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Kindred (A Realms of the Otherworld – 1)

by Jana LaPelle

Adopted at an early age she’s been given every advantage. Eighteen-year-old Ashlinn Ryllae Elan has wondered, for most of her life, where she fit in. Where did she really come from and why she was abandoned with nothing more than a Celtic inspired pendant necklace. After her eighteenth birthday, strange dreams plague her during the night leaving her to wonder about the man who now seems to haunt her nightly. The connection she feels to this handsome stranger leaves her wishing for him to be real and she longs to know more about him. Little does she know that her entire world is about to change.

Alaric Rhys Faerondarl has waited a long time for Ashlinn to come of age. He is her Guardian and they are Kindred. He has been tasked to keep her safe and bring her home. Their destinies are intertwined and he will do whatever it takes to keep her out of the hands of The Morrígan and the Fomorians. But will it be enough to overcome the obstacles that have been set before them?
The battle to save the Realms is just beginning.

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My Review

5 stars

Ashlinn Ryllae Elan knows that she was adopted and throughout her life has wondered who she is and where she comes from. As she is getting ready to head to college tragedy strikes and she learns of her true heritage. First she meets Alaric who is supposed to protect her but they both learn that they are each other’s Kindred, mates. The she learns that her father, Rhespen is a panther shifter and her mother Danu is the High Queen of Fae.

But with any good story, Ash is not just learning to use her powers for a HEA ending. Before she was born, Danu made a deal with a fae prince to break the curse on the Tree of Life. Danu has to give her daughter to Tarron to break the curse. But Tarron is dark and will not agree to break the blood contract even if Ash has found her Kindred with Alaric.

This is a great young adult fantasy story. Ash is trying to find her place in the world then realizes that her world is a lot bigger and more dangerous than most people will ever know. I like how she grows with the knowledge of her mother’s blood contract and how strong she becomes as a woman that could be a role model to girls. But things are not easy and even though she has found her Kindred she still may have to go with Tarron to break the curse.

I really liked this story. It kept me on the edge of my seat and had me turning pages frantically. I was sad to see this story come to an end but that just means that I get to jump right into Chosen.

Chosen (A Realms of the Otherworld – 2)

By Jana LaPella

Ashlinn’s introduction into Faerie, the Otherworld, has been anything but smooth and now she finds herself torn between her kindred and the dark prince. The pull to Tarron is laced with blood majic, and it is dark and incessant. The lines have been drawn, and the Prophecy is clear, or so they think as Ashlinn finds herself pulled away from her family and her new home. Her balance is disrupted, and she is ill prepared for the pull of dark majic when Tarron evokes the terms of the blood contract. Will Ashlinn make her way back to Alaric, her kindred? Will Alaric wage war against Tarron to get Ashlinn back? Or will she succumb to the pull of the blood majic and fall into Tarron’s tantalizing dark embrace, dooming the future of all the Realms.

Amazon     Goodreads

My Review

5 stars

Although Ash wants to stay with her Kindred she knows that she is Tarron’s Chosen. Despite her friends and family trying to stop the blood contract, Ash knows that this is what she has to do. Plus if she does try to fight it Tarron uses his dark power and the blood contract to draw her to him. Will Ash return to Alaric or will she stay with Tarron and doom all of the realms?

This story is pretty straight forward but will draw you in and leave you an emotional wreck. Ash may be Alaric’s Kindred but she also has an obligation to follow if she is to save the realms. It’s so heartbreaking to watch her turn from Alaric and I just hoped that she would return to him.

I loved how even though she didn’t want to go with Tarron she still follow through with her duty, hard as it may be. Tarron keeps his façade in the beginning of the story but the longer we are with him and the more we learn about him the more I found myself caring for him.

This is a great sequel to Kindred. It was so hard to finish this book because I didn’t want the story to end. This is a great story and one that I recommend to those that enjoy young adult fantasy stories.

Candid Book Reviews

I received both Kindred and Chosen from Ari at Candid Book Reviews for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.