Wings of Arian was a surprise to me on so many levels. I expected very different kind of story than the one I got and although it was not without some flaws, learning the responsibility of the Solus along with Kiora was very exciting adventure.

 

The biggest surprise was amount of magical creatures we will meet in the story. Wizards, fairies, dragons (yes dragons!)… And with shapes-shifters we got everything else covered. Even flying pink dog-iguanas. And they do not just appear as part of the scenery. Each of these magical beings had enchanting back story that will make you cheer for them.

 

The only downside is – our heroine Kiora seemed rather flat compared to them. I wish the novel does not begin with Kiora who already started her training to be the Solus, protector of good. I think if I have met her as an ordinary girl, the connection between me and Kiora would have been deeper. And the fact that she reads all the instructions about spells to us did not make her more dear to me. I felt like I was at school and forced to listen to a lecture.

 

The spark in Kiora’s personality only appears when prince Emane is near. Their relationship is so cute. From the first look you can see they will be more than annoyed acquaintances. The banter between them was fun, the romance was even better. It was swoony and had so many great moments worth highlighting. And I did highlight like crazy. I would share them all here, but it would take too much space. So here is just one:

“You are the only girl I have met that I would wait for.” A smile played across his lips as he ran his finger across her cheek. “And I would wait a lifetime.”

 

The only person that felt flatter and more bland than Kira was the main villain, Dralazar. He was so boring, I was surprised how intense battle scenes turned out to be. Having magic did not make winning easy and the winners always had to have some extra tricks in their sleeve.

 

In The End…

If you can look past some boring parts and small lack of depth for main characters and villain, the Wings of Arian offers enchanting world full of magical creatures, intense battles and some surprising twists in the plot. It has dragons too! I am looking forward to the next part of Kiora’s adventures.

 

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.

LOVE THIS SERIES SOOO MUCH!!!! One of my favorite series (: Check out my full review for book 3 here (: 

Check out my full review HERE :D

Check out my full review HERE (: 

I had not heard of this series before this tour and was given a chance to review. I chose to review the first book in the series (because who would ever start at the end and work their way backwards, right? =P ). Also, I'm one to judge a book by its cover (as in, should I read this? Should I sign up for the tour? Should I buy it?) and this cover has "READ ME, TIFFANY" all over it! Luckily...it lives up to its cover!

This is a WONDERFUL start to a sword and sorcery YA fantasy series that winds its way into your subconscious and has you thinking about it when you have to step away for daily life, you know like making dinner, washing your hands, etc. :) I was smiling while thinking of the snark behind some of the characters, like Arturo!

I wasn't sure that I was going to like Kiora as she seemed so insecure about her being the Solus. She quickly wins me over with her great empathy, tender heart, honesty, loyalty, and desire to do no harm. Her self-doubt can start to get annoying at times, but she IS only 16 and she has the weight of the WORLD on her shoulders.

Prince Emane, I thought for sure he and Kiora would fight the ENTIRE book when we first met him in the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised at how mature they both were rather quickly as they grasped what lies ahead of them. And then of course it develops into more.

There are magic-users, shape-shifters, pegasus, dragons, fairies (well, Guardians, I wouldn't want to upset them!), ancient evil, a magical book, and a journey that is amazing as both Emane and Kiora train and learn their abilities and prepare to take on the dark evil. I found the premise that the kingdom and its people have no idea what evil is, no lying, no fear of thievery, abuse, murder, rape, etc. A wonderful utopia, no? Of course...until evil awakens again.

I liked the cast of characters, especially the dragon and the pegasus. I don't want to go into the plot more as I don't want to ruin it for you, but I am itching to get to book 2 and 3 as soon as I can! If you like fantasy of the sword and sorcery kind, that includes dragons and pegasus and magic, with a touch of sweet romance, pick this up!