Rising Sun (Elven Kingdoms #1)
Donna Grant
Blurb:
Nothing could
make Yasmin return to Shaldorn, the place of nightmares. But when she’s caught
stealing, she’s given an ultimatum: take Ravi over the Dangerous Peaks to the
stronghold or face imprisonment.
She has no choice
but to agree, though she intends to escape the elf as soon as she reaches the
mountains. Yet, as they battle nature itself, the two enemies find common
ground—and an all-consuming passion.
Can they prevail
in their dangerous heist, or be torn apart by a betrayal?
Themes: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
So,
I have to admit, going into this story I had no idea what to expect because I
didn’t recall the way that this story might or might connect with other Grant
stories and was worried if I would be diving into the deep dark of the ocean
with no life vest. But I am glad to
report that if you are readers of the Grant Dark King’s series you will begin
to understand the connections within this story quickly. We have run across the Elven Kingdom in
passing previously with the Dragon King Kendrick found his Mate Ester in an
elven warrior and their adventure led them across the Elven border. This story is just the newest branch in
Grant’s amazing imagination of the Dark world if you want to look at it that
way and she takes us on a perilous journey from one end of the Elven kingdom to
the other. That said, while there was a little bit of a romantic bent to the
story, I would definitely classify this story as less of a romance and more of
a fantasy novel, where the core of the story was the plot of the characters being
pitted against the elements and their enemies the emotions and connection that
I was hoping for, though that came in essence at the vert end of the
story. With very interesting and complex
side characters I am truly looking forward to more in this series and cannot
wait to see how Grant ties it in with the rest of the Dragon Kings novels as I
can only imagine that war is on the Horizon for Zora and these Elves are not
going to be able to escape the consequences anymore than the Dragons.
Yasmin
is simply a human that has done whatever she has to do to survive in the world
she finds herself in where humans are not only powerless but truly treated as
less. She hasn’t always been honorable,
but she has always looked after others that are even more powerless than
herself and now it has gotten her into trouble.
When she is caught in a trap by the powers that be, she is forced to
face the most terrifying part of her past as she is blackmailed into escorting
an annoyingly judgmental and intriguing Elf to the most dangerous stronghold in
the kingdom. Ravi doesn’t trust Yaz, but he needs her to get her into Shaldorn
in order to prevent a tragedy and possible war, but the more time he spends
with her, watching her face challenges and learning about her past, the more he
changes his opinion of her. Soon he can
no longer deny that he judged her incorrectly and the trust that has built
between them is more than just partners and he cannot live without her. But when he almost loses her, Ravi has to
accept that sometimes only by giving up everything you thought you wanted in
life is how you get what you truly need.
I
truly loved seeing these two enemies, from such different walks of life, with
pasts that neither understood or wanted to share, come to fully trust and love
each other. The cliché of enemies to
lovers is true for a reason, because sometimes only by opening yourself to true
vulnerability cane you come to fully love and trust your partner. Yaz has had a truly tragic and traumatic
past, one that I caution you can be painful to read, and when she is forced to
relive it, I almost cried along with her and Ravi. Her pain and fear were fully supported by
those events, and I loved that her sharing with Ravi slowly opened his eyes and
heart, teaching him that sometimes the means do not support the end goal. It was so beautiful that she was willing to
sacrifice herself in order to help Ravi not only survive in the end, but also
to help him succeed in his mission and save others, showing us that despite her
being only a human she had a pure heart and that her extra power was
granted to just the right person. Love rewards those that share their love.
Ravi was a bit of an ass in the beginning; his superiority, not only as an elf,
but because he wasn’t a criminal like Yasmin, convincing him that he was truly
better than her. But as he grows and
changes, getting to know his partner, see her in action and hearing about her
past, he because more of the partner she needed all along I loved seeing him
kicking butt and taking names in order to do whatever it took, not only to
accomplish his mission, but also to save Yaz when he almost lost her. However, I have to tell you, despite being a superior
elf, with all kinds of training a skill, he proved to be a simple MAN and does
the stupid thing almost losing her all on his own later on and I just wanted to
slap him upside the head… honestly it has to be a testosterone thing! Thankfully in the end they managed to come to
their senses and find a way to get what they both wanted and needed together.
This
foray into a new branch of the long running world for Donna Grant is beyond
intriguing with dark and terrifying characters, tragic backstories, and magic
that is fascinating. I am truly looking
forward to this new undertaking and hoping for many more stories, starting with
installment two, Dark
Heart, coming soon.
Yasmin is a human with just that little bit extra she has been hiding
for a long time, but that has guided her to safety more than once. Now she is forced into a dangerous mission
and one that she knows she may not make it back from, until she comes to truly
care for and trust her partner. Ravi has
no love for the humans around him, and even less for the criminal he is forced
to partner with, but when she proves more than up to the challenges, they face
he quickly comes to care for her.
Together they are determined to stop tragedy and make it home, but the
deck is stacked against them and neither of them is willing to risk the other’s
life, so when the chips are down it might come down to a single fatal decision
if they aren’t careful. I loved every
moment of this story and despite the romance being subtle and more of a very
slow build, there was a very sweet falling for both Ravi and Yaz and I look
forward to seeing them together in the future books in the series as they continue
their lives together. Grant never fails to give us an epic quest when she
begins a new series, filled with beautiful world building, character
development, terrifying villains, and you will not regret diving into Rising
Sun. Well played, Ms. Grant, well played.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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