Author: Priya Kanaparti
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Published: February 14th, 2013
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Ren and Axel are caught between two powerful magical races: one destined to end the bloodshed, the other out for vengeance.
Seventeen-year-old Ren Pernell is prophesied to end the war between the Dracians and the Telalians. So when a Dracian, Axel Knight, is sent to find and bring back the prophesied one before she turns eighteen and Telalians discover of her existence, unexpected sparks start to fly between the two. Once Ren finds the truth behind Axel’s arrival, she wants everything to do with him and nothing to do with his mission.
Things prove to become difficult as Ren’s life is constantly threatened by the Goarders, humans who sold their souls, a Proxy Succubi, and the leader of the Telalians, who has been searching for her as well.
With the clock ticking and Ren’s life in jeopardy, it is no longer just a mission for Axel. It becomes a personal endeavor to save the only one he’s ever loved. In a heart racing ending, they must find a way to evade the preordained war that won’t also end Ren’s life.
Before my review, allow me a moment of cheesiness...
Did you know, the first cover reveal I've done on this blog is for Dracian Legacy? Yup. Thinking about it now and writing this for my stop on the tour... wow. We've come a long way.
(awkward silence)
No, seriously! It's freaking cool how one day I was just doing a cover reveal and then Priya was like, "hey want to participate in the tour?" and I was all HELL YEAH and I read it and my mind went KABOOM! Mind. Blowingly. Awesome. (forgive this part right here, I'm really finding it hard to make a decent review without fan girling and this is me, fan girling)
Alright, I'll make this easy for ya'll. Here are 5 reasons why you should buy Dracian Legacy:
1. Story line. As far as paranormal stories go, this is definitely original. It had an interesting plot and there were twists and turns that just made everything all the more exciting. Things that I just had to highlight and note, "didn't see THAT coming." I admit, I was sort of taken aback at first when a huge chunk of the mystery of Dracians and Telalians were explained early on but then going into the story I realized it was a good move. It got all the technical explanations out of the way and it made it easier for me to understand the story better as it progressed.
I also like that Priya was able to create a new world and was able to build the story from that. I tend to be more picky with paranormal novels because some books can get a bit weird and the story line becomes hard to grasp. But that wasn't the case in Dracian Legacy. I liked that the story incorporated a lot of contemporary elements in it (i.e. names, setting) without drowning out the paranormal. It was the right mix of paranormal and contemporary so the story was pretty easy to get into. Did I just make sense? Boy, I sure do hope so.
2. Characters. This book has a set of well-rounded characters. I loved that the story was made whole by not just the main characters but even the minor ones. Everyone played an important part in the story and I think it was cool how Priya was able to connect all of them. It wasn't just the characters per se, it's the relationships they have and formed. I just loved reading about Ren's relationship with her brother. It's one of my favorite things about the book. It was so touching and genuine and it was refreshing having some other form of relationship be given equal importance. Aside from that, I loved how the characters thought/spoke. They were witty and hilarious; it definitely added more to my enjoyment because they felt more relatable.
(and this is the part where I gush over some of the characters. Teehee)
I love love love (love) Ren! It's not that often that I like the female protagonist more than the male lead because honestly? We all hate the girl that gets The Guy. Ha! Seriously though, I liked Ren. She has spunk and she's totally not annoying. She wasn't whiny and she was strong - well duh, she's the center of it all, of course she's strong! Anyway!
Axel. Girls, girls. He's a freaking general (read his POV here). How sexy is that? (When I typed the word 'general' my heart skipped a beat haha *coughs* okay sorry) Axel has got to be one of my favorite book boyfriends now. He's strong, powerful, gorgeous and... one heck of a romantic! He says a lot of things which, I admit, are a bit over the top sometimes but who cares! He's not even human! He's allowed to be cheesy and sweet like that!
Dean. A lot of the bloggers I know are pining over Dean and I can definitely see why. He's the totally swoon-worthy bestfriend the MC, for some bizarre reason, doesn't want. Everything about Dean just screams hot. Literally. You'll have to read it to find out *wink* BUT just to prepare you for the awesomeness that is Dean, here are some Dean-related stops on the tour: Character interview, Axel interviews Dean, Dean's POV, Deleted scene
TYLER. Tyler isn't part of the main characters but he's MY book boyfriend and I want to give him a spot on my review. He's strong. And cute. And funny. And perfect. And MINE. Just so you know. I'm sure the other minor characters are equally dreamy, but this one's taken alright? ;-) (god I feel like a hipster for crushing on a character who's not even part of the main characters) Did I mention he's funny? He's funny.
3. Romance. It was sort of insta love between Ren and Axel but it worked, for some reason. It didn't feel forced. It was almost as if the universe meant for them to be together. Cheesy, I know. But whatever. There were plenty of tender moments between Ren and Axel and they were simply breathtaking! Yes, I used that word...because it's true. I loved their initial attraction and I loved it even more when their relationship blossomed. *sigh*
4. Action. And of course, action. I loved the fight scenes! The Dracians were all badass warriors. Everything was just so descriptive and the pacing was great! It really set the mood, you know? Plus, you can really get a feel of the magical elements of the story because of all the action. One thing though, and I know some reviewers complained about it too - most of the action happened towards the end of the book. While that is true, I still feel like it was enough to set the story for the second book. To me, all that took place in the story was a some kind of preparation for all the madness that'll take place in the next installment. So even if a lot of the action happened towards the end, it was still equally awesome.
5. Cliffhanger. MOTHER OF ALL CLIFFHANGERS. It wasn't a huge letdown, really. It was just... this disturbing little detail that Priya left at the very last page. I finished reading it the day it was released and all I could think of was, "I have to wait. I have to wait for a long time."
Overall, Dracian Legacy is a must read. Loved everything about it - the plot, the descriptions, the characters (even their names), the paranormal elements - except the cliffhanger but I can live with that. Heh. I just really freaking need the second book. I even stalk Priya on Twitter whenever she has updates because I AM HOOKED ON THIS SERIES! Any book that makes me care enough to find out what happens after the cliffhanger is definitely a great one. Go and buy your copy of Dracian Legacy, you won't regret it. ;)
My Rating
(Refer to rating system)
***I received an Advanced Reading e-Copy of this book for review***
This review is based solely on my opinion.
About the author
Priya Kanaparti
Priya Kanaparti was born in India, grew up in Detroit, and is now living in Boise, ID. She attended Wayne State University for her undergrad degree in Bachelor of Science in Biology, and University of Phoenix for her Masters in Business Administration. Priya works as a project manager in software field during the day and lives in the world of her characters during the nights and weekends. She had found the love for reading and writing early this year, when she stayed home with her year old and needed something to occupy those 'downtime' hours.
She loves playing tennis on a good summer day and chess during the cold winters, but reading and writing has become a year round hobby.
She lives in Boise with her husband, son and a Yorkie. Dracian Legacy is her debut novel.
CONTACT INFORMATION
FOLLOW THE TOUR
The Dracian Legacy blog tour is a 33-day long tour. Check out the stops yesterday, today (I'm the only stop today) and tomorrow!
3/9/2013
Cece's Reading and Writing Safari - Character Interview – Ren, Axel, and Dean
3/10/2013
Sab The Book Eater - Book Review (YOU ARE HERE WUHOO)
3/11/13
Young Adult and Teen Readers - Book Review
Joie De Lire - Deleted Scene – Chapter 25
GIVEAWAY!!!
Fan girling or not, I loved this review. It made me wanna read this book so badly.
ReplyDeleteHURRAY! I hope you do read it, it's amazeballs.
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