Fantasy of Flight (The Tainted Accords Book 2) by Kelly St. Clare
A Fantasy Novel published by Kelly St Clare (05/24/15)
Summary:
“The fight was exhilarating. It was a rush, a shock, an overload of my senses. It was survival. It was seeing your life as a tiny speck in the palm of a giant. All of that could make a woman tired.” (Page 22).
Olina the Tatuma has run away to the outer rings of Glacium. She wants to find Kedrick’s killer and the source of the special arrow. She wants to get away from king Jovan. She meant to stay away for several days and solve the mystery of the arrow and murder, but was attacked and her veil destroyed. The people of Glacium are not as nice as the people of Osolis, where she is from. There is hope, however, as she is rescued by Alzona and her fighting crew. The only way back to being Tatuma is to fight in the Outer Rings’ competitions. As days turn into weeks, Olina discovers a new home, and potentially a compromise to her sticky situation as a blue-eyed Tatuma, but will she stay in the Outer Rings with her newfound friends, fighting for her every meal?
Keywords:
Fighting, adventure, action, fantasy, sexual themes, heartbreak, spontaneity, friendship, cliff-hanger, fantasy, love, loyalty, brothers, fear, rulers, power, intimidation, training, female main character, kick butt female
My Review:
St. Clare introduces an entire new spectrum of characters in this book two of the Tainted Accords Series. Each one has his or her own personality, and they all have some influence on Olina’s new life as Frost, Alzon’s new prized fighter. There is Alzona herself, another strong woman who built up what she has from nothing. “By accepting help, she has created a stronger business. If anything, her willingness to put aside her pride and study the bigger picture makes her even scarier – if that were possible.” (Page 54). There is Alzona’s administrative aid Crystal, whose mystery is unveiled by Frost. The crew of Flurry, Blizzard, Avalanche, Shard, and Ice are, at first, wary of the small woman who claims to be a fighter, but when she kicks their butts she earns their respect. Each of these men has their own identifying personality traits.
The majority of this book takes place in Alzona’s training ground and in the fighting arena. Much of the plot and character development is between the winter-named crew and Frost, gradually developing relationships until the sudden fast-moving change as Olina moves on back to the plot started in book one. Most of the plots that were unresolved from book one remain unresolved and are hardly touched upon in Fantasy of Flight, except the relationship that was hinted at between the Tatuma and Jovan in book one is given much more time and space in book two. This book two almost felt like a standalone in the middle of a trilogy, where some of the back-story had been talked about in another book and it ended with the same kind of cliffhanger in the end, where nothing in the main plot is resolved.
This book was amazingly captivating. The dialogue was realistic and the fighting will bring you to the edge of your seat. Olina displays intelligence and loyalty that keeps you sympathizing with her side and wanting her to reach her goals, but she is also pouty and emotional and relatable. Many times you think she is untouchable and perfect, but then she will do something entirely childish or human and she is brought to life with her actions and thoughts. Sometimes her spontaneity is baffling, but she addresses it herself in the latter part of the book. Everyone has their flaws, Olina’s is to run away from emotionally charged personal problems.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.
This novel was published by Kelly St Clare on May 24th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00
Links for more information:
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