Nineteen years ago, on the island kingdom of Garlin, a girl was born. With charred skin as rough as rock, Vala was instantly feared. For how could one be scorched by magic when it had perished ages before?
Recognizing an asset, the royal family welcomed her on their Guard. Her detail: the prince.
To watch. To protect. She has grown with him, lives her life for him.
When the high kingdom’s princess comes to assess the prince, assassins of rival courtiers come to claim his life. One nearly succeeds in his mission. But with shadowy movements and charred skin like her own, Vala knows he is not like the rest.
As threats to the prince continue and questions about Vala’s life begin to rise, she faces a fear worse than fire or water, worse even than losing him.
She fears finding out who she truly is.
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My Review: (Thanks to NetGalley)
A very slow, very basic story, almost came across as childish. The first half of the book was a constant repeat of the same things and the same details without actually telling us anything. I didn't really know anything about the world, it's rules, etc even by the end. I'm really surprised this didn't end up on the DNF pile, it was so boring and repetitive I found myself constantly losing interest. In hindsight I wish I had of quit.
The characters were not fleshed out, the Prince was a prick, and the rest of the characters weren't much better. The end was rushed, and even though Vala's true nature was revealed, because we had no in-depth background info on the world or it's magic, it was meaningless. I hate authors who create worlds that are that 2-dimensional.
Probably my biggest gripe was personal. I'm a big fan of mythology so to have this book present a 3 goddess rule made up of two different cultures drive me nuts! Herja the guardian of the fae, is a Valkyrie from Norse mythology, Verdandi the guardian of witches, is the Norn of present, one of the fates who guards the world tree, also from Norse mythology; however Alesrah, the guardian of humans is a phoenix?! Why couldn't the author find another Norse inspiration? Also I think they are majorly stretching themselves going for a fae/witch/human balance. I just feel like they haven't got the skill to incorporate that many elements successfully.
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