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The Rider's Revenge Trilogy #1
Rider's Revenge
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
K'lrsa's life is perfect. She spends her days hunting with her horse, Fallion, and her nights avoiding the interference of her loving but misguided family. But when tragedy strikes she sets out to find those responsible, unaware of just how different the world is from what she's always known. Making unlikely allies along the way and tested at every turn, will she be strong enough to avenge those she loves when she finally has the chance?
Only one way to find out. Click now to read this first story in a completed trilogy that fans have described as fantastic and exciting. "Pick it up you won't put it down."
K'lrsa's life is perfect. She spends her days hunting with her horse, Fallion, and her nights avoiding the interference of her loving but misguided family. But when tragedy strikes she sets out to find those responsible, unaware of just how different the world is from what she's always known. Making unlikely allies along the way and tested at every turn, will she be strong enough to avenge those she loves when she finally has the chance?
Only one way to find out. Click now to read this first story in a completed trilogy that fans have described as fantastic and exciting. "Pick it up you won't put it down."
722 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2015
134 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 21, 2017
Just OK.
Romance was ok.
Story was ok.
Characters were ok.
Quick, easy read it you have Kindle Unlimited :)
Romance was ok.
Story was ok.
Characters were ok.
Quick, easy read it you have Kindle Unlimited :)
March 5, 2017
Ahoy there me mateys! Older members of me crew may remember that before I gave me heart to the sea, I had an obsession with horses. I read a myriad of pony books and so every now and again me soft spot for these types of stories leads me back to the equine world. When I discovered this young adult novel involving a strong female rider I gave it a shot. Plus the cover is pretty no?
Unfortunately while there be enjoyment in reading this novel, there be some many flaws as well. Let’s look on the bright side first . . .
- Horses. The main horse in this novel was Fallion. He is a special breed called an Amalanee. Loyal, loving, speedy, strong, and special. What’s not to like? And he may or may not have special powers.
- Strong female protagonist. K’Irsa is a member of a nomadic tribe of horse loving people. She can ride and shoot with the best of them. She is loyal to her family and has morals. I always like that.
- Wonderful parent. K’Irsa’s father is an encouraging, loving parent. He loves his daughter even though she doesn’t not fit in the traditional tribal roles. He facilitates her independence and pushes her to succeed.
- Lodie. This woman was a fun side character. I enjoyed her very much and wish the book would have been her story instead. Snarky, intelligent, and determined. Yup.
- Revenge. I rather enjoyed the ramifications of getting revenge in this story. Not the plot of the revenge itself but some of the ideas about what the consequences of fighting for revenge can be and what it can do to the person out to get it.
- Moon and Sun stones. I enjoyed the magic of these items. But sadly they didn’t really play a huge enough part in the novel.
The not so good . . .
- Horses. Yes I know I picked the book for the ponies. There were just not enough of them in the book. Basically the horses only matter in the beginning of the story and the very end. I wished that Fallion was central to the entire story. Also I did not buy the story of how K’Irsa got him.
- The female protagonist. She may be strong and intelligent but she doesn’t always use her brain. She can be impulsive. K’Irsa likes to whine about how hard her life is despite her special treatment. She is also rather naive about the world and the darker side of human nature. Her internal monologue became rather wearisome. She is a bit too much of a special snowflake.
- The love story. Ugh. I rather hated it. The two lovers first meet in a dream and are instant soul mates. Sigh. Of course when they meet, the cliches abound. I did like the idea that the perfect dream lovers have major issues in real life but the plot twists concerning their relationship were just annoying and rather disheartening. Obviously K’Irsa’s lover cannot be perfect if he can treat her like he does. And she just sighs, justifies, and forgives him. Because he can change! No thanks.
- The setting. Basically there be the desert horse tribe and the city folk. The city folk are evil and ignorant and commerce driven. Okay fine. But what was not fine in me world was that the city and politics seemed to be based on every cliche of Muslim society but worse. The women are veiled, are property, and have no rights. The Daliph’s harem, I mean Doranas, literally have their fingers encased in finger traps, wear metal corsets so they can’t really move, and have servants that have to feed, bathe, do everything for them. They cannot eat or even shit without a man helping them. And it’s considered a privilege.
- The plot. Ugh I am sorry but writing the last paragraph just made me more grumpy about the book as I wrote those thoughts out. And if the setting bothered me, the plot was horrendous. The strong female protagonist pretty much makes no major choices of her own. Even the Gods give her directions at the beginning. She actually tries to do the training to be a regular Dorana. The justification is revenge. The actuality is that most of the book finds her trapped in a room letting everyone dictate her life and thinking that it can be justified or okay in any circumstance. I have to admit that I don’t like reliving the details of this.
So basically even though I got the next book in the series, I am not sure if I am going to read it . . . despite the cool ponies. It is a novel that I seem to dislike more and more with reflection. Some cool concepts. Just not me type of execution.
To see me other reviews, check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Unfortunately while there be enjoyment in reading this novel, there be some many flaws as well. Let’s look on the bright side first . . .
- Horses. The main horse in this novel was Fallion. He is a special breed called an Amalanee. Loyal, loving, speedy, strong, and special. What’s not to like? And he may or may not have special powers.
- Strong female protagonist. K’Irsa is a member of a nomadic tribe of horse loving people. She can ride and shoot with the best of them. She is loyal to her family and has morals. I always like that.
- Wonderful parent. K’Irsa’s father is an encouraging, loving parent. He loves his daughter even though she doesn’t not fit in the traditional tribal roles. He facilitates her independence and pushes her to succeed.
- Lodie. This woman was a fun side character. I enjoyed her very much and wish the book would have been her story instead. Snarky, intelligent, and determined. Yup.
- Revenge. I rather enjoyed the ramifications of getting revenge in this story. Not the plot of the revenge itself but some of the ideas about what the consequences of fighting for revenge can be and what it can do to the person out to get it.
- Moon and Sun stones. I enjoyed the magic of these items. But sadly they didn’t really play a huge enough part in the novel.
The not so good . . .
- Horses. Yes I know I picked the book for the ponies. There were just not enough of them in the book. Basically the horses only matter in the beginning of the story and the very end. I wished that Fallion was central to the entire story. Also I did not buy the story of how K’Irsa got him.
- The female protagonist. She may be strong and intelligent but she doesn’t always use her brain. She can be impulsive. K’Irsa likes to whine about how hard her life is despite her special treatment. She is also rather naive about the world and the darker side of human nature. Her internal monologue became rather wearisome. She is a bit too much of a special snowflake.
- The love story. Ugh. I rather hated it. The two lovers first meet in a dream and are instant soul mates. Sigh. Of course when they meet, the cliches abound. I did like the idea that the perfect dream lovers have major issues in real life but the plot twists concerning their relationship were just annoying and rather disheartening. Obviously K’Irsa’s lover cannot be perfect if he can treat her like he does. And she just sighs, justifies, and forgives him. Because he can change! No thanks.
- The setting. Basically there be the desert horse tribe and the city folk. The city folk are evil and ignorant and commerce driven. Okay fine. But what was not fine in me world was that the city and politics seemed to be based on every cliche of Muslim society but worse. The women are veiled, are property, and have no rights. The Daliph’s harem, I mean Doranas, literally have their fingers encased in finger traps, wear metal corsets so they can’t really move, and have servants that have to feed, bathe, do everything for them. They cannot eat or even shit without a man helping them. And it’s considered a privilege.
- The plot. Ugh I am sorry but writing the last paragraph just made me more grumpy about the book as I wrote those thoughts out. And if the setting bothered me, the plot was horrendous. The strong female protagonist pretty much makes no major choices of her own. Even the Gods give her directions at the beginning. She actually tries to do the training to be a regular Dorana. The justification is revenge. The actuality is that most of the book finds her trapped in a room letting everyone dictate her life and thinking that it can be justified or okay in any circumstance. I have to admit that I don’t like reliving the details of this.
So basically even though I got the next book in the series, I am not sure if I am going to read it . . . despite the cool ponies. It is a novel that I seem to dislike more and more with reflection. Some cool concepts. Just not me type of execution.
To see me other reviews, check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
March 15, 2025
I found this book on a stuff your kindle day. I hadn't really had a plan to read it but used it to fiddle with the settings on my new device and quickly got sucked it. there's nothing earth shattering and the character is frustrating at time. But I stayed invested in the story and the short chapters made it a fairly quick read.
February 21, 2017
To put it plainly I really loved this book but wasn't entirely behind the romance - a vital part of almost all my 5 star reads.
Our main character K'lrsa, is a strong willed female in a world where men are the dominant force. In the first half of the book we can really see K'lrsa persistent nature and her determination to achieve her revenge. She also seems to be quite an impulsive and emotionally driven in her decisions.
I loved the contrast of the two 'worlds' and it made me think of that that must have been like in the past, when western societies ideas and culture began to infringe on the native way of life. It was good to read of K'lrsa experiencing culture shock as she is dragged into such an alien society. I enjoyed the political intrigue and the court manoeuvres. It interesting to see the city life from K'lrsa's perspective. It makes you think about the conditions that people can live under if that is all they have ever know, and how a whole society can be indoctrinated to accept things.
There where two thing which I didn't love about this book. Firstly, I found the whole 'dream twist' all too predictable. This doesn't mean that every twist was predictable, not by a long shot. As we come closer to the end of the books, there is a series of event that were completely (in my opinion) out of the blue and unpredictable. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier I just couldn't 'ship' this romance 100%. Near the beginning of the romance it reminded me of Ammey McKeaf in that the that they fall for each other while in a servant/master relationship, but also while also hiding their identities and with holding information. I also wasn't a big Badru fan, he just annoyed me when he spoke, he was too much of a rule follower rather than a conscience follower. He is also inconsistent some times he too fixated on his power while other times he plays the love sick fool - he confuses me!
Overall, I enjoyed this book it has some great side characters and ending that will roll nicely into a sequel.
Our main character K'lrsa, is a strong willed female in a world where men are the dominant force. In the first half of the book we can really see K'lrsa persistent nature and her determination to achieve her revenge. She also seems to be quite an impulsive and emotionally driven in her decisions.
I loved the contrast of the two 'worlds' and it made me think of that that must have been like in the past, when western societies ideas and culture began to infringe on the native way of life. It was good to read of K'lrsa experiencing culture shock as she is dragged into such an alien society. I enjoyed the political intrigue and the court manoeuvres. It interesting to see the city life from K'lrsa's perspective. It makes you think about the conditions that people can live under if that is all they have ever know, and how a whole society can be indoctrinated to accept things.
There where two thing which I didn't love about this book. Firstly, I found the whole 'dream twist' all too predictable. This doesn't mean that every twist was predictable, not by a long shot. As we come closer to the end of the books, there is a series of event that were completely (in my opinion) out of the blue and unpredictable. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier I just couldn't 'ship' this romance 100%. Near the beginning of the romance it reminded me of Ammey McKeaf in that the that they fall for each other while in a servant/master relationship, but also while also hiding their identities and with holding information. I also wasn't a big Badru fan, he just annoyed me when he spoke, he was too much of a rule follower rather than a conscience follower. He is also inconsistent some times he too fixated on his power while other times he plays the love sick fool - he confuses me!
Overall, I enjoyed this book it has some great side characters and ending that will roll nicely into a sequel.
February 11, 2019
Sorry not a coherent review because I’m annoyed and writing this quick, so it’s more a bit of a rant about how awful this book was.
Urgh just terrible. If you like your YA with kickarse strong heroines and a decent dose of romance don’t bother. Someone else recommended it to fans of Sarah J Maas - if you are then step away now. It’s incredibly predictable, enough insta love to make you vomit and a heavy dose of teenage whining from the main character. K’Lrsa, the main character, is constantly told by ALL the other characters that she’s stupid and naive and then she proves them right. several times I had to stop myself shouting things like ‘of course that was going to happen, you were just told that!’ She is pathetic and whiny and doesn’t make a single decision for herself and she has to be constantly saved by other characters. Even getting started on her revenge journey she nearly ends up killing herself and her horse. Major eye roll moment!
When she first meets Herin and she ends up getting everyone killed... duh! How did she not see that coming! The girl could put 2 and 2 together and probably just about manage to get to 1!
The ‘twist’ regarding Badru was so obvious and as a couple they were just hideous together. She’s either shouting at him or ‘getting lost in his dreamy eyes’. There’s no real connection between them and far too many differences and not in an opposites attract kind of way. He has literally been brought up to see women as objects and she gets all upset when he acts like it. She often excuses his behaviour, but quite often she makes things worse for herself and then says ‘but Badru will save me, he loves me’.
Anyway told you it would be more of an angry rant. 😬
Urgh just terrible. If you like your YA with kickarse strong heroines and a decent dose of romance don’t bother. Someone else recommended it to fans of Sarah J Maas - if you are then step away now. It’s incredibly predictable, enough insta love to make you vomit and a heavy dose of teenage whining from the main character. K’Lrsa, the main character, is constantly told by ALL the other characters that she’s stupid and naive and then she proves them right. several times I had to stop myself shouting things like ‘of course that was going to happen, you were just told that!’ She is pathetic and whiny and doesn’t make a single decision for herself and she has to be constantly saved by other characters. Even getting started on her revenge journey she nearly ends up killing herself and her horse. Major eye roll moment!
When she first meets Herin and she ends up getting everyone killed... duh! How did she not see that coming! The girl could put 2 and 2 together and probably just about manage to get to 1!
The ‘twist’ regarding Badru was so obvious and as a couple they were just hideous together. She’s either shouting at him or ‘getting lost in his dreamy eyes’. There’s no real connection between them and far too many differences and not in an opposites attract kind of way. He has literally been brought up to see women as objects and she gets all upset when he acts like it. She often excuses his behaviour, but quite often she makes things worse for herself and then says ‘but Badru will save me, he loves me’.
Anyway told you it would be more of an angry rant. 😬
April 18, 2022
K'lrsa wants nothing more than just to be a rider for her tribe, not a wife to some overbearing man that doesn't understand her. When her Farther is murdered, and she makes a desperate plea to the Gods to avenge him, little does she know the way her life will change. K'lrsa is impulsive at times, but that makes her more relatable as she is a tribal woman who doesn't understand the way women are viewed in the city lifestyle she was trying to adapt to inside the palace. When she discovers who it truly is that murdered her Farther and the proper depth of her magic, the ending fits so perfectly. The uniqueness of the outfits that the doronoa (the King's property) wear to keep them in line is fascinating, and the unknown dark magic hidden right under the King's nose is fantastic. The twists and turns inside this story are enough to keep you reading through, and with the short chapters, you won't believe how much you read. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book and am eager to see how K'lrsa will save her tribe.
January 10, 2018
K’lrsa is frustrating in her indecision and her actions. She acts on instinct with little thought of consequence. I for once would like to read a book where the female lead isn’t portrayed as brainless, immature and stubborn. She puts herself into a situation knowing what it will be like (as everyone keeps telling her) then is surprised and rebels when she is supposedly there for a reason. She is constantly questioning her situation as if she can just change her mind and leave, so she doesn’t grasp the reality of where she is. This just makes it difficult as a reader to also take the situation seriously.
November 4, 2021
This was a decent start to a YA fantasy series. The worldbuilding was clear and compelling.
However, the author spent too long on some things that didn't serve the plot or build the characters. K'lrsa seemed inconsistent at times to a level that I rolled my eyes and wanted her to "get on with it" a few times.
My biggest complaint is the introduction of a certain form of magic that should have had a greater penalty for use. I don't like it because it removes the tension from something that should be a major problem for characters.
Still, I went right on to read book two of the series, so that's endorsement enough, right?
However, the author spent too long on some things that didn't serve the plot or build the characters. K'lrsa seemed inconsistent at times to a level that I rolled my eyes and wanted her to "get on with it" a few times.
My biggest complaint is the introduction of a certain form of magic that should have had a greater penalty for use. I don't like it because it removes the tension from something that should be a major problem for characters.
Still, I went right on to read book two of the series, so that's endorsement enough, right?
September 15, 2025
I got hooked by the beginning. A mysterious desert, riders full of tradition and honor. I do plan to pick up book 2 because I want to see where this goes. It was just slow at times and the characters were a little I hate to say flat, but the choices and dialog wasn't always the smoothest. They just were a little frustrating sometimes and I had to put the book down from time to time. It took me a minute to get through this one. The adventure for vengeance though! Sign me up. Which is why I couldn't leave it for long. I wanted to know what happened! The ending. Made it all worth it and as I said I look forward to book 2 so I can see where this goes.
September 23, 2020
Good quality girl led fantasy
Finally, a world where the women are as strong and capable as the men without it being a big deal! I have already bought the next book in this series - I love the balance between character building and adventure, and the surprises keep coming all the way to the end.
Finally, a world where the women are as strong and capable as the men without it being a big deal! I have already bought the next book in this series - I love the balance between character building and adventure, and the surprises keep coming all the way to the end.
April 5, 2022
It's a very different world than K'lrsa knows. This knowledge comes from a very dark place. She talks with the gods and makes her decision for her life going forward. It is a difficult decision, and difficult travel on the road she has chosen. There is magic and mystery and love. The author will pull you into the struggles this young woman has as she fights for what is right.
September 10, 2020
This is a pretty average story. It’s a shame as I have consistently felt that the world and the story deserved more attention and could’ve been fantastic. Everything feels rushed and she’s clearly a child. I don’t feel any real connection to the characters.
Want to read
June 8, 201999p on Amazon 8th June 2019
January 11, 2022
k'lrsa made awful decisions and she was an awful protagonist.
Read
October 30, 2024A book I did not finish reading due to the characters different naming which confused me. Also it was kind of boring, no new stroyline, really.
December 31, 2024
The fast pony was cute
March 8, 2017
I *flew* through (pun intended) most of this book once I got to sit down and actually focus on it. I enjoy when fantasy books aren't afraid to kill off a character unexpectedly. I do wish there was more backstory about the Daliphana, the cities, and the magic system as I am a sucker for in-depth backstory and description. I'm not generally a big romance fan, but in this it wasn't the main plot and there were plenty of twists which made it exciting. I'm looking forward to the next book to see where it goes!
April 27, 2016
What a pleasant surprise this was. It was fantastic. I loved that it had two very unique worlds within the story. It has short chapters that each leave you needing to read just one more and before you know it you are half way through the book. The main character is easy to like as she is strong, loyal, and sometimes impulsive but makes mistakes which she learns from as she grows as the story progresses. She has such a fierce spirit. I loved Badru and how he is throughout the story despite the world he has been raised in. The secondary characters and their stories are really interesting too. I thought the tribal stories and beliefs included added a special touch to the world building. The writing and the descriptions are excellent and this does not read like a debut novel. Plus add a horse to a story and I'm all in and I loved Fallion. I loved the ending it was great but I'm hoping this is going to be a series! I want more! I will be watching out for and reading whatever this author writes next! I feel lucky to have taken a chance on this book. It was so worth it! I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews