Review: Alliance Forged by Kylie Griffin

Title: Alliance Forged Series: The Light Blade #2 Author: Kylie Griffin Publisher: Berkley Trade Format: Paperback, 356 pages Published: July 3, 2012 ISBN #: 0425256014 / 978-0425256015 Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance My Copy: purchased Rating: Buy: There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a blind priestess lays claim to a half-breed warrior, body and soul… Hunted and marked for death by Na’Reish demons for their half-blood heritage, the Na’Chi are searching for a new home—something an alliance offered by the human leader could provide. With both races divided by prejudice, when Light Blade rebels brutally attack the Na’Chi, the alliance seems doomed to fail. Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him. When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kickstart the war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human—is an alliance. However when Kymora is kidnapped, pitting human against human, Varian realizes he must embrace his darker half, not only to save the alliance…but also the woman he loves.

I was a little disappointed by this book; I’m not going to beat around the bush. Vengeance Born was such a strong start to The Light Blade series that my expectations for book 2 were perhaps a tad high. The first novel has an even split between action and romance while as this second installment is heavy on the latter with next to no action. Maybe it’s my own fault; this series is shelved as Fantasy / Paranormal Romance after all. Perhaps I was just spoiled when it came to the first book. That being said, Alliance Forged still has a lot going for it including colourful characters, a mushy love story and it also offers further insight into Kylie Griffin’ demons which I enjoy.

Kymora is the head of her order, a pure soul and blind but when she sets her sights on Varian there’s no deterring her. She knows what she wants and by god she’s going to get it! I couldn’t get over how aggressive she is in her pursuit of Varian! I would have thought that her disability would make her more hesitant. Making the first move is hard enough but doubly so when you’re vision impaired. However, I guess this goes to show that Kymora has overcome her handicap and doesn’t let it dictate her actions. I admire her for that.

Varian hasn’t been as lucky. He hates his Na’Chi half with a passion and tries to ignore that part of himself as much as possible. His demon genes are helpful in battle but that’s about it; Varian views his heritage as a curse. He and Kymora aren’t as different as he thinks. She may not have Na’Reish blood but she knows a thing or two about overcoming obstacles and learning how to accept oneself. The Na’Chi leader also can’t seem to grasp how someone as pure as Kymora could ever want to be with someone like him. She’s the light to his dark.

Varian and Kymora both have obstacles to overcome before they can even consider starting a romantic relationship. The back-and-forth between these two pretty much makes up the entire book. Granted, their tale is moving but it doesn’t exactly make for a riveting read. The pacing in Alliance Forged is on the slow side and other than a few small skirmishes and some light political intrigue, not much happens in this book. The back blurb is definitely deceiving in that respect. It basically summarizes a couple of chapters towards the end (the more interesting ones). The other 300 pages are about Kymora and Varian’s budding romance.

Alliance Forged is a heartwarming tale about overcoming one’s inner demons, battling prejudice and finding love in unlikely places. This installment didn’t live-up to Vengeance Born but The Light Blade series still has more to offer with Allegiance Sworn scheduled for release in April 2013.

Books In This Series
My Review

Recommendation:	A great book for readers who like lots of character development and a complex love story.
Like this, like that:	Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost, the Warriors of the Rift series by Cynthia Garner and the Demons series by Linda Wisdom.

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