The Worth of a King (The Fall of a Star)

Title: Worth of a King

Series: The Fall of a Star (Book #1)

Year: 2018

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: Princess Obsidia’s father was killed the night she was born. Since there was no male heir, the crown went to the man who killed him, by Dialcian law. This never bothered her, growing up, and when it comes time for Obsidia to choose her husband, she chooses Prince Delaney, the son of that man, with little hesitation. Only then does her life start crumbling around her. 

Adrian expected to live a normal life, taking his father’s place at the print shop when his father retired. But, on his eighteenth birthday, when the princess’ engagement is announced, his world is ripped out from under him when he learns that his life was a ruse, and he is the twin brother to the princess – and expected to take back his father’s throne. 

Delaney knows that his country is hovering on the brink of war – and that his father may harbor murderous intentions towards his intended bride due to her Zovordian blood. He wants nothing more than to protect Obsidia and his people, but as merely prince, he has little power against his father. 

The ancient war between the Dragons and the Immortal King and Queen is nearing its climax, and the three are already caught in it. 

Review: Once upon a time, someone said, "Let's make some horrible traditions, and see if a group of kingdoms can survive them." And that's where this book started. Hang onto your hats, folks, because the ride just got wild.

Obsidia's father was murdered the night she was born, and by Dialcian law, the murderer became the next king since there was no male heir. Eighteen years later, politics are forcing her to chose a husband, and she can think of no better man than the son of her father's murderer. Thankfully, Delaney's nothing like his father, Ossian.

While she's busily preparing for marriage, her twin brother has found out that he's just that. Adrian only wanted to be a printer, but now he's the unknown heir to the throne, the threat that may crumble Ossian's reign, and the ticket that may introduce the people he loves to war. He's never enjoyed politics, and trying to plan a political take-over really just isn't his thing.

I felt a little lost beginning this book and trying to make sense of the scrambled politics. Thankfully, Adrian was working at learning them, too, so I sorted things out while he was piecing things together. Dialcia is a land of political complexities and hard-nosed traditions, and those things combined have landed the kingdom in a mess that's threatening to uproot everything familiar. Kendra did a great job at mixing the two elements. There's just something heart-wrenchingly satisfying when a character you love is absolutely hemmed in by tradition and politics; when they've come to a place where, no matter what they do, it seems hopeless that they'll ever come out on top.

The different cultures, too, were pretty fantastic. We've got little glimpses into elven lives and merfolk societies, and then full-blown Zovordian black battle realm. WITH MASKS. I don't care how many books I've read with masks, they're still super cool and awesome. So there. I've known Kendra can worldbuild for a while now (I mean, seriously, you can't read her books and NOT realize that), but this one seemed to blow everything out of the water. I think this just became my all-time favorite of her books.

And not just because of the world. The characters felt so real. Adrian was genuinely scared of entering politics and doing his duty. Obsidia was stubborn but timid. Delaney was an absolute sweetheart. Nadilynn was... Nadilynn; there aren't many words in English that can adequately describe her. You just have to read the book.

I will admit, I caught most of the plot twists as they came, so nothing was a big surprise to me. HOWEVER, the TITLE. It's a cool title, UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK. And then you're just blown away. Seriously. I won't spoil it, but wow. A satisfying ending, but leaving you wanting for more.

I think my only complaint would be that the climatic battle felt a little too much deus ex machina, but I don't think you could expect much else once you've got Amber and Laura meddling with everything. But yes, you do need to have this book on your shelf.

Advisory: Fantasy creatures and action. The whole book is leaning towards a growing war, so there is quite a bit of fighting and some blood, but nothing terribly graphic.

Light romance. A few kisses, and then as an engaged couple prepares for marriage, there are a couple comments hinting at their marriage bed.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*Please note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.*

P.S. Kendra, I'm sorry this review didn't get posted sooner. Life got in the way of epic adventures. Just gotta love how that always works out.

Water Princess, Fire Prince (The Rizkaland Legends)

Title: Water Princess, Fire Prince 

Series: The Rizkaland Legends (Book #1)

Year: 2015

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.

All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

What is to come will change their lives forever. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Clara Mandras
~ Andrew Stevenson

Review: When Kendra was looking for advance readers for this book, there was absolutely no question in my mind. I'd already been waiting long enough to read it, so it was imperative to get my hands on it just as soon as possible.

Yes, it was that important.

And honestly, it blew me away. It was everything and yet nothing like what I had imagined. Wonderful. What did I like about it so much? Read on, Lizzy. (P&P reference because of reasons)

First of all, Kendra is fantastic when it comes to world building, and even though she's created so many different worlds for her stories, each one is unique and wonderful, and this one is no exception. Rizkaland and Klarand were just epically penned into being and I loved them. For one thing, it's not round. And the water comes in every color of the rainbow and each color has a different flavor and a different purpose. I'm afraid I had very many rainbow songs stuck in my head as I read this. But it was marvelous.

REALISTIC CHARACTERS! For once, we have two kids thrown into a strange world, and they react like a normal kid would! They don't automatically assume their standing and adapt perfectly. Nope. It takes them a bit of time to figure out what's going on, and even balk at what's expected of them. As much fun as it would be to be thrown into a new world, it would also be terrifying and strange, and Clara and Andrew were true to that impression.

Also -- I LOVED the shameless references to Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, The Prince and the Pauper, Pride and Prejudice, etc. There were probably many more that I didn't catch, but they were wonderful. You'd expect kids from our world to reference things from our world, right? Right! And the inside joke made me laugh out loud:

[Clara] sighed. "But now that you mention it, you're right. I just don't think this is a movie. Probably just a book."

"A book?"

"And, knowing our luck, not even one of the good ones. Probably some self-published work." She shook her head. "I'd hate to know what the cover art looks like. Probably some photoshop fail."

[Andrew] laughed. "That would be just our luck."

No, Kendra, it was most certainly NOT a photoshop fail. Still, this was probably my absolute favorite scene in the book.

 I also wanted to take a moment to say something about Clara. I'd been expecting her to be a warrior princess, but I'll admit I was a little skeptical. Warrior princesses tend to be very feministic, with the I-can-do-what-I-want-because-I'm-better-than-anyone-else attitude, and it really drives me bonkers. I don't enjoy heroines like that. But Clara wasn't. True, she was amazingly skilled at fighting. She has plenty of spunk, but even right from the beginning, she has a vulnerable side. There's no nonsense about her, but she has her own share of fears. Plus, she had some wonderful character development.

To be truthful, though, I will admit I was disappointed with the ending. While everything was monstrously satisfactory, I had anticipated a greater final battle with Amber. It was fine the way it was, but I was hoping for some more action, and I felt it wrapped everything up just a little too fast. 

Advisory: Fantasy violence. But quite suitable for the tone of the novel. I have no further need to elaborate.

Also, some romance -- there is a type of arranged marriage in here, and it takes a while for boy and girl to fall in love. They do share some kisses near the end of the story, after some physical contact (i.e. hand-holding, hugging, sleeping next to each other, etc.), but nothing inappropriate. There were also a few comments that I didn't care much for in regards to girls in bathtubs and in swimsuits, but they weren't very descriptive.  

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy Water Princess, Fire Prince on Amazon!

*Please note: I was given an advanced reader's copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.*

The Prior Quest (The Bookania Short Stories)

Title: The Prior Quest

Series: The Bookania Short Stories (#1)

Year: 2012

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: How far will a man go to repay a debt made in his youth? Push au Kim's life was spared by an enemy soldier, and he vowed to someday repay the man. When he finally finds him again, he finds that he has just died, leaving behind three sons.

Well, on to plan B. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Boy
~ Push au Kim

Review: This reads just like a fairy tale! For some odd reason, my brain wants to register it as a fairy tale retelling, but I can't be sure. *adjusts librarian glasses* Well, whether it is or not, it's still wonderful. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed some of Kendra's other short stories, but I would still recommend it to other readers.

Once upon a time, there was a miller-turned-soldier who had but one son -- his pride and joy. While in the war, he caught a young enemy who pleaded to be let go as he, also, was his father's only son. He also promised to repay the miller-turned-soldier for this kind deed. Moved with compassion, the miller-turned-soldier let him go. The war ended, peace was restored, and the miller-turned-soldier went home to find he had another son! Then he had a third some time later just for good measure. However, the wife died before telling anyone the last son's name, so instead of renaming him, they just called him "Boy."

And that's where it starts. Years later, when the miller is dead, Push au Kim (the young enemy) returns to pay his debt and insists on helping one of the sons since he cannot help the father. The older two sons want nothing to do with this odd foreigner, so naturally, in the normal fairy tale style, it's the third and youngest who gets chosen. With Boy at his side, Push is determined to repay that debt to the umpteenth degree... and Boy is quite astonished at how it all plays out.

Advisory: Push does some, ah, less than nice actions to gain wealth and status for his young master (i.e. dumping people in ovens, lying) which I would not recommend for anyone to copy, but everything is in a very decidedly fairy tale atmosphere.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
 

Click here to buy The Prior Quest on Amazon!

The Sun Jewel Contest (A Little Jenny Adventure)

Title: The Sun Jewel Contest

Series: A Little Jenny Adventure (#1; prequel to The Ankulen)

Year: 2014

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: A prequel short story to THE ANKULEN.
Approximately 3,700 words.

Before Jen got mad at her imagination and abandoned it, she used to have lots of adventures there with her best friends, the Fair Maiden Letitia and Sir Christofer, the finest knight in the land. When another knight challenges his position, well, the natural thing to do is have a contest. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Jenny
~ Tisha
~ Chris

Review: Having read, reviewed, and enjoyed Kendra's The Ankulen, I was naturally very excited when I heard she was working on sort stories to accompany the novel. The Sun Jewel Contest is the first Little Jenny Adventure in which we are treated to a glimpse of Jen's life before she lost her imagination.

Honestly, reading this was like having a mini Hobbit adventure. You've got a majestic and priceless jewel stolen from the dwarves who lost it in the first place due to their own greed. Then along comes an unlikely hero, who stands a lot shorter than everyone else, but in this case it's only because Chris is about eight years old. Pity. He'd have made a great Hobbit.

The adventure starts when Jenny's imagination brings in a not-so-charming knight called Sir Erran who doesn't think Chris deserves the title of finest knight in the land. He's willing to challenge that title, and Jenny suggests a contest to find a jewel no one knows existed. Well, of course, it exists -- Jenny just made it up!

I'd recommend this for anyone who loved The Ankulen, likes a quick adventure, or just enjoys a fun read. Share it with your best friend, your younger siblings, and your grandfather. Your dog might even enjoy hearing it read aloud. *winks*

Advisory: None

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Related Reviews: The Ankulen

Click here to buy The Sun Jewel Contest on Amazon!

CinderEddy

Title: CinderEddy

Series: None

Year: 2014

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: Edward, called CinderEddy by his stepbrothers, has been treated as little more than a servant ever since his mother died after her remarriage. When the Princess Elicia is kidnapped, however, his stepbrothers join the other knights attempting to rescue her, and Edward uses their absence to make his own attempt at her rescue. He doesn't expect to succeed, but somehow, he keeps finding himself on the right path. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Edward

Review: Fairytales of all kinds fascinate me, and for some odd reason, gender-swapped tales garner particular interest. In CinderEddy, authoress Kendra E. Ardnek presents us the tale of a young man who, like the famous Cinderella, is kind and clever, yet is thrust maliciously in the place of a servant. 

Edward's father, the late Sir Henry, was the king's favorite, and so it stands to reason that Edward himself would fall into his father's esteemed position, right? Wrong! After Sir Henry's death, Edward finds himself the recipient of a new stepfather, and all too soon -- two stepbrothers. And so begins the Cinderella tale of servanthood and mistreatment. But instead of a ball we get... a kidnapping! Princess Elicia is captured by a band of ruthless thugs and it's up to the noble men of the land to rescue her and, ultimately, win her hand in marriage. Edward's stepbrothers fly off at once to try to find her, and even Edward himself gets excited, not necessarily at the thought of rescuing a future bride, but of finally having an adventure out from under his stepbrothers' malicious thumbs.

Clean, fun, and Cinderella-esque, CinderEddy is a retelling that can trip your mind into thinking it's not a simple retelling at all. Kendra has taken the cherished tale of rags-to-riches and transformed it into a sweet tale of the importance of helping others and stopping to take advice. This short story will definitely be going on my favorite Cinderella retellings list, and I'd recommend it happily to readers of all ages. 

Advisory: Light fantasy action.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy CinderEddy on Amazon!

Sew, It's a Quest (The Bookania Quests)

Title: Sew, It's a Quest

Series: The Bookania Quests (Book #1)

Year: 2011

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: Robin and Robert are royal twins. They are the only two to have received a Fairy Godmother gift in nearly a century, an amazing honor. Soon it was clear that their gifts had been switched and a search began to find the Fairy Godmother to right the mistake. When she is finally sighted by a knight, the family learns that the pair must find her for themselves and they only have until their 18th birthday ... only 4 months away. Will they be able to find her in time? (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Robin
~ Robert
~ Rosamund
~ Doranna

Review: Sew, It's a Quest is the first in Kendra E. Ardnek's Bookania Quests, a series you're not going to want to miss. Right off the bat, we're introduced to two very usual royals - twins Robin and Robert Locksley - with unusual gifts. Much to everyone's dismay, their Fairy Godmother mixed up their gifts at their birth, and while Robert has impressed the court for years with his skill with a needle, Robin spends her days practicing expertly with a sword. When the emissary arrives and brings them news of the Fairy Godmother (Fallona), along with the announcement that if Robert and Robin wish to reverse their gifts, they must undertake a quest to find Fallona before their eighteenth birthday.

Kendra writes in a fun, easy-to-read, very fairy-tale-ish style that truly compliments the story, considering it is a sort of fairy tale retelling. But it's more than just one fairy tale... instead it's like two or three (or four) all mixed together in a fantasy land. Doranna's story brings in part of the Mountain Princess, Rosamund is the Sleeping Beauty, and even Robin Hood makes a very decided entrance. I rather liked seeing them altogether like that. Each subplot wove cleverly into the others, and by the end, you're really wanting the next book in the series, Do You Take This Quest?

Robin and Robert and their friends made excellent heroes/heroines. They start off by pretending to be your cliche princes and princesses, yet each one has his or her own quirks to make them unique. Personally, I love Doranna's math talk, and I laughed every time Robin stuck her opponents' swords into ceilings, or trees, or whatever might be on hand. I can't wait to read more of these characters further into the series.

This story is a light one, so don't expect much more than a fairy tale. At times the plot seemed to meander a bit; there were a few conversations or scenes that didn't add to the storyline, but that's just to be expected from such a book. What stuck out to me the most was the fact that Robert and Robin began the quest to seek out their Fairy Godmother, and while they do search for her, their quest seems to flounder a bit when they stay for days/weeks at castles and forest camps. If they were in such a hurry to find Fallona (they had merely four months in which to reverse the gifts), why did they spend the time so leisurely? That just seemed a little odd to me.

Advisory: Some light romance and fantasy action.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy Sew, It's a Quest on Amazon!

The Ankulen

Title: The Ankulen

Series: None

Year: 2013

Author: Kendra E. Ardnek

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Jen can't remember her imagination. She knows she had one once, though, and honestly, she'd like it back. It's been eight years. One day she finds a young boy who claims to be one of her imaginary friends and that her imaginary world is being eaten by a hydra-like monster called the Polystoikhedron. He helps her find the Ankulen, a special bracelet that had given the ability to bring her imagination to life and together they embark on a quest to find friendship, healing, and perhaps even some family. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Jenifer
~ Chris
~ Tisha
~ Derek
~ Megan

Review: A girl who loses her imagination? And then wrote a book about it? Sign me up!

When I first heard about this story on the author's blog, I knew it would be a story worth reading. And while The Ankulen had in it all the stuff that I was expecting, it also had a lot of the unexpected. Jen, the main character, doesn't remember her imagination, but she knows that something terrible happened to it. She's supposed to be a writer, and her mom won't let her in for lunch unless she writes so many words a day in her notebook. The problem is, with no imagination, Jen can't put down a story. So, she starts penning her own tale. It begins as a narrative about her life as she remembers it, but quickly morphs into an epic tale of adventure when two of her friends show up and claim they know how to help her get her memories back. And it has to do with a little, well-loved bracelet that Jen didn't even remember loving: The Ankulen.

Kendra keeps the story in a light tone, with plenty of danger and suspense to keep you up at least an hour past your bedtime. In truth, The Ankulen kept my interest because it was so unexpected. I had thought the whole story would be about Jen finding her imagination. Jen does find her imagination, but she does so in the middle of the book. At that point, I stopped myself and asked, "Now what's she going to do for the rest of the story?" I didn't have long to find out. Even though her memories were restored, Jen still had plenty of adventure left. I love the way she describes things, how she views her friends and family. Even how she talked about things in her own imagination, for as she couldn't remember them, I got to learn about as she re-learned about them. Even though most of her imagination was made up of a seven-year-old girl's fancies, I didn't have any trouble visualizing what Jen saw and experienced.

Also, I was very pleased to note that while there were mermaids as semi-main characters in the story, each mermaid/merman was properly dressed. Thank you very much, Kendra, for not following the mainstream image of underwater fish folk. That was most exciting to read about.

One thing I wasn't entirely fond of was the fact that Jen's journey almost seemed a little too easy. When she didn't know what to do, her friends always knew where to go. When she came up across a difficulty, she'd usually hopped over it by the end of the chapter. She did a lot, but it always seemed that everything fell quickly and neatly into place. After she got her memories and imagination back, she knew just what to do to fix everything, and it wasn't long until she did. While it does often seem a bit unrealistic to see an adventure play out that way, I had to keep remembering that Jen was in the world of her imagination, and in her imagination, whatever she wanted came about. Applying that to my own imagination, wouldn't I want everything to go my way while on an epic quest? Why shouldn't Jen's imagination be the same way?

Advisory: Some fantasy violence; the Polystoikhedron is a multi-headed creature that devours imaginations that Jen and her friends must battle. It is described as bearing the faces of the people whose imaginations had been devoured on serpentine necks and the obvious way to destroy it is to chop off its heads. Some minor characters have a light romance, but the author handles it sweetly.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy The Ankulen on Amazon! It's currently free on Kindle!