The Unraveling of Wentwater (Volume 4) (The Gates of Heaven Series)

Product Description

When the simple, backward village of Wentwater begins disappearing one word at a time, no one can figure out how to stop it. Not the learned men living up in the Heights nor the superstitious leaders of the village. But those who had attended the baby naming ceremony seventeen years earlier remember the words of the marsh witch, and her pronouncement that the babe would one day cause the unraveling of Wentwater. In their fear, the villagers banish the parents and set their cottage on fire, and the babe was thought to have perished in the flames. But . . . did she?

Teralyn lives in the Heights and wants nothing more than to create beautiful music on her lap harp. When she comes down to the village for a festival, she falls in love with a villager named Fromer, much to the fury of Fromer’s brother, Justyn. Justyn’s jealousy moves him to make a deal with the witch, and when Wentwater vanishes due to a backfiring spell, it leaves Teralyn, the only person left in the kingdom, with a terrible choice. She must leave her life and forget Wentwater, or she can spend seven long years restoring everything back to the way it was, by spinning nettle into thread and stitching the world back . . . one word at a time.

The Unraveling of Wentwater explores love, jealousy, mercy, and judgment. It spins a tale about the power and magic of words, and as the marsh witch, who keeps words in a jar, warns, “Be careful with your words, they have consequences!” Secrets and superstitions abound in the kingdom, but only a water creature who lives at the bottom of the lake and guards the sacred site knows the truth and can help Teralyn restore all.

In this fourth installment of The Gates of Heaven fantasy series, readers will learn of the fourth of seven sacred sites heaven set up on earth to prevent evil from gaining a stronghold over the hearts of men. Inspired by the traditional fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, readers will be taken on a journey that will leave them, in a word . . . speechless.

Review

“Lakin (The Wolf of Tebron) mixes classic fairy tale elements (witches, spinning thread from nettles, water spirits) with wisdom elements from the Bible in a highly imaginative amalgam that examines the making of meaning and the making of mercy. Lakin’s clever revival of the power of fairy tales as she continues The Gates of Heaven fantasy series makes one miss them as a vehicle for instructing the young.” -Publisher’s Weekly

“The fourth Gates of Heaven fantasy (see The Land of Darkness and Map Across Time) is a terrific allegorical drama based on the premise that one needs to “Be careful with your words – they have consequences!” With a reverse Sleeping Beauty theme and biblical references on wisdom, passion and faith, fans will appreciate this timely tale of two siblings and the harpist, as sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can harm you too.” –Harriet Klausner, top Amazon reviewer

About the Author

C. S. Lakin is an award-winning author of more than thirty books, fiction and nonfiction, writing instructor, and professional copyeditor who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lakin’s award-winning blog for writers, Live Write Thrive, provides deep writing instruction and posts on industry trends. 

Her site CritiqueMyManuscript.com features her critique services. She teaches workshops and critiques at writing conferences and workshops around the country.

Her seven-book fantasy series, The Gates of Heaven, is available in print and ebook, allegorical fairy tales drawing from classic tales we all read in our childhood.

She also has an award-winning historical Western romance series under the pen name Charlene Whitman.

In addition to the novels she’s written, Lakin also publishes writing craft books in the series The Writer’s Toolbox, which help novelists learn how to write great books. Get your free ebook–Strategic Planning for Writers in 4 Easy Steps–at her blog livewritethrive.

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