K.A. Linde is an author I only know for her romances. I knew she had a fantasy series, so when I saw the sign up to review her fantasy series I had to give it a chance. The Affiliate is the first book in the Ascension series. Thanks for the author, publisher and Inkslinger PR for the chance to read and review.
On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm’s lifelong plans come to fruition when she’s chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland—an Affiliate to the Queen.
Or so she thinks.
When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene’s position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have…
King Edric himself.
Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new Ascension series.
Cover
The first thing I noticed about this series are the covers! I love everything about this cover. The colors, the font and just the whole feel it gives.
Plot
We meet Cyrene, a girl who just turned seventeen and is off to her Presenting. This is something she has trained her whole life for and she is hoping for a nice position. Cyrene never expects to be an Affiliate! Her life is turned upside down and in a way she wasn’t quite prepared for!
I loved Cyrene’s character from the beginning. It’s clear that she speaks her mind even when she really should just keep quiet, haha. This makes King Edric curious though. I have to say that it took me awhile to be sucked into this book. That had nothing to do with the writing, but more of not knowing enough about the world.
As we read more and more is revealed, but I felt at times I was missing parts of the world or history to completely understand choices that were made. I get that magic isn’t something accepted in this world and there are a lot of secrets. People start showing up dead and Cyrene comes to realize it’s because of her. She is trying to figure everything out to start off with the letter she got a her Presenting and the book no one else can read but her.
She makes a couple of friends along the way and trusts them enough to take them along on her journey. On top of the new world around her and discovering new things about herself, both King Edric and Prince Kael are interested in her. I am definitely a fan of romance, but I think it took up too much of this story. I felt that the main storyline of Cyrene discovering more about herself should’ve had more time. Or at least more explanations.
Near the end this story had me on the edge of my seat and left me wanting more. I can’t imagine having to wait to get the next book. Even though I did have some issues with the storyline, I definitely need to see where this series is going!
I love when authors are capable of writing more than one genre. K.A. Linde is definitely full or surprises! What is your favorite author that writes more than one genre?
