Thank you Habour Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
She’s been trained for battle but is she ready for war?
On psyche leave and pending an investigation, army captain Fallon Parker has returned from her latest overseas tour with more than just a case file to her name. Suffering PTSD about what happened to her overseas and with only vague, disturbing memories of the event itself, she finds her life spiralling out of control while she waits for the verdict of whether she will return to active service.
But that’s not her only problem – in the middle of her leave, her sworn protector and a right pain in the arse, Hadwin, wrenches her away from this world to her birth world. A world that Fallon soon finds is filled with magic, monsters and sword fighting with a tyrannical human queen hell bent on wiping out Fallon’s kind.
With enemies on all sides – everything Fallon thought she was, is questioned as her old life falls away and her new life slams into her with brutal conviction. She was destined to be a queen but is she willing to accept that role? Will she survive the rebellion that she was brought back to lead?
Will the rebellion survive her?
Review:
This book was brilliant and I need the next instalment in my life asap!
Not only is this cover visually stunning but so was the story. I might be low key obsessed with this book and it was my favourite read of the month without a doubt.
The story starts around a girl names Fallon who is getting assessed for an incident she doesn’t remember, were her squad didn’t make it. And when you are beginning to understand what is happening ummm bang! Fallon gets kidnapped by Hadwin, who transport them to a strange fantasy world and spills the beans about how she is the rebel’s saviour. Great right? I have needed a plot this fantastic for a while, there was consistently something happen and never a dull moment at all.
I loved Hadwin, I mean who doesn’t love a witty guy that kinda has a bruiting dark side? That wasn’t a chance for you to raise your hand by the way, because there is no doubt a majority of the population love the brute. And Hardwin constantly protecting Fallon and ensuring that she was safe at all times. Gahh I shouldn’t gush but I am. The banter between our two main characters in fantastic, funny and just oh so damn cute.
Not gonna lie but I wasn’t a fan of Fallon in the first few chapters, but then her character came out of her shell and I changed my tune. There are so many dot points about how awesome she is that I don’t even know where to begin! Determined. Brave. Desperate to protect those that can’t protect themselves. Ummm SAMSON, the dog! This was everything and I loved it! She named their dog! Sass. Ohh so much sass! And despite being a tough nut she isn’t stubborn enough to fight off the crew when they come to her aid.
Ahhh the merry men of bandits were fantastic. I loved all the side characters in this book, which is really odd for me. I am the kind of girl who usually wants to spend her days stabbing side characters but I couldn’t, these guys were amazing and I loved them all! Also Hadwin’s band are not merry men I just like to call them that because you know Robin Hood and everything. Cooper is so adorably cute I want to wrap him in a blanket and love his forever! Callum, the little spy, is such a cutie too, where do they find these guys? Archer I have a feeling that he would be awesome to have a strawberry cake with while we sit down and discuss the best ways to kill people. *sigh* Fennec was such a father figure to Fallon and it was beautiful! And Thom, well let’s just say I need more page time with this guys. What can I say I much prefer male characters to female, less whinging and more manly amazingness!
Dale also was a brilliant. I was easily sucked into this book and I couldn’t move until I finished it, I couldn’t help it the book wanted my soul and I was willing to give it up.
Now the hard part. As much as I fricken adored this book, it only got a 4.5 out of 5 for me. I love reading from different characters perspective, it has to be one of my favourites but there needs to be an indicator when we are switching from one perspective to another. A new chapter is always a good start. The only thing that stopped this book from getting a 5 from me was the fact it jumped from characters too often and without any clear indication of which perspective we were reading from. There was a few moments where you get a thought pattern from one character and then straight to the next. You can only ever be in one mind at one time. Well in my unprofessional opinion anyway.
Over all I loved it and I need more. I am low-key stalking Emily Dale right now and after you read this book you will completely understand my actions, she is amazing!!
Rating: 4.5/5
Publisher: Habour Publishing
ISBN: 9781922134202