Review: Alaskan Fury by Sara King

Alaskan Fury by Sara King (Guardians of The First Realm #2)

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Synopsis from Goodreads
Long ago, Kaashifah the Fury, Chosen warrior of the Lord of War, fought a djinni to a stalemate in an ancient duel of souls.
 Three thousand years later, she and ‘Aqrab, the passionate djinni prince of the Fourth Lands, are still bound together, each waiting for the other to make that final, killing blow. To complicate matters, they are being hunted across the vast Alaskan wilderness by a team of holy soldiers who are specially trained—and highly successful—at capturing the numerous magical beings of the Five Realms. In order to save their friends from the Inquisition, some compromises must be made…and some boons given. But in unraveling the magics that bind them, will these two ancient immortals learn to trust each other, or will their own thawing hearts be their undoing?

ALASKAN FURY is a whirlwind tale of two immortals woven together by a three-thousand-year-old curse who are forced to flee across the Alaskan wilderness in search of dragons to save their friends. It is a story of love and adventure, of djinni wish-makings and brutal sword fights, of Inquisitional wits and mythological heroes, of depth of spirit battling bigotry and violence. Fast-paced and full of action, it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.


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9.5/10

* * *
 It's been a long time since I've read a book with such a sparkling witty dialogue, such interesting characters and deliciously mad world-building.


Alaskan Fury is an underdog. You look at the cover and think "No effing way!" Yes, way. It's so cool, peeps, I can't even start describing it properly.



Let's see. The beginning is pretty typical. Here is this Fury, who 3 thousand years ago was sent to kill a djinni who got out of line. In the act of desperation he called for a duel and then soul-bonded himself to her. Now she can't kill anyone because her Fury powers are gone, and she also acquired a curse of two-natured and turns into a wolf from time to time. She is bone tired, always afraid of her captive and dependent on him to get her out of danger.


For the last few years they have been holed up in Alaska, the last bastion of supernatural in the world that slowly has been conquered by the mighty Inquisition, but now the Inquisitors are here. In the Inquisition attempt to capture, torture and drain of blood the paranormal creatures who live in the enclave with Kaashifah and 'Aqrab, those two escape and try to make their way to the dragons where Kaashifah will attempt to bargain djinni in exchange for her captured friends.


Of course, 'Aqrab is not ecstatic about it. Like his captor he is bone tired of her hatred, her lashing out at him with magic every time he says something wrong, they both want to die. The miscommunication between them is so vast that right in the beginning the reader is on Fury's side distrusting the djinni, but slowly through their journey, their saving each others lives, their countless arguments, we realise that 'Aqrab is completely opposite to what Fury thinks of him.


The dialogues, the banter are top notch. The story is very complex and full of fleshed out characters. There is this Inquisitor Imelda, who narrates a lot of the book. She is young and talented, and dissatisfied with Inquisition's methods. Her hunt for the fury and the djinni is a sort of revelation for her, and changes everything she believed in before. There is her team, and scary intrigues within the organisation, there is a sweet unicorn, a stupid young and cocky dragon and unbelievably cool and sleek Thunderbird.


At last, there is an epic battle in the end, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more of Sara King. She definitely made a wonderful impression on me *grinning*

* * *
К счастью, эту книгу по обложке судить совершенно нельзя. Фурия Аляски оказалась сложной, безумно интересной городской фантастикой с блестящими диалогами и фантастическими главными и второстепенными персонажами.


По сюжету три тысячи лет назад фурия Каашифа была послана убить джинна Акраба, и тот в отчаяньи вызвал её на дуэль и привязал себя к ней магической связью душ. Теперь пока она не назовят своё последнее желание он остаётся её пленником.


Оба и фурия и джин безумно друг от друга устали и хотят умереть. Она лишилась своих сил фурии благодаря его заклинанию и не может никого убить, а также приобрела проклятье оборотня. Каашифа боится и ненавидит Акраба, как и всех мужчин. Она постоянно избивает его магическими тенями если он что-то не так скажет или не так на неё посмотрит.


И в начале мы воспринимаем его с её глаз, он кажется нам коварным монстром.


Оба фурия и джин прячутся в Аляске, в последнем анклаве сверхъестественных существ, которые методически уничтожаются по всему миру Инквизицией. Когда Инквизиция добирается до них, джинн помогает Каашифе сбежать, но теперь она собирается добраться до гор, где обитают драконы и попросить у них помощи, чтобы освободить её друзей в обмен на джинна.


Акраб от этой идеи не в восторге и по пути к драконам пытается её переубедить, и вот в процессе их совершенно сумасшедших искрящихся ссор и диалогов мы постепенно узнаём как перевёрнуто мировоззрение фурии, потому как никакое он не чудовище, он хочет свободы, у него душа поэта, и только примитивный страх и предубеждение фурии ко всему мужскому роду мешают той это осознать.


История трагикомичная, со многими отличнейшими характерами как например инквизиторша Имельда, охотящаяся за парочкой, её ментор, старичок-священник, пугающая нас своей кровожадностью сестра Зинаида, робкий единорог, чванливый молодой идиот-дракон с его противостоянием с полубогом Громовой Птицей (от последнего я вообще тащилась)...


Концовка совершенно эпичная, с великолепной битвой, и большим количеством деталей, после которых очень хочется прочитать продолжение. Любовная история здесь не в центре сюжета, это настоящее городское фэнтэзи, а не паранормальный роман.


Очень советую, если книгу найдёте.



Comments

  1. Oh an Alaskan setting and witty dialogue!? Count me in! This sounds really good! Awesome review, love!

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  2. I hope you read it Giselle! I think this book deserve more recognition that it currently has.

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  3. Oh I have this one but as I didn't read the first one and don't have it, I haven't tried it yet, but glad it's an amazing book, I'm now more curious.

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  4. You know us so well, yup I saw it and though NO Way! Then i read the review and thought, oh yes

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  5. Melliane, I haven't read the first book either, but the plot in the second one can be read as a standalone. So, when you have a chance, read it. I'll be interested in what you'd think about it!

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  6. Blodeuedd, I know! I only read this book myself by pure chance. But it's actually great! :)

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