AWWWWW I loved this!!! I missed Yelena and Valek and Janco and Ari!!! And of course, baby Liana!!! Being in Janco's POV while "babyguarding" made it eAWWWWW I loved this!!! I missed Yelena and Valek and Janco and Ari!!! And of course, baby Liana!!! Being in Janco's POV while "babyguarding" made it even more comedic. Seeing my babies all grown up with babies of their own? I cry :((((
I need more books in this world with THESE characters and I don't care what I have to do to get it! Harrumph!...more
Buddy read with my fellow Maria V. Snyder-fanatic, Maggie!!!
Unless you missed my binge of Maria V. Snyder books this time, last year – which comprisedBuddy read with my fellow Maria V. Snyder-fanatic, Maggie!!!
Unless you missed my binge of Maria V. Snyder books this time, last year – which comprised of 6 novels and 3 novellas, mind you – you’d know that she’s one of my all-time favourite authors and SUPER UNDERRATED (why must you sleep on her and Mary E. Pearson, Goodreads???). So, you can imagine my excitement when she announced a new series that sounded like:
Tomb Raider [image]
meets
The Mummy [image]
Well…this was nothing like either of those. xD BUT, I still loved it a lot!!!
So, what IS it about, if it’s nothing like Tomb Raider OR The Mummy? Well, Goodreads, I’m so very glad you asked! :P
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The story takes place in an underground desert city (literally in the shape of a levelled-funnel) called Zirdai. The rich live in the cool, dark levels with clean water and easy access to food, whereas the poorer you are, the closer you are to the scorching-hot surface – way too close to the sun – and the less sanitary your water is.
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Also, there are fun, fluffy and flying (hehe alliteration, lol) creatures called velblouds, which reminded me of Falkor, from A Neverending Story!!!
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It centres around the stubbornly logical Shyla, who is “sun-kissed” because of her unnaturally light-coloured hair, and an outcast from society, who shun her, thinking her cursed by the Sun Goddess. One of the few people who never judged her for the way she was born was her friend, Banqui, the archaeologist employed by the Water Prince, who controls the city. However, when a certain historical artefact, the Eyes of Tamburah, are stolen, Shyla is blamed for the theft and Banqui is imprisoned as leverage.
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Despite not believing the Eyes to have any magical abilities, in order to save her only friend – sadly enough – Shyla agrees to find them for the Water Prince, under the supervision of the gruff guard, Rendor.
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While on her journey to recover the Eyes, Shyla’s journey is wrought with danger and betrayal, from Heliacal Priestess to secret organisations to even the Water Prince, himself.
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I absolutely loved this book, especially Shyla and Rendor, both as individuals, as well as together, as a couple. Shyla was so smart and logical, which is refreshing to see, since most protagonists that I read about think with their hearts, rather than their heads. I also really enjoyed seeing how loyal she was to the ones she cared about. Rendor was such a great companion, as well. Yes, he was a tad gruff and stoic at first, but then you see the layers of him as a person peel back as the story progresses. I thought that they made a great pair who complimented each other. Their romance was so adorable and sweet!!! <3
I can’t wait for the sequel to release (grrrr I’m bitter that it was pushed back from next MONTH to next YEAR ughhh). I can’t tell you what it was that was missing, which made me rate this four-stars, rather than five, but regardless, this gives you all plenty of time to pick this sand-filled gem up! ;)...more
Awww poor Yelena and Valek can’t even catch a break, when holidaying together. This is the final novella”He was getting too old for this nonsense.” :D
Awww poor Yelena and Valek can’t even catch a break, when holidaying together. This is the final novella preceding the Soulfinder trilogy (serving as a prequel), and it is told from both Yelena and Valek’s perspectives. Thus far, it’s been the longest one to date, and has the best plot out of the three novellas. This one is definitely my favourite. :)
Yelena is forced by Owen Moon to lead him to a powerful diamond in the Ixian Commander’s possession, called Ice Moon. Owen Moon is holding Leif hostage in order to motivate Yelena to cooperate, causing Valek to set a rescue mission of his own in motion. It’s also funny to hear the inside-jokes from previous books, when the characters tease Leif for being easily led around by his stomach, haha!
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, Yelena and Valek are one of my all-time favourite YA couples, and I relish any extra time spent with them in Maria V. Snyder’s magical world. This is a must-read for any fan of her amazing Study trilogy!...more
This was another fun (but, thankfully, longer) novella in the Ixian Chronicles...and this time, it was told from the perspectives of Ari and Janco (wiThis was another fun (but, thankfully, longer) novella in the Ixian Chronicles...and this time, it was told from the perspectives of Ari and Janco (with Maren making appearances, as well), so I LOVED it just as much as Valek’s previous novella. ;)
I absolutely adore this pair of everyone’s favourite soldiers. Their banter back-and-forth and constant bickering is absolutely hilarious (especially Janco’s fighting rhymes and sarcastic commentary) and I love when we get to hear about Valek and Yelena from their points of view.
”That’s not fair,” Janco said...”Valek gets everything. Immunity to magic, Yelena, super assassin skills —“ xD I love them! <3...more
This was a short and sweet novella, and while it’s told from Valek’s point of view, it was a pretty unnecessary addition to this series. However, consThis was a short and sweet novella, and while it’s told from Valek’s point of view, it was a pretty unnecessary addition to this series. However, considering how obsessed I am with Valek at the moment, it didn’t really bother me all that much!
Is it bad that I ship Valek with myself? ;) I want a sexy and protective blue-eyed assassin!!! <3...more