The Amagarians series is a departure for author Stacy Reid, who has previously published historical romance novels. But her secret is out - not only can she write fun and exciting historicals, she's got the makings of being a great new voice in the fantasy romance genre as well. This first story in the series introduces us to a fascinating world with seven realms. While one of these realms is Earth, none of the action in this story takes place there (though it could in the future). Instead it focuses mostly on two of the other realms, the Boreas and the Darkage. The Boreas is a land of wind and mountains, with a healing elixir valued by all the realms for its power. Our heroine Princess Saieke has been promised in marriage to the king of Nuria, the kingdom of eternal fire, a man who had wrought destruction in the last great war and one Saieke is determined won't rule her realm. Her parents have arranged this marriage in hopes of strengthening their country through an alliance, but Saieke is desperate to postpone the inevitable. Fleeing in advance of his arrival, she intends to go to the Earth realm, but assassins from Mevia, the kingdom of sound, force her to take shelter in the Darkage, the kingdom of darkness and shadow. Its reputation is fearful, and Saieke isn't sure whether ending up there is any better than her arranged marriage. But when she meets Archduke Drac, a shadow assassin, she is drawn to him despite his inner demon. Saieke's one chance to avoid her arranged marriage without disgracing her kingdom is to take a lover, a consort who would then make her less desirable in marriage. When she chooses to seduce Drac, the tables are turned when he claims her instead despite the fact that mating her is against the laws of his kingdom. With traps all around her, Saieke must choose whether aligning herself with Drac will ultimately strengthen her kingdom or lead to war.
The key to a good fantasy story (at least for me) is to have compelling world building that details the kingdoms in question, hopefully without becoming too bogged down with intricate details from the start. It should give a general understanding of the land, followed by more and more information as the reader becomes comfortable with the characters, magic systems etc. This was done expertly in this story, gradually showcasing the differences between the realms and building a wonderfully detailed picture of those that this particular novel focussed on (the Darkage and the Boreas) while still giving a good introduction of some of the other realms. This made for a fascinating picture of where Saieke and Drac are from, their differences in ability and powers, and the clear understanding that under normal circumstances they would never have met. It's only because Saieke has sought refuge in the Darkage that they interact with each other, their first meeting fraught with an underlying attraction that doesn't fade as they spend more time together. In a paranormal romance, the citizens of the Darkage would be equivalent to a vampire/demon mix, with their avoidance of sunlight, their ability to exist and use shadows to move and strengthen themselves, and their propensity to bite and drink blood during sex. Each citizen living in the Darkage also carries within them a demon, a beast who they transform into in times of necessity, and this beast can take one of several forms, the form it will take in any particular being existing as a tattoo on their right shoulder. (how cool is that!). While Drac comes across as a dark and sensual creature, his darkness is tempered by his obvious care and affection for his family, something Saieke is shocked to discover as the pervading rumours of Darkage citizens give only death and destruction as their norm. He is in fact a complex and fascinating man, one who has control of the beast inside him but who has no compunction in letting him out in order to protect Saieke from threats - and there are many, as the factions who tried to assassinate her once won't be satisfied until they succeed. While Drac is a sexy alpha male type, Saieke is a more delicate woman, though still one of great internal strength and fortitude. She would not have fought her duty to marry for the good of her kingdom if she hadn't held the strong conviction that it would benefit only the invading king, and not her people. While her plan to escape to Earth has failed, her next best option is to ally herself with Drac and his kingdom, and so she sets out to do this. But along the way, her feelings for Drac become much more complicated, as do his feelings for her.
As the story proceeds, the political intrigue and action moves along at a smooth and quick pace, keeping the reader engaged and interested in the story from the beginning to the end. Drac and Saieke share several steamy scenes together, the heat and intensity between them making it obvious that Saieke's initial plan to take Drac as her consort won't be enough for either of them. I loved the two of them together, Saieke's light balancing Drac's darkness and making them a dynamic and interesting couple. There are several secondary characters introduced throughout the story, all fascinating in their own right and ones destined to have a story all their own. As a helpful guide there is a short glossary at the end of the story, detailing the seven realms and a few of the other terms used in the story that describe their magical systems. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series! 5 stars.
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Reviews with images
Wanted to like it, but didn't.
I really wanted to like this book. And I may still try to start it again at some point but I found this book extremely hard to read. There's a lot of words that are made up for the book which I'm totally fine with. She even added a glossary. I just found the writing hard to follow.
Top reviews from other countries
Daniela | @daniela_endless_tbr
🖤 Princess Saieke & Archduke Drac 🖤
Reviewed in Germany on April 5, 2023
And don’t call me Shirley
Excellent story; sexy, imaginative and unique
Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2016
RP18
Amazing. What a different perspective regarding the different realms ...
Reviewed in Australia on July 5, 2016