The first book in the fantasy Ascension series that NYT bestselling author Susan Dennard called “perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas.”On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm’s lifelong plans come to fruition when she’s chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland–an Affiliate to the Queen.Or so she thinks.When Cyrene … thinks.
When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene’s position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have…
King Edric himself.
Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom.
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I loved the Ascension series. All five books are now live and the series is complete. I recommend this book to anyone who loves getting lost in a fantasy journey. I promise you won’t be disappointed. xo
I really enjoy this book. It’s a great option for people who like light fantasy and books with romantic plots that aren’t necessarily romance.
The synopsis for The Affiliate sounded a lot like Kierra Cass’ Selection. I enjoyed Ms. Cass series, and I enjoy magic, fantasy as well as exploring new worlds. So I chose to give this novel a try. In the beginning, I was not sure, if I could really, enjoy this novel. The characters seemed immature and annoying. Yet I was intrigued by the feeling that there was “something there” ,just under the surface. It was like K. A. Linde was hiding a secret or a piece of history , maybe magic, from me. If I left the book before finishing it, I would never figure out what it was. So before I realized it I was hooked. K. A. Linde’s secret weapon for capturing the hearts of her readers, is the subtle way she weaves a story so that you feel there is something there you can’t quite figure out. You continue to read, unable to put this book down, determined to figure out what’s she is hiding! MAGIC!
Magic is woven through every line in this book. Before you realize you are whisked away to a fantasy world of Linde’s creative imagination. And I guarantee you will never want to leave! Her characters, like real individuals, grow and change, in the pages in this book, as though you were there, watching them emerge like caterpillars from their cocoons. Again, it’s magical!
I was not surprised to find that K. A. Linde was inspired by some of my favorite authors such as Philippa Gregory, Cassandra Clare and Robert Jordan. You can feel hints of their influence throughout this novel. She has study and learned from some of the best. And soon may find herself sharing a bookshelf with these favorite authors of mine!
I am sure to pick up the rest of this series as soon as my To Be Read Shelf gets a little emptier! Meanwhile, pick this novel up and escape to a world of lost magic. You are sure to Love it!
slow
Actual Rating 2.5
It got off to an interesting start. I was intrigued by this world and are assigned to first, second, or third class. I kinda feel like the classes maybe weren’t clearly described and what’s so different about each. While Cyrene ends up in first class as an Affiliate, I’m still not sure what that all means other than it being the highest rank. It was hard to decipher exactly where the story was headed as a bit of a mystery that was brought up, but not dire or a bigger deal it maybe should have. Then we also see how Cyrene experiences her own mystery that was just all over the place for me and left me very confused. I’m so confused I can’t even clearly explain it.
Now that I’ve read this book I feel quite let down because I’d been wanting to read this book for a while. It would have been better if every event clearly connected and flowed easily into the main plot of the story. Instead its kinda chunked into sections with no clear direction that one event leads to another. The mystery doesn’t build up to this revelation at the end. We also have a forbidden romance between Cyrene and King Edric and while I did love it a little bit, I wish it was more of a slow burn type of romance with stolen moments and sneaking glances. For the most part I forgot about King Edric’s attraction to Cyrene. I’m fine with romance being downplayed in fantasy novels, but I feel like it was sometimes thrown in there like, “oh yea King Edric wants Cyrene so bad.”
I may read the next book, but its not a for sure thing. I really want to like this story. Don’t get me wrong, the author is a good writer because I can easily read her books even if I’m not loving the story. I never at any point felt the need to DNF this book. It kept me intrigued from beginning to end. There’s a chance the story comes together better in the next book.
This book was an interesting new adult book. While I wouldn’t say it deserves awards or is one that I would buy I did enjoy the book. I enjoy the book enough to want to continue the series as this 1 left off on a cliffhanger. The thing about this book is that I’m not sure where it’s going. Or whether or not this series is going to get better.
The story was in intriguing with likable characters. The story didn’t end with this book which frustrates me. Well written.
This was a great book full of tension between characters and unexpected plot twists. Great read!
As a huge fan of Sarah Maas, this book was reviewed as being similar to Throne of Glass. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed The Affiliate and will be ordering the rest of the series shortly. I hadn’t heard of this author before, however, I suspect that will all change soon once she gains the readership she deserves.
(3.75 stars)
If you’ve enjoyed any of K.A. Linde’s books PLEASEEEE give The Affiliate a chance. Her writing is exactly what I’ve come to expect, TERRIFIC! Being that this is the first book of the series and it’s in a “fantasy” world, there is a lot of explaining and set up. The only thing I really missed was the romance. Now don’t get me wrong there is some but I NEED MORE but the story sucks you in. I have high hopes for the rest of the series and will be (not so) patiently waiting for The Bound.
The Affiliate is a lush world of myth, prophecy, andpolitics,filled with sexy kings and princes, a scheming court, and athousand years of mystery. I couldn’t put it down!
Linde delivers a lush, evocative fantasy full of thrills and romance. I can’t wait to read the next book!
With rich romance and twisty political intrigue, The Affiliate is a breakneck fantasy ride that’s perfect for fans of The Selection or Throne of Glass.
Bursting with captivating intrigue, fast-paced action and simmering passion, The Affiliate is fantasy at its finest! This lush world will leave you hungry for more!
Actual rating: 3 1/2 stars
Note: This review contains NO spoilers
Hmmm… I am still processing this. I’m not sure how to start. Well, I can say that I enjoyed this read. It felt slow to start, almost dragging, but it picked up as I continued turning the pages. It felt like a slow burn until I reached the end. I was getting the picture of this fantasy world that K.A. Linde intricately describes. And her character development was complex with multiple layers that had to be “peeled back” in order to “get to know” these characters.
The Affiliate contained various elements that created complex magical world. There was also a good amount of mystery and adventure to add to the fascinating plot. The romance, on the other hand, was subtle and almost underwhelming. At least, the romance did not take away from the magic, mystery, and adventure of the story. Fans of epic fantasies would enjoy enjoy “walking” in Cyrene’s world.
All in all, The Affiliate is a fascinating and descriptive start to the Ascension series. I’m ready to read the next book, The Bound, to find out where Cyrene and her friends’ journey takes them.
Fantasy with an amazing story! Love, suspense, drama,…
The Affiliate is different from the books I normally read. It’s definitely more fantasy with a lot of suspense, drama, intrigues, mystery and even a little bit of romance.
It is mainly written in Cyrene’s POV but sometimes there’s also a chapter form a different POV which I really enjoyed. This way you get to experience everything that’s going on in different places.
At the beginning it took some time for me to get into the book, but once I’ve got to know more about the characters, their lives and their world I couldn’t put the book down. I was really intrigued what’s about to happen with Cyrene, her “powers”, the King and just about everything in this foreign and magical world.
I really liked it and am excited for the next book in the Series.
I just finished binge reading The Affiliate and must say I was surprisingly captivated by it! It pulled me in from the first page & I just didn’t want to put it down. I am a huge K.A. Linde fan, and this being out of her normal genre, I was a little apprehensive at first. This for me was like reading a twist on the Outlander series mixed with a sprinkle of the Divergent series and even some Harry Potter-ish elements. This book is full of mystery, magic and romance; all set around Cyrene’s presenting ceremony when she turned 17. For a 17 year old just coming of age, she didn’t behave as an adolescent as you typically would expect from a 17 year old. She is very wise for her age, proper, and very interesting character. I love the story between King Edric and Cyrene even though it is very subtle. This book is a very magical read and I loved all the mythical things happening within the story and with Cyrene herself. There are some nail biting moments I was very scared of what their outcome would be, but overall this is a great start to this new series. I can’t wait to see what will happen next during Cyrene’s adventure to another land as she seeks more information about herself.