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Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not fall-ing in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2013

124 people are currently reading
3105 people want to read

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Wendy Knight

38 books344 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
Profile Image for Lauren - SERIESous Books.
1,859 reviews63 followers
May 4, 2015
I will admit that I was hesitant to read this book based on the synopsis. I find that I am not a huge fan of "witch/spell" type books so that was a worry. I was also worried it was going to be more of a romance with some action and seeing as it is targetted more for teens, the presumed teen angst nearly turned it me off. But that's what happens when you assume!

This book was definitely more about action than romance. Yes, it is there but there was so much else going on that it nearly took a back seat. It started off slow but it really picked up when you learn more about the world Wendy Knight has created. It's simple yet complicated at the same time so it is easy to follow along.

At first, I wasn't a fan of Ari. She was a little too angst-y for me but when you learn more about her past it makes sense why she feels the way she does. (Nothing worse than a whiney, spoiled heroine but that is not the case here). As for the rest of the characters, I really liked them and can't wait to see more of them!

Definitely check this book out if you enjoy star-crossed romance with a lot of action; smart characters and strong female leads!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Profile Image for Donna Weaver.
Author 87 books459 followers
February 9, 2017
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you're in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people's last hope in an ancient war. But she's also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she'll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He's destined to end a 300-year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he's hunted by a powerful enemy who's not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane's school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm's reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies - by Shane's hand.

MY TAKE:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Ari's loneliness was palpable and I loved how so many of the kids at the school--including the normal, human kids--welcomed her and made her a part of their group, even as she resisted their overtures of friendship. There are so many books about horrible, mean high school kids--and real life has plenty of them--but it's nice to get a taste of teens being kind and friendly as well. Because there are plenty of decent kids, too.

I liked how Knight slowly built up the relationship between Ari and Shane while letting the reader know (and agonize) over the inevitable showdown. I felt bad for them both, but Shane especially since Ari's trained as an assassin and been working at it since she was a child (can I just say there are seriously sick problems with her people's culture?) while Shane's been sheltered, protected, and kept from gaining important skills he'll need just to keep himself alive (I should note that his culture also has issues).

I won't spoil anything, but the showdown is awesome and there is resolution at the end--but it's obviously the beginning of a series (yay!) because there's a major plot line left hanging.
Profile Image for Shauna.
112 reviews93 followers
July 5, 2013
And the award for most vague magic system goes to Feudlings, wherein we have two waring magic houses- the Carules and the Edren- whose magic "stems from from these blue", or red,"flames that, well"…um…they're in their blood. Or something.


description

Don't ask questions.

I did actually like the heroine- Ari- prodigy of one house, and destined to kill (or be killed by) her counterpart, thus ending the war. She's grown up being shuffled around from place to place, has been fighting in the war since the age of seven, and is just all-round starved for human companionship.

Ari squinted up at the blue sky, unsure what to say. She had never had someone tell her they were glad she was there. Unless it was to kill something.

I don't know, I found that whole killing-machine-that-just-wants-to-be-loved thing endearing.

Here's hoping it doesn't lead to my developing the urge to write love letters to convicted criminals. Nobody writes letters anymore though, so I'm probably safe.
Profile Image for Shelli Howells.
65 reviews140 followers
June 18, 2013
“Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.”

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever. Shane is a well-protected and carefully groomed prodigy. Both are trying to live a normal teenage life; both are destined to meet in a final battle that will end the 300-year-old war between their people.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, neither of them realizes they are supposed to be killing each other instead of falling in love.

Feudlings by Wendy Knight was an exceptionally well-written and engrossing book. Wendy captured the teenage voice of her main character masterfully. All of her characters were engaging, but I especially liked Ari. Strong but vulnerable, sassy but soulful, Ari felt instantly relatable. Shane was believably dreamy, and I think that Hunter and Charity were well-developed in their supporting roles.

I loved the action scenes. Wendy has crafted an unusual and interesting take on sorcery that I haven’t seen before. I could easily visualize the battles that beg to be seen on the big screen.

Wendy Knight created tension that builds throughout the story as you wonder what will happen when Shane and Ari finally discover that they are supposed to be mortal enemies. The climactic scene was satisfying, and the final twist compelled me to want to read the next book in the series without detracting from the main storyline.

The romance was sweet, but even more tender were the friendships that develop between Ari and the new group that welcomed her.

I recommend Feudlings to anyone who enjoys the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Wendy Knight has earned her place to be considered in the company of those great Young Adult writers.
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
5,002 reviews1,410 followers
May 15, 2013
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Astrea Press.)
17-year-old Ari is starting at her sixteenth boarding school in 9 years. She’s a powerful sorceress (an Edren) who fights with red flames, and she’s battling the ‘Carules’ another group of sorcerers who fight with blue flames.

At this newest school Ari meets Shaun, and they develop feelings for each other. Unfortunately though, Shaun is also a sorcerer, and he’s fighting for the other side.
Can Ari and Shaun be together? How long will it be before they discover who each other is? And what will happen when they do?


This book really didn’t do it for me, to put it bluntly, I found it unbelievable and boring.

I did like Ari at first, but the storyline let her down if anything. She started off quite strong, but I quickly lost interest. The other characters annoyed me too, they just came off as immature, and seemed to lack intelligence, especially considering that they were all involved in this bit war and lives were at stake.

Shaun stupidly tells his secret to Ari, when he’s supposed to keep it quiet from normal people. This secret could have ultimately cost him his life, but he happily blabs it to Ari, just ‘cause he fancies her. I really didn’t think that that was clever, or good thinking. I think if the pair of them had been a real couple, then I could have understood the revelation a bit more, as it was though it just seemed a little sudden and risky.

Both Shaun and Hunter claimed to have feelings for Ari – which also seemed quite sudden, and personally I thought this was unnecessary. I would have been much happier if the attraction was just between Ari and Shaun, and Hunter wasn’t involved. I think that would have made their feelings a bit more real for me. It was even weirder when Hunter then revealed that he was in love with someone else just 10 minutes after the conversation about how both Shaun and Hunter are in love with her. I found this quite difficult to take too. The revelation just didn’t feel sincere to me, which was a shame.
Ari and Shaun are supposed to be on opposite sides of a war, but they see no problem being together. It wasn’t even like a Romeo and Juliet type thing where they know they’re doing wrong, it’s like it doesn’t even occur to them that it might be a problem.

This book just really didn’t do it for me. I found the characters to be quite immature and the storyline didn’t hold my interest. I felt like I had to force myself to finish this, so I won’t be reading the next one, even though the ending of this one did have a bit of a cliff-hanger. I know other people have enjoyed this book, and I’m glad they have, but it was really not for me. The book this most reminded me of is ‘Fallen’ by Lauren Kate, so if you didn’t like that, you probably won’t like this.
Overall; a YA paranormal, with immature characters, and a storyline that didn’t hold my attention.
4 out of 10.
Profile Image for Melanie.
752 reviews23 followers
April 23, 2013
This drew me in from the first page and I had a hard time putting it down. It starts at a boarding school in Park City, Utah. It's the sixteenth one Ari's been to in nine years so she's not looking to make friends since she won't be there for long. Her roommate, Brittany, isn't thrilled to have someone share her room but manages to rope Ari into helping her decorate for the school dance. Brittany is trying to impress Shane, the best-looking guy at the school, so Ari grudgingly goes to help her. She falls off the ladder and hits the floor right as Shane, Hunter (Shane's bodyguard) and Charity (Shane's cousin) are all heading into the gym. As a Carule, Shane could heal her if he could just be alone with her for a few minutes but there are too many concerned girls following him to the nurse's office so he has to take her there. Ari spends the weekend in the nurse's office and misses the dance. She's able to start school on Monday and is surprised at all the attention she receives since she's planning to just blend in like she usually does.

She makes some good friends for the first time and finds herself enjoying her school. She meets swoon-worthy Shane and realizes that he really IS all that but she's not about to let him know that. Besides, she'll be moving on soon and doesn't have time to form lasting relationships.

The plot moves well as we learn about Ari's family and what her responsibilities are to them. They keep her busy and sometimes it interferes with her new social life. Her exchanges with Shane and Hunter are fun to read as she's like no girl they've ever met before and she intrigues them both. Ari is tough and knows how to handle herself physically yet is still finding her way in relationships. I enjoyed getting to know her. When it ended, it left me looking forward to the next book! I loved reading this and highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more books by Wendy Knight!

Mel's Shelves
Profile Image for Daph.
324 reviews9 followers
May 16, 2013
This is way better than I expected. I thought it would one of those cliche books, but damn, I cannot believe I even thought that. Shane and Ari are really great characters and I have to admit, I liked that Ari is in a way stronger than Shane. Anyway I loved the writing, which was amazing by the way and the detail everything was written in was just great. I loved the detail of the battles and the way the characters used their powers coolest thing ever. I was so sad that Charity about what happened to Charity, I so hope they get her back. I can so not wait for the second book and I'm hoping that they finish off the Council and the Family, especially Richard- bastard. Please release second book sooner, I can so NOT wait !!!:D*squeal*
Profile Image for Pam.
916 reviews45 followers
June 21, 2013
Ari is a seventeen year old girl who has spent her life fighting for the Edrens against the Carules. She is a powerful sorceress who is destined to kill the prodigy of the Carules. In doing so she will end the war between them. She goes to a new school for and tries to adjust to getting around the place and she ends up making new friends. Friends are the one thing she has never aloud herself to have. She always has to leave and doesn't want to leave anyone behind plus she has to keep her secret. Shane is one of the new friends she makes and she begins to feel more for him than just friends. What she doesn't know at first is Shane is a Carules and the prodigy she is meant to kill. Shane has never been aloud to fight any battles he is meant to just kill the Edrens prodigy and must be kept safe. He falls hard for Ari even when she tries to keep a distance from him. An accident leads them all to find out the truth and it may just kill them both.

Ari seems to be a hard core person that feels nothing. She is a killer and never lets herself forget that. She has a job to do and nothing can stand in her way. She slowly opens up and becomes a fun person that you see can be loving and cares for people. She is very powerful. Shane is the school hunk who all the girls want. It should make him cocky and he is a little. He gets knocked down a peg or to by Ari rejecting him. He is a very caring and loving person and only wants to do what is right. He is also tired of being put on the side lines.

A friend got me this book because she knew how much I wanted it and she read and loved it. I will always be thanking her. I love this book. The day she got it for me I started reading right away. I read it in one day and probably would have read it in one sitting if my battery hadn't died. I really don't think there was a part I didn't like but the ending and that is just because I did not want it to end. From the start I liked the characters I could get inside their heads through the great way the author wrote the book. I love when that happens. You get to see all the characters really open up as you read not just the main ones. The plot is wonderful yes it may have been done before but not like this. There is so much going on you don't know what to expect next. Lots of action as you get to see several fight scenes. There is secrets that come out that leave you gasping and you really don't see it coming how evil some people can be. The lengths they are willing to go through is amazing. I won't spoil the book so just read this you will not regret it. Now I must stalk err watch and wait for the next one.

I really enjoy the cover of this book!
Profile Image for Ornella.
1,346 reviews81 followers
April 2, 2013
4.5 Stars

This was such a fun book. It has a great mix of action and romance.

The high points were really all the action scenes. They were so awesome, mostly cause they were always so intense what with the flames and spells shooting everywhere and people dying screaming, burning alive and turning to ash. Pretty awesome. xD

I'm a character girl and the characters in this book were phenomenal for me. Sure we have the quintessential mean girl, but you know what, it was such a joy to watch Ari always giving her the verbal smack down. Totally worth it. Actually Ari gave the verbal smack down to almost anyone who so much as looked at her wrong. She could stand up to her self and kick some serious butt while she was at it.

I loved the interactions between all the friends and specially between Ari and her brother Will. They were all loyal to the core, even when some of them were left out of the loop of the paranormal stuff.

The romance was nice and I liked Shane, he was a player at first but like the rest of them, very loyal. At first I thought there might have been a love triangle, but thank god it didn't happen! That earned a whole star from me. So hard to find YA books without love triangles now a days. I reallly hope there isn't one introduced later on cause that would just be worse.

The set up of their world and the war between the two races was still left a bit muddled but that's probably cause no one actually knows what exactly started the war anyway. But I really loved the whole idea of the flames powers and everything they could do. The names and shapes of all the different spells it kinda reminded me of video games, with the single attacks, AoEs and healing and defensive spells, loved it! xD

I had a bit of an issue with Ari being a little too closed off at times and judging her mom so harshly, but I'm glad she finally got set right towards the end, cause the whining whenever she had to go out on assignment would get a bit annoying. I just wanted her to kill her grandfather already and get over it. The self-pity wasn't too bad and she did take actions as the story progressed but it just got old at times.

I'm bumping this one up to the full 5 stars just for the awesome action scenes that would leave me biting my nails and tensed up every single time. If you like elemental magic, awesome characters, great action scenes and nice romance, you should pick this one up without question.
Profile Image for Anna.
252 reviews8 followers
February 15, 2020
I have questions...so many, many questions.

Let's start with a brief synopsis: Ari's family have just moved to a new town and she is on her first day at the local high school. She doesn't like to advertise it, but she and her family are red magic users who have been involved in a centuries long feud with the blue magic users. As the most powerful red magic user, Ari is going to have to fight to the death against the most powerful blue magic user. Little does she know that her secret rival is her annoyingly gorgeous classmate Shane.

I DNFed after Chapter 4. The story wasn't particularly well written or original and the questions kept stacking up. For example...

- Is it really so easy to kill a bunch of people and then get on with your life like a normal teenager? No PTSD? No guilt? (YA fiction would have readers believe this but I have my doubts)

- Is this feud just about prejudice? Do the red magic users hate the blue magic users because their magic is a different color? It kind of seems that way and I can't help thinking that this is extraordinarily senseless of them.

- Why are all the students at this school so beautiful? Is it part of this school's admissions process to screen out people who don't look like supermodels?

- How can anyone expect Ari to fight to the death against another magic user? She barely survived an accidental fall from a ladder.
Profile Image for Cary Morton.
989 reviews42 followers
August 27, 2019
Feudlings by Wendy Knight was a surprising nugget of YA Fiction. Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The characters had depth, the world-building had a decent structure, and the narrative flowed easily.

Though some questions were left unanswered by the end of the book, I didn’t feel the book was unfinished, as can often happen. The romance and friendships felt real – not rushed or contrived.

Overall, I have very little to complain about – and for those who know me, you know that I am a pretty harsh critic of books. I don’t pull my punches. I enjoyed the story immensely and can’t wait to continue with the series. If you like YA Fantasy stories with a romantic skew, I recommend you try this series out.
Profile Image for (ツ) Has.
753 reviews55 followers
December 22, 2013
She had a weakness. And it was Shane

This is the most interesting paranormal, magic witch book I’ve read in a long time, so its about a war between the two races Erdens and Carules and the only way to end the war is for each prodigies to kill each other. The main characters are the prodigies attending the same school and both of them don't know who each other is and what powers they hide.

The Characters:


The Romance
I think what I liked about this the most was that there wasn't any Insta-romance involved. All the books ive read so far have the couple meet and are instantly in love within a couple of hours. This one had a slow progress over 6 months were the Shane was totally in to her but didn't want to lose her so he stayed friends with her. I LOVED their friendship throughout that time and how they got to know each other before falling in love.

...Ari burst out laughing. Shane grabbed the sound and tucked it away in his mind for later.
He's soo cute!!


"I've never been in love before you. I've never told anyone I loved them before you."

Ari blinked, surprised. "I thought… but you've had all those girlfriends."

"Yeah. They were just fun, Ari. That's all. They weren't you. No one has ever come close to you."



Ok so the only thing I hated about it which isn't a big thing to others but since its one of my pet peeves I couldn't stand it. The constant mention of the guys blue eyes, 'huge metallic eyes' 'the most incredible blue eyes in the history of blue eyes' 'amazing blue eyes' etc. I was constantly reminded every few pages the eye color of his eyes and how shes couldn't breathe.

Other than that this was really good. Ends on a cliffhanger so have the next book ready.
Profile Image for Pegerly Lewis.
22 reviews
May 23, 2013
Really, I would give this book 3.5 stars. This book was a page turner. I had trouble putting it down, and I loved it! There are a few issues I had with it overall. First, the editing. There were several places where the book makes no sense due to random words appearing in sentences. Also, at one point Shane's mesmerizing blue eyes turn brown, which was very confusing for a bit. My second complaint is all the holes and unanswered questions in the story line. I was confused as to how the traces worked. If spells leave a trace then wouldn't you be able to see them on the hands of the caster as well? How long does it take to disappear? How could she possibly not see traces on Shane, or Hunter? Or she not have traces of spells after the numerous battles she fights? Also, if Ari is so opposed to having friends and dating, why is she so quick to accept these new friends? My last complaint is character building. Why is Ari's roommate a witch before they even meet? The relationship between Hunter and Charity appears out of no where and it's not believable. If Shane is so angry at the brutality of the other Prodigy, why is he so quick to forget all that when he finds out its Ari?
I would recommend this book. It was a lot of fun to read and I can't wait to see where it goes. I hope some of these questions get answered in the next book.
Profile Image for Katherine.
69 reviews3 followers
July 20, 2013
I freaking LOVED this book, I can't be bothered to write a real review but I'll just jot down what made this book so amazing:

-The heroine rivals even the most kick-ass characters in YA history- Rose Hathaway, Celaena Sardothien etc. She's smart, controlled and level headed. Not to mention she harbours scorching, hilarious sarcasm.
- It was constantly action packed and had fantastically real fighting scenes that had you enthralled and hypnotised from the start
-Every character was crafted into their own person and each had their own traits that were easily identifiable all the way through and stayed constant.
- An original concept in that it was a completely new magic to YA series- Edrens and Carules
- No insta love, thank F. The love was real and slow paced but also took a backseat compared to the war.

There's more, but I'm lazy so just take my word that this is a book not to be missed.
Profile Image for Jen Wylie.
Author 21 books678 followers
March 23, 2013
I bought this book, which is saying a lot right there. I don't buy a lot of books these days. However, a great friend on facebook recommended this one and the cover and blurb immediately caught my eye.

I sat down in the evening planning on reading a few pages before bed...and didn't stop. Yes, it's one of THOSE books.

There isn't anything I didn't like about it. The characters are all well defined and unique, and likable. Ari and Shane had a growing relationship.. not a OMGyouaremysoulmateandIloveyouevenifIjustmetyou love. Awesome battle scenes, strong female lead, wonderful supporting characters, great plot and story. Overall a very engaging and fun read.

My only problem is that it ended and there are more books in the series. I rather want to timewarp ahead to the future so I can read them now!
Profile Image for Chelsea (Starbucks & Books Obsession).
277 reviews62 followers
March 21, 2013
This was a really good read and a great book for a debut novel. It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I loved all of the characters and loved the way that Ari held herself together around Shane. I liked that Shane gave Ari the space that she needed to gain his trust. The plot was interesting and there was a lot of action. I liked that the author didn't end the book on a huge cliffhanger but you are definitely left waiting for the next book to see what happens.
Profile Image for Shantal.
Author 9 books457 followers
April 2, 2013
Fuedlings was a fun read, and absolutely riveting toward the end. I could not put it down. The battles near the end of the book seemed very Harry Potter-esque to me, and that's a great thing. HP still tops my YA list as the very best out there. Of course, the characters were endearing and the romance was sweet. In fact, the book was surprisingly emotional in unexpected ways. And your daughters will love it. The young women are all strong and interesting in their own ways and the young men are what young men should be. So, enjoy. This is a wonderful book.
1 review
April 5, 2013
I REALLY enjoyed this book. The imagination it must have taken to come up with this story line, spell names, etc. is truly amazing!! I really enjoyed the characters and the sweet love story. This is a story that I could totally see on the big screen! Two thumbs WAY up!! I am really excited for the next book.
Profile Image for Sri.
33 reviews12 followers
April 20, 2013
I NEED THE NEXT BOOKKKKK NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.... and so on.
Profile Image for Mandy Sickle.
1,463 reviews152 followers
May 5, 2015
Ari isn’t your typical teenager she spends her time fighting a war between the Edrens and the Carules who have been warring for over 300 years. It’s been prophesized that the two prodigy’s one from each faction will meet ending the war. While Ari has been fighting the Carules improving her skills the rival prodigy hasn’t been seen yet. Ari has attempted to maintain a little bit of a normal life attending school till her grandfather orders her to move which has happened a lot.

Ari is starting over her senior year at a new school, she’s never made friends, had a boyfriend but even from the start something is different about this school. Like the fact that she falls off a ladder and is rescued by the school hottie. Suddenly Ari has friends which is something she’s never had before as well as a guy who likes her. However the prophecy is still looming over her head and one day she will have to meet the Carules prodigy in battle she just doesn’t know who he is.

Ari is a kick ass character who’s spent her whole life never really living till her senior year when she is befriend by a group of students. I enjoyed her as a character as the book progressed she grew as a character which is a must for a good character imo. I also enjoyed Charity she was a sweetheart and makes a perfect best friend for Ari exactly what she needed. I wasn’t sure about Shane or Hunter and was even worried about a potential love triangle but as the story progressed it worked it’s self out.

I picked this one up a while back on eBook based on the fact that the cover is stunning but I wasn’t sure what it was about. Feudlings is a captivating story loaded with lots of action, friendships, adventure and just enough romance to keep you wanting more. I found the concept of the Edrens and Carules to remind me of witches but with their own unique spin. The characters are easy to connect with you can’t help falling in love with Ari or Shane since we are giving both point of views. I really enjoyed the authors writing style while book is written from multiple point of views I think she does a great job executing switching between them I never found myself confused. This is my first novel in by the author but I’m hooked I very much enjoyed Feudlings it was interesting to check out Ari’s world. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Laura Bastian.
Author 60 books353 followers
April 25, 2013
This was such a fun book. Very much a Romeo and Juliet without the tragedy. Two kids from feuding family's fall in love and try to stop the whole war. Romance without being inappropriate. Battle scenes without being horrible and bloody and gory. A teenage assassin who has to fight her family's ancient battles, and does her best to be merciful, giving them the chance to run yet protects her family and her mother especially. Ari has a brother who is supposed to be her protector, (fighting assistant, right hand man, guardian, and so forth) but since he has a conscience and didn't want to continue fighting in the war, he is now an outcast and can't ever return home, but that doesn't stop him from still being her guard and doing what he can. The magic in the story was believable (as far as magic goes) there were rules to it, they had to do it right, no one could do all the things and there were limitations.
The humanity and relationship development was right on. Ari wasn't used to having friends and had always shut herself off from people, but as her classmates begin to break down her walls and she lets her guard down she starts to realize she can be human and actually enjoy life, even to the point of falling for a guy. Shane at first seemed like the egotistical popular guy that had to have a girlfriend all the time, but we soon get to see how Shane is so much different than the image he projects as a way to keep himself hidden in the open. The supporting characters were awesome and I even loved to hate the room mate.
Wendy did a wonderful job on this story and it has a sequel coming before long.
Profile Image for Kristyne.
54 reviews24 followers
June 18, 2013
At first I was a little skeptical about this story. I ended up loving this story! The characters were very great and added so much to the story. Ari is hardcore in my opinion, yet she has troubles with what she is doing. She doesn't like the killing but her grandpa is so horrible that she does it. She does try to avoid killing the enemies by trying to scare them but they are relentless. She wants to escape her grandpa so she goes to boarding schools pretty much once a year. She is used to keeping to herself but then she gets roped in on helping decorate the gym for a school dance. She ends up falling and gorgeous Shane ends up saving her and from then on they are hooked. She makes friends and starts opening up to them until she finds out just exactly who they really are.
There is quite a bit of action and I loved it. I also loved that we got to see a little into what Ari's relationship is with her grandpa and then her brother. One thing I know some people have trouble with is how Ari and Shane can't tell who the other is especially since they can see magic traces. Neither of them really uses magic around the other so they cant tell that the other person is the enemy. When they do finally realize it things get a little crazy. I'm not going to spoil exactly how because it's pretty important to the story so you will just have to read it. I loved this book and absolutely can't wait until the next one!
Profile Image for Megan.
322 reviews11 followers
March 24, 2013
It is really difficult to put into words how much I loved this book. I have been raving about it since it came out. I had a copy from the author but never got it read because my tablet was abducted by the Angry Birds obsessed :) Once I sat down and started reading it, though, I couldn't put it down. As it is now, waiting for book #2, I am having Ari and Shane withdrawals!!

So why did I love this book so much? Because of the characters. At the beginning of the book, Nevaeh was my favorite character simply because she was so spunky and adorable! I loved her. As the book progressed, though, I got wrapped up in the drama between Shane and Ari. How they were both clashing because they were clearly attracted but were denying it. I loved it! So much amazing drama!

Toward the end of the book, my favorite character had switched to Will, Ari's brother. It was obvious how much he loved Ari and he was always trying to protect her. Their relationship is one of my favorites throughout the entire book. Well, after Ari and Shane :)

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone! I can't wait until the next book comes out :)
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
Author 61 books292 followers
May 16, 2013
Ari isn't your typical teenage girl. Going off into battles, shooting red flames at her family's enemies, and switching schools when it gets too dangerous. Sounds awesome, right? It is!

I loved the imagery in this book. From the too-pink comforter on her roommate's bed, to the amazing battle scenes. I could feel myself there throughout the whole book. I liked that while she had the rich, snobby girl, Brittany, in her book, she wasn't the main villain. She was a side story that I loved. I could hear her shrieks as she went after Ari for "stealing" her man.

Shane, her nemesis is the kind of guy every girl wants—including Ari. It's too bad she felt she couldn't get involved because she never knew when she would have to leave again. I love the relationship that is built there. Hunter's disapproval adds to the spiciness of the relationship. It's an overall great story that I would highly recommend.
1 review1 follower
April 20, 2013
Feudlings! Loved it! I know I love a book when I can’t finish a paragraph fast enough because so excited and invested in seeing what happens or is said next. I can’t wait for the next part to come out!
Feudlings is a compelling yet clean love and war story that is appropriate for all readers. I love the relatable authentic characters. I felt like I was reading about people I know which made it even more natural to empathize with the characters. The characters and the story unfold beautify together. I love that like in real life, the leading characters have weaknesses and challenges but are still strong and determine do succeed. The main characters were able to lift and improve each other rather than competing for the spotlight. An underling message of the book is how friendship is a risk with great rewards.
Profile Image for Tracey Murphy.
53 reviews
April 27, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It is a Romeo and Juliet type set up but with a better ending and not an overdose of teenage angst. I loved the characters. Ari, Shane, Hunter, Charity, Neve, Livi and even Brittany. Ari is so fierce, strong and independent yet because of the war and her upbringing so naive about relationships...not just boy/girl, friends, family etc. I loved that there was no love triangle...I really hate those.

The action and characters made this a fast and fun read. I can't wait for the next one...Shane and Ari still have so much to do. They have to figure out the history of the war and get a handle on those on both sides that want to continue the war. I loved that Ari was so fierce, but had so many walls built around her feelings...I loved how Shane has to work to break down her walls and didn't give up on her.

Can't wait for the next book.
Profile Image for Antoinette.
147 reviews6 followers
June 8, 2013
Feudlings (Fate on Fire #1)

by Wendy Knight

Fuedlings was a fun read, and absolutely riveting toward the end. I could not put it down. The battles near the end of the book seemed very Harry Potter-esque to me, and that's a great thing. HP still tops my YA list as the very best out there. Of course, the characters were endearing and the romance was sweet. In fact, the book was surprisingly emotional in unexpected ways.

I loved the imagery in this book.
I loved the interactions between all the friends and specially between Ari and her brother Will. They were all loyal to the core, even when some of them were left out of the loop of the paranormal stuff.

As it is now, waiting for book #2, I am having Ari and Shane withdrawals!!
Profile Image for Jennifer Polys fowler.
125 reviews2 followers
July 12, 2016
Ari is a sorcerer but not any she is the prodigy of the edren amd they work red spells. Shane is the prodigy of the carules and they work blue spells. The edrens and the carules are at war and have been for 300 yrs. The only way to end the war is forhe prodigies to kill eachother. Unknown to ari and shane that the one they havefallen for is supose to be the others enemy. Then one tragic night one almost dies and the other is on the run from their own people.
Fast paced and full of wonder. Hiding identities and finding love and friendship where there never should have been. Heart breaking truths and realizations noone was prepare for. Cant wait to see what the next chapter will hold.
Profile Image for Michelle.
44 reviews3 followers
April 27, 2013
I really dislike Romance.
I especially dislike YA Paranormal Romance.

And yet I loved this book. The characters were real and unique and the plot kept me guessing. I had no idea it would end the way it did. Overall I was really satisfied with the balance this book kept between the romantic elements and the fantasy elements. If you're like me, you'll love the magic system and you'll love the main character, Ari. She's fierce without becoming a cardboard cut-out of what fiery female characters are "supposed" to be like. Give it a try, even if it's not your usual cup of tea. I'm glad I did.
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