Ondine - Heather Graham

Ondine had a noose around her neck as she traveled in a cart to be hung. But Ondine promised herself she wouldn't scream. She was appalled by the amount of people who had crowded the streets to watch a hanging. Ondine was not the common woman she said she was when she joined the group of poor and homeless in the forest. She was  dressed in rags but she had the manners of a lady born and bred. She was to be killed for struggling to eat. Ondine and Old Thomas and many other had and will share the same fate. There was one chance Ondine would not be hanged and that is if someone stepped forward and agreed to marry her. Then Warwick came forward and not only said he would marry he he did so right then. Ondine had witnessed her father’s murder and then ran for her life. All Ondine wanted to do was clear her father’s name. Warwick wants Ondine to be bait to catch the person who murdered his first wife.  There is attraction between Ondine and Warwick and it grows. Ondine had been the Duchess of Rochester before she ran for her life. It was her jealous relatives who killed her father as they wanted his lands. At first Warwick nor Ondine confided in each other but eventually they did.

I really enjoyed this story. I felt it had a good plot and story. There was a lot to this story: betrayal, murder fleeing for one's life hangings, hunger, murder, intrigue, secrets, adventure and so much more. I liked how Ondine and Warwick’s feelings grew. I think they made a great couple she was strong enough to handle Warwick. Especially as Ondine as she had been raised to be a lady and had been a Duchess.  The story had me hooked from beginning to end. I was also glad Warwick agreed to marry Ondine so she didn’t have to die. Even though Warwick had his own reasons for marrying Ondine. I hated that the homeless and poor were killed for trying to get food to eat to prevent from starving. I was glad the homeless and poor had accepted Ondine so easily into their group. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend.

   I just knew you were going to go and breaker my heart, Emma Raveling! And you did. You chipped little, and big pieces away throughout this book….nay…..this whole series. Breaker was everything I had wanted it to be, and a bunch of other things I didn’t know I wanted, or needed. It was the perfect combination of somberness and hopefulness. There wasn’t a single second of this that I would change, even the parts that broke me. They all added up to something so incredible. I felt like we experienced everything right along with Kendra. I felt every twinge of regret, hurt, betrayal, and loss.

But I also felt the pride, hope, and ultimately love too. This was an emotional journey through the past, present, and a glimmer of hope for a better future. It wasn’t just Kendra who shinned though. Every character we have come to know and care for was a star. Tristan, Julian, Nexa, Chloe, Alex, Cam, Aubrey, Ian, Ray, Jeeves, and so many more, they were the truly magical parts of this story. They are what had me emotionally invested in the story.  I cared for each of them in so many different ways. It was so sad saying goodbye to them!

   It also must be said just how gorgeous the writing in this book was. It was poetic. It was word magic. I felt how grand it was going to be in the freaking prologue! It really set the tone for the entire book. I loved how everything connected at the end. I enjoyed guessing repeatedly at how everything was going to turn out, or different plot twists, and always ending up surprised! Especially when the answers were really there all along. I was also thankful for the few undercurrents of humor, and the small moments, the underscored wins in comparison to the larger battle going on.

   So thank you, Emma Raveling. Thank you for creating this incredible, unique world, full of magic, possibilities, and some of my favorite characters. Thank you for always keeping us readers on our toes, with your plot twists and revelations. And thanks for always being brave and ripping our hearts out, dragging them through the mud, and then magically putting them back together again. One of Daniel’s magical scans would surely show all the old injuries and magical residue around my savaged heart! But it was the price I paid for a perfect ending to a fantastic series!

   I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

    Didn't want to overwhelm any news feeds here, and after the past few weeks dealing with my daughter having strep throat, my guy having pneumonia, numerous doctors visits, and days taking care of my sickies and disinfecting EVERYTHING....I'm just lazy and tired. SO that's why I'll be condensing this review a little. I just recently started this series, and after book one, I was hooked! I immediately devoured every available book I could in the Ondine Quartet series. Without any further ado.......let the gushing commence!

   BILLOW  (4stars) :

      Billow was a great follow up to Crest. Kendra is starting to learn what being the sondaleur truly means, piece by brutal piece. She's also realizing that she isn't walking the lonely path she always has anymore. Somehow people have wormed their way into her life, and her heart, even though she tried to fight it. I'm not sure what was the larger struggle for Kendra here, navigating her way through the hardships of the responsibilities and being the sondaleur or figuring out how to deal with having relationships with people. We learned in Whirl how Kendra was raised to take care of herself, and NEVER form any kind of attachments. Well in Billow we really get to see what that means for her while she flounders through trying to understand others and what her role in a relationship really is. I loved this! It's one thing to be told someone is a certain way, and it's another to watch the person deal with the inevitable repercussions because of it.

      Now, while I loved the journey of self discovery that Kendra was on.....I could have done without all the whining she did. I get that she was brought up in such a foreign way, that she was struggling with basic social skills that normal people acquire when they are in elementary school, but sometimes it was agony to listen to her incessant whining. Sometimes I wanted to reach through my Kindle and just shake her a little.

      Obviously Kendra is the star of the show, but there's something to be said for all these other AMAZING side characters. They all truly shine in this book. I'm not going to lie, Julian's wit and relentless flirtatious behavior with Kendra charmed me. I mean Tristan is fabulous and all, but he's also somewhat intangible right now. Which is precisely what makes Julian's in your face, I'm right here and my body is ready, attitude alluring. I just hope that he doesn't break my heart in the end. Stay good Julian, don't turn into a villain if Kendra doesn't choose you in the end!!!!

     ONDINE (novella; 4 stars)

          I loved this brief glimpse into Kendra's life before the Lumiere Academy. I liked seeing this younger version of her! It was nice to see the way she has always stuck up for the underdogs. Even though she seems harsh or abrasive, she has always been a quiet hero. I enjoyed the story, and the sweet twist at the end.

      CHEVALIER  (novella 4 stars)

           Loved this little short story from Julian's point of view! It was really fun watching him and Kendra conduct their covert investigation, especially in a foreign city, with some new interesting people. It was also nice to get a peek into what Julian was thinking for a bit. I feel like we got to see a slight shift in his attitude towards Kendra, and her relationship with Tristan in this novella. The calm, cool exterior appears to be cracking.

       WARIOR PRINCE  (novella 3.75 stars)

            Am I the only one that re-read the ending in this one a few times because I totally thought I was missing something. That was a sneaky thing to do Miss Raveling! You didn't quite give us the whole picture as to what dear Tristan was up to when visiting home, but it was certainly enough to have me chomping at the bit! It was also way cool to see some of the more pivotal scenes between Tristan and Kendra from Tristan's point of view this time around. Especially since so much of the time he has his emotions locked down like Fort Knox and it's as hard for the reader as it is for Kendra to guess as to what he's thinking or feeling.

         CREST  (5 stars)

       LOVED this!!!!!!  Such huge growth from Kendra in this book! She has truly flourished. I was so shocked and pleased to see Kendra handling everything that she was, with so much grace, and responsibility. She is becoming the leader she was destined to be, and so much more. She is fighting for and navigating her new role in the draining political world. We have seen in the previous books what a fierce and dedicated warrior Kendra can be, Crest really highlighted the fact that she is much more than a deadly weapon. She has a strong political presence and she's making it known. I think it can be said for any form of politics, it's not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. Kendra proves to be neither. She will do whatever she can, and must for the sake of the Irisavies and all the elementals and even associates of the elemental world. She has some great ideas and plans to truly unify everyone and make things equal for all, but of course tradition and traditionalists stand in her way. It's been awesome seeing Kendra finally play their game, and do it so well.

       Can we say a big hell yes for getting to see so much selkie awesomness in this book?! I mean it's all about the

 Having this book take place in the Selkie Kingdom was amazing. The selkies have been such an intriguing race, shrouded in mystery. It was kind of like getting to peek behind the curtain at Oz, only the selkies were way better than some old dude pretending to be great and powerful. We got to learn so much about their way of life and culture, it was so cool! Especailly considering that this is the first supernatural/fantasy book that has ever featured this particular race.

     We are also closer to the Shadow then ever before in this addition. Come on that ending was EXCRUTIATING!!!!!  Two things I have learned in this series thus far, you never quite know who your enemies are, and Raveling doesn't blink an eye at injuring, maiming or completely offing people. Even characters you love! So beware forming attachments, because you truly never know who is the next to plunge the knife in your back or bite the bullet.

      I also need to sat how much I love a slow building romance. I love the agonizingly slow and torturous journey to your OTP finally coming together. Raveling expertly weaves this journey in this series. I have to say that I have seen a lot of people talk about a love triangle in this series. I can't say I ever really thought that was the case here. I always felt things would play out a certain way, and I never felt like there was even a choice for Kendra. I thought her feelings were clear from the get go, even when she had trouble admitting them to herself. I admire the way she handled things with both leading men in this book. Gone is the girl that struggles so much with people and relationships. Kendra really stepped up and was honest and mature in dealing with everyone.

    I can not wait for Breaker. I so look forward to seeing what happens next in this incredible series!  This was the first book in awhile that gave me one hell of a hangover. I couldn't put this down, not when it was time to cook dinner, not when it was time for bed, and not even when I knew I had to work in just a few hours. That next day was a long one, but totally worth it!

    Okay Jenny, you were right.....I dug it. I've had this book for quite some time, after much prompting from my blogger buddy, and now I'm just bummed I didn't get to it sooner! I've heard a lot of people talk about the similarities with this book and The Vampire Academy by Racheal Mead, and the Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. You know what, they aren't wrong. But I will say that I heard the same thing when the Covenant series came out, Vampire Academy fans were hating big time. I read Covenant first, and then Vampire Academy, and similarities or not, I LOVED the Convenant series, and was not a fan of Vampire Academy. Even though they had some things in common, they had different themes, styles and characters, and it made them completely different. Such is the case with Whirl too. Raveling put her own stamp on this, hands down. I saw the common threads, but she made it her own, and I enjoyed it!

     First off, I LOVED the idea of this world of elementals!! We got a close look at the water elementals and their various roles and just scratched the surface of their abilities.  Ummm first time seeing Selkies in a book, and how sweet is that?!  I can't wait to see more of them!! This was clearly the start of a series, and a fantastical one at that, so Whirl ended up being more of an introduction to a very complex, imaginative world. I'm cool with that, as long as the world keeps expanding and bringing the wow factor, and I have high hopes for this as of now.

    I liked Kendra for the most part, she's kind of a badass, but like a baby badass in the elemental world. I like that she's still got a lot to learn, it makes it fun for the reader to learn right along with her. She's used to being mostly on her own and she doesn't exactly play well with others, but she's also that kind of heroine everyone likes because she has a penchant for befriending, and defending the underdogs, and who doesn't like a good underdog? She can be a little brash but I'm cool with that, I think that will even out as her character grows throughout the series. Totally random, and really childish, but I also love that there's cuss words in this book. I don't know many 17 year olds that talk like granny church mums, so I'm glad when that comes through in a story. It makes it feel a little more real. And I have a mouth that can rival any sailor most days, so

    I'm done waiting, I already have the sequel, Billow so I'll be starting that like

Merle è un'orfanella che ha appena iniziato il suo apprendistato con Junipa, una ragazza cieca, dal costruttore di specchi Arcimboldo. Quando incontra Seraphin, l'apprendista del negozio di fronte, scopre molti segreti su Venezia e sugli specchi. Cose che un apprendista tessitore non dovrebbe sapere.
Insieme a Seraphin scopriranno loschi progetti e tradimenti verso la Serenissima e la sua laguna.
Merle tenterà di salvare la Regina Fluente, inseguita dalla guardia a cavallo dei leoni alati. Mentre strane creature si muovono nel sottosuolo ed altre navigano verso di loro.

Un racconto per ragazzi, intricato all'inverosimile.
Sembra che l'autore abbia voluto scrivere il contenuto di due libri in sole 212 pagine.
La storia è curiosa, tra ondine, fantasmi e leoni di pietra volanti.
Una storia che consiglio ai più giovani che desiderano azione e magia ed assaggiare un pizzico di brivido.