YA Review: Mortal Enchantment [blog tour]
In Kalin Matthew's world, elementals control the forces of nature. They are divided into four courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. At sixteen she will leave the life she's built with her mortal mother. Kalin will move to Avalon to rule with her father—the elemental king of the air court. Along the way, she's attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, a swoon-worthy elemental with a questionable past.First Sentence:
Worst of all, she learns her father is missing.
To rescue him, Kalin will have to work with a judgmental council and a system of courts too busy accusing each other of deceit to actually be able to help her. But, they aren’t her biggest challenge. With the Midwinter’s Ball only five days away, Kalin must take over her father’s duties, which includes shifting control of the elements—power Kalin has yet to realize.
As Rowan attempts to train her, a war looms between the four courts. If Kalin fails, her father will die and the courts will fall, but the betrayal she’s about to uncover may cost her even more...
I wonder if I can get pizza in Avalon.
Okay, so, it took me sometime, like a few chapters, to really be pulled into Mortal Enchantment. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the writing, it was more like I did not care for Kalin and her instant attraction to Rowan. I'm not really a fan of characters be attracted based solely on looks...at first. It just doesn't work for me as I prefer them to find themselves attracted to the person not their looks.
That right there, was my first impression of the book and the character interactions. After reading The Shadow Prince I understood why Rowan was attracted (yes, I've managed to use that word yet again) to Kalin, as, he fell for her overly humanness like qualities during the prequel novella. That I could understand, yet (now I'm not trying to judge her, Kalin, harshly) it felt like she was only superficially turned on by Rowan.
So, with these thoughts, I bet y'all are wondering how I came to enjoy this book. Well, it was mainly Rowan's fault that I enjoyed the book because I wanted to see if things that had happened in the novella would be sorted out. There was just so many political scheming going on in regards to the Fire Court and his fallen like status that I needed answers to. Even though Mortal Enchantment is not about Rowan, his story is so deeply embedded in the plot that I couldn't walk away,
*thought I was finished with the review, till I realized I forgot to talk about Kalin herself*
As for Kalin, it took me some time to warm up to her. I don't know why, but her personality just took some getting used to for me. It wasn't that I didn't like her stubborn streak, but more along the lines of her complaining that through a wrench in my first impression of her. I have a thing against complaining, be they fictional characters or not, it just annoys me because complaining doesn't change a situation nor does it help ones cause. So, as one thoroughly against complaining it took sometime, like till she stepped up her game, for me to warm up to Kalin. While she did have a rough time throughout the book, I felt that maybe should could've handled things a little more rationally.
On the bright side, by the time the book ended she was quite the interesting character and
she may have done something, I'm not saying what, to earn my reader approval. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how she evolves throughout the series and how she'll handle her new life in Avalon.
While I did take some issue with the romance of the book. Though there's hardly a book featuring romance that I do not find something that makes me grumbly, so, I think it's wise to move onto my thoughts on the rest of the book.
Even though Mortal Enchantment was a little slow at first, I soon became lost in the intrigue of Kalin's missing father, the turmoil between the courts, and Kalin's quest to learn to use her powers before the big event. Ah, now these are the things I love about books; the little eddies of current that run throughout the story bringing everything together. You could say, I'm like the person obsessed with solving the puzzle of the Rubix's Cube when it comes to plot-lines, So, just picture my mind whirring away as it untangled the web spun from the novella and brought to fruition in book one.
Bringing the many threads of the story together is where Stacey O'Neale's writing really begins to shine. I thought she did a wonderful job creating an interesting world filled with plot twists and court intrigue. And, it was these elements that really sold me on her writing, especially as the final stages of the book began to play out.
While I don't want to get into too many details when it comes to plot, even though I could probably talk your ear off with theories and how I came to my conclusions on why it had to be so-and-so as the mastermind. I do want to share with y'all how much I enjoyed the political intrigue portion of the book. Here' a hint......... I loved it!! Even though I had things pretty much puzzled out, except for the location of Kalin's missing father, I really enjoyed seeing the big picture come together and look forward to seeing where Stacey O'Neale takes the book in the next installment.
Final Verdict: Mortal Enchantment- Between a possible war and the court intrigue, as well, as the author's writing, this book won me over in the end. Even with a slow start, this is one book that is not easy to walk away from once you're committed.
Mortal Enchantment earns
About the author:
Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter.
Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.
Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
This book was received in exchange for an honest review.
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