The Fallen Moon - The Dark Griffin

The Dark Griffin, the first in The Fallen Moon series, by K J Taylor, is about a man named Arren Cadrockson, who starts his story as Master of Trade at Eagleholm, along with his companion, the griffin Eluna. Grifiners are always treated with respect, even a northener like Arren. At least to his face. When a raid causes the death of one of the criminals, Arren and Eluna are forced to capture or kill a black griffin that has been troubling a nearby town to repay the dead man's family. When he goes to fight the griffin, he sucessfully captures it, but Eluna is killed while defending him. He takes the griffin to the arena at Eagleholm, where, due to his griffin having been killed, and being a northerner, he loses all of his satus, and his job as Master of Trade. Lord Rannagon declines having any knowledge of sending Arren to capture the griffin, and calls Arren mad, which almost everyone believes, because he is a northerner, and he let his griffin get killed. His friends, Flell, Bran and Gern, try to look after him, but when he tells them, Gern is killed in an "accident". Meanwhile, "Darkheart", the griffin captured by Arren, quickly becomes a favourite at the arena. Arren sets out trying to get revenge on Rannagon, who is also his girlfriend Flell's father.
   This book is very good at making you care for Arren, and hate Rannagon for causing Arren to lose his life ;! You also end up wondering if Arren really is crazy, at times, and I spent alot of time wondering if Flell would still love Arren if he tried to kill her father. Even Darkheart is and interesting character. You are also constantly reminded that this is also a very realistic story, that there really isn't anything Arren can do to prove he is right, and that Rannagon is competely serious about his threats. Gern isn't a "Jenkins" who dies before you even know anything about him, he is Arren's friend for almost half the book, and then you feel that the author will kill anyone in this story, when he dies.
   An extremely gripping book, and the series is definately worth reading.