryn overhears an argument between Mordakai and his brother Zedekiah. Mordakai catches her and takes her to his office where he questions her heritage and motive for being in the capital. He claims he is loyal to Gharridan and warns that anyone who wishes to harm it should leave the country while they can and while they are still free to do so.

Taryn and Vladimir meet with Gavil, the man claiming to have evidence about her father’s murder, and learn Michael tasked Gavil with finding Jarrod Lynch, a physician who used to work in the capital but who had been in hiding for years. Michael believed treason had been committed against the late King Roldan and Gharridan, and he needed Jarrod Lynch's testimony. Gavil managed to track down Jarrod’s brother, Randal, who agreed to help persuade him to come forward. A week before Michael died, he told Gavil he was trying to intercept a high document containing the terms of a secret treaty that had left the castle, which ultimately led to his death. Gavil tells them the other Kavari, Marco, is currently on the way to the capital to deliver this letter which could potentially incriminate Mordakai. Vladimir believes the murder involved more than one person, and Gavil insinuates that if they were willing to kill Michael, they'd be willing to kill Vladimir as well.

While visiting her father’s rooms and seeking answers, Taryn runs into the queen who advises her to walk away from the competition, claiming Mordakai is more experienced and she has nothing to offer. Taryn decides not to, knowing that once Marco arrives with the evidence, she'll be free.

Gavil turns up dead, and Vladimir rides out to ensure Marco’s safety, leaving Taryn to train with Katherine and Prince William. Taryn searches for her mother’s home, Dalendria, on the continent’s maps, but can’t find any record of its existence.

Vladimir and his men come across a scurion, an individual left in the dark to everything except for specific information. He tells them Marco was kidnapped and that Taryn is next.

Taryn and Katherine leave the confines of the city to train, and Katherine tells Taryn that she is a Radonaya who possesses the ability to heal. She's despised by the Crown because she was unable to save someone, and they never forgave her for it. The blood-red hue of her hair represents the people she could not save. They cross a bridge over the Jidero river and are attacked. Taryn is dragged into the water and struggles against her captor before finally breaking away, only to be sucked down into the water by the violence of the current.

Vladimir returns to find a search party looking for Taryn, and he finds her washed up on the river bank.

Unconscious, Taryn hears voices arguing over how to save her, and then relives a memory from when she was deathly sick as a child, her parents arguing as her father crushed the petals of a red flower to dust.

She awakens two days later in a cabin they secretly stashed her in after Katherine healed her. Only the three of them know she's still alive, because they believe Mordakai tried to kill her and will do so again. When they arrive for the choosing ceremony, they learn it has already taken place and the Crown has named Mordakai as Kavari. Vladimir argues it’s illegal because he was not present, and William vouches for him.

Taryn informs them someone tried to kill her, insinuating foul play, but the queen turns the suspicion to Katherine. The revelation bothers Mordakai, and he insists the incident be investigated before he assumes the role of Kavari. He has figured out the killer’s identity, but as soon as he opens his mouth, a sword wielded by Zedekiah is plunged through his back. Taryn and Zedekiah engage in a duel. He tells her she has her father's eyes, and he reveals he was behind both the plot to kill her and her father's death. Zedekiah's loyalists attack the Gharridan soldiers in the room, and a fight ensues. Zedekiah takes Taryn hostage as he and his remaining men flee through the secret tunnel behind the dais.

Vladimir and William give chase, Katherine on their heels as they break out of the tunnel, Zedekiah and his men fleeing on horseback. Katherine shoots his horse in the leg, sending Taryn and Zedekiah tumbling to the ground, but Zedekiah escapes with one of his men.

They chase after Zedekiah whose group separates, and they have to split up. Vladimir and Katherine end up on Zedekiah's trail, and Vladimir tries to piece together exactly what happened in the throne room. William and Taryn are attacked and kidnapped by a man named Silas. They overhear him talking about transporting them across the border into Brenden where they’ll meet up with Zedekiah, and that Marco is in a prison being tortured for information. Taryn asks why he’d be in Brenden, and William says Zedekiah had nothing to gain from murdering her father unless another country offered him a substantial reward.

William and Taryn manage to escape, then have to survive in the cold and wilderness as they keep ahead of their chasing captors. Taryn tells him a little about her childhood, and William reveals he was close with his father until Katherine killed him, claiming as a Radonaya she had to have intentionally not wanted to heal him.

They come upon a village, and Taryn speaks with an older woman who says the Kavari Marco was transported through the town and taken to the prison in Gapsvar. Taryn wants to go rescue Marco to find out what information he possessed, and also because she believes if she finds Marco, she'll find Zedekiah. William argues Marco is probably already dead and their duty is to return to the capital. Consumed by vengeance, Taryn says her only duty is to bring her father's murderer to justice, and they angrily part ways.

Vladimir and his group stop to gather supplies in a town when he passes Randal, the brother of Jarrod Lynch. Randal claims what Michael wanted from his brother had nothing to do with Zedekiah, but that Jarrod will never come forward because of Zedekiah’s betrayal and the treason in the court. Vladimir threatens for them to be captured dead or alive unless Randal brings his brother to him.

William reunites with Taryn, and a blizzard separates them from Silas and his men. They seek refuge in a cave while the storm rages outside. William reveals he's afraid of failing his late father and has always been a disappointment to his mother. Taryn fears the guilt over the indifference toward her father's death and never bringing his murderer to justice.

After the storm breaks, they head to Gapsvar, whose people hold a resentment toward Gharridans. William speaks enough of the language to secure them a room at an inn. One of the young girls working in the stables recognizes Taryn’s Kavari ring but says nothing.

Vladimir is tracking Zedekiah, doubting himself and his ability to rule, but one of his men, Melvin, steps in and reassures him that he's doing the best that he is able. That Michael saw something in him that no one else did.

William and Taryn stake out the prison outside Gapsvar, unable to find a way into the heavily guarded fortress. At the inn, they're confronted by a group of Gapsvarian soldiers who beat William up for sport and leave him and Taryn stranded outside in the snow, evicted from the inn. She’s refused help for being Gharridan, until she runs into the same girl in the stables who recognized her ring, and she helps her get an unconscious William onto Stryder and takes them to her house. Her mother Beva also recognizes the ring and calls Taryn a Kavari.

She gives William a tonic that helps with the pain and puts him to sleep. After they tend to his wounds, Taryn explains their situation and that she's not a Kavari. Beva used to live in Gharridan, but her daughter Helvah was born in Gapsvar. Beva works in the prison’s kitchen, and Taryn asks if she can sneak her and William inside.

Vladimir and Katherine catch up to Zedekiah as he reaches an outpost. Katherine tries to fire at him, but Vladimir stops her saying the shot is too far and he'd be more valuable alive. She disagrees and they argue, but Vladimir is determined to figure out where he's headed first.

Taryn brings up the plan of sneaking into the fortress to William, but he rejects the idea. She gives him the same concoction from the first night that puts him to sleep, and she and Beva set out in the morning. Beva gets her in under the guise that Taryn is her niece and is here to help her for the upcoming feast. They're working in the kitchens when the commander Captain Dugal appears and overhears them speaking Gharrideese.

He unnerves Taryn and is not happy about her presence. Taryn discovers where they’re holding Marco and warns Beva to retrieve Helvah and get to safety. Captain Dugal questions Taryn, and she mixes lies with truth, trying to quell his suspicion. He claims she looks familiar, and Taryn grows uncomfortable. They're interrupted by a missive for Captain Dugal, and Taryn reads half the letter. It talks about treaty conditions being fulfilled and that Marco can be disposed of. King Dorjan of Algarar is mentioned, along with Brenden being ready.

Two soldiers drag William in, and Captain Dugal sees the recognition on Taryn's face. He threatens to harm Taryn unless William starts talking. When he learns she's the daughter of Michael Gallows, he arranges to execute them at dawn and throws them in the dungeons.

William and Taryn argue until she finally apologizes and admits that everything is her fault. They discuss the Algarian soldiers William saw in the fortress and the reality of their fate. William tries to kiss Taryn, but she pulls back, and they hear a noise from the cell next to them. It's Marco, but his mind is gone, tortured out of him, and Taryn accepts defeat at never getting the letter and being too late to save anyone.

Vladimir and Katherine follow Zedekiah to Gapsvar where they hesitate to enter the city, but Vladimir believes he knows where he's headed.

The next morning Taryn is taken to Captain Dugal's office where Zedekiah waits for her. He tells her that her father learned the hard way that death is not the end of suffering. Beva is brought into the room and Taryn begs him to leave Beva out of it. Beva assures her it's okay, and just to remember what brought Taryn to her. Zedekiah slits Beva's throat. Taryn is kicking and screaming. shredded by grief as they drag her to the gallows and string her up beside William and Marco. When the drums stop beating, the world around them explodes.

Vladimir is searching for a way into the fortress when they find William and Taryn's horses tied in the woods. They hear the drums and come upon the execution. They’re outnumbered but form a plan. Katherine fires a special black arrow that causes an explosion.

Chaos ensues as arrows rain down from the trees and the soldiers scramble to retaliate. William helps Marco and Taryn down, but Taryn sees Zedekiah escaping and chases after him. They engage in a duel in the snow as Taryn tries to take her revenge for her father's death.

Vladimir orders everyone to fall back and flee, seeing Taryn chase after Zedekiah and pursuing them. Taryn slips on a patch of ice, and Vladimir catches Zedekiah's blade with his own before it can kill her. Zedekiah taunts him, belittling his efforts and questioning his success as leader of the Kavari. They duel around their words until Vladimir finally holds him at sword point. He says they killed Michael because he got too close to the truth. Vladimir asks who, and Zedekiah produces a weapon in the shape of a silver crescent, dropping it to the ground before him, claiming he has information. He says you don't know who she is, do you? before an arrow fired by Katherine strikes him in the chest and kills him.

They all flee, and Taryn tries to go back for Helvah, but the Gapsvarian soldiers have already reached the town, cutting off any hope of rescuing her. William and Taryn are devastated.

Vladimir speaks with Taryn, and she's struggling over why she still feels empty even after Zedekiah's death. He shows her the disk Zedekiah had thrown on the ground, a ricochet, choice weapon of the assassins of Brenden. Taryn tells him about the missive, and he reveals her mother's family name was Illdalore—which isn’t from Gharridan.

They break off from the others, and Vladimir takes her to the place where her father was murdered. Taryn goes to her father's grave and asks him why he abandoned her, realizing the truth that even if he had never loved her, she had still loved him. She regrets dismissing him when he tried to visit her right before his death, and she apologizes. She forgives him, knowing that it was the bitterness destroying her and that unless she forgave him, she would never truly be free. She walks away from his grave leaving the weight of bitterness behind.

Taryn asks Vladimir why they burned the bodies around her father, and Vladimir, with the ricochet now in hand, says that Brenden doesn't bury their dead. They burn them. Taryn resolves to bring the murderers to justice.

Captain Dugal enters a tent where a dead body with no visible wounds lays sprawled in the middle. Helvah is sitting with her arms around her knees, crying. He apologizes for what she has been through, for bringing her here like this. He promises they’re not going to hurt her, and that her mother would've wanted him to take care of her. He tells her he's not upset about the dead body on the floor, but he's glad that he knows what she really is and why her mother tried to hide her in Gapsvar. He had a daughter once, about her age, but someone took her from him. Helvah argues that Taryn and William were good people, and he says the people who killed his daughter also claimed to be good people. He asks her to help him bring the bad people to justice, and she tentatively takes his gloved hand and agrees.