Callie knows a lot more about pain than she does about family. She’s never belonged, at least, not until she falls through a portal into her true home. The beautiful faerie city of Eirensae doesn’t come free. Callie must find her amulet and bind herself to the city, and most importantly, avoid the Fallen fae who seek her life. Seems like a small price to pay for the family she’s always wanted.
Then she meets cynical and gorgeous Rowan, who reads the darkness of her past in her eyes. He becomes Callie’s part-time protector and full-time pain in the ass. He has secrets of his own for Callie to unravel. What they don’t know is that the future of Eirensae lies with them, and the once peaceful city is about to become a battleground for power.
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Review:
Reflection Pond by Kacey Vanderkarr is a lush and deeply magical tale where slight hints at violence and politics weave together with magic and glamour to create an alluring, riveting and at times romantic read that found me easily losing myself within its story!
Following seventeen year old Callie, I must admit I found myself very taken by Reflection Pond. The cover is stunning and the excitement within the story starts from the opening chapter when our heroine quite literally falls through into another world. Personally I’m a big lover of faerie stories but heading into Reflection Pond, though I adored the cover, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book. Diving straight into the story when Callie falls through a seemingly normal pond and into the stunning faerie city of Eirensae, I found Reflection Pond to be a beautiful and beguiling read!
The world Kacey Vanderkarr details in Reflection Pond was colorful and vivid and I was pleased by the character dynamic Vanderkarr incorporates between Callie that those she meets within Eirensae. Admittedly the chemistry and dynamic Callie shared with Rowen was the highlight of the book for me, but I was also entranced by the other aspects of the story and the characters Callie meets as she begins to find her place within Eirensae, and in life.
Told both in Callie and Rowen’s POV’s, I really appreciated being able to see things unfold through both their eyes. I loved having the chance to experience both their thoughts and feelings. Callie was a very interesting heroine to follow; it becomes quite obviously from early on in the story that she is a haunted individual and has had something very traumatic done to her in the past. I liked that Vanderkarr gave her some substance instead of having a heroine who has never experienced a difficult day in their life. Though we don’t yet know exactly what happened to Callie, I can certainly make a good guess, and it’s clear it still has a deep effect on her.
I really liked Callie; she was feisty and genuinely had a good heart and I found her lovely to follow. Callie comes a long way in the small space of one book as she comes to accept Eirensae as somewhere she belongs. With the powerful abilities she has and the importance she has in the future of Eirensae, I can’t wait to see how Vanderkarr develops her further.
Callie finds a wonderful match in Rowen, the male lead of Reflection Pond and Callie’s constant pain in the butt. Rowen is sharp, sarcastic and extremely guarded. He’s arrogant, brooding and has a shield up around himself to keep people from getting close. He fights people off with snarky comments and biting attitude. Though he’s a fierce fighter and brave warrior, his attitude has him coming across was a bit of an ass to all those around him. Just the way he likes, and needs. it. However Kacey Vanderkarr leaves us readers with no doubt in our minds that Rowen is honorable, courageous and an amazing person.
Scorned by those around him and treated as an outsider even though he does everything in his power to fit in, I found it no wonder that Rowen acted as he did. His actions relayed a troublesome young man who didn’t care about anything at all and preferred to be a loner when in reality being inside his mind showcased how deeply he wanted to be a part of Eirensae, and how much he yearned for people to accept him for what he was.
All the minor characters in this book were wonderful, but as I previously mentioned Callie and Rowen stole the show for me, as they were no doubt meant to. Interesting individually, together they took it to a whole other level. These two had great chemistry and energy together and I loved the dynamic Vanderkarr explores between them. They give the story that extra spark that makes every interaction between them thrilling and addicting!
Reflection Pond was wonderfully written with Kacey Vanderkarr detailing a very riveting world with sensational characters. Racing towards an exciting ending that opens up a brand new chapter to the story; I’m beyond excitedly looking forward to the next book to continue Callie and Rowen’s journey!
Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Irresistible Reads Book Tours and the author Kacey Vanderkarr (Thank you ladies!)
Format: Kindle ebook
Buy it: Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Barnes & Noble
My Recommendation: If you love fae/fantasy tales this will be PERFECT for you!
Cover: I adore the colour and think it's really pretty.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: YES!
Thanks for the review, Rachel!
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