Description
'HOW MANY TIMES WOULD THEY PRESS BLADES INTO EACH OTHER'S SKIN BEFORE THIS WAS ALL OVER?'
Inna is the perfect heiress to the Pallo mafia: poised, cunning, untouchable. Behind this facade, she hunts for her sister's killers, convinced her family is shielding her from a painful truth.
Rylan, a talented thief, plans to steal an ancient riddle from the Pallo Vault - one that leads to a sleeping god, the Serpent King. Whoever wakes him will be granted any wish they desire. Rylan will claim vengeance for his family, murdered by Inna's mother, and with it, Inna's ruin.
But when Inna catches Rylan sneaking past her family's security, they enter into a perilous alliance that neither intends to keep - even as bitter attraction ignites into something more . . .
Review
Inna is the heiress to the Pallo crime family, after her sister was killed in a botched kidnapping. Inna is really struggling mentally following her sister’s death, and all she wants is to find out who killed herand get revenge. She is certain that her mum and her uncle are hiding the truth from her.
Rylan is a thief whose family was killed by Inna’s mum, and he wants his own revenge. Legend says that the Serpent King will grant him his wish to destroy Inna’s family if he can find him, and the answer lies in the Pallo family vault in an ancient journal. When Inna catches Rylan sneaking around, they agree to uneasy alliance, even though neither of them trust the other.
The vault is protected by traps and they will need Inna’s sprite magic and Rylan’s illusion magic to get in. With a little help from Inna’s bodyguard Celesse, who is also her former lover, they manage to get what they want from the vault. Now they have to find the Serpent King, which will mean battling their darkest fears, as well as terrifying snakes and dangerous sprites. Is their strange attraction to each other going to help or hinder them in the search?
This is a fantasy romance full of magic and revenge. Inna and Rylan don't trust each other, but soon find an unlikely attraction. The relationship that builds between them is central to the whole story. Inna is dealing with the grief of losing her sister, and struggles with having to assume her sister’s role in the family when it’s not what she really wants. Rylan has spent so long looking for revenge that he is not sure who he really is anymore. Inna’s mum and uncle will stop at nothing to protect the family, and violence is their first reaction so everyone fears them.
This is a fast-paced story with a fantastic world built around colourful sprites and the their magic. Set in the same world as Of Flame and Fury, which I have not read, it is certainly a stand-alone story and I loved it. It does contain violence, and explores serious themes including death and grief, so I would highly recommend it for those aged 15 and up who love fantasy.
