Review - The Queen's Choice (Heirs of Chrior #1) by Cayla Kluver

Title: The Queen's Choice

Author: Cayla Kluver

Series: 1st

Pages: 512

Published: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen 

ISBN: 9780373210923

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again.  When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equalled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself. Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined. 

I Give This ...

I was really excited for this book.  I enjoyed Kluver's previous series immensely and I was hoping that she would grow as an author considering her age.  While this had a lot of elements that I came to enjoy from her previous works, this story was lacking some spark.

The story elements were greatly intriguing.   Fairy and humans worlds interact in ways that you don't typically see in books.  The two worlds seem to almost be at peace and fairies move freely about the human world.  But, not all is what it seems.  Fairies are disappearing at an alarming rate, and some fairies feel that there is a general feeling of unease in the human world.  There's always that risk of running into humans that aren't sympathetic to the fairies, but it was a risk some were willing to take.

Anya is one of those fairies.  I think she gets a thrill out of traveling throughout the human world.  She never sees the risk of it, which is something she always has a hard time explaining to those who never leave the fairy world.  I think this is were I had an issue with the story. Anya always acts without thinking.  When her aunt sends out Illumina, she never thinks about the reasoning behind this.  She just takes it upon herself to follow her out into the human world and do the work for her.  A mistake that costs her dearly.  But even after all that she goes through, it doesn't seem to change how she processes things.

I was unsure about Illumina.  I often thought she was just deeply misunderstood.  She may not have been keen to the human world.  But, I don't think she would have been as bad as a ruler as everyone thinks she will be.  I really believe she should be given the chance to prove herself and not counting her out for the very beginning.  The character I found most intriguing was Prince Zabriel.  He's a combination of both worlds and feels he doesn't fit in anywhere.

The story was also really slow.  There's a lot of world building here, but almost excessively so.  I found myself thinking less describing more doing in many points.  There were certain parts of the book that I was engrossed in.  But other parts, I found myself skimming.  I'm unsure how I feel about reading the next one.  Although, I'm sure I will when the time comes. 

 

 

Review - Sacrifice (Legacy #3) by Cayla Kluver

Title: Sacrifice

Author: Cayla Kluver

Series: 3rd (Legacy, Allegiance)

Pages: 438

Published: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen 

ISBN: 9780373210442

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost.  Alera - Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy.  Shaselle -Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause.  One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor's edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family's tragedy, following whispers of insurgency.  Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death—or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.

I Give This ...

 

Man was I worried about this one.  I loved the first two in the series but I was so apprehensive that it could not end in a manner that would be true to the story and make me happy.  Tall order I know, but I wanted to see how it could be done.  

The end of book two left me reeling.  War and country take over is not a new topic to me.  But for some reason the way it was presented really hit home for me.  This book begins with the devastated country ripped of everything it has ever known.  Countless high ranking officials were murdered and/or tortured.  They've settled for peace, but at what cost?  The Corkiyan priestess has harsh terms all designed to make the men of the country feel lower than low.  Alera really has power in name only. 

Alera really grew into her character in this book.  I think in the beginning she was happy to have peace and quite a number of those closest to her still alive.  She was willing to work with the conditions laid out before her.  But, I don't think she realized the full effects of those terms.  She doesn't initially see how it is belittling her people.  She feels at first that the best course of actions is to follow these rules and eventually the reigns will be loosened.  It's not long before she sees the noose for what it really is.  In a country that is use to having a male ruler, Alera realizes she alone has the ability to make the proper negotiations to ensure her country has a chance to survive.

But, the people of her country do not take like to rebel in subtle ways at first.  And it doesn't come from who you might expect.  I wasn't surprised at Steldor or even London's actions.  They were reckless and they knew it.  But, they weren't going to stand being oppressed.   I enjoyed their antics and when they were serious about overthrowing the priestess, their plan was amazing.

I love that we get a part of this story told from Shaselle's point of view.  With her we get to see the feeling around the country.  I love her personality, but think she was extremely naive in how she believed she could help the rebel movement.  Nothing she did was well thought out and always ended up causing way more harm than good.  I was happy to see her find love in the end.

Truly way more to talk about, but I was extremely satisfied with the ending.   With this awesome fantasy work under her belt, I am looking forward to what Cayla Kluver could do next. 

 

 

Review - Allegiance (Legacy #2) by Cayla Kluver

Title: Allegiance

Author: Cayla Kluver

Series: 2nd (Legacy)

Pages: 490

Published: February 28th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 9780373210435

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description:  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….

 I Give This ...

 

I was really looking forward to this book.   Legacy had everything that I look for in a novel, including fantasy, romance, and that historical novel feel.   Asking this book to live up to the story the first one created for me was a daunting task.   While at times the story felt long and maybe a little drawn out, the overall story was wonderful.

  

I still enjoyed Alera's character, although I felt like she wasn't half the queen I thought she could be for most of the book.  I know she didn't want any of these, and more important she is in love with Narian.   But, I think she wasn't doing her character any justice by defying the rules and protection that people laid out for her.   And by wallowing in her own self pity, she wasn't showing the people what a strong person she could be.   Thankfully, she eventually steps out of that cocoon that she's built around herself.   We, the readers get an excellent view of the powerful person she grows to be.  And I can't wait for the people to figure that out as well.

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around what Narian was doing.  It sometimes felt like he was doing this just because there was a prophecy that said he did this.  I understood that the Overlord had some serious leverage over him.   But, what was keeping him there later. when the threat had been removed?   I was pleased to see that even when we couldn't see it, every move he made was to put Alera in a better position.   He was constantly fighting for her life.   A lot of lives were lost to protect hers.   A horrible position to be in no doubt, but to Narian nobody else mattered.

The character that surprised me the most was Steldor.  I had mixed feeling on him at the end of Legacy.   But, by the end of this book, part of me really hoped that Alera would give him half a chance.   He may have wanted to be king, but I honestly think that he wanted Alera more.  I don't think he was use to having to chase her.   Everything came so easily to him, and it really bothered him that Alera was the one thing that he couldn't completely had.

It seems like a lot time is covered in this book and it's sometimes difficult to follow.  It's also a little gruesome to the end.  The author spares us quite a bit of details, but leaves plenty the imagination.  War isn't pretty.  And in this magical land, it can be more than bloody.  We were told repeatedly how the Overlord would make everyone suffer.   I apparently didn't really believe it (or couldn't imagine it).  

I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this series with the next book.  The story went in a direction that I honestly wasn't expecting, so I'm curious as to what will happen next.    

 

Review: Legacy (Legacy #1) by Cayla Kluver

Title: Legacy

Author: Cayla Kluver

Series: 1st in Legacy Triology

Pages: 496

Published: Available now from Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 9780373210343

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description: The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon of the nighttime sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, on the same night the Kingdom of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack. Across the land of Hytanica, under the shadow of the crimson moon, infant boys continued to vanish. Not until the blood had faded from the sky did the disappearances stop and the bodies of the murdered infants were found outside the gates of the city, a final word from the greatest enemy Hytanica had ever known. For the next sixteen years, peace reigned, but one mystery remained unsolved. The Cokyrians had abducted forty-nine newborns, but returned only forty-eight bodies. Now, as seventeen-year-old Princess Alera of Hytanica is besieged from all sides by suitors vying for the Throne, a teenage Cokyrian boy, Narian, is encountered within the walls of her Kingdom, a boy who will show Alera a world where women serve a purpose and not just a husband. As Narian helps Alera find her voice, she struggles against an arranged marriage that will shatter the life she has scarcely begun to live. And when Narian's shocking past is uncovered, and war with Cokyri looms once more, he must fight to defy a fate ordained at his birth. 

I Give This ...

 

I was thoroughly impressed when I was done with this story so I started looking at a few reviews.  I began to wonder if we read the same book.  But since there are several versions available, I wonder if the book went through some major edits before published by Harlequin Teen.  I just couldn't see some of the faults that readers pointed out.  

The story reads like an epic young adult fantasy/romance.  While I knew going into the book that it was a trilogy, I was thinking that this first one would be a major part of the story.  While it is, I felt like it was more like Fellowship of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings series.  It's major contribution is painting the picture of what's to come and to give the back story.  I obviously really liked it, but feel like the best is yet to come.  

I enjoyed learning about the Kingdom of Hytanica.  It functions much like I imagine kingdoms did in the medieval time period.  Women's primary role is to serve their husband.  Princess Alera wants more than that.  She's knowledgeable and has a knack for disregarding her "place" in society.  She likes knowing the inner workings of ruling the kingdom.  I think she would make a great queen, but she's not allowed to rule.  She needs to marry and her husband becomes the new king.  I actually really disliked her father in this aspect.  He had it set in his mind who would be the next king and never stopped to think how it might affect his daughter.

I think my favorite character was Narian.  His past is quite interesting.  I liked how he challenged Alera.  I think if given half that chance, he would be the perfect counterpart to Alera and her place as Queen.  I especially enjoyed how he was raised by the mortal enemy.  Which of course has different views on military training and especially in their views of women.  He struggles when he return to Hytanica, but knows he can not return to Cokyri.  His relationship with Alera was wonderful. 

I enjoyed the intrigue in the story.  It seems most of the characters are hiding something.   London, Alera's personal bodyguard, has a deep connection to the Cokyri's that causes his to act completely out of character.  Stelton, the man Alera's father wants her to marry, seems like a complete jerk for most of the story.  But, I think there's more to it than that.  And I'm not sure what to think of Stelton's father.  There's a few events that are a little gruesome, but without all the gory details.  Such are the problems with war.  There's romance and love triangles (sort of).  But, most of all there's the promise of what's to come.  And while the story ended with a little bit of a cliffhanger, I can't wait to see what is in store for us next!