Review: Great start to a new series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2011
It's abundantly clear from the very beginning that the main character, Lianne, is one tough chick. She's able to fight better than anyone she knows, although this is a secret she must keep quiet from everyone but her fellow Dalagans (a bit of background: her people are called Dalagans and they gifted Lianne to the Fithians to ensure peace). I really liked how strong she was, but I felt like she was insanely naive at times, to the point that I was shaking my head; although, she was only 16, so we should probably take her young age into account and not judge her too harshly. She definitely became more self-assured and mature by the end of the book. Then we have the two guys in her life, Kellan and Bryden. Kellan is the more out-going of the two, confident to the point of being cocky, and the object of Lianne's affection. I wasn't sure how I felt about him in the beginning, but by the end you will certainly have a very strong opinion regarding his character. Bryden was quiet, reserved, and obviously harboring some secrets. He also used to be best friends with Lianne until the accident when they were young that changed his life. I liked Bryden right away; I can't really tell you why exactly, but he just seemed more trustworthy and genuine than Kellan. Another character that deserves mentioning is the Queen, or "Mags" as Lianne calls her. Her and Lianne became best friends, despite the odds, even though they would most likely both be punished if the king found out. Mags was as much a prisoner as Lianne, for although she seemed to live in the lap of luxury, she was confined to the walls of the castle and lived only to serve her husband, King Rotlar. In fact, I felt worse for Mags than I did for Lianne, because she had no one else to confide in about anything; Lianne at least had Kellan and, eventually, Bryden to talk to about things going on in her life. Overall, we see some big changes in most of the characters; some good, some bad, but all really interesting to read about.Romance Sizzle Or Fizzle?: I can't really go into much detail here either, for fear of giving away too much! I won't tell you if she ends up with Kellan or Bryden, but I will say I found the romance to sizzle, because I feel that Lianne and the guy she chooses have great chemistry and seem to belong together. Now you just have to read this book for yourself to find out who the lucky guy is!Overall, not a bad read! The first half for me was 5 stars, the second half I would rate as a 3 (maybe 3.5, but I don't really deal in 1/2 stars), so I'm going to even it out to 4 stars. Even though it fizzled a bit for me in the end, I still enjoyed reading it and am wondering what will happen next with these characters. If you enjoy a book with magic, plot twists, and a good love triangle, then you should definitely check this one out!