Surrender (The Ferryman and The Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille
Pages: 402
Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
Format: E-book

Synopsis:

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved? 

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn’t listen, and because of what she is– a Flame– one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Cover Talk: The cover is stunning! Oh, my word that girl is beautiful and looks just as I imagined Kaliel to look.

First Line: “Secrets never stay hidden forever.”

Why I Read It: Um…I may or may not have judged the book purely based on it’s cover. Also, after I realized it was a fantasy novel, I decided it would be worth reading.

Characters: Kaliel is such a naive, innocent, sweet character. I have to admit, her crying got a little annoying, but I just reminded myself that someone who has only know bliss and happiness and to be thrust into fulfilling a prophecy, can be a little overwhelming. Kaliel was childish at times, but being fifteen, I can see  how that happens.

Krishani is not like the others of the Brotherhood. Members of the brotherhood are supposed to be able to control the elements, but Krishani ends up destroying everything he is around. I loved seeing his character develop and loved seeing him discover what he is really capable of.

There are so many other characters that play important roles in Surrender, but I cannot possible list them all. I will just say that Paille does not have one superfluous character. They all matter and I found them all to be incredible.

Plot/World-building: Paille does such a great job at creating this world. In my copy of Surrender, there is about 30 pages dedicated to characters and who they are, what their powers are, etc. which helped me keep a lot of what was going on. What I love most about this book, is that it is based off of a lot of different mythologies but presented differently than normal. Also,Paille gives us a bit more with Kaliel and Krishani.

Being a fantasy book, there are a lot of characters, terms, lands, etc. to keep straight. But Paille did such a great job at making it easy to understand. And as for the romance in this book, it was not my favorite. I am not a fan of insta-love and that is exactly what Kaliel and Krishani have. I do have to admit, as the book goes on, I liked seeing their love develop.

Final Thoughts: This is a wonderful beginning to a brilliant and magical fantasy series. I definitely recommend it for those who are familiar with mythologies, although I do suggest going in with an open mind, as the characters and storylines are different from what you may be used to.

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