Publication Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: netGalley
Rating: 4/5
My Review
Alera is a young princess whom is coming up to the year to marry and take the throne. Steldor is the handsome, charming, and completely full of himself. He knows what he wants: Alera and the throne as king. And Alera’s father is all too happy to give him exactly that. Soon, Alera finds herself being courted by the very man that she despises in every way.
Enter Narian. He intrudes on the city of Hytanica from their true enemy: the Cokyrians. After captured and brought to the castle, Alera becomes intrigued by this young Cokyrian warrior. After meeting Narian in person, the young princess finds herself more than intrigued: she is excited to be able to become friends and get to know the young man.
But, Narian is more than he seems. He is the lost and only surviving Hytanica child that was stolen among many others from the people of the enemy. Is he part of a long told tale of a prophecy that will overturn Hytancia.
Alera and Narian begin to see each other in secret and their relationship expands into love. After the affair is found out by the royal guards and eventually the King, Alera is devastated to learn that she will still marry Steldor, and man that she absolutely cannot tolerate.
One Sentence Review:
I loved to indulge into the story of Alera; Hytanica is a land of wonder and intrigue that I would delight in revisiting time and time again.
My Thoughts:
I enjoy the fact that Alera is a princess with her own heart and ideas, but is struggling internally with following that heart and her loyalty to her kingdom. She is curious and adventurous, but you definitely get the idea that she has a strong conscience against her actions. She is tormented by those actions.
Steldor is just plainly hot. He is charming, handsome, and confident. But, he has such a big head that it turns you off just the right amount. Cayla did an amazing job writing about his charm and concietedness in just the right way to make you want more! I found myself gaging at the thought of him right along with Alera, yet swooning at the moments that he was such a gentleman that it was hard to hate him. I honestly am still rooting that their marriage just might work out enough to make an interesting love triangle. A girl in love with two boys usually turns out to be an amazing read!
Blond, blue-eyed, mysterious, and an amazing fighter; Narian is absolutely a swoon-worthy character. Although I did love the mysteriousness of this boy, I wanted more of him. This book is a pretty long one, but I don’t think that Cayla did a very good job with giving Narian and a few other characters enough time in the lime light. Narian and Alera have fallen in love, but you just don’t see many conversations happening between them or even very much interaction. Although the descriptions of the clothing was appreciated and added to the time and place of the book, I would have rather those explanations would have been shorter and the interactions between Alera and Narian to be longer and in more description.
And, I love London. He is another one that was fantastic for the story. He was an amazing character. I really do hope to see more of him in the next book!
Favorite Character(s): London and Steldor
Least Favorite Character: Steldor (I know, it’s confusing!)
I can't wait for the next one!
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