Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: The Mark of the Tala
Author: Jeffe Kennedy
Series: The Twelve Kingdoms #1
Hero/Heroine: Andi & Rayfe
Genre: M/F Fantasy
Length: 353 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Available at: Kensington Publishing, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Queen Of The Unknown
The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.
Andi doesn’t mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she’d thought was no more than legend–until he claims her as its queen.
In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn’t know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.
For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come. . .
Review:
The middle child of three sisters, Princess Andi is the invisible sister that no one will write sonnets about. That’s just fine with her since she doesn’t like being the center of attention. Unfortunately, that all changes when she meets a strange man, Rayfe, while out riding and starts in motion a destiny that will cause a war while uncovering shocking secrets that even she has a hard time believing. Secrets where Andi’s mother was a powerful individual who ruled a country filled with magic and shapeshifters. Now that magic runs through Andi’s veins and attracts Rayfe, who will do anything to have Andi and finally get the part of the bargain the Tala have with Andi’s father, who was doing his best to betray the Tala. With her loyalty shifting, Andi doesn’t know how to handle what’s going on but when it comes down to it, she has to decide if she wants to stay with the very people who whisper behind her back or embrace her destiny and take everything Rayfe is offering her.
Wow, this book! To be honest, I have NO idea what to say about it! From the first word, I was hooked! I remember thinking when I started reading that it read almost like a fairytale. It was an easy, captivating story-telling that made me stay up late to finish. I liked that the world had so much depth to it but also how much the Tala (the magical individuals) were suffering from the conflicts plaguing them since Andi’s mother left her country all those years ago for Andi’s father. It was interesting to see everything unfold from the first meeting of Rayfe to Andi’s father declaring war on the Tala to ultimately how Andi takes her rightful place with her people.
One thing that I loved, though, was the transition within Andi. At the start, she is the invisible princess who’s life is pretty boring. As the story progresses, she becomes the focus of two countries and the basis of what the war starts over. She might have been meek and weak in the beginning but by the end of the book, she’s a strong force to be reckoned with! And I absolutely adored that development. Rayfe was such a delicious addition to the story and I liked how he was so determined to win Andi over. At first it was just because she was a means to an end of the Tala’s suffering but there’s no denying that Rayfe started to love Andi way before Andi accepted her role as part of the Tala. The two together are SCORCHING hot but also sweet. Rayfe may be a man who’s a bit wild but he’s also gentle, caring and tender when it comes to Andi, especially when she’s hurting. *sigh* I just loved Rayfe!
My only little pet peeve was that I didn’t really understand why Andi was so forceful about her not going with Rayfe. I mean, I could understand why she didn’t want to but the reasons she gave didn’t exactly make sense to me. Then, when the plan was revealed on how Andi would be with Rayfe, I kept questioning how that would lessen the bloodshed at all because, to me, it seemed like it would make things worse. But anyway, it was still a lot of fun to read about and see the actual execution of all that happens!
In the end, this was a phenomenal read filled with deception, betrayal, unbreakable bonds and finding one’s self. I enjoyed every word of it, especially the raw connection between Andi and Rayfe. With Andi’s rise to power and her birthright, this is only the beginning of what will no doubt be an epic tale. I’m looking forward to reading more about the sisters but to also explore more into Amelia and Ursula (I really want Ursula’s book!). This was a great novel that took me on a wild ride, I can’t wait for the sequel!
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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