Zendar was dying. Fifty brave men sought to save their dying planet and traveled to the edge of the world to find an answer. Seven returned as changed men, heroes, with powers beyond imagining. Six cities rose up to bring order to the chaos. Haden Corvinus was one of the seven, a man thought to be without a gift from the planet, but only time will prove a man eternal. Un-aging he waited to … strike, like an immortal viper, patiently, weaving webs of lies and destruction. Chaos has returned once more to Zendar, and his descendant, the Liege Aleron Corvinus, continues to seek what was denied Haden all those years ago; the right to rule. His ambitions will only be sated when he claims the world under his family’s name; he will only stop when all of Zendar is his. Azel Undel was born into this world of blood and sand. She is of a dying Bloodline, a feared one, but most coveted. Promised, in exchange for money, to a man she had never known; Azel travels across Zendar. Her ship is attacked and she alone survives, setting the wheels of fate in motion. She did not expect to become her enemy’s captive or that he would demand her submission to him. Loyalties are tested, secrets are uncovered, and Azel will have to make a choice: remain loyal to her family and everything she ever stood for or be loyal to her own heart.
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here is a lot to like about Zendar by K.T. Munson. At its core, it is a romance, however, it is also filled with other themes and ideas that make it fresh and exciting. The characters too are a joy to read. Bar the exposition-heavy opening, I found myself engaged throughout and was hooked by such a joyous and violent plot.
The book’s strength is its characters. Azel is a plucky and adventurous heroine, full of strength and power, and her reluctance to use the force and violence she has at her fingertips is admirable. Instead of using violence, (as is so common in Zendar), she shows true restraint in the hopes of bettering the violent world she inhabits. I felt that this quote summed her character up perfectly: ‘we are blind to the tragedy we create when we kill our enemies … I am tired of crying mothers who have lost their sons and children wondering where their father or mother is. I will take no part in anything but peace’. As soon as I read this passage, I knew that Azel was something special as a heroine, and a welcome departure from other protagonists in romance novels.
The Liege, Aleron, could have gone either way and could have been a terrible match for Azel. I enjoyed seeing his character develop by Azel’s presence, letting the true, kinder version of the ruler of his people come through. If he had been abusive and vindictive, and Azel still fell for him (a trope that is sadly too common), this would have ruined the story. Instead, they complimented each other perfectly and their relationship was interesting.
The plot is also strong too. For the first 40% it is a romance novel, but when Munson brings other ideas in it really starts to shine. Azel and Aleron aren’t wrapped up in their happy bubble, but instead are fighting off assassins, dealing with familial disputes, countering deceitful liars and slanderers, and building their city. Their multi-faceted characters are very engaging and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I am very excited to see where their adventure goes next (as promised in the final chapter).
The world that Munson has built is engaging and exciting, but it felt a little shallow at times. We never really get more of a description than it is sandy and has air-ships. I would have loved to hear of some of the buildings and features of this dry and violent land, maybe some more of its lore and history. It did not affect my enjoyment though, but instead made me more excited in the hopes that this will be explored in future books.
Zendar was a romantic fantasy with an abundance of mystery, action and adventure to keep the reader engaged throughout. It has a kick-ass heroine, a gritty hero, and in the beginning, there was plenty of push and pull between Azel and Aleron. I guess you could say, it wasn’t love at first sight. But as time moved forward, love truly outweighed hatred. Enter a magical world, where Bloodlines collide, and get bewitched into the mythical world of Zendar. I highly recommend to all fantasy lovers out there.
A gripping, magical filled read!
An arranged marriage…
An attack…
A loss of a loved one…
And then held captive by the enemy…
Such a purely genius, gripping, interesting and highly entertaining read! I swear I couldn’t read it fast enough, I just wanted to know everything now!
Falling in love with the enemy has never been so sexy before! Gah! I am loving this story! A story with such an incredible and magical world – I love how the author has written this story and world – well thought out and written!
Full of powers, rulers, loss, secrets, love, family, deception and betrayal.
Perfect for readers of fantasy romance.
Let me start by saying that I don’t read much of this type of fantasy and when the book started with a brief history of this strange world, I wasn’t sure that I’d like it. Nevertheless, I plunged ahead, and will happily admit that it didn’t take long for me to be completely caught up in this fast-paced, action-packed read. Once Azel and Aleron meet, the story’s primary focus is on their romance, and what a romance it is. I found myself not liking Aleron at all in the beginning. He’s overbearing and brutish, and I found myself smiling every time the strong-willed Azel bests him. As the story progresses and things unfold, Aleron slowly grew on me and ended up becoming one of my favorite characters. As Azel runs head first from one predicament to another, I was so engaged in the story that I read it in one sitting. As I said, the story is primarily a romance, but it’s also a tale of war, family, betrayal, secrets, and learning to entrust your heart to another.