I Heart Books: Blog Tour/Review - King Hall by Scarlett Dawn

Book Blurb

A fresh, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in-and-hold-on-tight new adult fantasy series kicks off with King Hall…

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Prodigies: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the revolution.

Goodreads Link - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18102827-king-hall

My Review

Oh my goodness, the ending! From a slow start I really got deeply into this book very quickly. The characters drew me in and I started to care about what was going on with them, which for a book is good. Just when things are going well for them all, at last, something happens which changes everything.

King Hall is a school where those with magical powers go to learn. It is also where future kings and queens are taught how to survive and rule.

Through no fault of her own, and against her will, Lily Ruckler is thrown in at the deep end as future Queen of the Shifters. Along with the 3 other future heirs - Pearl (a Mage), Jack (an Elemental) and Ezra (a vampire) - she learns to protect herself and how to deal with incidents within her community.

But Lily has a secret. One so huge she could be killed if it ever came out. She has her work cut out for her to keep her past hidden. If it came out is there anyone she can trust?

Lily very quickly forms a strong bond with her fellow heirs, and they with her. Together they could be an extremely formidable force against those trying to bring them down, the Commoners. Throughout the story the Coms, as they are known, attack the Mys, or Mysticals as the magic community is known, on several occasions.

The main theme throughout the book which really struck me, and which you wouldn't expect from the book blurb, is that of friendship and love. As I said above, the 4 heirs form a strong bond. This bond proves to be one which cannot very easily be broken. They have to work together as a team to get through tasks, which they do with increasing success. Their bond also helps them when certain secrets come out. Lily quickly discovers that perhaps she isn't as alone as she first thought, and there are people out there who will be there for her regardless. We can all dream about having a friendship such as theirs, but very few of us will find it.

A few things stuck out for me while reading the book. One is a character name, Fi. That is what my friends call me, and seeing it in a book gave me a connection straight away. The second thing, and maybe the funniest scene I have read in a long time, is one where all 4 heirs are babysitting! One of the children has a dirty nappy (diaper), and the ensuing chaos as they try to change it, well you really need to read the book for yourself to see how funny it is. As a nanny for many years I can totally relate to their situation. Here are a few quotes -

"Take it," ...... "It stinks."

"If this kid needs to be changed, we can work this one out together!"

"Is there an instruction booklet in there?"

"So I guess I'll take the diaper off since I've got," Jack lifted his hands, "the gloves."

"The three of us stared in morbid fascination as Jack stepped forward, ripped the diaper on the sides, and lifted it back, his voice guttural. "Holy Mary, Mother of God." "

"It was male. And the little bugger took the opportunity to piss all over the front of Jack's shirt."

These quotes just don't do the whole scene justice, but it gives a bit of an idea as to how totally clueless all of them are!

This is the authors debut novel, and I am so impressed that she has managed to write something as good. The cliffhanger ending, be warned, will have you desperate for more. The sequel is coming, and I quote from the author, "on or before March 2014". And I cannot wait!

Author Bio

Scarlett Dawn is drawn to all things quirky and off-beat. She believes there are no boundaries for an imaginative soul. Her love of the written word started from at an early age, when her grandmother would take her to bookstores every weekend. Dreams came alive within the books she found there, and now, she is thrilled to share her stories with others who have fallen under the spell of taking fantastical journeys. Scarlett resides in the Midwest with her husband, three children, and two dogs.