Author: K.J. Jackson
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Published on: August 3, 2012 by AWD Publishing
Skye Walters thought waking up on the side of a river with no memory was her biggest problem. She had no idea that the man who had saved her from drowning, the man she now depended on, Aiden, was more than mere mortal. A warrior of ancient.
No memory, nowhere to go, Skye stays in the mountain town, only to discover she herself, has unexplained powers. Her life, her destiny, are soon out of her control, as are her feelings for Aiden. The deeper Skye gets sucked into Aiden’s hidden world, the more the past, and who she really is, threatens her future, her love, her sanity.
I am quite fond of compelling, imaginative fantasy novels. Flame Moon is one of those. I greatly enjoyed it from the start. The book’s main protagonist is Skye Walters. Her story begins with intrigue right away, as Skye wakes up in the woods, amnesiac. The first person she meets upon coming to is Aiden. He is initially bemused when Skye appears not to remember him. Aiden explains that he took her on a kayaking trip, at her request. It was clear that Skye had never been in the water, and she had an accident. Aiden was able to rescue her.
As Skye doesn’t know who she is or where she comes from, Aiden takes her to a nearby ranch. Mary, the motherly owner, takes it upon herself to care for Skye. The latter stays there for a few days, recovering. Skye also meets Triaten and Charlotte, Aiden’s best friends. Skye doesn’t like to be a burden, and so she offers to help. Soon after, Aiden and Skye go to a nearby trail to clean it up. There are fallen trees and rockslides to clear. After a tragic incident, Skye inexplicably displays a rare gift not seen in many years. After demanding answers, Aiden reveals that they are both Panthenites. Humans call them gods, even though they are mortal. Panthenites gain special powers when they are baptized in the river where Skye fell. To prove his story, Aiden grabs a huge boulder and throws it into the river, displaying his extreme strength.
No sooner does Skye learn about her power than Aiden starts to train her in combat. He tells her that all Panthenites are given this training from a young age. No one knows why Skye gained her powers so late in life. She is still trying to assimilate what she’s just found out about herself. As a Panthenite, Skye learns that only blades forged from a certain type of steel can kill her, if she’s struck in the heart. Other injuries are not life-threatening for her kind. They can easily survive being run through with a sword, for instance, as long as it doesn't hit the heart. This sounds vampirish, but I assure you, Panthenites don’t sparkle!
As time passes, Skye starts to remember bits and pieces from her old life. She soon finds out how she ended up at the mountain where Aiden and the others live. Meanwhile, Skye’s falling for the handsome Aiden, and he clearly feels things for her too. The only obstacle between them is that Aiden’s engaged to Charlotte. How do he and Skye overcome that hurdle? I’ll let you find out for yourself.
When Skye comes across an object from her past, she remembers everything. Unfortunately, by this time, someone else has also discovered who—and what—she truly is. Skye narrowly avoids getting killed by this person. She and Aiden retreat to his house, where he tells her that the elders now know everything about her. Aiden confesses that the elders don’t trust Skye, though. Just when things seem to be going all right, another betrayal tears Skye and Aiden apart. It’ll take more than Skye’s powers to stop a war between the Panthenites and Malefics (the evil counterparts) from starting.
I liked the world that K.J. Jackson built in this book. Skye is a really likable character, even though she doesn’t even know who she is. At least, not at first. This mystery is partly what kept me hooked, wondering who Skye is. I was intrigued even more when it’s revealed that Skye is a Panthenite. Charlotte, Aiden, and Triaten are good characters, too. They all have cool powers, although Aiden’s super-strength failed to impress me much. I’ve seen that ability many times already in other main characters. Skye’s power is awesome, though.
If you’re a fan of mythology, you’ll enjoy this book. Only, the terms ‘Panthenite’ and especially ‘Malefic’ sounded a bit funny to me. There were also some careless mistakes throughout Flame Moon, even though I already have the latest ‘corrected’ version. Almost all of these are grammar/editing errors, such as writing “could care less” instead of “couldn’t care less.” At one point, the author also seems to forget that Skye already knows she has a sister. Don’t be put off by these mistakes, though. This is one of my favorite magical stories so far.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
No comments:
Post a Comment