The prince is murdered and the king of the Weald lies on his deathbed. Under these precarious political conditions, Lord Ingrey is sent to retrieve the prince’s murderess, the Lady Ijada, and convey her back to the capital city to stand trial.

Ingrey soon finds himself strangely connected to Ijada as they tumble into a world of political tangles stretching back centuries. Old pagan magic clashes with reformed religion, the gods seek to reclaim lost souls and mortals caught in the middle struggle to understand their role.

I was a teensy-weensy bit disappointed to discover The Hallowed Hunt did not continue in Chalion. Well, maybe bone-crushingly so. I was so invested in Ista and Illvin I yearned to follow them on their adventures crushing Roknari demons and securing peace in Chalion-Ibra.

In fact, except for a few passing references to Chalion, the only thing The Hallowed Hunt shares with Bujold’s previous novels is the five deities, spirits endangered by mystical rites gone awry and a few chosen vessels sent to fix the mess.

The Hallowed Hunt is a good story but lacks the polished prose and deep emotional wells found in her proceeding novels. Instead of a riveting piece of finely honed literature, it read more like a book written by a prolific writer who has stumbled upon a good formula she can manipulate and extract a few new twists out of tale already told.

Rated: Mild, for descriptions of battle-wounded soldiers and mild sensual references.