Leslie Miller (1)

This book was provided to me free by the author, in exchange for an honest review.

She's trained to follow wherever her Core leads. Until it leads her away from everything she's ever known . . . into mortal danger. Eighteen-year-old Kayli-el is part of a new species on her planet, with a powerful internal guidance called the Core. After her teacher is murdered for its secrets, Kayli-el runs for her life - right into the arms of Tamber, a boy who's crossed the ocean on a mysterious quest. When the killers who murdered her teacher capture her best friend, Kayli-el faces a choice with devastating consequences: follow her Core's wisdom and flee across the ocean to safety with Tamber, leaving Serene behind, or defy her own guidance to try and save Serene's life.

This book had my attention from the beginning. The action starts almost immediately, and rarely stops. That aspect appeals to me and made this a quick, fun read. I also enjoyed the characters, especially Tamber, who I felt was the most well-developed, despite the fact that he wasn’t the narrating character. Kayli-el was likeable and relatable, but could have used some more fleshing out. Tri and Serene (the latter for good reason) weren’t given a lot of face time, but I have the feeling that will change in the second book. The storyline itself felt fresh and Ms. Miller’s style is interesting and easy to read.
While I greatly enjoyed this book, and absolutely look forward to reading the next, there were some problems. There were some editing issues, like name changes, misspellings, and speaker confusion, but they weren’t overly distracting. The one thing that did bother me was the use of slang. There is nothing to indicate that the story takes place in a future version of our universe, but they use slang terms such as “trashed” and “effing”. For me, this was jolting, and felt out of place. Despite this, I found myself eager to get back to this story any time I had to put it down.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to YA fantasy fans.… (more)

I received this book as part of LibraryThing Member's giveaway.
The book started off with like most young adult books do. Young girl in a "damsel in distress" situation. Unsure of herself and her abilities. Running from an evil force that will force her to face her fears and defeat the enemy.
The premise was good. 3 alien races occupying the same planet. There is war between two of the races sending the main characters on a mission.
The "Core" is the most interesting aspect of the book. Some of the characters have an internal ability that guides them to make decisions. A good lesson gleaned from the book is trusting your inner self to guide you to the right decision.
The action of the book is a bit predictable but pulls through enough to keep your interest. The half a face thing was a let down could've been so much more. Can I also say the scent of the races is just odd and had me weirded out the rest of the book. I laughed each time.
Overall the book is interesting. As a YA book its much better than most out there. As an adult reading a YA book I felt the book was missing a deeper meaning that makes it memorable.… (more)

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review**

I enjoyed reading this book. The story kept a good pace that kept my attention. The setting of the story was different and unique, but still very enjoyable.

Kayli-el is a young girl, but she is still mature enough to admit to her mistakes. The eighteen year old character is a new species that has a strong internal Core that helps guide her, but come to realize this actually puts her in mortal danger so she runs for her life. We also meet Tamber and his twin brother. The trio journey together in order to defy the guidance to save her friend or follow her Core's wisdom.

Story is good, and has a good plot. It was a bit confusing at first, but overall I liked reading it and would recommend it to others.… (more)