Review: Crystal Kingdom (Kanin Chronicles #3) by Amanda Hocking

First, thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an egalley of this final book in the Kanin Chronicles.  As I mentioned in the review for the 2nd book, Ice Kissed, that I finished right before I started this one, I just love this author and her writing.  And I have to say that this ending didn't disappoint me at all.  Again, if you haven't read the first two books yet, there are definitely going to be things you won't want to read about in this review.  So you should go back and start with my review of the first book in the series, Frostfire, in that case.

Of course at the end of the last book Bryn was accused of being guilty of treason, and now she had to flee her home and try to prove her innocence.  Once out of danger and on the run, she is joined by Konstantin, her one time enemy, who now seems to be the only one she may be able to trust in this mess.  The two of them try to work with some of the other troll tribes to get the true mastermind and guilty one, Queen Mina, out of control.  But it will take finding some kind of actual proof of the Queen's treachery, as well as finding which other tribes or members of tribes are not already part of Queen Mina's revengeful scheme.  She will work to avenge the death of her friend Kaspar, and will even call on help from her friend's family back in the Trylle kingdom, so we get to go back and see some of my favorite characters from the Trylle books.  The characters that really got me hooked on Hocking's books.

In the final battle, because there will be one, she will have allies in those that she has helped in the past, but will lose loved ones as they fight to save those they love.  And she will find true love, and work to set her kingdom right as it should be in the best way that she can.  Another great series by Amanda Hocking, one that I could not bear to put down even though I did have to work and sleep at some times. 

Review: Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles #2) by Amanda Hocking

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an egalley of this.  For some reason I didn't get to it before it was published, but then when I knew the third book in the series, Crystal Kingdom, was coming out, I had to hurry up and read this so that I could read my egalley of that as well.  And I have to say, just like the first book in this series, Frostfire, I was once again blown away by how much I love this world and these characters.  And even though it has been since December that I'd read the first book, I was able to jump right back in and not feel like I'd forgotten anything.  In fact, there were little details sprinkled throughout the beginning that totally filled in any gaps of things forgotten, without being a total information dump.  Now, if you haven't read the first book, then I can't promise you no spoilers, so you might want to click on my link for the first book above and read that review to decide if the series sounds good to you.

Bryn and Ridley have come back to their home after trying and failing to find the queen of Skojare.  And with the news of both Konstantin and Viktor both being out there, their own king has decided to prepare for war.  But Bryn doesn't believe the queen is dead like others are saying.  Especially after the queen comes to her in a dream.  She take Ridley to a fairy tale place that her mother knows about and they find the Queen Linnae.  She tells them that she didn't feel safe, and that she'd been warned by Konstantin that she was in danger.  Ridley doesn't believe that Konstantin would help her, although Bryn does, since he seems to have helped her as well.  So Bryn gets sent back to Skojare to help them figure out their own guard and try to fix it so the queen will feel safe.  But while there they find not only tons of issues with how the guard is run, but there is also lots of suspicious behavior by all parties.  When a suspect is finally arrested for a murder, Bryn and Kaspar head back home.  Only to find that the problem has come to them. And when they try to bring it to light, Bryn will find herself on the other side of the investigation.

Of course there is still the romance or the steamy feelings between Ridley and Bryn, and they will have to decide if they should act on them.  And then there is Prince Kennet, who seems to be flirting with Bryn every time she sees him.  But she can't flirt back, as it wouldn't be appropriate the way their society works.  And then there is still the attraction she always had to Konstantin from when she was a child.  She still wants to know why  he tried to kill her father, but still knows he is attractive, and seems to be a good guy.

After reading, I'm so glad I have the egalley of the third book ready to go, and I started it this morning.  I need to know what happens next.  I love that these books have been released just months apart instead of years in between each one.  They could probably have been one big book, but this works as well for me.  I understand the publishers wanting money and all of that. But this is the way to split it up so that we don't have so long to wait in between.  I'm still a huge fan of this author, the writing style is easy to read and definitely grabs you and keeps your attention.  Stay tuned for my review of the third book later this week as I'm reading it right now!

Waiting on Wednesday: Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles #2) by Amanda Hocking

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  I've picked a book that is a sequel to a book I just read back in December and loved!  I am such a huge fan of Amanda Hocking, and I love that the next book in the Kanin Chronicles comes out in May, with the 3rd book in August.  So happy to not have to wait a year in between each one.  I loved the first book, Frostfire, and here is the blurb from Goodreads about book 2:

Bryn Aven has always longed to be a part of the Kanin world.

Though she has no social status because she’s a half-breed, she refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm . . . the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal rival who’s been threatening the Kanin, and, being half Skojare herself, it’s a chance for Bryn to learn more about her heritage. Her boss Ridley Dresden is overseeing her mission and wants to help. He’s always been her most trusted friend—but as their undeniable attraction heats up, he becomes a distraction she can’t afford.

Brynn is about to discover that the Skojare world is full of secrets, and as she’s drawn in deeper and deeper, she doesn’t know who to trust. As she gets closer to Ridley, she realizes she may not even be able to trust her own heart.

If you haven't read the first one yet, you definitely should. As well as picking up the Trylle trilogy as well.  So tell me, what book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Review: Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

First, thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I've been a fan of Amanda Hocking since I downloaded a 99 cent e-book of the first book in the Trylle series, Switched.  I read that book while sitting in line waiting for one of the Harry Potter movies one summer.  And I was hooked!  And I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed returning to this same world as well. 

In the Trylle trilogy we spent our time with the Trylles, obviously.  But this book deals with the Kanin trolls.  It begins with a very intense scene.  The main character for this story is Bryn, and the night of a big party in the palace she finds one of the soldiers or guards that she looks up to, Konstantin, attempting to kill her father.  She is able to save him, but at the same time she is also wounded.  Then we jump ahead to a time when Bryn is a full blown tracker, and something she always has on her mind, to find Konstantin, and find out why he did what he did, and then get justice.  Bryn's life isn't always the easiest besides that event that has shaped her career and life.  She is only half Kanin, her mother was from a different race of trolls, the Skojari.  They are what you would call water beings, many are even born with gills. Because of this their whole way of life is different.  But they are also different in that they are light skinned, and have light colored hair compared to the Kanin.  So Bryn has blonde hair that sets her apart, and as she grew up, it made her stick out and get bullied even.  Because her father married her mother, he lost his title, and so did her mother.  This only made Bryn want to be a tracker any more.

It is on what should be a routine tracker job, where Bryn is out to find a Changeling, and prepare them to be brought home to his true parents, that she runs into Konstantin again.  He is sitting in a car that has been following the changeling around Chicago.  She confronts him and gets into a fight, but he gets away.  Once again he leaves her with some cryptic message, like the one he gave her the night he tried to kill her father.  She grabs the changeling and gets him back to his parents before the planned time, but to keep him safe, because she doesn't know what kind of danger he might have been in.  At first the King and Queen try to say it is a one time occurrence and don't set up a big security change.  But soon things will escalate.  And now Bryn and her fellow trackers will have to start trying to save all of the changelings, while also figuring out what Konstantin and his cohort are up to.  As with any story that has royalty, there is intrigue, and possible mysteries that could go back farther than what it seems with the present time issues.

My only complaint with the book is that it kind of ended abruptly.  I tried to turn the page to read what I figured would be a final concluding chapter, only to find out I had read the end.  I'll be very eager to read on in this series.  I did see people say that they wondered if they had to read the Trylle trilogy first in order to understand it, and I don't really think you do.  It was fun to see characters pop up from those books, like Tove and Wendy, but I feel like most things were explained that needed to be explained in order to understand the story. 

I definitely recommend this to people who enjoy a good paranormal/fantasy romance.  And if you liked the Trylle trilogy, you need to pick this one up as well.