Pages: 494Review
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Historical Fantasy
#2 in Series
Source: Publisher
Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. 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....
Wow. This review has been a VERY long time coming. I originally received Allegiance as an ARC for review back in 2011. Yeah. 7 whole years of this book sitting on my shelf unread. I finally picked it up and gave it a go, so here are my thoughts.
I originally read the self-published version of Legacy, the first book in this series, which I thought was verbose and needed polishing. I think that working with a publisher helped a lot of those writing issues, but the story was still a little slower than I would have liked. A solid 100 pages could have been edited out of Allegiance, and it wouldn't have suffered.
I appreciate Cayla Kluver's worldbuilding ability. The kingdom of Hytanica is incredibly extensive and interesting to read about, and I am certainly onboard to see what's to come. I really had two issues with Allegiance--Alera and Narian. Without giving too much away, I personally started falling far out of love with Narian, and I felt Alera's feelings for him stopped making sense very quickly. That brings me to Alera: I needed more from her. I felt really disappointed in her at times, but was glad she started coming into her own by the end.
You can purchase Allegiance on Amazon for $6.25 as a Paperback, and $7.99 as a Kindle copy.
About the Author
Cayla Kluver is the author of the Legacy Series (LEGACY, 2011; ALLEGIANCE, 2012; SACRIFICE, 2012). Her new book THE QUEEN'S CHOICE will be published by HarlequinTEEN in winter 2013/spring 2014.
Cayla spends her free time singing, reading, dancing, and horseback riding. Her office is filled with twinkly lights. She travels frequently to speak at middle and high schools, libraries, and book conventions. New York City is one of her favorite places on the planet. Website | Twitter
This review copy was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed above are solely my own.
I'm clearing out my bookshelves, so I'm giving away my ARC copy of Allegiance! It's got a few scuff marks, but other than that, it's good to go!
Open to the US only.
<a Rafflecopter giveaway