Breath of Air (Dryad Quartet #1) by Katie Jennings
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Fantasy, Mythology
Capri Summers earned her last name in honor of the season she was found, abandoned in a dark alleyway in Richmond, Virginia. The orphanage remained her home until her eighteenth birthday, when she had no choice but to leave with nothing but a duffle bag and the clothes on her back. That, and her secret gift. Her ability to call upon the wind, to form clouds out of thin air, and to coax birds into dancing on her open palm. It made her different, when all she wanted was to be normal. Little did she know, her gift made her extraordinary. When a chance encounter with a person from her past occurs, Capri is whisked off to a land she thought only existed in her dreams. A land filled with beautiful beings of mythological origin, who welcome her as one of their own. Her newfound life unexpectedly turns from perfect to dangerous. Deception lurks around every corner and a ruthless killer will do anything to keep her from learning the truth about her disappearance. Now she'll have to find courage in despair, or risk losing everything.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
This is the debut novel from Katie Jennings and not only did I love it but I've immediately put the next 3 on my wishlist! This book tells the story of Capri, a just turned 18 year old orphan who is just branching out on her own from the orphanage. She goes to the park to wonder what on earth she is going to do and whilst she is there she meets a "knight in shining armour", Liam. He recognises her for what she is - an Air Dryad and takes her home with him to Eurphora. I won't say anything else about the storyline as you need to read it for yourself. I won't be able to tell it better than Katie Jennings as she has done such a wonderful job of describing everything in detail without getting too weighted down. The story develops in a free flowing and natural way and Capri grows into her own being with class and quiet confidence. It's quite nice to have a main female that by her own admission is "timid". It makes a change from the usual troubled warrior princess styles. There are a few characters in this book but you won't be too overwhelmed. And don't forget, this spreads over 4 books so you'll get your chance to 'meet' them all properly. The leads are all quite young but they are balanced out by the "elder generation" who have sparks of their own! This is a novel with excellent time-keeping and with a storyline that plots and develops smoothly with no annoying jerks or disruptions. As the leads are all quite young (18 ish) I guess this could be put in the YA genre but for me, it is firmly in Fantasy!
* Verified Purchase on Amazon - October 2012 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nothing can compare to the exhilaration of discovering, at last, a mode of release for the imagination. Mine came, after years of struggling to visualize my creativity, in the form of written word. I found myself with my nose constantly in a book, absorbing the life of the characters and the beauty of the setting. It was intoxicating, to say the least, and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to give writing a shot, and take the thousands of characters and storylines in my head and put them down on paper, and form them into something real and compelling. In truth, I’m just a girl from a small town north of Los Angeles, with an imagination for days and thank goodness a keyboard at my fingertips. And even though my husband thinks I’m a nerd and my mom is undoubtedly my biggest fan, at the end of the day I’m loving life and enjoying giving breath to the characters living in my heart, and sharing with others all the creativity I can harness. I believe in true love, and I’ve always believed in happy endings. And that is just the beginning of the story.