Dazzled by Books

Aodren: A lonely, young king, searching for a way to dismantle his father’s dark legacy.
Lirra: A girl with the power to control the wind, torn between duty and following her dreams
For twenty years, Channelers—women with a magical ability—have been persecuted in Malam by those without magic. Now King Aodren wants to end the bloody divide and unite his kingdom. But decades of hatred can’t be overcome by issuing decrees, and rumors of a deadly Channeler-made substance are only fueling people’s fears. Lirra has every reason to distrust Aodren. Yet when he asks for help to discover the truth behind the rumors, she can’t say no. With Lirra by his side, Aodren sees a way forward for his people. But can he rewrite the mistakes of the past before his enemies destroy the world he’s working so hard to rebuild?

Review:

"If you want to bring about change, all you need to be is a voice. A voice loud enough to start a storm." 

Once A King by Erin Summerill is the perfect addition to the Clash of Kingdoms series. I absolutely adore Erin Summerill. She is the sweetest person on the planet. If you have not chatted with her before, definitely check out her Instagram because she does respond to people and their posts. That is probably enough about me gushing on Summerill. Let's move on to this fabulous book.

Aodren is one of my favorite characters from Ever the Hunted and Ever the Brave. He is probably one of everyone's favorite characters because...duh....he is just that awesome. I am so happying that Summerill gave him his own story because I could NOT get enough. Once A King picks up not long after Ever the Brave ends. Aodren is trying to adjust to being King.

The nation of Malam has been divided for many years and people who have magical abilities have been oppressed and harassed. Now that Aodren is on the throne he is hoping to fix all of this. He ends up recruiting Lirra to his cause. Lirra ends up becoming Aodren eyes, ears, and investigator. She is helping him trying to track down the source of a drug known as Sanguine. Lirra has her own reasons for helping the King Aodren but it isn't easy because she holds a bit of a grudge against him due to the decisions that Aodren's father had made.

I really enjoyed the witty banter and interactions that Aodren and Lirra have. I think these two characters fit so well together. I felt like they were truly well thought out characters. Summerill has a way about writing her characters. You feel like you can become best friends with these characters and that you feel the same pain and joy as they do.

I feel like saying I loved Once A King is by far not enough. It doesn't express all the emotions that I have about this book. The one thing I can truly say is that you need to read it. You need to run to you nearest bookstore and purchase it. Summerill is a beautiful storyteller. You will not regret reading this book!

About the Author:

Erin Summerill was born in England. After spending years bouncing between Air Force bases in Hawaii, England, and California, her family settled in Utah, where Erin graduated with a B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. She had aspirations to write the next great American novel, but writing proved tougher than she first thought. So she grabbed a Nikon and became a professional photographer while crafting manuscript after manuscript. The scenic detour of shooting weddings across the United States, as well as internationally, provided world-building inspiration. It gave her the vision to draft her debut YA fantasy, EVER THE HUNTED. Now when she isn’t writing, or shooting a wedding, she’s chasing her four kids, two dogs, one cat, and five chickens. This could be why she downs massive amounts of Coke Zero and Hot tamales.
You can follower her on instagram: @erinsummerill
Or twitter: @erinsummerill