TBR Challenge: Grace Draven - Eidolon

In a bid for more power, the Shadow Queen of Haradis has unleashed a malignant force into the world. Her son Brishen, younger prince of the Kai royal house, suddenly finds himself ruler of a kingdom blighted by a diseased darkness and on the brink of war. His human wife Ildiko must decide if she will give up the man she loves in order to secure his throne.
Three enemy kingdoms must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king must raise an army of the dead to defeat an army of the damned.
A tale of alliance and sacrifice.

Comment: Here we are for another TBR Challenge read. This month the theme is Backlist Glom, which means any author who has more than one book in our TBR. 

I chose Grace Draven, not only because I do have more than one book by her to read but also because I wanted to finally read the sequel to Radiance, a book many readers enjoyed in past years and that when I read, expected perfection but it was one or two steps away from it in my perspective. I wanted to see if this Eidolon would measure up and be a good sequel. It was but again there's something missing for me to consider it the best ever.

In this book we have the sequel of what happened at the end of Radiance, now showing us Brishen and Ildiko as a happily married couple living away from the Court and the influence of his evil mother, the queen. However, this villain has unleashed a terrible plague od demons that won't stop until every living creature in their path is dead. The Kai have some magic which means there are rituals they can do to stop the demons from reaching the living too quickly along with the physical barriers of water.

The responsibility of defending all the kingdoms obviously is now Brishen's, as he is the only surviving element of the royal family and who can magically fight the demons. But there's a price for this power and maybe this is too high a task for him and his wife, to bear...

As expected, this book s filled with amazing scenes of magic and fantasy situations that  can be both too far fetched but incredibly alluring to read about. It always fascinates me how authors can invent things in their heads - even with influences - and create a whole world to present. Grace Draven has a certainly creative mind and the "rules" and processes in which things happen are very imaginative and probably the best feature of this book.

This fantasy obviously has a huge conflict to be overridden and there are personal details that make it a difficult task to be done, namely how people are affected by the plague and how survivors might feel guilty they didn't help in time or that they are alive and others don't. The reasons and ways of dealing with this part of the plot seem logical to me, meaning, the steps taken from one situation to the other feel well done and even in a way that makes everything related to the plot feel right.

The story also has romance, which is a huge part of the plot because it focuses a lot on the main couple and the differences between them (mostly physical). Of course the purpose is for us to see that different beings can find happiness together and common ground even in the face of adversity. I also like the details about their individual personalities and their expectations about their marriage and in this particular story how they think about the future and what it means for them to be together when it would be more advisable for Brishen specifically, to marry a Kai woman and not a have a human wife. 

All the situations surrounding this are interesting but... I keep feeling the relationship is too easy between them. What I mean is, I like they are in sync with one another and that they are in love but I'd love to see more about their feelings and hopes and challenges. I feel what we have seen here wasn't enough to convince me their marriage is as strong as intended. But perhaps this only me.

As a whole, this story has all the elements to be a good one, the romance is good and the relationship not easily broken but I kind of expected more, I wanted all the elements to be so well mixed that I wouldn't be able to not think about this. In the end, I liked it a lot but there's still something missing.

Grade: 8/10

Grace Draven - Radiance

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.
Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.

Comment: Having read books by the author before and having liked them, I was quite eager to read this one, something often described as one of the author's best work and quite the story when it comes to opposites attract.

In this fantasy story we meet Ildiko, a human woman who is promised in marriage to a Kai prince. The Kai is a different species in all counts but still bearing a humanoid figure. Ildiko and Brashen are going to marry without knowing each other as a means to ensure their two countries will keep the peace and the economical treaties they share.

When they marry, Ildiko leaves to live in Kai's country and the first course of action is to meet his parents and Ildiko finds things are not easy on that department and the life she will have will be completely different from what it has been...

This book has interesting scenes and situations but of course what makes it unique and interesting is the relationship between Ildiko and Brashen and how they can become a united front against everything else.

I really liked this aspect of the story and the slow pace used which means we do have time to see the two of them become friends before lovers. The physical aspect does play a role since they are so different but more than just being opposites in their appearance, they are different in many other things and their relationship makes them closer and attraction doesn't have to be only the way one looks. I liked reading about the details about the other each main character found interesting and unique enough to become appealing. I guess it was fun to see on the page how they fell in love.

Knowing this, however, means I expected a stronger romance from a certain point on, especially as soon as they saw one another with sexual interest. But the romance was too...polite in this regard. I expected a bit more sexual tension and fear of going over the top before they admitted this but they were as friendly and fair in their decision to become lovers as they thought and discussed other things. It was nice to know they cared for each other but I guess I wanted to see more passion and romance before they got intimate.

There's a dark component in the plot. Brashen's immediate family - except his cousin who will be a protagonist in a future book - isn't a good one, not even welcoming. And the way the book ends makes it realistic to think more bad things will come. I was not very pleased with the dark tone the plot got as we got closer to the end, to be honest. I wouldn't mind a book on politics and species relationships and dealings but we also got dark powers and magic and evil and I could easily put that aside. I'm afraid of the bad things that might come which, to me, are unnecessary for this story in an overall scope but... it's the author's prerogative after all.

The little details about each species and how different they are truly won me over, in particular when it comes to gastronomy...let's say some people (aka the author) have a lot of imagination on what could be icky for us to imagine eating...

I liked the secondary characters; two are going to be protagonists and by their interactions here (clever author giving us tiny little hints) the romance will be incredible, hopefully.

The book ends not with a full HEA since there is a sequel but I hope there are happier things to wish for and to live through for the main couple.

I'd have really added a few seduction scenes before they told one another they were in love...I think it would have felt more romantic and inevitable, instead of just being good.

Grade: 8/10

Grace Draven - Master of Crows

What would you do to win your freedom? This is the question that sets bondwoman, Martise of Asher, on a dangerous path. In exchange for her freedom, she bargains with her masters, the mage-priests of Conclave, to spy on the renegade sorcerer, Silhara of Neith. The priests want Martise to expose the sorcerer's treachery and turn him over to Conclave justice. A risky endeavor, but one she accepts without hesitation--until she falls in love with her intended target.
Silhara of Neith, Master of Crows, is a desperate man. The god called Corruption invades his mind, seducing him with promises of limitless power if he will help it gain dominion over the world. Silhara struggles against Corruption's influence and searches for ways to destroy the god. When Conclave sends Martise as an apprentice to help him, he knows she's a spy. Now he fights a war on two fronts--against the god who would possess him and the apprentice who would betray him.
Mage and spy search together for a ritual that will annihilate Corruption, but in doing so, they discover secrets about each other that may damn them both. Silhara must decide if his fate, and the fate of nations, is worth the soul of the woman he has come to love, and Martise must choose continued enslavement or freedom at the cost of a man's life. And love.

Comment: I've previously read something by the author and I liked it. When I had the chance to suggest this tile for one of my book clubs I didn't hesitate because I was confidant this would be a great read for us all. I was proven right because, for me it was amazing. I hope the others will love it too.

This is the story of Martise, a young woman, slave to a powerful man. In this world of magic and powers, Martise is Gifted but she doesn't know how to make her power come forth. Taken to the Master of Crows with the excuse that someone as powerful as him could help her in exchange of her work in his house and business, Martise is actual a spy on behalf of her owner to uncover evil deeds done or planned by the Master of Crows.

Silhara, the Master of Crows faces a hard task, defeating a God. Corruption wants to seduce and use him if only he succumbs. Silhara knows Martise is a spy but he still accepts her in an attempt of gaining something against the group of magicians who want him dead.

What these two didn't know was that a bond between them will grow and the other will be so much more than they ever imagined.

I truly loved this story. I think it's really amazing and very well written, in my perspective. As it happened with the other book by the author I've read, this one also presents a believable couple whose romance develops at the perfect pace.

All the practical reasons about the plot aside, I have to confess I loved the romance. I think this author really understands how a romance should work and in a way, it almost seems she knows precisely how I like to see a relationship develop and how suitable the couple must be for each other.

My absolute favorite thing about this story is precisely how the two protagonists meet, are wary of each other but something compells them to become closer. The time between they meet until they finally become intimate is filled with sexual tension, with poignant scenes, with little scenes where they start to feel good in the other's presence, where they start to have feelings for each other. In a way, their romance feels real and believable because we see things happen in the time it takes for things to change. There's no insta-love, no fast run for sex without care. I really appreciate stories where the couple can take time to care for each other, where we can see how they start wanting to be together but there's no polite talking about it, as if it were just a means to an end, nor a rushed step towards something that would feel cheap. I really, really love romances where we see things happen before they have sex.

Of course all this would mean nothing if the characters themselves weren't appealing individually.

I liked Silhara because despite everything others said about him, he has honor and in the end tries to make a sacrifice that saves all of those he holds dear. He's fascinating because he has a warm soul despite the evil attempts of the God Corruption to overtake him. He is loyal, caring and has a simplicity to his way of life, his actions that show how great he is despite the awful things from his past that could have made him be something very different. He's a great hero.

Martise is an almost perfect heroine. She is in a difficult situation but she isn't giving up on honor and rightness for personal gain. She is fair and she recognizes something good not only in Silhara but in his life. She makes some harsh but understandable decisions about herself and I liked her even more for that.

Together, they are amazing and both their personalities seem to be a match.

The plot has some slower moments and some less than appealing scene jumps. I kind of understand why, it does allow for us to see more things, to see characters in different scenarios, but it can drag the action a bit.

Nevertheless, be assured everything works out in the end. Nothing is sugary perfect, but the HEA happens beautifully and I'll cherish this story for a long time.

Can't wait to read more by the author!

Grade: 9/10

Grace Draven - Entreat Me

Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard's salvation.
...until they confront her elder sister.
Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won't deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.

Comment: This book came into my attention because of the Internet Book Club at Goodreads. I don't participate every time but this book seemed something I'd enjoy reading so I thank Mariana for the chance to read it and Hilcia again for letting me know about the group.

This is a new version of the classic Beauty and the Beast (which also happens to be my favorite Disney story ah ah) so I was quite eager to read it. Having a not so good experience with re-telling/re-versions of beloved stories, I was apprehensive but trusted the opinions of those who had read it and Mariana especially for having recommended it.

The story follows a sort of fantasy world (historical toned) and the Beast gets his curse because he was married to a woman who didn't love him. She cheated on him and he killed her lover. After giving birth to a baby boy, she cursed Gavin, her son, on her deathbed. However, Ambrosius, a sorcerer makes it happen to be Ballard (the Beast) to be the one to suffer the worst of the curse.
His lands are enchanted though and only Gavin can leave and one day he returns with a beautiful young lady who they hope might fall for him and break the curse. But they didn't arrive alone. Louvaen, the young lady's older sister comes to protect her and soon Ballard can't seem to stay away and the most wonderful of it all is she can't either...

I liked this story because the connection between the two protagonists, Ballard and Louvaen, was simply amazing. I think their romance was so cute, despite the hardships, that I was eager to keep reading just to see them interact and fall in love.
In fact, to me this was what made this story such a personal success. I think the changes made to make this a version of the classic story were well done for the most part, as all the important details from the original were present, even if slightly altered. 
However, the pace wasn't always the best in my opinion, there was some dragging at times and also a lot of focus on things I didn't think were that important for the main storyline.

There are many differences from this story to the original, namely the presence of a child also cursed, and Beauty's enemy not aiming for the Beast at the end, but overall, it was a good follower and did th original justice, considering this version is oriented for adults.

I could speak about the considerable little things that made this story a good one, like the character's personalities that came alive throughout the book, or the descriptions that were very real, or the narrative that was often witty and easy to follow.
I could speak about the detail of Gavin and Louvaen's sister sub plot and how they kept falling in love but only were intimate after their marriage which added some innocent and sweet tone to the plot, or about the secondary characters that helped the plot and the romances.

I could, but honestly the best thing about this is the actual romance between Ballard and Louvaen. They both have strong personalities. Who wouldn't admire a man that sacrificed himself to bear a child's curse? Or a woman who defends her family until the end? I liked these two a lot and how they had love and honesty and bravery and humility to help the others, to try their best and be the most wonderful couple ever! Not even the fact they had a lot of sex distracted me from this because the sex was the affirmation of their love even when they didn't know it yet. Louvaen fell for Ballard despite his curse, his looks and his limitations and she still didn't change herself for him, she was with him all the way being true to herself. Ballard too had a huge soul and he is one of the best because he did learn a lesson without ever compromising his honor.
They are a great couple and I loved their HEA.

Of course not everything is perfect, like I said the pace and some details were a bit distracting and I wasn't as captivated at first. Thankfully the more I read, the better it became.

I think this is a wonderful fantasy take on Beauty and the Beast. There are changes but also gains by reading this adult version. And there's an epilogue that any romance reader will enjoy. It's a very special read and I was surprised positively by the author's style and voice. I'll read more by her in the future.
Grade: 8/10