Review & Excerpt: Colour Wielders (Heirs of the Magykal Realm #1) by Dawna Raver

Title: Colour Wielders

Author: Dawna Raver

Series: Heirs of the Magykal Realm

Genre: New Adult/Paranormal Romance
Release Date: April 19, 2013
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Pages: 366, eBook
Goodreads Rating: 4.39 stars
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Content Rating: Rated R (Lots of explicit language, references to sex and one relatively explicit sex scene)

Summary from Goodreads: Behind the Faerying Mysts, hidden from Mortal eyes, is a land where gods and creatures of myth and legend dwell. And in the Mortal Realm, their Princess is hidden away.

Quinn Sinclair lives an ordinary life with her less-than-loving mother in Conifer, Colorado, clueless of her true nature. On the night of her birthday, a staggering betrayal sends her life spinning out-of-control. As she struggles to pick up the pieces, a vision of a man with haunting tourmaline-blue eyes begs her for help, and she is transported into a Magykal battle-forever changing her life.

Arik Morgaine-Demigod bad boy and outcast of the Magykal Realm-tried to avoid contact with Princess Quinn for eighteen years, not wanting to make good on an old threat. But the fates have other plans. Arik can no longer deny his growing desire for Quinn, or the need to protect her from those wanting to control her burgeoning powers. Can the two of them come together and save the Magykal Realm from being destroyed by the Darkest of Magyks?

MY TAKE

I think that this is the best Indie published book I've ever read.  I could easily have seen myself picking this book up off the shelf at Barnes & Noble and I would have been very happy with my purchase.

The story is told from two perspectives.  First, there is Quinn, a 22-year-old girl who discovers that she is not who she thinks she was and is thrown into a world of Magyk that she didn't know existed.  Yes, I know, you've heard this before, but I definitely felt that Raver made the story her own and told it in a way that was really compelling.  The book starts off with a bang, with a huge betrayal that propels Quinn through the rest of the story.

Next, there's Arik, a 600-year-old demigod trying to live down (or, sometimes, up to) his bad reputation. He has been drawn to Quinn for a very long time - even though he has never met her, but because of a threat that he made against her 18 years ago, he knows that he will never be allowed to get near her.  He also knows that he wants nothing more than to get very near her.

Some things I wasn't crazy about:

• Confusing terms.  This story was steeped in Celtic (and some other) mythology and traditions.  I loved this, but it did mean that there were a lot of terms that were somewhat confusing.  I think that there are also some made up terms that worked into the mythology of the book (but honestly I couldn't tell you which were based on something real and which were made up).  There is a Glossary at the end of the book - it probably would have helped if I would have referred to it!  It took me awhile to figure out what the characters meant when they talked about things like Soluis, Dubh Mirk, and Tuatha de Danann and therefore the story was sometimes confusing at first.  (UPDATE: I have heard that Raver has updated the book since I wrote this review in order to remove some of the confusing terms.)
• Quinn's revolving boyfriends.  Quinn goes from being betrayed by one guy (in a really horrific and traumatic way) to almost immediately being attracted to another guy and then switches to a third love interest after she's known him for a few hours.  To give Raver some credit, it does turn out that there are reasons behind some of Quinn's emotional ties that explain her instant attractions and the book may have ended up being 600 pages if she'd allowed for a slow build, but I still wanted to yell at Quinn, "How can you already be moving on and why are you trusting these guys so easily?!"

What I loved:

• The world-building.  Okay, I know I complained about the confusing terms, but I loved the rich history and world-building that Raver created for this book.  She obviously spent a lot of time plotting out the faery realm - how it works, how it's governed, its history and culture.  Raver did an amazing job of creating this world for us.  This book takes place almost entirely in the Mortal Realm, so we don't really see the Magykal Realm itself in this book, but it looks like we're headed there for future books.
• The characters and the romance.  Quinn is the perfect heroine, in my opinion.  She is likable, but flawed.  Vulnerable at times, but she doesn't let people walk all over her and she speaks her mind.  If I met Quinn in real life, I feel like I would like her and relate to her.  And Arik is an ideal romantic interest - he has that bad boy quality to him, but he's not a complete jerk (especially not to Quinn).  He has that perfect balance of the flawed hero and I completely fell for him!
• The ENDING!  This book killed me with its ending!  Major, gut-wrenching cliff-hanger.  Seriously, I need the sequel now!  (When, oh when is it coming, Ms. Raver?)  I finished this book at 1:00 AM and knew that I was in big trouble - there was no way I was going to go to sleep after that ending - my mind just kept racing, reliving the final scenes of the book, writing the next scenes in my head (I'm not the only one who does this, right?).

THE BOTTOM LINE

I loved this book and I cannot wait for the next installment.  I fell in love with Quinn and Arik and  I am dying to see what happens to them.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy or paranormal romance!  4.5/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***


EXCERPT

Gentle fingertips grazed the edge of her jaw, trailing down her neck to her collarbone. His citrine gaze stared deeply into her eyes, and her body heated at his tender touch.

"You're okay, yeah?" Thaene asked, his voice hoarse from their lovemaking.

Am I okay? She hardly knew. Though she had nothing to compare it to, this feeling was more than giving her virginity to him. Quinn felt like something bigger inside stirred to life, wanting to escape.

"You know I love you. I'm sorry if it hurt." He kissed her again, his lips caressing hers as if he could take the ache away. "Say something, Quinn. Please."

"I love you, Thaene." She pressed herself into him, passionately returning his affection. As their kiss continued, Quinn wondered if he wanted more. She also wondered if she had more to give.

"I want us together always. Do you want that, Quinn?" Thaene's eyes danced with a mixture of emotions—love, passion, possessiveness, and something else she couldn't name.

"We can have forever. You want that, don't you?" Thaene asked.

"Yes," Quinn answered breathlessly before realizing what she'd agreed to. She smiled, finding his need for her exciting. "Forever is a long time. But I could do it with you."

Thaene smiled back. Happiness lit his face. He looked like he'd just won a major prize—he looked triumphant.

"Being with you on your birthday was very special to me. You've given me such a precious gift."

"I love you. I can't imagine my first time with anyone else."

Besides, my gift of Sight showed you to me, over and over. How could I not give myself to you?

Her gift had shown her something else as well. Since she didn't understand it, Quinn ignored it. She'd followed her heart where Thaene was concerned. Not even her mother's dislike—or in spite of it—changed her mind. Following your heart always led you down the right path.

Thaene lightly brushed her hair from her face, then he rested his forehead on hers.

"There's something else I'd like you to give me. Will you do that? Give me what I desire the most?"

The longing in his voice made Quinn squirm underneath him. Right now, she'd give him anything.

"It's the most precious gift of all. One I'll cherish forever."

Oh my God. He wants to marry me.

"Yes," Quinn said, drawing in a breath. "I'll give you anything."

"Good." Thaene nuzzled her neck. "I want you to show me your Magyk."

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Dawna Raver

Author Bio

Dawna Raver is an author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Colour Wielders, book one of the Heirs of the Magykal Realm series, is her debut novel. When she's not spending time in her fantasy world, Dawna loves football, reading, and pretending she's a top chef in the kitchen. Oh, and fawning over her dogs and husband, sometimes in that order.

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