KIERA'S QUEST: PERCEPTIONS by Kristy Brown Review

I want to start of firstly by thanking Kristy Brown for allowing me to continue the Kiera's Quest series this far. 

Title: Perceptions 
Author: Kristy Brown
Release date: May 24th, 2013
Rating: 5/5
Publisher: MuseItUp
Book Summary: 

The Witch Queen has sunk to a new level of evil.

Kiera is helplessly stuck in Zakk’s realm. With the vortex destroyed, she is desperate to find a way home. Her Uncle Tom, her friends and now the boy she loves, are in danger. Will Kiera find the strength and the self-belief she needs to save them?

On her lonely journey she meets new allies from peculiar races. The Prophecy is all falling into place. Will Kiera be able to forgive the people she trusted? Will she be able to save the world from her twisted nemesis? Will she finally believe that she is indeed the ‘chosen one’? 

Review: 


This is the third installment of Kiera's Quest.

CAUTION: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS

After the destruction of the vortex, Kiera is stuck in a foreign world knowing that he friends and family are in the danger of the Witch Queen. While there, she discovers things about herself and her parents, whom she never got to know. She teams up with all the races--human, Zantarian, Narekian, Hershen, and Capetorad--to get herself back home.

This installment has probably been my favorite so far in the series. During its course, it has shown other facets and layers that Kiera, Zakk, and the others have. It's shown their persistence, their bravery, and most of all the care they have for each other as well as others. 

In Perceptions, we see more of the Witch Queen. She is one of those characters whose persistence has really shown in the novel. While she hates affection and love, she deals with the love that Kiera's friends have for her in order to attempt to destroy everything Kiera loves. In turn, she is torturing herself. If that's not persistence and ambition, I don't know what is. 

We also see more of what the Witch Queen is capable of. While in Kiera's body, her magic is limited. Even with that, the Witch Queen is still able to hold her form and use minor magic (though she later receives help from an unsuspected accomplice). 

Kiera's new friends are an interesting bunch: 

The Capetorads are water creatures, who are able to manipulate water as long as they're hydrated. If in water, as long as they're in contact with some part of your body, you are able to use their gills to breathe. 

The only Hershen we meet in the novel is Mason who is able to "rip" himself apart into multiple clones, creating an army made up of one person. He is swift and strong, as described in the novel. It interests me to know more about him and his people. Are they all able to multiply in the same fashion? (Also, I really really hope the Witch Queen doesn't get hold of him or I will cry.)

(THERE IS ALSO SOME JUICY STUFF THAT HAPPENS WITH JOE AND IT'S PRETTY DRAMATIC. I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING MORE 'CAUSE YOU NEED TO READ  IT TO TRULY SAY OH MY GOODNESS IN A LOUD VOICE.)

The only problem I had in the novel (this doesn't really affect the rating) is the constant insistence by every male in Kiera's life to keep her safe. At this point, (although, I don't recall Kiera receiving any lessons in battle or combat) I feel like Kiera has proven that she can protect herself. She's faced the Witch Queen (with the help of her friends, of course) multiple times. If she wasn't capable of making sure to keep herself alive, the novel wouldn't have continued thus far, because she would be dead. 

That said, I loved Perceptions. The overall idea of the novel was phenomenal. I can't wait to learn more about Kiera and Zakk's family and how she will be when she finally steps into her role as 'the chosen one.'

Thanks again to Kristy Brown!

The next installment of Kiera's Quest is Choices.

KIERA'S QUEST: SACRIFICES by Kristy Brown Review

Title:  Kiera's Quest: Sacrifices

Author: Kristy Brown

Release date: August 3rd, 2012

Rating: 5/5

Publisher: MuseItUp

Book Summary: 

After almost beating the villainous Witch Queen, Kiera’s triumph is tainted with sadness for the loss of Joe and Daz.

When the handsome Prince Zakk asks Kiera to re-enter his world in order to save her friend, she does not hesitate.

On their perilous journey Kiera realizes that she is there to save many lives. As she comes face to face with her evil nemesis once again, Kiera comes closer to finding out the truth to why she has been chosen.

Will she succeed? Will this be the end to Kiera’s quest?

Review:

 

As the second installment of the book series Kiera's Quest, Sacrifices dealt with the continuation of Kiera's journey after the horrible events that ended the first book.

 

Back on Earth, Kiera is listed as a missing person along with her friends Daz and Joe; Maddy was left alone to carry the burden of her friends' "disappearances." What made the situation worse is the fact that she knows where Kiera is and why she left and she knows what happened to her boyfriend Daz and Joe. She's forced to keep it secret. Kiera, on the other hand, struggles with Prince Zakk to defeat the Witch Queen and indirectly looking for Joe and Daz.

In this installment of Kiera's Quest, we finally get to see Zakk in action and not as a plastic Ken doll. He was brave and very noble (duh, he's a prince). He always made sure that everyone was safe and didn't leave anyone behind. For his introduction as a walking and moving character, he hit it hard and I really liked him.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but Terrance the dog was probably my favorite character as I was reading. He's so awesome and comes to the rescue at the perfect moments. Read the book, and you'll understand why Terrance is definitely the Character of the Week. (Is that even a thing?)

Again, I could really feel myself as Kiera. She was brave  and yet she had her moments of fear and distress. I think the one thing I don't like about Kiera is that she can rely on the ring a little too much sometimes. She does take care of business when it's necessary with the ring or without it.

The Witch Queen strikes again! Wow, she's a pretty awesome villainess and the way Kiera and the others describe her kind of send chills down my back. The things she does to people just for the fun of it; the things she does just to gain her power back. It's really magnificent. In my scale of villains, so far she's up there with Maleficent, Valentine, and Voldemort. (Maleficent is still my favorite though. She did all that stuff because she wasn't invited to the birthday party.) 

Anyway, there is also a twist that no one expects, though both got me mad and yet I was kind of happy with it. (Unlike THINGS IN DITCHES which just made me mad.) We also meet some new characters: Alex, Mouse, Jamie and others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to continue following Kiera on her journey and her battles against the Witch Queen.

A big thanks to Kristy Brown for giving me the opportunity to read the second installment!

   

Kiera's Quest: Awakenings by Kristy Brown REVIEW

Title: Awakenings
Author:  Kristy Brown
Release date: October 19th, 2011
Rating: 4.5/5
Publisher: MuseItUp
Book Summary:  

Meet Kiera, a pretty, intelligent, and talented girl, brought up by her uncle, and abandoned by her parents. Life is as normal as she believes it to be, apart from the deep ache inside her, telling her she’s different. For years, Kiera had dreams where she ventures into a different reality. She’s not alone; a presence is always there, keeping her safe, yet she feels vulnerable, and hunted.
Zakk, Prince of Zantar, is under the Witch Queen’s spell as she tries to take over his world.He crosses paths with Kiera, and their fates are entwined.
As their journey unravels, she learns that she is not the only one affected by this prince. Who is on her side? Will she find out why she has been chosen? How can someone so young, defeatsuch evil? Will she find the strength to save the ones closest to her? Will this be Kiera’s only Quest?

Review:

Thanks to Kristy Brown's event on her Facebook page I was able to request, read, and now review Awakenings the first book in her, as of right now, trilogy.  If you like evil witches, princes, quests, and magic then this is the book for you. I promise.

I read the book's synopsis and I immediately wanted to snatch it up, curl up on my couch, and read. And once I started, I couldn't stop. I literally read the whole book in one day and when it ended I wanted more of Kiera and Zakk. Brown's imagery was vivid and flowed so beautifully.  Personification brought the scenes to life: "Zakk knew his only response would be that of his own echoes chasing each other round the stone cave walls." And that was only in Chapter One. I read this in one day because I didn't even realize how many pages I had read until I was done. I was so immersed in Kiera's world and her thought process.


However, the reason why I didn't give it a 5 is because I felt that certain things happened too quickly. I can't think of the exact scene when I thought that, but I felt things were kind of sped up. I also have to take into consideration that the time span of the novel was a few days, though I still felt certain things should have taken their time. For example, traveling across the gorge full of spikes. Also, certain lines felt a little cliché. 

Brown's character's were really, really great, though. I could really relate to Kiera. The way she was handling her situation and getting paranoid with the people around her was probably how I would have been. Saving a prince's life and an entire world was on her shoulders and it was her fault if everything was destroyed. She had also come to like the prince that she was trying to help and she wouldn't have been happy with herself if she didn't succeed.

The Witch Queen was a really cool character. Honestly, I wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley. She knew what she wanted and when she wanted it. It wasn't her fault that her henchman Googe couldn't deliver. (Also, as a side note, I read Googe as Google the first time and I had to re-read it cause I was so confused. Though, it was really funny.) The things she did to Zakk (most of which were just revealed) in the first Chapter in order to rise to the throne was completely insane and wonderful. She was powerful and yet she was vulnerable which is probably why I liked her so much. I hated her so much I loved her!

Joe is probably the most adorable thing ever. I have a friend named Joe and for some reason both his personality and the personality of the Joe in the book really fit. I don't know. Haha. I guess it really made my connection with Joe a little stronger, because he was so similar to my friend in real life, which is a very good thing. Her character was well rounded and exhibited qualities and quirks and personality traits that are seen in normal humans. Joe jumped off the page for me. He was lovestruck and faithful, but he also had his dorky qualities which were super duper adorable.

I fell in love with Daz at the end, and since that was the case, you'll have to read Kiera's Quest: Awakenings.  You'll also have to read it to find out why the ending killed me. (Trust me. You won't be disappointed reading this book.) 

I would definitely love to pick up the remaining book sometime in the near future. Thank you again Kristy Brown and I hope to hear more from you soon!