Remnant of Power by J.A. Deakin (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Remnant of Power
by J.A. Deakin

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GENRE: YA Fantasy

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BLURB:

Sent to marry the brutal King Ulric of Arvad, seventeen year-old Princess Yavenna is already trying to plan her escape. Then she discovers powers she never knew she had, as well as the handsome, elusive Mal, who has a secret of his own. But as the wedding day draws closer, Yavenna has a heart-breaking choice - use all her strength to flee the ancient castle, or marry the King and set his thousands of slaves free. And can she ally herself with rebel forces in time to save Mal, or is the magic the King commands too powerful?

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EXCERPT

“Look at me, Yavenna! Now! Stop! You must focus! We’ve got to get Mal. Quick; we might just find him in time to save his life.” He carefully rotated her so she could see his face.

Yavenna gazed at him, her face white as snow; her eyes blank, showing no response. A spear sailed over her head and from the corner of his eyes Gared could see three soldiers running towards them.

“Yavenna, look at me.” Her eyes were empty. He shook her shoulders. She didn’t even blink. The soldiers were at the bottom at the steps.

He let go of one shoulder, gritted his teeth, and…slapped her cheek.

Yavenna blinked, then shook herself and gasped. She looked around, then looked at him as if it was the first time she’d seen him in a long while.

“You!” she yelled. “You’ve been waiting to do that to me, haven’t you? You had to get your own back, didn’t you, you pig?” Her gaze switched to the soldiers behind her. Gared thrust her a sword that he’d picked up from the floor, then drew his own. Powered by her fury, and his desperation, the two of them quickly killed the soldiers.

“Yavenna,” he put his hand up to her shoulder. “I slapped you to warn you. I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.” She glared at him, her eyes hard and cold as ice in a shadow.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

J.A. Deakin is a former Art and Spanish teacher. Remnant of Power is the first in a series of five books packed with secrets, magic and romance.

When she isn’t reading or writing, J. A. Deakin likes to run in the woods behind her Victorian cottage in Leicestershire, England. She hasn’t met any talking wolves there yet but remains hopeful and always looks out for them.

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My review:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Remnant of Power by J.A. Deakin is the first book in the fantasy series, ‘Starlight in Aeldenarth’. The story follows Princess Yavenna of Tarhasta, whose life is changed radically when she is reluctantly forced into agreeing to marry the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, who perpetrates the very evil she most despises. Her unexpected encounters with Mal Wainwright during his search for his missing dog, Yoldas, are only one facet of the unusual adventures that will change her life. Mal has reached his eighteenth birthday only to discover that his life is about to change radically as well, and the fascinating Yavenna is one of the few things that he is grateful to encounter. The other changes…might not be quite so welcome!

This young adult story follows two people who are forced to do things they don’t want to but then discover unexpected depths to themselves from both inheritance and the way they react to challenges. The remarkable adventures each main character has allows the reader to discover what a scary but wondrous world they live in. There are many creative elements that keep this story from being a typical quest story, and I particularly like the talking wolves who can disguise themselves.

The action is a little uneven in places and I don’t feel I really got to know any of the characters in depth, but I think a younger reader would still enjoy the story itself. Those who are concerned with such things should be aware there is a considerable amount of killing and death, particularly of beings one would expect to continue being of assistance during the story, and the points of view tend to shift around sometimes. There are surprising twists and turns and some dangling threads, but there is a resolution to this story that will temporarily satisfy. Those who enjoy imaginative fantasy stories suitable for a younger reader who is not disturbed by violence will undoubtedly enjoy this story and be anxious to read the sequel, which fortuitously is already available directly from the author.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review.