And, of course, the girl acts like a dizzball around him, swoons whenever they make eye contact, and practically has a stroke when he spews some crappy romantic phrase at her. Of course, the boy is always extremely dangerous and is most likely ruining the girl’s life by bringing her into his life, but oh, he just can’t resist. Then, apparently the boy can’t keep pushing her away and in a couple weeks things are getting pretty hot and heavy. Couple days go by where the boy treats the girl like crap, and she feels all hurt but can’t stop swooning over him. Like, girl sees boy for first time in life, is powerfully attracted to him and instinctively feels safe near him in 2 seconds. Lately, all the new paranormal romances are all extremely hot and steamy, but they happen in an instant. It grows naturally along with trust – it’s utterly realistic and heartwarming. It’s definitely not hot and steamy, but instead slow and powerful. One thing I loved about this book, besides for the phenomenal characters, plot, and world, was the romance. It’s obvious that he’s been through so much pain, and that Maerad is not the only one who must unlock her heart. She has hidden and protected her soft side out of necessity, in this book, Maerad finds herself forced to open doors that have been shut for years. One of her greatest challenges in this book is opening her heart. She is tough and refuses to take crap from anyone else. Maerad grabs the reader’s sympathy right from the beginning of the story, but she certainly doesn’t need other people’s sympathy. Alison Croggon is an excellent writer and obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this series. The plot is intricate and the characters very well defined. She gains the sympathy and respect of the reader from the beginning. I found her extremely relatable, and immediately liked her. She is not perfect, though, she has a prideful and stubborn streak. Maerad, the heroine of the story, is smart, tough, loving, and abnormally talented and powerful. This series is awesome! I quite literally couldn’t get my nose out of this book when I first read it. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. She doesn’t yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can.

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war.

The naming by alison croggon