From our on-going blog tour here's an adventure to add to you list. Welcome Rhiannon Paille and her YA paranormal, Surrender!
In Avristar, hidden from the World of Men, Kaliel and Kishrani are elven teens waiting for their turn to receive the prophetic parable from the Great Oak. It's the rite of passage that will determine how their lives will unfold. That is, unless there is something greater being asked of them. Neither seems to be well-suited for any role their communities require of them. Kaliel is clumsy and easily distracted. She is also known to disobey commands intended to keep her safe. Her knowledge of herb lore is dangerously lacking. Kishrani, on the other hand, is dangerous. His attempts at the rites end in destruction--not good for someone who is intended to marry and keep the land safe. So, when they meet, they are inevitably drawn to each other, while knowing that they are never going to be allowed to do more than they have already.
Both are plagued with nightmares, yet both keep theirs secret. What can anyone do? Unexpectedly, it seems that the leaders of Avistar do have an idea of what to do with them. Bring them to the capital and serve as apprentices. Their destinies are greater than anyone is willing to acknowledge.
Rhiannon has created characters that are charming in their mutual clumsiness. The scope of the story is greater than I like, so it gets a bit dull in places. However, this is a YA book, and I have not had that attention span for a very long time. Living in separate communities, it can get confusing when "he" and "she" refer to anyone in the room! However, that aside, the flow of the story is enough to lift me over the bumps.
It will be a pleasant diversion for a winter's read.
The Ferryman and The Flame Book 1
Rhiannon Paille
Rhiannon Paille
ISBN: 978-1480029859
Number of pages: 402
Word Count: 100k
Review copies available on Netgalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/21259
Book Description:
Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16049030-surrender
Short Excerpt:
“Sorry I
scared you,” he said.
Kaliel pressed her lips to her knees, hoping she could
hold in her emotions. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Silence hung between them for awhile. He shifted on the
cloak, the black tunic he wore shifting with him. He stretched his legs out,
and Kaliel looked at his shin-high boots and breeches. He stole a glance at her
turtle shell. “What are you afraid of?”
Kaliel stood. “Happy endings.” She didn’t know how else
to explain it. She had contemplated the parable so many times it was
exhausting. It didn’t matter which path she took—neither of them seemed very
appealing. She let the mist soak her sleeves and stick to her skin. She heard
Krishani behind her before he ran his hand down her back making shivers run up
her spine. He stayed there, a foot away, and she wished he would move closer,
envelope her in his arms. He wasn’t supposed to talk to her. This had to be
wrong. What would the brotherhood think?
“Happy endings?” he whispered. He sounded both unsure and
nervous. “What do you mean?”
“What if someone comes?” She was worried Lord Istar would
burst through the trees and find them in this compromising awkwardness. It
seemed more taboo than practically drowning in the lake.
Krishani let out a breath. “Nobody ever comes here.”
Kaliel closed her eyes. “You come here.”
Krishani took a step forward and she could feel the heat
radiating off him. “All the time.”
She didn’t
answer, instead listening to the sound of the falls. Moonlight glinted off the
flecks of water. She thought about the orb of ice he created for her. She
hadn’t been able to do anything close to that awesome.
“What are
you thinking?” he asked again.
She closed
her eyes and felt her energy shift; like it had the day she went to the Great
Oak. Heat rushed through her as she leaned back, trying to feel him, but not
trying to force it if it wasn’t what he wanted. It was clear to her he cared,
but she was so worried about whether or not she should let him.
“My
parable,” she whispered.
He went rigid, his hand sliding down her upper forearm. “What
did the Oak say to you?”
She shook her head. “Never mind, I have to figure it out.
Both paths seem so dreary.”
“You seem too sweet to have a bad parable.”
“You seem too sweet to have a bad parable.”
She didn’t
want to talk about the nightmares of the Flames, the parable, the fact the
Brotherhood would disapprove of him touching her. It felt so natural; the last
few moons had been lonely without him. She couldn’t explain what she felt, but
she couldn’t watch him marry the land and leave the island.
“But I do,” she said. She drew her hands instinctively to
her chest, her elbows digging into her ribs. He dropped his hand as she turned,
and buried her face in his chest. He reluctantly ran his hands through her
hair, letting them rest on the small of her back.
“I thought about you every day,” he said as she pressed
her cheek into his tunic.
She smiled against his shirt. “And I thought about you.”
“Promise me something?” He wasn’t holding her, not
really, their bodies weren’t pressed together and the inches between them made
Kaliel feel cold.
“What?”
“You’ll find a happy ending.”
“What if I can’t?”
He pulled back and brushed his thumb across her cheek.
“Promise me you will.” His eyes met hers and his jaw dropped. His hand paused,
cupping her face in his palm. He held her
gaze, her heart beating hard. Before she had time to answer, he pressed his
lips against hers. She didn’t expect him to do that and it was better than she
imagined. She came to life under him, kissing him back with unyielding passion
that made him pull away to seemingly catch his breath.
Kaliel’s sadness drained away as he broke from her lips
and then cupped her face with both hands and kissed her again, pressing the
length of his body against her. His kisses made her feel light and giddy, like
she could float into the sky. She slid her hands up his chest and looped them
around his neck. There was swimming in the lake and losing her breath and then
there was this. Being out of breath with him was like drowning in a sea of
happiness. He could keep her prisoner forever and she’d never complain. He
pulled away again, and wound his arms around her waist, trapping her against
him. His lips found hers again, rough and inexperienced, but strong and
satisfying.
She opened
her mouth and his tongue grazed hers, warmth spreading from her heart to the
rest of her body, making her tingle. She smiled against his lips.
“I missed
you.” She tried to steady her breathing.
Krishani
shook his head and put his hands on either side of her face. “This is all I
want. This and nothing else, ever.” His mouth covered hers again. He pressed
himself against her and she sighed. It felt like she had known him her entire
life and even longer, if longer even
existed.
Images
appeared behind her eyelids—the shape of a boy and a girl wearing gaudy crowns
on their heads. They were painted into parchment, but they were blurry. She was
too elated by Krishani and his lips on hers to record the images, but they
seemed familiar.
And then
everything changed. Krishani pushed his lips against hers one last time and she
felt the shift in her energy dissipate. It was as though all the joy
evaporated, replaced by intense fear. She pushed him away and tried to
understand the pounding in her heart that made her want to break in half.
Bloom the weed of temptation.
He looked confused
and shocked. Without a word, she turned and fled towards the Elmare Castle.
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