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Annwn Unveiled #1
Severed Bonds
My life will never be the same again…
Sometimes I wonder if my life would have gone differently if I had been a little less impulsive. Most people would think twice about driving into a snowstorm, but not me. Now I am caught up in all sorts of trouble, and not of the weather variety.
Vampires, werewolves, and the Fae, oh my!
Yup, they exist, all right. And I landed smack dab in the middle of their little dispute. One faction wants to keep everything quiet, and the other? Well, they seek nothing less than total world domination. Or something.
And they both want me. Well, isn’t that special?
Now I am pulled so deep into their world that I can never hope to break free. Not only have I risked those I hold most dear, but I have discovered some things about myself that will change who I thought I was.
It really sucks when you find out your whole life was a lie…
My name is Alexandra Blakely, Lexi for short, and this is how it all began.
Sometimes I wonder if my life would have gone differently if I had been a little less impulsive. Most people would think twice about driving into a snowstorm, but not me. Now I am caught up in all sorts of trouble, and not of the weather variety.
Vampires, werewolves, and the Fae, oh my!
Yup, they exist, all right. And I landed smack dab in the middle of their little dispute. One faction wants to keep everything quiet, and the other? Well, they seek nothing less than total world domination. Or something.
And they both want me. Well, isn’t that special?
Now I am pulled so deep into their world that I can never hope to break free. Not only have I risked those I hold most dear, but I have discovered some things about myself that will change who I thought I was.
It really sucks when you find out your whole life was a lie…
My name is Alexandra Blakely, Lexi for short, and this is how it all began.
318 pages, ebook
First published August 13, 2013
16 people want to read
About the author
Kyra Dunst
3 books11 followersI am a wife, mother, author and dreamer. I typically live in my own world most of the time, but I can often be found wandering around in Indiana with my husband, a daughter, a dog, a cat and some fish. When not writing, I am often thinking about writing, or trying my hand at various crafty things that I may or may not be good at doing. I’m pretty sure my neighbor is a vampire, and my eleventh grade math teacher was a werewolf, but the jury is still out on the Fae.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 11, 2013
From the beginning, the author does an excellent job of fusing the reader with Lexi as her life is forever altered and she experiences hurt, confusion, anger, love, frustration and a multitude of other emotions as she tries to navigate a new life for herself.
Read full review in the November 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the November 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
November 21, 2014
I was given this book for free for my honest review thru
Fangirls and Fanboys on goodreads.
I loved this story there is a love triangle, twist & turns. Its will keep you guessing what is going to happen next. If you want to know if Lexi has been living a lie go check it out for yourself... If you enjoy Werewolves, Vampires & Fae your going to love it so what are you waiting for go get it. Great Read! Thanks again for letting me read & review!!
Fangirls and Fanboys on goodreads.
I loved this story there is a love triangle, twist & turns. Its will keep you guessing what is going to happen next. If you want to know if Lexi has been living a lie go check it out for yourself... If you enjoy Werewolves, Vampires & Fae your going to love it so what are you waiting for go get it. Great Read! Thanks again for letting me read & review!!
November 6, 2013
Please note: The review/critique of this book was completed by Judy Colella who was given a copy of the book by the author for the sole purpose of reviewing it. Her review, based on an 11 point rubric designed by the owner of The MBR, L. Avery Brown. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review Judy has given L. Avery Brown permission to post this review to Goodreads. Thank you.
And Now for the Review...
1. Book Title - 3 of 5
For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)
The title seems straightforward until after the book is read in its entirety - then it's multi-level significance is better understood. The only part of the title that put me off is the reference to Annwn. It's the Welsh equivalent of Hades, and it seems the author has confused her mythologies somewhat. There are no Welsh entities in the story whatsoever, so I question her use of that term. Unless subsequent books pull the Welsh creature and tales into her story, that part of the title might be better left off.
2. Book Cover – 2 of 5
For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?
To be completely honest, I didn't like the cover. I see what she's trying to show, but the layout and overall look is somewhat unprofessional, and implies that what lies between the covers is no more than yet another werewolf/vampire-type story - ho-hum, indeed. And yes, there are of course elements of that, but the story is much richer than most in this genre and deserves a more intriguing cover. Perhaps something that shows a misty forest with glimmers and hints of something supernatural - perhaps wolf eyes only recognized at a closer glance, or some kind of weird mist and the suggestion of animals and unnatural-looking humans?
3. First 500... – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?
Normally, I don't like the "Wonder Years" kind of opening narrative in a book. However, Kyra managed to keep hers interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. Her heroine was immediately likable, the situation compelling. She used a nice balance of action and explanation, and drew me in right from the start. Long before the 500-word mark I had a pretty good idea of what was going on and where the tale was headed, but it also had exactly the right implication of unexpected twists ahead to keep me from thinking I had it all figured out. Very nicely done.
4. Blurb Effectiveness – 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?
I like shorter blurbs. Longer ones seem to be an apologetic attempt at telling the entire story in one, long, breathless flood of verbiage. This was not a short blurb. That said, and because of the many complexities of plot, this one actually worked for me. Could she have made it just a tad shorter? Sure. But the way it is didn't put me off the way I thought it would at first glance.
5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Age Recommendation - If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Genre Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?
To my delight, I found that despite how easy it would have been to make this story flat-out steamy and highly inappropriate for younger readers, Ms. Dunst used considerable skill in conveying more about the heart than the libido despite some serious physical attraction between characters. Even the scene late in the story where an altar, no clothing, and a ritual were involved, she turned this device into a tool that furthered the significance of the title, rather than allowing so much as a hint of tawdriness. I was highly impressed, and can say with confidence that the audience for this book can easily include very young teens.
6. Presentation/Format – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?
I liked the logical progression of this first-person narrative. The pacing was excellent, and overall, very easy to follow. The use of telepathy between certain characters handled the issue of POV beautifully, allowing the story-teller access to the thoughts of feelings of fellow main characters.
7. Theme/Originality – 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was this book similar to something you may have read before? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? OR - is this the first time you can recall ever reading a book with theme/setup/etc of this particular title?
About halfway through, I found myself thinking the author borrowed certain traits and elements of Bella from the "Twilight" series (her clumsiness, most specifically), bits and pieces from the general werewolf genre with the whole Alpha-male thing, a smidge or two from "The Vampire Diaries" (the rivalry for Lexi's affections, for instance), and some of the concepts found in the current trend toward demonic tales. However, she wove it all together in a unique way, presenting an eclectic package that allowed all these familiar concepts to work very nicely with her story in a way that moved things along.
8. Description/Enhancement – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?
The descriptive elements of the book were subtle enough to paint a picture without shoving it in your face, so to speak. Like the Little Bear's porridge, chair and bed, not too much, not too little, but just right. The main focus was on the thread of the story and the action, which is exactly as it should be for a story of this type.
9. Intrigue – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)
Yup. A total page-turner, dude. I can't say there was any part of this that I found boring. No easy task, that!
10. Grammar/Mechanics – 7 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)
Every once in a while, the person or tense would suddenly shift, the latter more frequently than the former. An example of the person shift can be found on page 47, where the story goes from 1st to 3rd, then slides back into 1st in the final sentence of the paragraph: "Kade glared at them both before turning on his heel and marching down the corridor to the private dining room. Lexi bristled at Kade's obvious anger toward them both. Who did he think he was? Ian smirked at at me." The problem with moving from present to past is peppered throughout, although it
occurs only briefly in a sentence, then reverts. Rather disconcerting, and it stops the action with a bit of a thud (see page 43, "Horrified, I realize...").
Another glitch, if you will, is the tendency to overuse the same word or phrase within a small range of sentences or paragraphs. A glaring example of this can be seen on page 58: "A WIDE disc several feet WIDE (emphasis added)" - this can easily be fixed by simply chancing the second "wide" to "across." I also found a number of words misused in the context. For instance, "course rope" instead of "coarse rope," and a number of other odd instances throughout. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. Finally, dialect. Ian is supposed to be Irish, yet he is given a very Scottish accent ("canna" for "cannot" is NOT an Irish pronunciation - read the works of Robert Burns to see what I mean). Writing out an accent can be a tricky business. Better to refer to the accent in a more oblique manner without trying to spell it out.
Having said that, I was more pleased than not with the overall grammar and spelling in this book. A quick perusal by a seasoned editor to weed out minor problems like those cited will produce a book that can, in fact, be nearly flawless. The writing is excellent, and her basic command of good and proper English is impressive. Because of this, the story was even more of a joy to read for its smoothness as well as for its ripping good plot!
11. Overall Impression – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?
I would certainly recommend this. The blend of action, tragedy, romance, and an ending that doesn't make the reader gag (sorry, but I can't stand those super-sweet, Hallmark-made-for-television-perfect-ending stories) makes this a great read. The reader is picked up by the whirlwind of Lexi's bizarre life and swept along from cover to cover without a pause. I totally enjoyed the experience, and hope Ms. Dunst continues to write in this genre - she does it so very, very well!
For the Reviewer: Is there anything else about the book you'd like to mention?
It needs a sequel. Seriously. Where's Book Two?
The Bestowing of the Blossoms
After looking at all the numbers, Kyra Dunst's Severed Bonds (Annwn Unveiled, Book One) has earned a very respectable 88 points out of 100 giving it a very strong 4 blossom ranking. And Judy is not an easy one to please when it comes to the world of fantasy writing - which means that Kyra Dunst really had to earn every single point and that says a lot about the book and as Judy has asked...where's Book Two?! The MBR wants to wish Kyra all the best as her book which will hopefully be the first in a long, strongly written series makes its way through one of the toughest nuts to crack in the writing world - Fantasy writing!
***As Goodreads does not have a 1/2 star ranking system - the owner of The Magnolia Blossom Review has opted to bump this review up to a 5 star review as it scored so close to the 90 point requirement for 5 stars. Thank you.
And Now for the Review...
1. Book Title - 3 of 5
For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)
The title seems straightforward until after the book is read in its entirety - then it's multi-level significance is better understood. The only part of the title that put me off is the reference to Annwn. It's the Welsh equivalent of Hades, and it seems the author has confused her mythologies somewhat. There are no Welsh entities in the story whatsoever, so I question her use of that term. Unless subsequent books pull the Welsh creature and tales into her story, that part of the title might be better left off.
2. Book Cover – 2 of 5
For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?
To be completely honest, I didn't like the cover. I see what she's trying to show, but the layout and overall look is somewhat unprofessional, and implies that what lies between the covers is no more than yet another werewolf/vampire-type story - ho-hum, indeed. And yes, there are of course elements of that, but the story is much richer than most in this genre and deserves a more intriguing cover. Perhaps something that shows a misty forest with glimmers and hints of something supernatural - perhaps wolf eyes only recognized at a closer glance, or some kind of weird mist and the suggestion of animals and unnatural-looking humans?
3. First 500... – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?
Normally, I don't like the "Wonder Years" kind of opening narrative in a book. However, Kyra managed to keep hers interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. Her heroine was immediately likable, the situation compelling. She used a nice balance of action and explanation, and drew me in right from the start. Long before the 500-word mark I had a pretty good idea of what was going on and where the tale was headed, but it also had exactly the right implication of unexpected twists ahead to keep me from thinking I had it all figured out. Very nicely done.
4. Blurb Effectiveness – 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?
I like shorter blurbs. Longer ones seem to be an apologetic attempt at telling the entire story in one, long, breathless flood of verbiage. This was not a short blurb. That said, and because of the many complexities of plot, this one actually worked for me. Could she have made it just a tad shorter? Sure. But the way it is didn't put me off the way I thought it would at first glance.
5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Age Recommendation - If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Genre Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?
To my delight, I found that despite how easy it would have been to make this story flat-out steamy and highly inappropriate for younger readers, Ms. Dunst used considerable skill in conveying more about the heart than the libido despite some serious physical attraction between characters. Even the scene late in the story where an altar, no clothing, and a ritual were involved, she turned this device into a tool that furthered the significance of the title, rather than allowing so much as a hint of tawdriness. I was highly impressed, and can say with confidence that the audience for this book can easily include very young teens.
6. Presentation/Format – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?
I liked the logical progression of this first-person narrative. The pacing was excellent, and overall, very easy to follow. The use of telepathy between certain characters handled the issue of POV beautifully, allowing the story-teller access to the thoughts of feelings of fellow main characters.
7. Theme/Originality – 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was this book similar to something you may have read before? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? OR - is this the first time you can recall ever reading a book with theme/setup/etc of this particular title?
About halfway through, I found myself thinking the author borrowed certain traits and elements of Bella from the "Twilight" series (her clumsiness, most specifically), bits and pieces from the general werewolf genre with the whole Alpha-male thing, a smidge or two from "The Vampire Diaries" (the rivalry for Lexi's affections, for instance), and some of the concepts found in the current trend toward demonic tales. However, she wove it all together in a unique way, presenting an eclectic package that allowed all these familiar concepts to work very nicely with her story in a way that moved things along.
8. Description/Enhancement – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?
The descriptive elements of the book were subtle enough to paint a picture without shoving it in your face, so to speak. Like the Little Bear's porridge, chair and bed, not too much, not too little, but just right. The main focus was on the thread of the story and the action, which is exactly as it should be for a story of this type.
9. Intrigue – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)
Yup. A total page-turner, dude. I can't say there was any part of this that I found boring. No easy task, that!
10. Grammar/Mechanics – 7 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)
Every once in a while, the person or tense would suddenly shift, the latter more frequently than the former. An example of the person shift can be found on page 47, where the story goes from 1st to 3rd, then slides back into 1st in the final sentence of the paragraph: "Kade glared at them both before turning on his heel and marching down the corridor to the private dining room. Lexi bristled at Kade's obvious anger toward them both. Who did he think he was? Ian smirked at at me." The problem with moving from present to past is peppered throughout, although it
occurs only briefly in a sentence, then reverts. Rather disconcerting, and it stops the action with a bit of a thud (see page 43, "Horrified, I realize...").
Another glitch, if you will, is the tendency to overuse the same word or phrase within a small range of sentences or paragraphs. A glaring example of this can be seen on page 58: "A WIDE disc several feet WIDE (emphasis added)" - this can easily be fixed by simply chancing the second "wide" to "across." I also found a number of words misused in the context. For instance, "course rope" instead of "coarse rope," and a number of other odd instances throughout. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. Finally, dialect. Ian is supposed to be Irish, yet he is given a very Scottish accent ("canna" for "cannot" is NOT an Irish pronunciation - read the works of Robert Burns to see what I mean). Writing out an accent can be a tricky business. Better to refer to the accent in a more oblique manner without trying to spell it out.
Having said that, I was more pleased than not with the overall grammar and spelling in this book. A quick perusal by a seasoned editor to weed out minor problems like those cited will produce a book that can, in fact, be nearly flawless. The writing is excellent, and her basic command of good and proper English is impressive. Because of this, the story was even more of a joy to read for its smoothness as well as for its ripping good plot!
11. Overall Impression – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?
I would certainly recommend this. The blend of action, tragedy, romance, and an ending that doesn't make the reader gag (sorry, but I can't stand those super-sweet, Hallmark-made-for-television-perfect-ending stories) makes this a great read. The reader is picked up by the whirlwind of Lexi's bizarre life and swept along from cover to cover without a pause. I totally enjoyed the experience, and hope Ms. Dunst continues to write in this genre - she does it so very, very well!
For the Reviewer: Is there anything else about the book you'd like to mention?
It needs a sequel. Seriously. Where's Book Two?
The Bestowing of the Blossoms
After looking at all the numbers, Kyra Dunst's Severed Bonds (Annwn Unveiled, Book One) has earned a very respectable 88 points out of 100 giving it a very strong 4 blossom ranking. And Judy is not an easy one to please when it comes to the world of fantasy writing - which means that Kyra Dunst really had to earn every single point and that says a lot about the book and as Judy has asked...where's Book Two?! The MBR wants to wish Kyra all the best as her book which will hopefully be the first in a long, strongly written series makes its way through one of the toughest nuts to crack in the writing world - Fantasy writing!
***As Goodreads does not have a 1/2 star ranking system - the owner of The Magnolia Blossom Review has opted to bump this review up to a 5 star review as it scored so close to the 90 point requirement for 5 stars. Thank you.
February 27, 2025
Ultra slow burn, too much confused feelings
The female lead is at turns likable, courageous and also an idiot where attraction and feelings are concerned.
The book has logic gaps, some that feel like there were massive cuts during the editing process. The others stem from authorial missteps in action scenes. But otherwise there are twists aplenty. The female lead has a physical clumsiness and is prone to injuries much like many real life neurospicy people have. But in this book there's no explanation of the root causes.
The female lead is at turns likable, courageous and also an idiot where attraction and feelings are concerned.
The book has logic gaps, some that feel like there were massive cuts during the editing process. The others stem from authorial missteps in action scenes. But otherwise there are twists aplenty. The female lead has a physical clumsiness and is prone to injuries much like many real life neurospicy people have. But in this book there's no explanation of the root causes.
January 18, 2015
Ho-hum… a mere mortal being convinced that she is now part of a secret world full of vampires, werewolves and fairies.
Alrighty, where do I start? So the world is not new, it’s so thoroughly regurgitated that others in the lounge with me were asking what I kept sighing about. I couldn’t help it. Oh, the predictability! Female human, werewolves, vampires, fairies… and she happens to become a highly desirable pivotal character, wielding great power and saving the world though many more experienced power-players were present.
On the positive side, the book was well-written. The wording flowed, was descriptive and well-edited. Grammar, spelling, tense… nothing jumped out at me from the page to make my inner grammar-Nazi cringe. And even though the paranormal genre is desperately over exposed at the moment, I do feel that Dunst has something to add. Her world ticks all the boxes which fans of the paranormal will require, but on top of these, she has added some clever twists of her own. The usual love triangle was dealt with from a new angle, which was refreshing. The protagonist begins by resisting the love interest’s advances, although boy wins girl over partway through the book. I was interested to see how Dunst would be able to add further angst and indecision after the relationship was apparently sealed, but she did manage to continue the love theme well right to the end.
The age of the heroine did not work for me. She is supposed to be an adult, fresh from a broken marriage, but she whinges and throws tantrums in fine style - to match the teenage heroines which frequent books of this kind. I found her intensely dislikeable. I think that Dunst was probably going for the effect of a young, vulnerable yet strong (and hugely attractive) woman thrust into a world which she had previously not known existed, and struggling to come to grips with it, but instead she came off as immature, whining, weak, ungrateful and distinctly unattractive.
Why do the alpha men want to protect Alexandra? It’s beyond me. Hasn’t Ian got anything better to do? Why should Kade be attracted to her? Just instinct? I can’t see any other reason for it.
In summary, if you like paranormal fiction (and I know that many, many do) this is for you. If you love anything about werewolves, this is for you. There are some new and interesting additions to the usual formula here, and you may well not see the twists coming. Not that I’m implying that Severed Bonds has been written to a formula; perhaps it would have been stronger if it had. I do believe that many will enjoy this book, and will be recommending it to fans of this genre.
Severed Bonds is the first in Kyra Dunst’s Annwn Unveiled Series, the second of which The Stygian Kiss is also available now.
Alrighty, where do I start? So the world is not new, it’s so thoroughly regurgitated that others in the lounge with me were asking what I kept sighing about. I couldn’t help it. Oh, the predictability! Female human, werewolves, vampires, fairies… and she happens to become a highly desirable pivotal character, wielding great power and saving the world though many more experienced power-players were present.
On the positive side, the book was well-written. The wording flowed, was descriptive and well-edited. Grammar, spelling, tense… nothing jumped out at me from the page to make my inner grammar-Nazi cringe. And even though the paranormal genre is desperately over exposed at the moment, I do feel that Dunst has something to add. Her world ticks all the boxes which fans of the paranormal will require, but on top of these, she has added some clever twists of her own. The usual love triangle was dealt with from a new angle, which was refreshing. The protagonist begins by resisting the love interest’s advances, although boy wins girl over partway through the book. I was interested to see how Dunst would be able to add further angst and indecision after the relationship was apparently sealed, but she did manage to continue the love theme well right to the end.
The age of the heroine did not work for me. She is supposed to be an adult, fresh from a broken marriage, but she whinges and throws tantrums in fine style - to match the teenage heroines which frequent books of this kind. I found her intensely dislikeable. I think that Dunst was probably going for the effect of a young, vulnerable yet strong (and hugely attractive) woman thrust into a world which she had previously not known existed, and struggling to come to grips with it, but instead she came off as immature, whining, weak, ungrateful and distinctly unattractive.
Why do the alpha men want to protect Alexandra? It’s beyond me. Hasn’t Ian got anything better to do? Why should Kade be attracted to her? Just instinct? I can’t see any other reason for it.
In summary, if you like paranormal fiction (and I know that many, many do) this is for you. If you love anything about werewolves, this is for you. There are some new and interesting additions to the usual formula here, and you may well not see the twists coming. Not that I’m implying that Severed Bonds has been written to a formula; perhaps it would have been stronger if it had. I do believe that many will enjoy this book, and will be recommending it to fans of this genre.
Severed Bonds is the first in Kyra Dunst’s Annwn Unveiled Series, the second of which The Stygian Kiss is also available now.
September 10, 2016
This was an OK book. There wasn't anything obviously wrong with it, other than I found that I didn't much enjoy it. This was largely because I never bonded with Lexi. She did nothing for me and I very quickly tired of her 'woe is me' mantra (a bad combination). Plus, by virtue of the fact that she continued to survive encounters that the reader is told only strong people survive, one would assume she was a strong character. But I found her limp-noodle-weak, unintelligent and, despite claims to the contrary, far too ready to hand control to others.
She constantly did stupid stuff like purposefully deciding to ignore everything she didn't understand or insisting that others were crazy for displaying amazing and undeniable feats of magic. If anyone was crazy in that scenario it would be her, but she constantly reminded herself to avoid the crazies.
Worst of all, Lexi was a freakin' marionette! Seriously, throughout the book her actions were controlled by one man after another (and I mean her physical actions were physically controlled against her will). I found it infuriating. How am I supposed to see a woman who can't even wrest control of her own body from another strong? Even worse, how am I supposed to respect her when she then willing hands that control to 3rd person? I got seriously tired of hearing, "You're going to have to trust me," and then watching her give complete control and responsibility to a man. Further, any time her thoughts/actions were her own she did little more than sleep or fret about the love triangle.
Said love triangle was ridiculous, mainly because the two men were little more than Disney Princes. You know the sort I mean—handsome, ostensibly honourable, etc but TOTALLY characterless. I don't feel like I got to know them at all, especially Kade. They were just objects for her to obsess over. Plus, the whole thing was a tease. Lexi went on and on about her libido, but there's barely more than a kiss anywhere.
The writing itself was fine. The dialogue felt a little stiff at times, but it was mostly without issue. There were some editing issues, not too many typographical mistakes but a lot of tense changes and it frequently shifted between first and third person. Annoying, but not hugely disruptive.
All in all, I can see a lot of New Adult readers out there loving this book. It's a fairly clean read and I'm sure Lexi's control issues won't irk everyone as strongly as it did me. But I found myself gritting my teeth a lot. I wanted to backhand Lexi on more than one occasion. I'm not particularly interested in reading the next in the series.
She constantly did stupid stuff like purposefully deciding to ignore everything she didn't understand or insisting that others were crazy for displaying amazing and undeniable feats of magic. If anyone was crazy in that scenario it would be her, but she constantly reminded herself to avoid the crazies.
Worst of all, Lexi was a freakin' marionette! Seriously, throughout the book her actions were controlled by one man after another (and I mean her physical actions were physically controlled against her will). I found it infuriating. How am I supposed to see a woman who can't even wrest control of her own body from another strong? Even worse, how am I supposed to respect her when she then willing hands that control to 3rd person? I got seriously tired of hearing, "You're going to have to trust me," and then watching her give complete control and responsibility to a man. Further, any time her thoughts/actions were her own she did little more than sleep or fret about the love triangle.
Said love triangle was ridiculous, mainly because the two men were little more than Disney Princes. You know the sort I mean—handsome, ostensibly honourable, etc but TOTALLY characterless. I don't feel like I got to know them at all, especially Kade. They were just objects for her to obsess over. Plus, the whole thing was a tease. Lexi went on and on about her libido, but there's barely more than a kiss anywhere.
The writing itself was fine. The dialogue felt a little stiff at times, but it was mostly without issue. There were some editing issues, not too many typographical mistakes but a lot of tense changes and it frequently shifted between first and third person. Annoying, but not hugely disruptive.
All in all, I can see a lot of New Adult readers out there loving this book. It's a fairly clean read and I'm sure Lexi's control issues won't irk everyone as strongly as it did me. But I found myself gritting my teeth a lot. I wanted to backhand Lexi on more than one occasion. I'm not particularly interested in reading the next in the series.
October 15, 2013
There's a lot of books about vampires, or werewolves, or fae, or all three thrown together in one pot and cooked until it's a mess of confusion. This book did contain all three, but I felt that it flowed a lot better than some of the books I've read thus far. There were portions where I found myself skipping a few pages, though I think this is more my impatience and slight anxiety than it is the book. I enjoyed the love triangle, it was done in a more interesting way than others, and many of the plot twists kept me on my toes (though I did manage to guess who she would end up with). It may surprise you to know, if you've read the book, that my favorite character was Sierra. I love how she was portrayed. I must say she was rather unique, being what she is. I'm torn between wanting to have more of the story and enjoying where Alexandra is at the end of the book. I will admit, going from a book written extremely poetically with extremely detailed descriptions to a fast paced, more action and romance novel was a big change, but this was still a wonderful book. I loved this book, I can't wait to read more.
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November 7, 20134 stars
From the beginning, the author does an excellent job of fusing the reader with Lexi as her life is forever altered and she experiences hurt, confusion, anger, love, frustration and a multitude of other emotions as she tries to navigate a new life for herself.
Full review in November 2013 issue of InD'tale Magazine.
From the beginning, the author does an excellent job of fusing the reader with Lexi as her life is forever altered and she experiences hurt, confusion, anger, love, frustration and a multitude of other emotions as she tries to navigate a new life for herself.
Full review in November 2013 issue of InD'tale Magazine.
May 6, 2014
I found this story amazing.
This book tells the story of Lexi and how she faces several unexpected changes in her life.
It is a book full of surprises. When it seems that we can already guess how it will end a new fact appears that changes the course of history.
It is a book full of feelings and "impossible" romances.
I can not wait to start reading the second book!
I received an e-copy of Severed Bonds by the Author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book tells the story of Lexi and how she faces several unexpected changes in her life.
It is a book full of surprises. When it seems that we can already guess how it will end a new fact appears that changes the course of history.
It is a book full of feelings and "impossible" romances.
I can not wait to start reading the second book!
I received an e-copy of Severed Bonds by the Author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
December 7, 2014
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book has a little of everything you want. I really enjoyed all the different paranormal "types" that were in it. My personal favorite is the Fae. It was exciting and full of adventure. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
3*
This book has a little of everything you want. I really enjoyed all the different paranormal "types" that were in it. My personal favorite is the Fae. It was exciting and full of adventure. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
3*
November 11, 2013
There's something for everyone in this novel - vampires, spell-binders, werewolves, fae... even hell-hounds. There's a lot going on but the story line can take it and the twists and turns within the plot keeps the reader on his/her toes. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
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