Book Review: Vera's Song by Natalie Erin

Creatures of the Lands 

Book #2

Description 

Five years have passed since the battle for the Verinian Forest. Kia, Keota, the wolves and Ionan have been living peacefully since, though things aren't as happy as they appear. Ionan longs for the shores of Nesting's Haven, the isle of Changers that he left long ago, and the eyes of his first love, Vera.

Things are turned upside down when Vera arrives, claiming to have left her abusive Accompany. Almost immediately after Kia's young son Kennu and his Changer Allie go missing. Allie and Kennu have been kidnapped by an evil mastermind hellbent on taking total control of the Lands and all that surrounds them. But there’s a twist this time, as the foe is one they not only know well, but fear, because his powers are beyond all imagining and his cunning is enough to outwit them all.

Our heroes are left with no choice...in order to bring back the children they love, one of them must be sacrificed. Kiatana and her friends will discover that their previous battles are nothing compared to the upcoming war, and what they’ve lost so far is in no way equal to the danger brewing on the horizon.

Review

 

I was really excited when I received an ARC from Gryfyn Publishing of Vera's Song! If you're not familiar with the Creatures of the Lands series, check out my review of the first book, Kiatana's Journey.

What I really love about this series is the quirky characters. And there are a TON of them; from fairies, to shape-shifting animals, to a whole array of mythical creatures. I wish these animals could come alive so I could keep them in my backyard. Vera is indeed my favorite, a sweet, mothering dragon, staying strong in the face of trials despite the chains that hold her.

As with Kiatana's Journey, the Changers are still a little confusing. They switch forms so much, it's hard to picture what they look like in a scene. I'll read along thinking Ionan is a dragon, then realize he's been a lion this whole time. The author will start off a scene mentioning Ionan is now a Pegasus, but I'm still picturing the lion. So just make sure you keep a close eye on those pesky Changers.

I was happy to find so much emotion with the characters, which was lacking a bit with the last book. Each main character has their own story, yet Erin brings them all together flawlessly. My heart poured out for each one of them, latching onto their fear, relief, betrayal, happiness, and heartache.

As far as writing style goes, Natalie Erin is not my favorite. Her story is rich with drama and excitement, but I feel there is something lacking in the delivery. Perhaps with so many characters in the party, she's busy setting up what everyone is doing in the scene to really throw the reader in it. Her voice has grown since the first book, so I have high hopes for the series. 

Overall, Vera's Song is a fantastic sequel. Things go from bad to worse, and you really doubt everything will work out for your furry friends. Creatures of the Lands really has everything that makes a great modern fairytale and is perfect for a reader with a hungry imagination.

Book 3 is titled Wyntier's Rise, but has no release date set at this time. If you haven't yet, get yourself a copy of Kiatana's Journey and catch up. 


   

4 Stars
****

 

 

Book Review: Creatures of the Lands - Kiatana's Journey by Natalie Erin

 

 

 

DESCRIPTION 

Dragons fly, animals can speak and fairies rule over all in the realm they call the Lands, a place that is both beautiful and dangerous. Only one myth remains...Changers, beasts who can morph into any creature at will, and their Accompanies, the mysterious riders who command them. 

Chaos begins when a Changer called Ionan and his Accompany Keota crash down from the sky. They are found by two orphan wolf pups searching for their mother, and the fairy Kiatana, owner of the Verinian Forest. Kiatana refuses to trust the handsome stranger, or believe the story about his troubled past, but she soon finds she has bigger problems as a plague begins to spread throughout her land, killing all in sight. With no option Kiatana heads out on a quest with Keota, Ionan, the two wolves and her trusty pegasus to find a cure before the forest is destroyed forever. But danger has a way of finding her, and Kiatana isn’t sure if she’ll survive the road ahead...

Natalie Erin is the pen name for the writing team of Megan Linski and Krisen Lison (also known as Krystyl Lisoh). They completed the first draft of Kiatana's Journey in 2008 when they were freshmen in high school, and released the book online in their graduating year of 2011. After some revisions the girls decided that they would find representation for the novel, but this was disrupted by Miss Lison's untimely death in 2013. She was 20 years old.

One year after Lison's passing Linski created her own company, Gryfyn Publishing, and released the updated version of Kiatana's Journey as the company's breakout novel on November 1st, 2014. Miss Linski is currently working on publishing the rest of the Creatures of the Lands series in Lison's honor.

 

REVIEW

This book was given to me by Gryfyn Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

It was my pleasure to read Kiatana's Journey, the first installment in the Creatures of the Lands series by Natalie Erin. Upon the very first page, the reader is immersed in a well thought out world with a wide variety of compelling characters. The story opens with two orphaned wolf pups, who snagged my heart from the beginning. Although the book centers around Kiatana, a sassy, independent fairy readers will appreciate, I found the wolf pups were the most crafted of all the characters. And there are a lot of them, from the main antagonists to suspected villains, to talking birds, shape shifting dragons, intricately designed unicorns and heroes in disguise. But in my humble opinion, the wolf pups outshine all of them and steal the show. I'm very happy they tagged along on Kiatana's Journey.

The world of Creatures of the Lands brought back a lot of nostalgia as it is a place I could have day dreamed about as a child. Riding off over the mysterious forest on the back of a Pegasus, being in the reverent presence of a mighty dragon...Natalie Erin gives us some very enjoyable twists on fairy tale lore and I got caught up in the mysterious world. I savored the names of the settings the author presented in her story, but I found myself grasping for more. The band of quirky characters never stayed in one place too long, and perhaps that is why I was dissatisfied with the lack of details for each part of the world. I always enjoy a well planned love story, but I felt the relationship between Kia and Keota was rushed and a bit predictable.

Action, magic, and adventure pack this story to the edges. The pages kept turning with a new mystery or element always adding to the crisis. A few twists keeps things interesting and keeps the reader guessing. You will cheer for Kia and her team as they struggle to save their home, find closure from a dark past, and find unexpected love.

During the entire book, I felt like I was watching an anime series, and I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps one day it will be adapted into such. I look forward to the next book in the Creatures of the Lands series coming soon, Vera's Song.

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