Firstly, look at that amazing cover?! Just captivating. I love having a visual of the "Cat's Eye" on this cover. And although Sora has golden blonde hair, the strawberry tint is very attractive. Now to the gushy!
Sum it up:
Sora, tired of her simple and boring girl-in-the-manor life, plans to escape the night of her wedding, wanting nothing more than adventures like the "stories of old." She has no idea that her desire will be fulfilled via a kidnapping - by the very assassin who murdered her father, giving her the very opening to escape, and his two Wolfy companions. What begins as hatred, turns to timid trust and wary friendship between Sora and her captors.
The yum:
Crash, the assassin, is mysterious up until the last page in Sora's Quest. Sexy, scary, and quiet are the three words best used to describe the man who seems to be running from his past. Ms. Shreffler has an interesting way of making her characters super sexy without being overt about their physical prowess or bragging about their beautiful features. Crash just is. Yum! ;)
Dorian, a mage Wolfy, is an effeminate creature with a biting sarcastic and endearing quality about him. I liked Dorian immediately - especially because he called Sora out on her irritating princessy qualities.
Burn is a large burly mercenary Wolfy that I just wanted to squeeze. He is the most open and kind of the three but still hosts his own unexplored demons.
Romance?
There was plenty of awareness occurring in Sora's Quest and I was waiting for a romance to unfold - but it seems like I have to wait until Viper's Creed (Book 2) to *hopefully* see some woo-age occur.
Overall:
Sora was a typical teenager and certainly irritated me throughout the book, but looking back, I love how the voice of Sora's voice ages from beginning to end.
The antagonist was a clever one, coming up with evil and interesting ways to follow, capture, and manipulate his prey. I enjoyed Volcrian, and the sympathy the reader had for him from chapter one.
So why the missing star, you ask? There were a LOT of unanswered questions:
Who is Crash? Why are Crash, Burn, and Dorian together? Why did Crash murder Volcrian's twin and Sora's dad? What is a "protector" and is that what Crash is to Sora?
After the entire book, I still am confused about our main characters. But I managed to really connect to them too.
*edit* I have read the next book in the series and am planning on reading the third. Definitely a wonderfully rich series that progressively gains momentum. I cannot wait to read the final installment!
(review of free book)