What do you think?
Rate this book
Kandrith #1
Gate to Kandrith
Sarathena Remillus, daughter of the newly elected Primus of the Republic of Temboria, has been given a discover the secret of slave magic. Anxious to escape the corruption and treachery of the capital, Sara welcomes the chance to finally prove herself far away in Kandrith, the tiny nation of former slaves.
Accompanying her on the journey is Lance, a Kandrithan to whom Sara owes her life. Lance despises the nobility, and is determined to resist his desire for Sara, despite her attempts to entice him into divulging the secret of his magic.
Soon their travels become fraught with peril, and Sara discovers she's fallen victim to the ultimate betrayal. To end a war between two nations, she will have to make the ultimate sacrifice...
134,000 words
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Luiken
20 books170 followersNicole Luiken wrote her first book at 13 and was published at 16. She writes SF and fantasy for both adults and teens. She lives with her family in Edmonton. It is impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 2, 2017
2.5 stars
This book failed to work for me because it failed to make me care; about the characters, about the world it is set in or even about how the story ends. This book is part of a duology and ends on a cliffhanger, yet I don't care enough about knowing how it ends to slog through the other one.
This book failed to work for me because it failed to make me care; about the characters, about the world it is set in or even about how the story ends. This book is part of a duology and ends on a cliffhanger, yet I don't care enough about knowing how it ends to slog through the other one.
September 9, 2017
This is an interesting fantasy novel, I liked some elements the author used but overall, it wasn't as well structured as I imagined.
The interesting elements felt more an add on and not the key points, which I think would have suited the book more.
In my opinion, the focus wasn't on the best features to make this a richer and more romantic story.
The interesting elements felt more an add on and not the key points, which I think would have suited the book more.
In my opinion, the focus wasn't on the best features to make this a richer and more romantic story.
February 14, 2013
I thought this novel was great.
It starts with a bang as Sara is prepared to assassinate the priest of the God of War if he –as she expects–withholds the blessing that her father needs as the new Primus of the Republic of Temboria. Withholding his blessing would be a death sentence, and Sara would do anything to protect her small family.
During a narrow escape from a undesirable suitor who drugged her with an aphrodisiac, Sara meets Lance, who she at first mistakes for a slave. She could not have been more wrong. Since she is under the effect of the aphrodisiac, she behaves somewhat (cough) inappropriately, but Lance is the gentleman, and he saves the day and disappears.
How can she help falling in love with him?
Turns out, he’s a Child of Peace. And the next day, her father asks her to become a Child of Peace herself as the Ambassador to Slaveland, aka Kandrith. She also has a secret mission–to learn the secret of Slave Magic, which her father is very afraid of. What follows is an adventurous journey with Lance, at the end of which she learns just what it means to be a Child of Peace, at which time she has to grow up in a hurry.
Nothing goes as you would expect. People you think are loyal turn out to not be so, and people you expect to betray Sara turn out to be steadfast. People you think are pitiless monsters turn out to be good guys, and good guys turn out to be pitiless monsters.
I was worried by the early aphrodisiac scene that this novel would be way more erotic than I expected or desired, but it surprised me. There are sex several scenes, but only after a very long romance building, and they certainly were not excessive. I will call out one rather crude groping; you are warned.
The amazing thing about this book is it is 134,000 words, and yet I read it in just a few days. The character development is amazing, and even a secondary character gets to have a major turnaround. There are surprises in this novel that will keep you guessing until the very last scenes.
And dang–I have not even said anything about the magic system. Suffice it to say that you have never seen anything like this before. It is the most poignant magic system I have ever read. And what about that fabulous escape! It was the best one I’ve read in a great while.
If you like epic fantasy, you will probably like this novel despite the naughty scenes. They are brief. If you like fantasy romance, this is something you will like. I highly recommend it. Five stars!
It starts with a bang as Sara is prepared to assassinate the priest of the God of War if he –as she expects–withholds the blessing that her father needs as the new Primus of the Republic of Temboria. Withholding his blessing would be a death sentence, and Sara would do anything to protect her small family.
During a narrow escape from a undesirable suitor who drugged her with an aphrodisiac, Sara meets Lance, who she at first mistakes for a slave. She could not have been more wrong. Since she is under the effect of the aphrodisiac, she behaves somewhat (cough) inappropriately, but Lance is the gentleman, and he saves the day and disappears.
How can she help falling in love with him?
Turns out, he’s a Child of Peace. And the next day, her father asks her to become a Child of Peace herself as the Ambassador to Slaveland, aka Kandrith. She also has a secret mission–to learn the secret of Slave Magic, which her father is very afraid of. What follows is an adventurous journey with Lance, at the end of which she learns just what it means to be a Child of Peace, at which time she has to grow up in a hurry.
Nothing goes as you would expect. People you think are loyal turn out to not be so, and people you expect to betray Sara turn out to be steadfast. People you think are pitiless monsters turn out to be good guys, and good guys turn out to be pitiless monsters.
I was worried by the early aphrodisiac scene that this novel would be way more erotic than I expected or desired, but it surprised me. There are sex several scenes, but only after a very long romance building, and they certainly were not excessive. I will call out one rather crude groping; you are warned.
The amazing thing about this book is it is 134,000 words, and yet I read it in just a few days. The character development is amazing, and even a secondary character gets to have a major turnaround. There are surprises in this novel that will keep you guessing until the very last scenes.
And dang–I have not even said anything about the magic system. Suffice it to say that you have never seen anything like this before. It is the most poignant magic system I have ever read. And what about that fabulous escape! It was the best one I’ve read in a great while.
If you like epic fantasy, you will probably like this novel despite the naughty scenes. They are brief. If you like fantasy romance, this is something you will like. I highly recommend it. Five stars!
August 12, 2012
I found most elements of this story really engaging and unusual. And unusual is something I generally appreciate. I like being surprised and shown stuff I haven't seen a dozen times before in fantasy novels. But then, on the other hand, some of the events in the plot made even me raise incredulous eyebrows. There were a couple of instances where I wished the author had taken a different route and not gone to some of the places she did. And this lowered my rating down to 3 stars from the 4 I thought I was going to give it most of the way through the book.
I loved the concept of the way magic works in Luiken's world. It's quite a big part of the plot that one of our main characters has to uncover for herself, so I'm not going to give you any details, but it was a very interesting take on magic and who can access it.
I was slightly surprised at how prevalent the romance angle was in this book. At times, I almost felt like I was reading a historical romance. The highly prejudiced class system that is in place made me feel it too. The term "nobles" or "of noble birth" often being applied in such novels. However, what they don't have at the other end of the scale that this world does have, is slaves. I thought this was handled relatively well and Luiken showed the different ways people can look at the same issue. Even within the nobles themselves. Our main character, Sara, for example, as a noble born has almost convinced herself that they are merely "maids" or "servants". I'm sure this is partly down to seeing only what you want to see, and partly because she does treat hers with the respect a valued member of staff would receive. But it quickly becomes evident she is in the minority in her way of thinking.
Lance, the other lead character and a former slave, naturally has a very different take on the issue and has seen first hand what other slave masters are like. He has prejudices of his own to overcome, however. It's a journey for both of them in more ways that one.
Even with the strong and often touching love story that was threaded through this book, I would not call it a romance book. Don't expect to find any riding off into the sunset happy endings in this instalment. This is part one of a duology, so the story here finishes only half told.
A solid 3 Stars! ★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
I loved the concept of the way magic works in Luiken's world. It's quite a big part of the plot that one of our main characters has to uncover for herself, so I'm not going to give you any details, but it was a very interesting take on magic and who can access it.
I was slightly surprised at how prevalent the romance angle was in this book. At times, I almost felt like I was reading a historical romance. The highly prejudiced class system that is in place made me feel it too. The term "nobles" or "of noble birth" often being applied in such novels. However, what they don't have at the other end of the scale that this world does have, is slaves. I thought this was handled relatively well and Luiken showed the different ways people can look at the same issue. Even within the nobles themselves. Our main character, Sara, for example, as a noble born has almost convinced herself that they are merely "maids" or "servants". I'm sure this is partly down to seeing only what you want to see, and partly because she does treat hers with the respect a valued member of staff would receive. But it quickly becomes evident she is in the minority in her way of thinking.
Lance, the other lead character and a former slave, naturally has a very different take on the issue and has seen first hand what other slave masters are like. He has prejudices of his own to overcome, however. It's a journey for both of them in more ways that one.
Even with the strong and often touching love story that was threaded through this book, I would not call it a romance book. Don't expect to find any riding off into the sunset happy endings in this instalment. This is part one of a duology, so the story here finishes only half told.
A solid 3 Stars! ★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
March 20, 2012
First of all, I really loved this book. The world building was amazing. I love how Nicole Luiken was able to introduce the reader to her magical world and make them fall in love with it. I appreciated having some background on the mechanics of magic in Kandrith, but I really like that the background wasn't delivered in a heavy-handed way. We learn the secrets of "Slave Magic" step by step along with Sara.
A large portion of this book is what I like to call a "road fantasy," where the characters are traveling from one location to another, having various adventures along the way. Road fantasies can be awesome or they can drag on and be boring. Gate to Kandrith was definitely the former, with enough action and tension (sexual and otherwise) to hold the reader's interest.
On that note, please let me warn you that Gate to Kandrith is definitely not for young readers. There are some adult situations with varying degrees of graphic imagery (I feel that because I read and review YA books as well as adult, this warning is important).
I enjoyed Gate to Kandrith's examination of issues including corruption, racism and slavery. For example, can a person be morally good and still own slaves, or is it mutually exclusive? At what point do you give up on someone you love(d)? Do you ever? I guess that last question will have to wait until the next book is released.
I was also really pleased with the ending of this book. Whenever I'm reading a book and really enjoying it, I start dreading the ending. I've been burned too many times by books that start off amazing and have a really terrible ending. But Gate to Kandrith was excellent, a fast-paced, extremely exciting ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger that makes me super eager for the next installment (Nicole assured me she is working on it).
A large portion of this book is what I like to call a "road fantasy," where the characters are traveling from one location to another, having various adventures along the way. Road fantasies can be awesome or they can drag on and be boring. Gate to Kandrith was definitely the former, with enough action and tension (sexual and otherwise) to hold the reader's interest.
On that note, please let me warn you that Gate to Kandrith is definitely not for young readers. There are some adult situations with varying degrees of graphic imagery (I feel that because I read and review YA books as well as adult, this warning is important).
I enjoyed Gate to Kandrith's examination of issues including corruption, racism and slavery. For example, can a person be morally good and still own slaves, or is it mutually exclusive? At what point do you give up on someone you love(d)? Do you ever? I guess that last question will have to wait until the next book is released.
I was also really pleased with the ending of this book. Whenever I'm reading a book and really enjoying it, I start dreading the ending. I've been burned too many times by books that start off amazing and have a really terrible ending. But Gate to Kandrith was excellent, a fast-paced, extremely exciting ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger that makes me super eager for the next installment (Nicole assured me she is working on it).
March 26, 2012
Wow...
Sarathena has been raised with money & power & owning slaves. Left to her own devices, she runs wild. When she is 16 her family loses all their money and her father uses her for her beauty to gain a powerful standing in the Republic.
Sara is sent off to Slaveland, aka Kandrith, as a child of peace. Each land sending their own child as an ambassador to the other country to maintain a peaceful pact. Her father also gives her the important job of finding out about the magic of Slaveland. She travels with a man from Kandrith also, Lance, who is a healer.
All is not as it seems & Sara finds out. She considers her slave her friend & finds out that being nice to your slaves does not make it right to own them. She learns the true meaning of friendship, true love & genuine sacrafice.
This is a journey book. Both Lance and Sara are constantly moving. There is a war, devils & gods and godesses that need to be pleased. Lance & Sara fall in love, going against eachothers countries.
There is so much more to this book, but major things happen that are meant to be surprises. Some are & some you can see coming. It is full of the kind of action that never stops making it impossible to find a good place to set it down. At first by the synopsis, I expected a cheesy romance, but this was much deeper than the cover & synopsis describe.
This book read to me like it was set in the roman times, but some things placed it later. The only reasons I gave it a 4 and not a 5 star rating was because there was no real description of the characters. I had to make them up totally in my head & the world building & made up words were confusing in the beginning having so many it was a little slow for me to figure out & remember who was who.
Sarathena has been raised with money & power & owning slaves. Left to her own devices, she runs wild. When she is 16 her family loses all their money and her father uses her for her beauty to gain a powerful standing in the Republic.
Sara is sent off to Slaveland, aka Kandrith, as a child of peace. Each land sending their own child as an ambassador to the other country to maintain a peaceful pact. Her father also gives her the important job of finding out about the magic of Slaveland. She travels with a man from Kandrith also, Lance, who is a healer.
All is not as it seems & Sara finds out. She considers her slave her friend & finds out that being nice to your slaves does not make it right to own them. She learns the true meaning of friendship, true love & genuine sacrafice.
This is a journey book. Both Lance and Sara are constantly moving. There is a war, devils & gods and godesses that need to be pleased. Lance & Sara fall in love, going against eachothers countries.
There is so much more to this book, but major things happen that are meant to be surprises. Some are & some you can see coming. It is full of the kind of action that never stops making it impossible to find a good place to set it down. At first by the synopsis, I expected a cheesy romance, but this was much deeper than the cover & synopsis describe.
This book read to me like it was set in the roman times, but some things placed it later. The only reasons I gave it a 4 and not a 5 star rating was because there was no real description of the characters. I had to make them up totally in my head & the world building & made up words were confusing in the beginning having so many it was a little slow for me to figure out & remember who was who.
June 25, 2012
Gate to Kandrith is a good read. The world is unique, the cultures & religions are intriguing. This is a fresh voice in Fantasy/Romance cross genre.
Stay with it - it's not that the beginning drags; it doesn't, but so much happens, so many characters are introduced and there is a lot to absorb about the groups/cultures/tribes/politics that it takes time to get into the rhythm of the story.
Your patience will be rewarded. Lance and Sara - she from privilege; he from slavery. It's an age-old scenario that could have easily become trite and cliched, but it doesn't.
Lance's 'magic' comes at a high price. Sara's value to her own people is suspect. Pets are not always simply pets. Who is the bad guy? That's not immediately evident, which adds to the intrigue.
Traditional fantasy readers may not embrace the raunchy sex scenes, but they are not gratitudinous and don't over power the story. The romance that develops is sweet and touching, but IT isn't the story, so I don't think this book will be shelved in Romance, but it may bring romance readers to the Fantasy genre where the romantic touch is most often light to non-existent.
I will definitely read the next book in this series.
Stay with it - it's not that the beginning drags; it doesn't, but so much happens, so many characters are introduced and there is a lot to absorb about the groups/cultures/tribes/politics that it takes time to get into the rhythm of the story.
Your patience will be rewarded. Lance and Sara - she from privilege; he from slavery. It's an age-old scenario that could have easily become trite and cliched, but it doesn't.
Lance's 'magic' comes at a high price. Sara's value to her own people is suspect. Pets are not always simply pets. Who is the bad guy? That's not immediately evident, which adds to the intrigue.
Traditional fantasy readers may not embrace the raunchy sex scenes, but they are not gratitudinous and don't over power the story. The romance that develops is sweet and touching, but IT isn't the story, so I don't think this book will be shelved in Romance, but it may bring romance readers to the Fantasy genre where the romantic touch is most often light to non-existent.
I will definitely read the next book in this series.
July 19, 2012
I should start by saying I've never read a book by Nicole Luiken before, but I hope this won't be my last -- as in, I really hope there's a sequel to this book, and soon!
Sara, the heroine, is a pampered rich girl sent on a political mission for her father and people, along with the story's hero, Lance, who dislikes Sara's culture. Their individual growth throughout the story is matched only by their growth as a couple, and they truly seem to belong together by the end, despite their differences. What makes this book really great is its world building. I suspect the author drew from history, perhaps Roman times, but she gave it a unique spin and created her own world that totally drew me into the story. What makes this book excellent are the twists and surprises within the story along the way. I'm still surprised by some things and was left wanting more, because the story was so compelling. Looking forward to the sequel (because I will be crushed if there isn't one)!
Sara, the heroine, is a pampered rich girl sent on a political mission for her father and people, along with the story's hero, Lance, who dislikes Sara's culture. Their individual growth throughout the story is matched only by their growth as a couple, and they truly seem to belong together by the end, despite their differences. What makes this book really great is its world building. I suspect the author drew from history, perhaps Roman times, but she gave it a unique spin and created her own world that totally drew me into the story. What makes this book excellent are the twists and surprises within the story along the way. I'm still surprised by some things and was left wanting more, because the story was so compelling. Looking forward to the sequel (because I will be crushed if there isn't one)!
July 15, 2014
DNF 70%
I've never been so disappointed ever since I've read Cybele's Secret. First half was great, the world building was awesome and the characters were growing on me. they were also believable. Second half, not so much. It felt like the latest seasons of True blood. It deviated too much from the main story and all the things that were going on were way to SF to be believable.
First half felt like Graceling, second half felt like: WTF am I reading. This could have been such a nice read if the author didn't feel the need to insert too much unnecessary drama towards the end.
I've never been so disappointed ever since I've read Cybele's Secret. First half was great, the world building was awesome and the characters were growing on me. they were also believable. Second half, not so much. It felt like the latest seasons of True blood. It deviated too much from the main story and all the things that were going on were way to SF to be believable.
First half felt like Graceling, second half felt like: WTF am I reading. This could have been such a nice read if the author didn't feel the need to insert too much unnecessary drama towards the end.
June 21, 2012
I still can’t believe the hero…did what he did on pg 255. I kept thinking “He’s bluffing. There’s no way.” And then yep, he sure went ahead and did it. It surprised the heck out of me and I loved that. Really, I would give the book five stars for that scene alone. But also, the world is detailed and unique. The plot twists are unpredictable and the mc’s are engaging with very real obstacles keeping them apart. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
August 29, 2013
Fresh, organic and excellently written, GATE TO KANDRITH delivers! The characters are memorable, well delineated and set in a world that comes to life. Definitely will be checking out the next one, SOUL OF KANDRITH.
June 9, 2012
Gah! Despite the cliffhanger ending and a few minor bumps along the way, I LOVED it. 4.5/5 Stars Full review to follow.
April 7, 2012
Gate to Kandrith is the exceedingly long tale of Sara and Lance, two children of rulers of opposing countries, Temboria and Kandrith, respectively. Well, "opposing countries" is being kind of generous. "The children of rulers of one tiny refugee country and the heavily militarized one surrounding it on all sides" would probably be more accurate.
The summary pretty much says it all - Sara's father asks her to discover the secrets of the Kandrithian's magic, which is the only reason they haven't been invaded and trampled out of existence. She opts to go the seduction route with Lance. As this is a romance, they're contractually obligated to fall in love, eventually. Shenanigans ensue.
This is one of those books whose plot it would take weeks to recount in full. 300-someodd pages isn't usually a big deal, but the sheer amount of stuff that happened in Kandrith makes it hard to remember it all. Basically, Sara is asked to be a spy, but there are these Qiph guys who chase after and want to kill her, but then she gets to Kandrith and they're like LOL U DON'T KNOW Y UR REALLY HERE, DO U?, and then we're off to see the Kandrith, and you think it's going to end there, but nope, then there's a war, and then we have to go back to Temboria and rescue the new Kandrith to end the war, but shenanigans, and then the book just sort of stops, and you can't really call it a cliffhanger... It's more like a good dividing point, so one extremely long book can be made into two shorter ones.
At any rate, the ultimate objective changes constantly based on each new plot development, and where we end up is about forty plot twists away from where we began. New objectives are added even in the last hundred pages or so. I ended up grimly eying the page count, wondering exactly where the story was going and when/if we were going to get a boss fight, and then we hit the last twenty pages and it's like "Ah, okay, there it is. Cutting it a little close, aren't we?"
Which isn't to say that the book itself is particularly tedious. Normally I'd call this kind of plot line wandering, but it's more...hyper-efficient? The book accomplishes a task, and then quickly replaces it with a new one; subplots are resolved before we hit the halfway point, and more are picked up along the way. Characters shift from enemy to ally and back again, and it's all really only tied together by virtue of being part of these characters' journey. It's not exactly can't-put-it-down compelling, and it's difficult to build any sort of dramatic tension when the stakes are constantly in flux, but I was never particularly bored, either, and the twists never felt especially arbitrary.
Gate to Kandrith's real draw, however, is most definitely the world that Luiken has built for it. Nearly as much time is devoted to exploring, defining, and developing different aspects of Kandrith, Temboria, and their respective mythologies as is spent on plot, and Luiken does a rather masterful job of creating a world that is both familiar and totally alien at the same time.
In fact, that was one of the more confusing aspects - I'm still not entirely sure whether Gate to Kandrith is supposed to take place in a fantasy world, an alternate history, an alien planet, or hell, even a dystopian future. Temboria is essentially ancient Rome, that much is obvious, but the details in the mythology are different. Temborians worship different gods, names and titles differ, and, y'know, magic is literal and tangible. It could as easily be a Roman-esque civilization on a faraway planet as it could be Rome itself.
But that ambiguity aside, the world of Kandrith is interesting, even unique. From the temples of the gods in Temboria, the sacrificial magic of Kandrith, to the scenery, there's a lot of detail in here that allows the world to feel very real, not to mention massive. This particular installment involves characters from not one, but three different unfamiliar cultures in its story, and there is passing mention of a few others. More than that, the cultures are significantly different - each set of characters has a different philosophical make-up, a different drive, and more than usual, you really feel that this is an entire world Luiken's building, not just a country, city, or culture. Though it's not, er, without problematic issues.
For starters, I was a little troubled by the portrayal of the Qiph warriors...
Read the full review at You're Killing.Us.
The summary pretty much says it all - Sara's father asks her to discover the secrets of the Kandrithian's magic, which is the only reason they haven't been invaded and trampled out of existence. She opts to go the seduction route with Lance. As this is a romance, they're contractually obligated to fall in love, eventually. Shenanigans ensue.
This is one of those books whose plot it would take weeks to recount in full. 300-someodd pages isn't usually a big deal, but the sheer amount of stuff that happened in Kandrith makes it hard to remember it all. Basically, Sara is asked to be a spy, but there are these Qiph guys who chase after and want to kill her, but then she gets to Kandrith and they're like LOL U DON'T KNOW Y UR REALLY HERE, DO U?, and then we're off to see the Kandrith, and you think it's going to end there, but nope, then there's a war, and then we have to go back to Temboria and rescue the new Kandrith to end the war, but shenanigans, and then the book just sort of stops, and you can't really call it a cliffhanger... It's more like a good dividing point, so one extremely long book can be made into two shorter ones.
At any rate, the ultimate objective changes constantly based on each new plot development, and where we end up is about forty plot twists away from where we began. New objectives are added even in the last hundred pages or so. I ended up grimly eying the page count, wondering exactly where the story was going and when/if we were going to get a boss fight, and then we hit the last twenty pages and it's like "Ah, okay, there it is. Cutting it a little close, aren't we?"
Which isn't to say that the book itself is particularly tedious. Normally I'd call this kind of plot line wandering, but it's more...hyper-efficient? The book accomplishes a task, and then quickly replaces it with a new one; subplots are resolved before we hit the halfway point, and more are picked up along the way. Characters shift from enemy to ally and back again, and it's all really only tied together by virtue of being part of these characters' journey. It's not exactly can't-put-it-down compelling, and it's difficult to build any sort of dramatic tension when the stakes are constantly in flux, but I was never particularly bored, either, and the twists never felt especially arbitrary.
Gate to Kandrith's real draw, however, is most definitely the world that Luiken has built for it. Nearly as much time is devoted to exploring, defining, and developing different aspects of Kandrith, Temboria, and their respective mythologies as is spent on plot, and Luiken does a rather masterful job of creating a world that is both familiar and totally alien at the same time.
In fact, that was one of the more confusing aspects - I'm still not entirely sure whether Gate to Kandrith is supposed to take place in a fantasy world, an alternate history, an alien planet, or hell, even a dystopian future. Temboria is essentially ancient Rome, that much is obvious, but the details in the mythology are different. Temborians worship different gods, names and titles differ, and, y'know, magic is literal and tangible. It could as easily be a Roman-esque civilization on a faraway planet as it could be Rome itself.
But that ambiguity aside, the world of Kandrith is interesting, even unique. From the temples of the gods in Temboria, the sacrificial magic of Kandrith, to the scenery, there's a lot of detail in here that allows the world to feel very real, not to mention massive. This particular installment involves characters from not one, but three different unfamiliar cultures in its story, and there is passing mention of a few others. More than that, the cultures are significantly different - each set of characters has a different philosophical make-up, a different drive, and more than usual, you really feel that this is an entire world Luiken's building, not just a country, city, or culture. Though it's not, er, without problematic issues.
For starters, I was a little troubled by the portrayal of the Qiph warriors...
Read the full review at You're Killing.Us.
May 1, 2012
Full review can be found here.
I have to admit that the first few pages didn’t really capture my attention very well. Some time passed between me experimenting with getting a taste of the first pages and settling down to read the rest of the book. I’m not sure why it failed to really draw me in as it was a fairly strong opening passage. It could have been to do with all the fantasy-world name dropping. I much prefer when authors go to the lengths of inventing some form of religious system for their world that bears little-to-no resemblance to any religious system in our world. This is the case here but I found that being introduced to all the names and roles of the political system as well as all of the names and roles of the religious systems right off the bat served more as a wedge between me and the book than anything else. I liked and appreciated both of them, don’t get me wrong, but I think I was just inundated with too much societal information in one go rather than being introduced to it in easy steps.
Sara is the daughter of the political leader of her land. She is to be the Child of Peace, destined to live in the neighbouring land of Kandrith, meant to keep her father from breaking the tenuous political pact that exists between the two countries. But Sara has been sent as a spy, meant to uncover the truth behind slave magic and hand its secrets over to her father. She’s travelling with the son of the current King of Kandrith – a man she’d met previously while in the throes of a drug-induced lustful stupor… and the first man she’s found herself attracted to in a long time. Of course, the attraction is mutual despite Lance’s dislike of Sara’s basic culture: one that permits her to be the owner of others’ lives – to have slaves. They call Kandrith Slaveland for a reason and, as a former slave to a particularly vicious owner, Lance has every right to shun Sara’s culture.
This book raises a number of interesting questions about slavers and slave-keeping. Can someone own slaves and also have a good moral code? Is a slave-owner inherently evil even if they treat their slaves well? How much in our lives do we take for granted – so much so that we’re blinded to what stares us in the face?
Once I’d actually got into the swing of things, I was enthralled by the book – though there were occasionally certain events that left me pondering just how believable they really were. I was easily able to overlook them as they added whole dimensions to the story and the relationships between the characters, but they did niggle at me from time to time.
I actually really enjoyed all of the various characters in the book. Other than Sara and Lance, my particular favourite was Juren. He was conniving and not very nice but he had his good sides as well. Right as of his initial introduction, he made me think of Ashur from the Spartacus series.
They’re both fairly similar characters: driven with a barbed tongue; full of sugar-coated insults and ready to slide a knife into anyone’s back! Granted, I think Juren eventually proved himself to be the bigger man than Ashur, but once the image was there, it stuck.
A lot of the story takes place journeying from one place to the next but it’s not just a physical journey over land, it’s also an emotional journey of self-discovery. Sara has to learn a lot before she can really, truly be worthy of Lance’s love. There’s give and take in everything, especially Lance’s healing magic, and really Sara has to get to the point where she’s willing to sacrifice something important to her in order to help others around her, just as Lance did. She does eventually commit a sacrifice of such magnitude that I really can’t wait for the sequel next year to see where she and Lance will go from here.
Sara’s realistions – her happiness, her distress, the way she came to terms with certain truths in such a way that allowed her to become a better person – all endeared her to me so that she became a character I could feel close to despite the yawning chasms between us. I hope they find some way of getting back what she sacrificed in the interests of others.
I have to admit that the first few pages didn’t really capture my attention very well. Some time passed between me experimenting with getting a taste of the first pages and settling down to read the rest of the book. I’m not sure why it failed to really draw me in as it was a fairly strong opening passage. It could have been to do with all the fantasy-world name dropping. I much prefer when authors go to the lengths of inventing some form of religious system for their world that bears little-to-no resemblance to any religious system in our world. This is the case here but I found that being introduced to all the names and roles of the political system as well as all of the names and roles of the religious systems right off the bat served more as a wedge between me and the book than anything else. I liked and appreciated both of them, don’t get me wrong, but I think I was just inundated with too much societal information in one go rather than being introduced to it in easy steps.
Sara is the daughter of the political leader of her land. She is to be the Child of Peace, destined to live in the neighbouring land of Kandrith, meant to keep her father from breaking the tenuous political pact that exists between the two countries. But Sara has been sent as a spy, meant to uncover the truth behind slave magic and hand its secrets over to her father. She’s travelling with the son of the current King of Kandrith – a man she’d met previously while in the throes of a drug-induced lustful stupor… and the first man she’s found herself attracted to in a long time. Of course, the attraction is mutual despite Lance’s dislike of Sara’s basic culture: one that permits her to be the owner of others’ lives – to have slaves. They call Kandrith Slaveland for a reason and, as a former slave to a particularly vicious owner, Lance has every right to shun Sara’s culture.
This book raises a number of interesting questions about slavers and slave-keeping. Can someone own slaves and also have a good moral code? Is a slave-owner inherently evil even if they treat their slaves well? How much in our lives do we take for granted – so much so that we’re blinded to what stares us in the face?
Once I’d actually got into the swing of things, I was enthralled by the book – though there were occasionally certain events that left me pondering just how believable they really were. I was easily able to overlook them as they added whole dimensions to the story and the relationships between the characters, but they did niggle at me from time to time.
I actually really enjoyed all of the various characters in the book. Other than Sara and Lance, my particular favourite was Juren. He was conniving and not very nice but he had his good sides as well. Right as of his initial introduction, he made me think of Ashur from the Spartacus series.
They’re both fairly similar characters: driven with a barbed tongue; full of sugar-coated insults and ready to slide a knife into anyone’s back! Granted, I think Juren eventually proved himself to be the bigger man than Ashur, but once the image was there, it stuck.
A lot of the story takes place journeying from one place to the next but it’s not just a physical journey over land, it’s also an emotional journey of self-discovery. Sara has to learn a lot before she can really, truly be worthy of Lance’s love. There’s give and take in everything, especially Lance’s healing magic, and really Sara has to get to the point where she’s willing to sacrifice something important to her in order to help others around her, just as Lance did. She does eventually commit a sacrifice of such magnitude that I really can’t wait for the sequel next year to see where she and Lance will go from here.
Sara’s realistions – her happiness, her distress, the way she came to terms with certain truths in such a way that allowed her to become a better person – all endeared her to me so that she became a character I could feel close to despite the yawning chasms between us. I hope they find some way of getting back what she sacrificed in the interests of others.
March 19, 2012
What I Loved
POV
The book switches between three characters Sara, Lance and another mystery character that is either the bad guy or the good guy and we don't know which till the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed getting information from all three different points of views. At times I got a little confused when the pov switched characters but only for a few sentences.
Characters
Sara: I'm not much of a princess fan so at first I went back and forth with her character, but as the story progressed and I got to learn more about her I came to respect and love her character. Throughout the book you get to find out she isn't the typical spoiled rotten princess and that she is willing to stand up for herself and try to view things with an open mind. I also like how she has this "wildness" in her that doesn't let her the the proper docile little princess her father wants her to be.
Lance: A complete mystery even though the book goes to his pov he stays very tight lipped about himself. He is an intriguing character from being first introduced at this mysterious rescuer, who was a slave but is actually a prince of sorts. He is also passionate, protective and giving and I like those protective men.
Never a Dull Moment
Throughout the whole book something new was always happening, new things were being discovered, attempted murder on Sara's life, escape, death, passion and the ugly truth was revealed. There isn't a good place to put down the book and I hated when I had to put it down.
Ending
Oh my goodness I can't believe it ended like that, I really want the next book like now!! I did tear up at the end, it was a bittersweet moment. A definite cliffhanger ending, but everything else was summed up and ended for this book and a new issue presented itself for the next book.
Fantasy World
I love reading new created fantasy worlds they are always so intriguing. This world is interesting with different gods and goddesses being prayed to and a major social segregation. There is the Republic where the slave owners live, Slaveland aka Kandrith were the escaped free slaves live and there is the Grasslands and a few other place where the barbarians live (from the Republic view point).
Some Confusion
Fantasy World
At the same time it is confusing starting off a new fantasy book with a whole new fantasy world especially one that has lots of new and very different names. Trying to figure out the rules for this world takes a little time.
Recommendation
Got to read this book. Light on the adult content, but still has some.
POV
The book switches between three characters Sara, Lance and another mystery character that is either the bad guy or the good guy and we don't know which till the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed getting information from all three different points of views. At times I got a little confused when the pov switched characters but only for a few sentences.
Characters
Sara: I'm not much of a princess fan so at first I went back and forth with her character, but as the story progressed and I got to learn more about her I came to respect and love her character. Throughout the book you get to find out she isn't the typical spoiled rotten princess and that she is willing to stand up for herself and try to view things with an open mind. I also like how she has this "wildness" in her that doesn't let her the the proper docile little princess her father wants her to be.
Lance: A complete mystery even though the book goes to his pov he stays very tight lipped about himself. He is an intriguing character from being first introduced at this mysterious rescuer, who was a slave but is actually a prince of sorts. He is also passionate, protective and giving and I like those protective men.
Never a Dull Moment
Throughout the whole book something new was always happening, new things were being discovered, attempted murder on Sara's life, escape, death, passion and the ugly truth was revealed. There isn't a good place to put down the book and I hated when I had to put it down.
Ending
Oh my goodness I can't believe it ended like that, I really want the next book like now!! I did tear up at the end, it was a bittersweet moment. A definite cliffhanger ending, but everything else was summed up and ended for this book and a new issue presented itself for the next book.
Fantasy World
I love reading new created fantasy worlds they are always so intriguing. This world is interesting with different gods and goddesses being prayed to and a major social segregation. There is the Republic where the slave owners live, Slaveland aka Kandrith were the escaped free slaves live and there is the Grasslands and a few other place where the barbarians live (from the Republic view point).
Some Confusion
Fantasy World
At the same time it is confusing starting off a new fantasy book with a whole new fantasy world especially one that has lots of new and very different names. Trying to figure out the rules for this world takes a little time.
Recommendation
Got to read this book. Light on the adult content, but still has some.
March 15, 2012
Gate to Kandrith drew me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go. The story moves along at a cracking pace, introducing elements of romance right away and weaving them around an interesting society and world.
The countries of the Republic and Kandrith are very different. The Republic is ruled by a Primus who has seized power, attended by a court of nobles with slaves to serve them. Kandrith was founded by escaped slaves, headed by one chosen by the Goddess of Mercy and protected by magic. Kandrith is rather utopian – even though they do have a fairly fool-proof justice system in the “Listeners” who cannot hear lies, surely even in a nation of escaped slaves there would be someone ambitious enough to seize power? In any case, it sounds like an idyllic place.
The magic system used by the slaves is based on sacrifice – you must give up something in order to receive power. I like systems like this where balance is preserved more than those where magic is freely available to be used. It seems more realistic to me – as realistic as magic can be, anyway.
When this book is described as “adult fantasy”, it’s not wrong – right from the first chapter we’re introduced to jazoria, a drug that increases desire against the victim’s will. There’s quite a few raunchy and violent scenes throughout the book, and I can’t help feeling that these scenes may prevent the book from reaching as wide an audience as it might otherwise have. Not that I didn’t enjoy the romance – Sara and Lance are rather swoon-worthy!
The characters were, perhaps, a little shallow. That didn’t stop them from being likable though. It was great to see Sara’s journey as she discovered that there were ways to live other than how she had been raised in the Republic. Lance was just a total sweetheart! Absolutely no complaints there, I loved him.
Gate to Kandrith was a brilliant read and was very difficult to put down. It will be tough to wait for the next book to come out to find out what happens next!
The countries of the Republic and Kandrith are very different. The Republic is ruled by a Primus who has seized power, attended by a court of nobles with slaves to serve them. Kandrith was founded by escaped slaves, headed by one chosen by the Goddess of Mercy and protected by magic. Kandrith is rather utopian – even though they do have a fairly fool-proof justice system in the “Listeners” who cannot hear lies, surely even in a nation of escaped slaves there would be someone ambitious enough to seize power? In any case, it sounds like an idyllic place.
The magic system used by the slaves is based on sacrifice – you must give up something in order to receive power. I like systems like this where balance is preserved more than those where magic is freely available to be used. It seems more realistic to me – as realistic as magic can be, anyway.
When this book is described as “adult fantasy”, it’s not wrong – right from the first chapter we’re introduced to jazoria, a drug that increases desire against the victim’s will. There’s quite a few raunchy and violent scenes throughout the book, and I can’t help feeling that these scenes may prevent the book from reaching as wide an audience as it might otherwise have. Not that I didn’t enjoy the romance – Sara and Lance are rather swoon-worthy!
The characters were, perhaps, a little shallow. That didn’t stop them from being likable though. It was great to see Sara’s journey as she discovered that there were ways to live other than how she had been raised in the Republic. Lance was just a total sweetheart! Absolutely no complaints there, I loved him.
Gate to Kandrith was a brilliant read and was very difficult to put down. It will be tough to wait for the next book to come out to find out what happens next!
October 25, 2012
What an amazing adventure in a unique and vivid world! I don't like epic fantasy - I just don't have the patience or interest in remembering tons of different characters, subplots and geography throughout multiple fat books. Gate to Kandrith was *just* epic enough to be large and interesting, without overwhelming me. The world, the cultures, the politics, the secondary characters all were full and rich and interesting. It's been a long time since I really felt excited and consumed by a story. I found myself thinking about it all day when I was supposed to be doing other things, eager to sit down every spare minute I could to find out what happened next.
This is a fantasy book for adults, set in a magical land, with sex scenes and mature themes. It is at times very dark and violent. It has some of the elements of a typical romance story - a bit of "oh, does she/he or doesn't she/he love me?" sweaty pecs, kissing and sexual tension - but it really isn't a romance story. There's SO MUCH more going on than just the two main characters' relationship. So, if you're looking for a light romance tale, this isn't it. There's a lot of action, adventure, and quite a bit of depth into themes of freedom, arrogance, equality, self-sacrifice and exploitation.
The main characters, Sara and Lance, come from two very different backgrounds. She is a daughter of the Primus of the Republic, born to privilege but also a pawn in her father's politics. She is beautiful, and used to ordering others around, but has a good heart. Lance is a former slave, now free, and disdains the Republic and its arrogant wealthy class. He is also a healer, with magical abilities that come with a steep price. I love the fact that these two characters grow and change as they get to know each other, and that we get to know both of them so well.
I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!
This is a fantasy book for adults, set in a magical land, with sex scenes and mature themes. It is at times very dark and violent. It has some of the elements of a typical romance story - a bit of "oh, does she/he or doesn't she/he love me?" sweaty pecs, kissing and sexual tension - but it really isn't a romance story. There's SO MUCH more going on than just the two main characters' relationship. So, if you're looking for a light romance tale, this isn't it. There's a lot of action, adventure, and quite a bit of depth into themes of freedom, arrogance, equality, self-sacrifice and exploitation.
The main characters, Sara and Lance, come from two very different backgrounds. She is a daughter of the Primus of the Republic, born to privilege but also a pawn in her father's politics. She is beautiful, and used to ordering others around, but has a good heart. Lance is a former slave, now free, and disdains the Republic and its arrogant wealthy class. He is also a healer, with magical abilities that come with a steep price. I love the fact that these two characters grow and change as they get to know each other, and that we get to know both of them so well.
I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!
September 22, 2012
One thing I can always count on is for Carina Press to offer absolutely breathtaking fantasy romances. Gate to Kandrith is no different.
This book quickly squirmed its way to the top of my favorite book list. What makes this story so great? Well let's start with the fact that it is, at once, both a self-contained story and the first book of (at least) two. Simply put, the ending fit. Even if it does make me want to throw a tantrum in the hopes that Carina will release the second even sooner. I guess I'll just have to settle for re-reading the first once that much-anticipated sequel comes out.
Neither the hero nor heroine are particularly characters I would romanticize about under normal circumstances (the hero's plucky sister and her military consort, however, are). The heroine is a pampered rich girl determined to do right by her family, and she really does come across as naive. The hero has a beard (yeah, I'm superficial that way). But the growth in both these characters as they came to rely upon each other is phenomenal. I found myself growing to love them both as well. But while the romance and characters were fantastically cultivated, they weren't what I love best about this book.
What makes this book stand out so much is the world building. As a true fantasy lover, I yearn to lose myself in a believable, out-of-this-world setting. And the author provided this and more. Such an intriguing world deserves to be the center of a saga. No matter what, I'll be revisiting again and again as I reread this book for years to come!
This book quickly squirmed its way to the top of my favorite book list. What makes this story so great? Well let's start with the fact that it is, at once, both a self-contained story and the first book of (at least) two. Simply put, the ending fit. Even if it does make me want to throw a tantrum in the hopes that Carina will release the second even sooner. I guess I'll just have to settle for re-reading the first once that much-anticipated sequel comes out.
Neither the hero nor heroine are particularly characters I would romanticize about under normal circumstances (the hero's plucky sister and her military consort, however, are). The heroine is a pampered rich girl determined to do right by her family, and she really does come across as naive. The hero has a beard (yeah, I'm superficial that way). But the growth in both these characters as they came to rely upon each other is phenomenal. I found myself growing to love them both as well. But while the romance and characters were fantastically cultivated, they weren't what I love best about this book.
What makes this book stand out so much is the world building. As a true fantasy lover, I yearn to lose myself in a believable, out-of-this-world setting. And the author provided this and more. Such an intriguing world deserves to be the center of a saga. No matter what, I'll be revisiting again and again as I reread this book for years to come!
April 3, 2012
Gate to Kandrith is truly a gate to an imaginative world that left wanting more, much more! The story was not what I expected at all. Luiken wove a great deal of twists and a turns, with an ending so explosive I am unable to stop thinking about it. I seriously NEED the next book in this series now!
Gate to Kandrith starts off with political intrigue, and a ton of world building. Our heroine, Sara, is tasked with finding out the secret of Slave Magic. She is to journey to Slaveland, accompanied by Lance, whom is a Kandrithian. Along the way, as with any solid fantasy, there are many mishaps, and many friends and foes discovered. I was shocked to my bones on most of these revelations!!
There were times when the fantasy and lore of this land became confusing. There was certainly a lot the author had to introduce. But Luiken always managed to clear any confusion later. And I also think it added to the suspense of the plot:-)
As the blurb for this book implies, Sara is betrayed in a most gut-wrenching way. She is forced to make a series of harsh decisions based on this knowledge to save the people of both lands. And the secret of slave magic?? Worth the read!;-)
Gate to Kandrith starts off with political intrigue, and a ton of world building. Our heroine, Sara, is tasked with finding out the secret of Slave Magic. She is to journey to Slaveland, accompanied by Lance, whom is a Kandrithian. Along the way, as with any solid fantasy, there are many mishaps, and many friends and foes discovered. I was shocked to my bones on most of these revelations!!
There were times when the fantasy and lore of this land became confusing. There was certainly a lot the author had to introduce. But Luiken always managed to clear any confusion later. And I also think it added to the suspense of the plot:-)
As the blurb for this book implies, Sara is betrayed in a most gut-wrenching way. She is forced to make a series of harsh decisions based on this knowledge to save the people of both lands. And the secret of slave magic?? Worth the read!;-)
May 22, 2015
Did not make it past the first part of the book where the girl has been given some potion that makes her run around super hot and bothered, wanting the boy but also not wanting him because she doesn't like him, but then again she will probably have to marry him anyway. The boy acts like a jerk. All the girl seems to think about are the pros and cons of sleeping with the boy. Her female relatives are trying to get her to sleep with the boy. Her father is sending her somewhere but no one will tell her why. Blech.
June 28, 2012
Wow.
Amazing Historical Fantasy with romance.
Has just the right mix of adventure, work building and great characters.
Smoldering sexual/romantic tension between Sara and Lance adds flavor to the story without being over the top.
Cam't wait for the sequel.
Amazing Historical Fantasy with romance.
Has just the right mix of adventure, work building and great characters.
Smoldering sexual/romantic tension between Sara and Lance adds flavor to the story without being over the top.
Cam't wait for the sequel.
April 7, 2012
Awesome book, but do not read if you don't like cliff hanger endings when there is no Book 2 release planned!
May 25, 2013
DNF... I just could not get into this book at all...
December 14, 2013
Weak Characters, dated plot. This mess is clearly designed to appeal to women looking for a quick fantasy romance. I know I'm not the target audience, but this seemed pretty bad.
May 23, 2014
*3.5* stars
I plan to read the next book.
I plan to read the next book.
deals
January 15, 201615 January 2016: $2.49 on Kindle
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews