There is only one among the Tarmack nation with the ability to wield magic, eighteen-year-old Rydan Gale. He lives like a prince, cherished for his talent to bend the fabric of the universe to his will. In the war against the Liasam, he is their ultimate weapon.The Liasam have a source of magic as well, but Akara’s mastery of her power is rudimentary at best. With a brilliant display of fire-rain Rydan’s side wins the war, giving the Tarmack sole control over dwindling resources due to the natural disasters ripping apart the earth.When Akara is sentenced to death, Rydan questions the motive, and discovers the leaders of the newly unified nation fear magic above all else. With war a memory, his skills no longer needed, Rydan suspects he is next. Throwing away every comfort, he pulls Akara from the flames of her execution and their lives as fugitives begin.Both have a tattoo on the back of their neck, the mark of an extinguished tribe. They discover the natural disasters plaguing the world are due to the tribe’s demise and only Rydan and Akara can save the crumbling world.But the greatest obstacle for saving mankind isn’t the bizarre creatures and determined men hunting them.It’s that Akara doesn’t believe the world is worth saving.
I
don’t read a ton of fantasy books, but when I do, I thoroughly enjoy them. This
was no exception. It was filled with action and an adorably sweet romance.
Akara
has been tortured and used as a weapon to fight against a warring city for her
whole life. She is one of the only two people left in this world who has the
talent to wield magic, the other is Rydan, the magic user for the opposition.
When her side loses, she is sentenced to death, but she is saved by Rydan and
they escape together. They find out their origins and discover that they are
the key to the world’s survival. Unfortunately, with everything Akara has been through, she does not think that the world is worth saving. Can Rydan convince Akara that it is before its too late, or will the world as they know it perish?
Akara is hard to like at
first, but I quickly warmed up to her. She has had a horrible life,
being imprisoned and looked down upon for as long as she can remember. She has
never had a friend or a confidante, until Rydan comes along. She is very
hesitant to trust, and I sympathize with her very much. She is very socially
awkward, which is completely understandable. Once she warmed up to Rydan, she
became wonderful and very sweet.
Rydan is pretty awesome. I
mean, he risked his life multiple times for a girl who he did not know at all,
just because her fate was completely unfair. He is selfless, always wanting to
heal her first before himself. He’s a great protector. I liked his insistence
to want to prove to Akara that the world is worth saving. It made their trek
worthwhile.
Most of the other people in
this book were pretty bad, close-minded people. They wanted to harm both Rydan
and Akara only because they were different, which is just so not okay. I liked
Tristan, a boy that they found on their journey. He was very knowledgeable
about their surroudings and helped Akara and Rydan. Tristan’s grandmother,
Jesibel, was wise, skilled, and very kind. She too was a great help.
The beginning of the book
jumped right into the plot. There was no down time, which is something that I
loved. At times, the plot was a bit predictable, only with the fact that they
were chased down by the bad men, only to use magic to escape. This happened a
couple times, and I kinda knew when it would happen again. Despite this, I liked their quest
to save the world. It made for a great plot. The romance was something I would
have liked a bit more of. It was developed quite nicely, and it definitely took
some time for them to trust each other. But at the end, Akara found her reason
for wanting to save the world. :)
I am not totally sure if
this is a standalone or a first book in the series, but nevertheless, it was
amazing. If there is more to come, I can’t wait to see more of Rydan and Akara
together. All around, this was a magnificent fantasy book!
Favorite
Swoon-worthy Quote: The smile
again grew. “No. I think we make a pretty good team.” He ran his hand over her
cheek, brushing back the hair from her face. It wasn’t until recently she
welcomed it, now she didn’t want it to stop. She wanted him to hold her forever.
Rating: 4/5 Tar Heels!
Make sure to enter the giveaway for 1 of 5 e-copies of Fraction of Stone!
About the Author:During Kelley Lynn’s last year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, while pursuing her degree in Chemical Engineering, the voices in her head got the best of her. Surprisingly, they didn’t want to talk about process flow diagrams and heat capacity. They preferred the fantastical. So instead of turning to her Thermodynamics book, Kelley brought up a blank page on her computer screen and wrote.Come graduation, not only did Kelley have a diploma and, thankfully, a wonderful job, but she had a new obsession as well. Amidst the order and exactness that came with the nine to five, Kelley found a way to create; to determine the rules of a world and take her characters to the limits of what was possible. Perhaps she has a slight control complex.The first in the series, Fraction of Stone, was born on an airplane and took ten days to write. It probes the question, should the world be saved if there’s no one in it worth saving?When briefly managing to quiet the voices, Kelley participates in softball, soccer and volleyball. (You probably don’t want her on your volleyball team. Unless you want to laugh.) She lives with her sister and her dog who can attest to the chair that has Kelley’s butt print permanently pressed into it. Depending on the weekend, you might be able to hear Kelley sing for an area classic rock band.Kelley Lynn is a member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators.Find Kelley at:
Hi Annie!
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for taking the time to review my work. You're not the only one who wanted a bit more romance but I promise in the next book (yes its a series) there will be more. ;)
Thanks again. It really means a lot to get such honest feedback.
Kelley Lynn