I die every night in my dreams.
Add to that the hallucinations of people I’ve never met and creatures that don’t exist, and you can see why I don’t let anyone in. People don’t take well to weirdos that can’t tell reality from illusion. That all changed the day a dragon attacked. Yup, that’s right. A real-life, smoke-breathing dragon hunted me down in the middle of a school day. I only escaped … down in the middle of a school day. I only escaped because a Faerie forced me to jump through a fire portal into a realm of magic. Normal, right?
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, I met him. The Fae prince. Eyes of jade, ebony hair, and a smile that made my knees weak. Too bad he was my mortal enemy sent to finish what the dragon started.
Now, faced with parallel worlds, a daring escape plan, and an evil queen bent on taking over the universe, only one thing is for certain. I’m in way over my head.
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Jette has been dealing with nightmares and visions since she was little. Now in high school, she’s a tough young woman who can hold her own. But all that changes when she sees a dragon appear in the skies. Frightened out of her wits, she escapes school grounds to her mentor Bishop’s shop. He grabs her hand and together they enter a world she never thought existed via a portal. This magical world is filled with creatures only written in fairy tales and one sexy fae prince. She discovers she’s got magical powers too, if only she can figure out how to use them. Time is running out and with an evil fae queen pursuing her, she’s got to face her fears and use her wielding powers, or else the world is doomed. Can she do what everyone thinks she’s capable of or will she fail, leading them all into the clutches of the power-hungry evil fae queen?
Wow, what an incredible book! From the moment Jette appears, I was hooked. The characters, Jette especially, are so well-crafted, they leaped from the pages and into my heart. The descriptive narration moves the plot with a fevered pace. The conflict, mystery, intrigue, action, adventure and ending all blend to make this an unputdownable fantasy. The world-building is exquisite while the slow-building romance between Jette and Starke is heart-melting. Fans of Kelley Armstrong and Uncanny Kingdom will love The Lost Link. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Highly Recommend!
Disclaimer: I read this on Kindle Unlimited
My Rating: 5+ stars
Wow! What a great first book in a series! I love it when authors can take something I love, fae, and write them in a new and exciting way. I also really appreciate when the MC reacts realistically to bizarre, new situations. Jette (by the way, cutest short version of Bridjette ever!) does not just go with the flow of her new reality. Her responses ring true to her personality and, frankly, anyone faced with this level of change would be freaking out. I loved it and want the next installment now.
The first half of the book was slow and lacked dialogue. Dialogue is important to me. The second half was better. If I had to break it down the first half was a 2 and the second a 4 so that gives it a 3 rating. I did like Jette and Starke together in the second part. There was some action in the second part also.
I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Lost Link is Michelle Bryan’s newest fantasy and y’all I couldn’t get enough of it! There are dragons, magic, fae, and portals, a man who reminds me of Mr. Miyagi, an evil queen, and did I mention dragons? Unlike anything I’ve ever read, The Lost Link delivers an epic adventure and it’s only the start of Jette’s story.
Bridjette, or Jette, is our snarky main character, and I love her! She is snarky and sassy, protective and loyal, not to mention she thinks she’s crazy at the start of the book. Her whole life Jette has seen other people and creatures that are not of this world. She has nightmares about morquals and a woman who looks a lot like her throwing her into a river. Then the unthinkable happens. A dragon finds her at school, and she isn’t the only one that sees it. Thrown into a world of make-believe, Jette soon comes to realize that the things she believed to be fake are very real. I love her reaction to this. It’s raw and real, reminding me of how any person today might act if encountering magic.
Upon arriving in this new world, through a portal in an alley, Jette encounters Starke, a Fae prince. There is something about this prince that draws Jette in. She trusts him against the judgment of her new friends, and I have to say I love him. Starke has a self-deprecating humor that endeared him to me. He’s humble and kind, even to those that would have his head. And the chemistry between Jette and Starke….boiling hot!
The story itself focuses a lot on world-building. Michelle Bryan excels at this, building a world within worlds. Jette is thrust into this world from her dreams only to find it is all real. There are new creatures for her to encounter. Magic is real, and the world is on the brink of extinction. All of this is shown in the landscape the author paints with her words. It is tangible and real. I wanted to jump through the portal with Jette!
Overall I really enjoyed The Lost Link. Jette is a fun character. Her snark lightens an otherwise dark read. While I didn’t get into the plot much in my review, it is action-packed and filled to the brim with surprise twists and a few unexpected characters. Personally I loved it! If you enjoy fantasy, adventure, and a dash of romance, I highly recommend it.