Synopsis

An historical alliance between two gifted races is threatened when Princess Alana Bell Sundry is attacked and a bounty is placed on her head. With powerful enemies on two borders, the kingdom of Latera is relying on her arranged marriage to the Gaellen Prince to strengthen their position in Tanithor.

Enlisting the help of a mysterious bodyguard to keep her alive until her prince arrives to claim her, Alana soon learns there’s more to the undercover guard than meets the eye. As she spends time with her new bodyguard, she realizes that the attacks on her life aren’t the only threats to the alliance. Her heart may prove just as effective at dismantling a union that has been years in the making.

Meanwhile, across the Great River, Griff Shoshone is unaware of the political events happening around him. The girl he’s loved for years has recently been promised to his little brother, the future Chief of Hoken, and Griff must find a way to reconcile his heart to the Oracle’s prophetic declaration. However, after a fateful decision with deadly consequences leaves him and his brother’s betrothed captured in enemy territory, Griff must now come to terms with his new fated destiny.

Review

I was given this ARC as a gift from the author. My opinions and thoughts of the book are mine alone.

There are many young adult fantasy novels out there. Actually, there is more than I can even count. I have read my fair share and don’t get me wrong; it is insane to think that there is a possibility for more. There is so much to fit into a large genre that some books just fall to the wayside. This book is far from that. Its unique, interesting and something totally unexpected that will change the way people view young adult fantasy.

If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that there are two things that I look for in any fantasy novel. The first is world building and the second are characters that jump from the page. This book has both, but not in an average way. No, this author takes the reader to places where you get a glimpse of the immense world that the reader is journeying through. We, as readers, get this rare opportunity to jump into the author’s brain. Sometimes it makes sense and sometimes you’re just as lost as the characters. This book, I had the map prior to the characters and while I took the journey with them, I was an overseer and not an awkward extra.

My Rating: This book is 5 out of 5 stars. There is no question about it. Read this book! This is the author’s debut novel. As a reader, I am shocked. This book has all the makings of brilliant and I want people to experience the level of creativity that I did. This book is the heart and soul of the author. You can tell with the careful sculpting of every word in every sentence. There is nothing that is left out. This is book 1, I can’t wait to read the book again before I read book 10. Hats off to Sharayah Maurice and I am, not so patiently, waiting to read your next work of art.