Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Pages: 494pgs

The Story

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as

their countries pass the point of no return . . .

He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica - until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn.

The Review

A big thanks to HarlequinTeen Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

ALLEGIANCE is the much anticipated sequel to Cayla Kluver's novel, Legacy. Last year when I read Legacy I fell completely in love with it, and what came as a greater surprise to me was that the author - someone a year younger than I am - had written something so beautiful and captivating at such a young age. I could hardly believe it to be honest with you! And yet here we are with a sequel and clearly the author has done it again . . . a sequel that has lived up to the hype of the first book and it was even better than the first!

ALLEGIANCE basically picks up soon after Legacy had ended, with Alera and Steldor married and becoming the new king and queen of Hytanica. Still in love with Narian, a boy who is considered a traitor to the Hytanica kingdom and trapped in a loveless marriage, Alera is forced with many impossible choices - both for herself and for her people. With her love Narian gone, Alera and her closest company of people are afraid that he has joined forces with the fearsome magic-user called the Overlord, and they have every right to be afraid of him because Cokyrians are planning to invade Hytanica very soon and all of the trails have led back to none other than Narian. With love and loyalty being tested, Alera must choose to either follow her own heart or lead what's left of her kindgom through the darkest times . . . leading to many heartbreaking decisions in her wake!

When it comes to this series alone, it's far too easy to forget how young the author actually is and I'm quite taken back by how well-developed Kluver's writing has become and how much her writing abilities has grown from book one to now! In saying that, I thought ALLEGIANCE was the perfect sequel in lines with its previous novel Legacy and there's not one single negative thing I have to say about it. After all, this sequel contained so many things I love in a historical-like novel: love, betrayal, deceit, action, friendship, heartbreak, magic, and most importantly so many epic twists that I didn't see coming whatsoever! Honestly what's not to love about this book when it has all of those elements you seek in a novel?

Now onto the characters who are my favourite part of the book. The characters in ALLEGIANCE are the characters we've met before in previous book and they're even better in this sequel - even some characters I grew to hate had proved to be worthy after all in this coming sequel! With our main character, Alera, I really loved her in Legacy and while she may frustrate you from time to time, but in this second installment she really steps up her game and show us readers once and for all what she's really capable of as a Queen. It's kind of a transformation in Alera's case. Before, she was a young child being told what to do, and after, she's now changed for the better, becoming a woman whom can hold her own and learn that power she has always possessed in her heart.

With Alera's suppose 'love interests' Narian and Steldor, I wouldn't necessarily say it was a love triangle that we readers fear of. I mean, it's hardly a love triangle - if not, at all. Narian and Steldor are two very different young men but what readers need to understand is that these two young men serve very different purposes for the storyline and for Alera's heart. Firstly, Narian is the boy Alera loves with all of her heart and nothing can change nor persuade her of these feelings for him. And, secondly, Steldor is a man Alera first despises and I can't blame of her for that because I hated him too however in this sequel she eventually grows to respect him and even care for him, because she really does care for him but not in the way a love interest cares for someone . . . only as a mere friend.

Like so many other readers, I adored Narian (always betting on his team) however he was hardly present in this book which was rather a disappointment considering he didn't have a lot of time to spend in the first book, you know . . . showing off his handsomeness and that gorgeous personality of his. But regardless of that, by the time Narian did manage to show up in the last half of the book, he only reminded me how much I loved and missed him! So yay for that! And, while Narian didn't need to prove to me how gorgeous he is, but Steldor in particular was someone that needed to impress me (like really, really impress me). In the first book I loathed him as much as Alera did, but in a complete turnaround and one I didn't see coming, not only did Steldor show off his much softer side but he's also showed us a side to him we never expected to see . . . one without that arrogance and more of that vulnerability about him. I mean, there was this scene where he gave Alera a kitten - I repeat a kitten - because he thought she would be lonely without company and it was the sweetest thing I've ever read in this series so far and boy Steldor has won me over with that darn kitten of his! Because I love cats and all. Anyway moving away from the cute kitten, both boys are definitely loved by me and I love them for making me love them even more than I first expected to!

Overall, if you loved Legacy you'll love ALLEGIANCE without a doubt! However, if you are one of those rare readers who have yet started this utterly amazing series, then I definitely think you need to put down that book you're currently reading and check out these books as soon as possible because you're seriously missing out on a great young adult series!

The Rating

5/5 stars