This novel pulled me in right away and kept my eyes glued to the page! It has all my favorite tropes: arranged marriage, chosen-one, enemies to lovers, royalty… It was a very enjoyable read that had me feeling completely satisfied at the end. The story follows Kiara, a beautiful and loving princess, loved by all, who to her father’s dismay was not the chosen one as predicted by the prophecy. She feels the king distance himself from her as his disappointment is clear, she was not to be the savior of her kingdom. He forces her hand on an arranged marriage, to the very rude lord Kollen who bumped into her, she wants nothing to do with him.

I loved the bickering between these two characters, it was fun to watch Kollen try to win the princess back after ruining her first impression of him. The story picks up speed as soon as Derek and his cunning sister Nora, appear. They are in disguise, the poor Kiara and her father have no idea they have lured the enemy right into their very palace. What Derek was not expecting, was to fall head over heels with Kiara. Thus a love-triangle begins, and who will get the girl? The characters are one of the elements I loved of this novel, they are all super fun and intriguing! Their development is great, including the side characters like Emmett and Sprout, I loved reading about them.

Darkwind follows the story of Cistine, a young princess who decides to take matters into own hands to avoid war. She sails north with her closest companions in hopes to strike a deal with a land that was once her kingdoms enemy. What she didn’t expect, was to be taken captive by a band of dangerous outlaws. What I loved most about this story was the elaborate set of characters. Wow! The author develops a masterful and complex set of characters with unique personalities, motivations and backstories! The band of outlaws, the cabal, reminds me of the dregs from six of crows, you will fall in love with every single one of them.

In the first half of the book it took me a bit to grasp the world building and all the names and settings, but after that it was much clearer! I was glad to see that Cistine was not a fighter or strong princess like we usually encounter in fantasy novels lately, she has a lot to learn still to lead, it made her relatable. It is an action-packed dark fantasy with amazing character development, I felt connected to them like I knew them in real life. The ending made me eager to pick up the sequel. This plot has so much potential I am eager to continue following this unlikely group that I have grown very found of.

The story follows Talea, a humble laborer girl that hides a dangerous secret: she can control lightning. Talea and her family work hard to survive and make a living as laborers, until one day when she discovers a boy that holds the same ability as her, as well as mysterious masked men stalking her. The novel has this dystopian vibes that remind me of The Hunger Games in the beginning, with her family obviously suffering to make ends meet living through strict rules of the government and mandatory drafts of the men to the army.

The story has a lot of potential to develop into an amazing series, the world building flows perfectly and is easy to grasp. I am hoping for a more romantic side-story development in the subsequent books (you guys know I need some romance) however since the main character is 15 I’m not sure if that will be the case.

The pages flew in my hands, its very intriguing and fast paced. I am eager to read the following books in the series!