Kaitlyn Davis

This was a very quick read. Only lasting around 40 pages with the vast rest being a teaser of the first book of the official series, I breezed through it within an hour at the most.

We are introduced to Princess Leena who is one of 12 princesses of the vicious King Razzaq whose mother was presumably murdered at the time of her birth because (drumrolls) she was born female. Pretty much this is the same fate of the rest of her half-sisters and one of the reasons why she doesn't have much of a show more connection to them. Meanwhile, her youngest brother Prince Hayden is 5 years old and everyone gushes over him like he's the big tamale. To say this is a patriarchal society would be an understatement.

I like how the book gives us a few glimpses of Ourthuran society. Every freeborn has tattoos on their arms and it is apparently very expensive to get one so most low caste folk have a simple black ringlet. As a princess, her entire arms are etched with beautiful flower and jewel black tats which are both beautiful to look at while also another way to imprison her because it is difficult to cover them with paint. This is a society that became ruthless due to the misfortune of being located in islets filled with precious ore but the rocky terrain is unsuitable to grow crops, and so a lot of the cruel things Razzaq does has underlying meanings that we are sadly unable to glimpse.

And I really did like sweet bodyguard Mikzahooq. Selfless and kind, he knew getting too close to a pampered princess was dangerous, but ah, the hormones... This is definitely a teen love story viewed entirely by the POV of a sweet but very clueless rich girl whose only way to game the system that was rigged against her from the start was to flirt at myriads of guys at parties to make it harder to marry.

Maybe if I was a 17 year old like Leena, I would have felt more connected to her annoyance of living locked up under dad's rules. To a certain degree, I can't entirely hate her cluelessness because the society where she grew up in treats her like a walking baby oven. We are offered no hints that she knows how to read & write, and even though she has lived in the court and would be familiar with backstabbing nobles, it is a bit grating to see her wasting her time making snarling faces at her dad (big mistake) or pouting in her private pool instead of finding a solution to her problems. I would have enjoyed it if she had been more insistent in demanding her father to learn more about the laws of her kingdom. As just another one of endless middle siblings, her children weren't going to become important heirs to the throne anyways. If she had been smarter, she could have coerced her father into selecting a man from an island far away from the capital just for the sake of being far from his opression and tried to manipulate the guy (of course, while her handsome & dashing bodyguard was always two steps away as the likely future father of her children). Perhaps she didn't learn how to use the sword due to this rigid society, but women throught history have learned how to exert control in other ways... such as using poison.

Obviously the book is going for a tragic teenage first love story and the writing is pretty good, just that I would have wanted Leena to have been cleverer. I have not yet read the official series so I cannot comment whether this novella fully connects the dots, but rather than feeling it was a tragic love story, the ending felt too inevitable from the start and Leena never saw it coming because she was too fixiated in herself.

Oh, and seriously? What kind of 5 year old kid is strong enough to cut human tissue with a toy decorative sword? Wut? show less

Ok, this was amazing! And I wish I could just leave my review at that, because there so many things to talk about when it comes to Book #2 of the “Midnight Ice” series. Let me start by mentioning that I gave “Frost” 4 stars, but “Freeze” cannot be less that a 5 stars book, at least in my opinion.

The story begins where Book 1 ended, with Pandora imprisoned by the very people that raised her and that she was trying to hide from. Most of the plot focuses on her attempts to escape show more and to find out the reason why she is a danger to everybody.

I love Pandora! The author has preserved her main attributes from “Frost” and added much more. I mean, if in other series we can feel a change in the main character’s personality, here we can really see Pandora evolve. She is the same confident woman, with her need to “asses” her surroundings before taking a definite action. But she has learned from her mistakes. She is not that willing to trust someone again, but at the same time understands the need to rely on others. While trying to escape, she will discover new abilities that come in handy – and that’s awesome!

From the romance perspective, we have a turn that I must admit I was expecting. “Frost” ended with a “What?! How? Why does it have to end like that?” from me! I could not wait to see what’s behind Sam and that is his connection to Pandora. It was worth the wait (though it was not that long for me)! Their relationship is explosive, Sam is patient and gives her time to accommodate with the world and the truths he will unravel. We do see as well the regret and the pain Jax goes through. Half way through the book I thought I knew who the good guys were, but there it goes, spinning me around again!

Some other things to mention: the addition of a new character – Naya (necromancer and goddess!!!) was a breath of fresh air. It adds a lot to the story! Oh, and the writing…. It was amazing as well. The feeling is there, the reader can feel the passion Kaitlyn has put in writing it!

Fabulous! This was a fabulous read, with amazing characters and an amazing turn in the story. Now I’m not sure I want to read the next book because I do not want it to end (but I will read it, because… I love it and I cannot NOT read it!). There are books you really like and books you miss when the story is over. This one falls on the latter category. Enjoy  show less

Beauty And The Beast is by far my favorite story of them all. While most girls want a ball gown and a prince, I would feel safer with a kind hearted beast and its library J So what do you think? Did I like this book? No, of course not! I adored it!

Our Bella is called Omrose and her magic is beautiful. She can give life to nature, she can bloom flowers and make grass grow. She is a life giver. But with every enchantment she makes, her curse spares no moment. Her life will run out, same as her show more magic. While these stories can be read as standalones, I would not advise it, since the universe just gets bigger and bigger.

Omrose has lived under her father’s protection, with little contact with the outside world. But once she realizes she cannot escape her fate, she dares venture out of his protection, to a land they know is under the rule of a beast. Omrose wants to learn about her magic, to see how she can escape her curse, while the beast only wants to be safe, to stay away from humans and their weapons.

This is again another intelligent story. We have two characters that may appear as being from the same world, since both come from the same universe. Yet their magic is so different. One has lived under the guidance of family, the other has had to learn to rule his kind. We have shape shifters, we have magic, we have the characters from book 1 and a love that builds slowly, but surely.

Another thing that makes me appreciate Kaitlyn Davis as a writer is the way she keeps consistency with her characters. We get to see Asher and Jade again and their way of communicating, their personalities are same as in book 1. Again, the reinterpretation of a classic story is done incredibly well!

So I was charmed again. 5 stars over and over again and you have no idea what Book 3 has in store. It blew my mind! show less

“The Raven and the Dove” is a book that surpasses my expectations. It’s hard to believe, since any Kaitlyn Davis book is by default amazing in my world. But her last story is so… magical. I loved every word, I loved the characters and I cannot wait for the next book.

Actually, I still have a broken heart about the ending, but I’ll get to that soon.
Ok, the plot has a certain degree of political intrigue, as initially each representative of each kingdom needs to compete for a mate. show more But once the competitions are over, a new political intrigue, much more interesting arises. We have dragons, ravens, doves, wings and magic! We have a love that goes against all principles, even if our protagonists really try to stay away.

Kaitlyn Davis does wonders creating the sizzling scenes, the ones charged with emotions. So these were by far my favorite scenes of the entire book. When Lyana and Rafe meet, the connection is so strong and they feel the pull of the magic within. Later in the story, the forbidden romance is so well described. Rafe’s torment is by far an amazing creation.

The world that hosts this romance is beautifully created as well. It left me with a desire to learn more and I hope the next books in the series will show many other unexplored aspects of it. The ending killed me. Reading the last chapters was like having my heart ripped away, piece by piece. It was something I did not see coming and it blew my mind.

A point that must be mentioned here is the diversity we have. Lyana has dark skin and is easily accepted by those of white skin and black wings. Acceptance and understanding is highlighted through several chapters. The beauty of being different is well presented. I like that.

Well, what can I say? I loved this book, I adore Kaitlyn Davis and all her stories – especially this one. “The Raven and the Dove” has so much more to tell and it’s just the beginning. It will be an amazing journey and I cannot wait to continue the story.
Please read it, please read all her other books. They are very good! show less