A Must Read; Coming February 28, 2012

Yes, I know it’s been a week since my last post but with the holiday and Black Friday it was all I could do to just keep up the energy. But anyways here’s my review, I know it's really long, bear with me, there was just so much to say about it.

First thoughts:

OMG! This was the most amazing story; this is definitely one of my favorite series period. The talent this nineteen year old withholds is enormous, she has created complex and dynamic characters and landscapes, and they seem so real and tangible. At times I have to convince myself that I'm not there, that the world I’m submerged in isn’t real. The story and plotline were aligned perfectly with the conflicts and characters. The characters were more real in this book; we were able to see more of them, to see things that we hadn’t been privileged to know in “Legacy” the first book of this three part trilogy. The characters were still complex and real, there wasn’t one character that really fell flat to me, I believed they all had a distinct personality and each one had their own role to play. As for the writing itself it flowed smoothly and without a hitch, the only issue I could find was that some of the chapters ended too abruptly, I thought they were forced and should have been divided differently. The description of this world was amazing; I was able to see every last detail of the scenes, it was so beautiful and wonderful to experience a book where I didn’t have to work hard to imagine, it was very much described to the tee but the best part it wasn’t too much description as to tire you. It was described the perfect amount and the description helped you better understand the story. The dialogue was just as good as “Legacy’s” it was believable and realistic, I didn’t feel it to be fake or off in any way. As for the length of this book it is about 500 pages but they went by so fast for me that by the time I finished the last page I yearned for more. The story itself is so intriguing and different from what I’m used to reading in the young adult genre. It has a hint of paranormal but not enough to really classify it as such. It’s so beautiful and fresh that it inspires me to seek the same in my own writing. As for the issues they were very much minimum, there were some parts of the story in which some of the characters took a turn I hadn’t been expected, I yearned for them to act like they normally would but when you’re dealing with what they are I guess there’s a point where you would change and that’s exactly what happened in this book. I have to admit this book had a darker feel to it, especially near the mid-point and after, I felt the drape of dreariness and remorse, so much happened in this book, so much that I had to read slowly to absorb it. At times I felt tears dripping down onto my hands and was surprised that the book had touched me in that way. The author definitely has a way to connect the reader with the characters themselves, the bonds you feel with them is just as great as the ones you have in real life.

 Goodreads Summary:

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn....

Last thoughts:

This is definitely a book to pick up and read, something that prevented me from finishing a book I was already reading. I would recommend this to any “Legacy” fans this definitely fulfilled my expectations and more and I’d recommend this to anyone who hasn’t even given the series a try, it’s best suited for people who love fantasy and romance. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who isn’t a fan of fantasy or that of books that resolve around palaces and kingdoms. If you didn't enjoy the first one I don’t think you’d enjoy this one any better but there was a lot more to this story that might pipe your interest. I’m still reeling from the fact that the maturity of this writing is coming from such a young author, it just goes to show you age doesn’t matter.