Title: Kisa, Shield-Mates of Dar
Author: D.V. Stone
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Book Blurb:
In a war between humans and shifters, sparks, and fur fly…Until scales appear.
Princess Kisa, the middle daughter in the shifter nation of Dar, is often overlooked and underestimated. Always the devoted caregiver of family and country, she’s come to terms with her future as a Shield-Mate in a political marriage. Many, including Kisa, are surprised when her father names her as heir to his throne.
Kalman, once a privileged son of the former protectorate Sorota, is an outcast and a man without a future. The people of Ruinae consider him a weak, self-indulgent man. Only his trusted servant knows the heart of the soldier beneath the veneer.
Forces are gathering against the two countries, and now dragons, long banished to the outland, have returned. Kisa and Kalman are charged by King Dar to find out how entrenched the dragons are with the enemy. Since a long-ago meeting, Kalman never forgot the spitfire Lynx-shifter. He’s no longer the boy she’d met, but a man. One determined to have her despite their differences. But Kisa can’t fall in love with the enemy. Can she? Would her people accept not only the son of Sorota but one whom her family also seeks retribution?
My Review:
This was supposed to be another fantastic review by Teddy but I begged him to let me review it. I won the chance to read and review this book and I’m so stoked I did! This book blew my mind! The story is like something I’d binge-watch with its gritty plot, powerful women, and a dragon too. The villains are epically bad, and the drama is sic. I lost sleep over this one!
To quote my boss at work, it all starts with the world-building. To pull off a world such as this one, you need mad writing skills. The author creates a world unlike any I’ve read before. Everything from the shifters, kingdoms, warring factions, magic, hierarchy of society, and more is explained so the reader understands it all. The best part is how real it sounds. Can I become a Darrian? I did while reading this book.
The characters are freakin’ awesome! What a strong heroine Kisa is. She has a lot to deal with and the burdens she bears weigh heavily on her. She can’t afford to be shucking off to hang with friends. The shifting parts were so epic. I loved all the characters, even the baddies.
The descriptive narration gave me a ticket to ride an epic adventure. Everything is detailed to the tiniest thing, so it was like I was streaming it. The more I got into it, the more I dove in.
One of the best books I’ve read, hands down. Don’t take my word for it. Go read it for yourself.
My Rating: 5+ stars
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Author Biography:
D. V. Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre, traditionally and independently published author. She writes books people want to read. Whether romance or fantasy, contemporary or mid-grade, her stories are about the importance of friends and family. About overcoming obstacles while often with humor. Around the Fire is a popular weekly blog where she introduces both established and new authors giving an insider’s look into their lives and books as well as tidbits about her own life. D. V. is also a bi-monthly contributor to Still Moments Magazine sharing beloved recipes.
Now retired, she is a full-time author and incorporates her life experiences into her books. After a varied career as former Emergency Medical Technician, the proprietor of a coffee shop, and a small restaurant/ice cream stand. The years following were as a manager in an animal emergency hospital, and her last position in a human medical office.
When not behind the wheel of 2Hoots—a 41-foot long 13.2 feet high 5th Wheel camper, she rambles around town in Northern New Jersey in a white Camaro. She also loves travel and history.
D.V. is a wife to an amazing husband, mother to one son, and not your average grandma to three beautiful grands. A woman of faith, she believes and trusts in God.
“My greatest pleasures are spending time outside with friends and family, cooking over the open fire, sipping a glass of wine, and reading.”
Hali, her rescue dog, always reminds her to let readers know, “Woof, woof.” (Loosely translated as support your local animal rescue).”
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Reviewed by: Sam