Radiance (Wraith Kings Book 1)

5 stars.What a hidden gem! I won’t lie: without the very enthusiastic review of a fellow Goodreads friend I would never have read this book. I did not find the cover appealing and would have overlooked it. But the saying is true: don’t judge a book by its cover because this story is little treasure.That’s quite ironic as one of the main topics of this book is to see beyond outer appearance to discover the real beauty: that of the soul. Maybe every reader has to follow the same path our heroes did: disregard the plain book cover, go beyond the surface and look for true beauty nestled inside the pages.I’m really smitten with this story, with the gorgeous (I would say courteous as it has a medieval tint to it) writing, with the exceptional characters, with the topic broached, with the universe.The topic as stated above is about true beauty. It’s also about love, not insta-love but a love built on a partnership, on mutual respect. It’s about the fear of the other, the one different in culture and coloring from your people. It’s a timeless topic treated with finesse and grace.The intrigue takes place in a medieval/fantasy universe. Three kingdoms compete with each other, two inhabited by humans: The Kingdom of Gaur and the Kingdom of Belawat while the Kai Kingdom hosts the Kai people, some non-human creatures.Gaur will unite with the Kai through the wedding of the youngest Kai prince, Brishen and the Gaur King’s niece Ildiko. Both characters are “spare pieces” as they’re not destined to rule their kingdom and their value resides in such arranged marriage to strengthen strategic alliances.Ildiko with her red hair, blue eyes with black pupil , pale skin and flat teeth is ugly to every Kai as they’re black skinned with full yellow eyes void of pupil and harbor fangs and claws. Both people find the other abhorrent. One lives in daylight and the other in moonlight. They can’t conceive children together. They could not be more different.Ildiko is orphaned and has never known love at her uncle’s court. She avoids her aunt the Queen at all costs and finds solace in the beauty of the gardens. Conscious of her duty, she’s determined to be the best wife she can. Brishen is also lonely and has never loved his father’s court, a real nest of viper with his mother Queen Cimse being THE evil queen (trust me, the Queen in Snow White or The Sleeping Beauty are child’s play compared with Cimse).When they first meet, they’re not aware they’re in the presence of their intended. ”Brishen braced for an ear-pinning scream from his unexpected visitor. The Gauri woman who stared at him wide-eyed with her strange gaze did neither. He’d obviously startled her with his presence in the garden. She flinched away when he raised a hand in cautious greeting but she didn’t run. “Forgive me, madam” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”They’ll both be honest and blunt throughout this encounter, enjoying a refreshing and honest moment, far from the court’s hypocrisy. I loved reading about their mutual perception, how they saw each other, both honest, curious but respectful at the same time. In a few sentences, I was enlightened about these characters and already in love with their souls.”You find me ugly,don’t you?” “Hideous, a hag of a woman.” “And you”, he said. “you don’t think me a handsome man?””Thank you for not lying what you thought of my appearance. You might have a face to turn my hair white, but your honesty is handsome.”They’re both so accustomed to the lies of courtesans they value highly honesty.”She was a challenge to look upon without wincing, but he very much liked her wry humor. Brishen had no expectation about his bride, but he hoped she might possess a small amount of the pleasant demeanor this woman exhibited.”As different as they seem at first glance, Ildiko and Brishen are very similar in their hearts. Brishen wasn’t human but he was “congenial and gracious”. He swore to help Ildiko and teach her about the Kai and Ildiko thought some women marry men “with handsome faces but ghastly souls”. They both found themselves very fortunate.Very soon, they formed a strong bond, a partnership built on respect and mutual admiration. They valued the other and what began as forced wedding evolved into beautiful and strong love once they saw beyond the appearances.”Brishen would kill whoever had tried to hurt his wife, split his skull the way he’d done with the Beladine raider who attacked her. She was ugly; she was beautiful, and she was his.”I discovered two very lovable and strong characters. Both are the one you overlooked all your life, people of low importance, content to live far from the court’s conspiracies but lonely. They may be discreet but they don’t lack in strength, astuteness and determination.I really fell in love with the author’s writing. It has its own magic and flows effortlessly, with a graceful quality. It makes us think about what true beauty is it demonstrates that strength is not a show of brute violence but rather lies in tranquil determination.Ildiko will be seen as the ugly wife by the Kai people and will adapt to a new life, living at night and sleeping the day. She’ll have to adopt their customs, even the one consisting in eating pies prepared with very living deadly insects (they reminded me of gigantic scorpions). She may have no claws or jagged teeth but she has a strong backbone and can use her silver tongue like the best to duel with the formidable Queen Secmis. She has my utmost admiration as she handled all this with pride and poise. Brishen with his unwavering support, his huge brute force but true gentleness with his wife has also gained all my love.I’m so taken with this series I’m already 55% into the second book and I can already see a sleep deprived reader tomorrow.”Will you be that for me, Ildiko? That beacon in the void?” Ildiko’s heart cracked. Loneliness had been her constant companion, the silent shadow that hovered over her for years. “The void is vast, like the sea at night and no land in sight. I’ll be the beacon, Brishen.”

Seriously . And I don't say that lightly . This is one of the best books I've read in a long time . There's actually artistry involved in the writing . There is beauty in the plots and the characters are so lovable that I can't wait to get my hands on the next one! I'm so sick of these very cliché love stories that we read all the time. Where the heroines are kind of annoying and kind of make you want to slap them, and you don't really understand why they make the decisions they do or can't draw logical conclusions fast enough. The heroin in this book is smart and witty and strong and beautiful and you love her instantly. As for the hero , he's not the typical "bad boy in need of saving" who is rude and mean and has to "push the heroin away because he can't control his emotions". He's a badass who is confident in who he Is. He doesn't use his past to make him week, but instead uses it to make him stronger and loving, which I loved reading so much! The two together make for an amazing partnership, and the book is full of the character of real love: growing together , learning from each other , and having the decency to give each other a chance. None of this BS "I have to convince you that you love me" or "we both have to fight our unnatural draw to each other because I know you're no good for me" crap . Just a very real connection that you watch grow between two people . The only reason that I am deducting a star is that while I am totally in love with this writer's style and her impeccable vocabulary, sometimes I had to go back and reread paragraphs a couple of times because they were a little too poetic to fully grasp on the first pass. I'm very grateful that I read this on my Kindle because I had to look up words a lot, LOL . However, even though this is the case, I can appreciate her very talented use of words. It was almost a challenge to read, but in a good way, unlike all the crap I've been reading lately. Long story short this is an amazing book and you need to read it!

This is truly a gem of a book. A fantastic world. Two very different people marry for political reasons only to build a relationship with respect and eventually deep love. The humor is unexpected. One of my favorite scenes is the "disgusted" eating of a potato. But romance and fantasy readers should love this.

I was surprised by this book in a good way. Its characters are original and well written - and their affection for each other grows slowly and in a way that feels very real. No smouldering looks at each other, but instead a gentler, sweeter kind of love. Well worth a read.

Perfect! Find it by hazard….and not even my type, I’m not really a fantasy lover, not even the romances lover…but this one…it’s magnificent. Loved the writing, loved the characters and really loved the story. Can’t wait for more.Livre trouvé au pif…. Vraiment pas de tout mon type, j’aime pas les romances et encore moins les histoires fantastiques avec des elfes et cie. Mais…quelle belle surprise. Super bien écrit, fluide, une super construction des personnages et j’ai bien aimé l’histoire même si en bref elle reste assez banale. J’ai hâte pour la suite.

I don't know about you but I am sick of fantasy romances where the male lead is a possessive control freak who can't go two pages without ruining the female lead's confidence or independence. Thankfully, this book was nothing like that. :)Brishen and Ildiko's lovestory is unique, heartwarming, and draws you in right from the start. And the best part is the story has more to it than just a romance. It has a distinct plotline.I am not much of a book reviewer, so I will ask you to trust the blurb. It's an accurate description of the story.In conclusion, this is like Beauty and the Beast where both the MCs think the other is hideous but fall in love with the person on the inside...until they both realize that the other was always beautiful. Their hearts saw it before their eyes did.

Francamente pensavo di trovarmi a leggere un buon romanzo fantasy.Invece mi sono trovata a leggere un delizioso romanzo d'amore.In una terra di stampo medievale, in reami confinanti convivono, bene o male, la razza umana e quella dei Kai (creature da incubo notturno, dai denti vampireschi, pelle grigia, occhi gialli senza pupilla e artigli al posto delle unghie).Gli equilibri sono tenui ma le esigenze commerciali portano gli umani Gauri a stabilire un accordo con i Kai sancito dal matrimonio tra una fanciulla imparentata con la casa regnante di Pricid e il figlio minore del re dei Kai, improbabile erede (vista l'esistenza di un fratello maggiore con molti figli).Ed è così che un principe di nessun valore si ritrova a sposare una ragazza di scarsa importanza. Fin qui parrebbe la solita trama dei due costretti ad un matrimonio di convenienza e che si odiano fin dall'inizio, salvo poi cambiare idea. Invece l'autrice ci presenta due figure di spessore che al posto di inveire contro il destino, si comportano con la grazia e la dignità di due autentici membri dell'aristocrazia; sono consapevoli dei loro doveri, prendono con serietà i piccoli e grandi problemi della convivenza, e soprattutto si parlano con una onestà incantevole e si trovano, poco a poco a diventare alleati, amici e poi amanti in una progressione del tutto naturale.Devo dire che la parte migliore è quando l'autrice spostando il punto di vista tra i due protagonisti, rivela quanto la diversità fisica e culturale tra le due razze provochi l'iniziale, inevitabile disgusto.Tuttavia, e qui sta il capolavoro, mentre i motivi per provare orrore verso i Kai ci sembrano chiari, i motivi per cui i Kai trovano disgustosi gli umani hanno una insolita ma realistica giustezza: per persone con orbite uniformemente gialle, gli occhi umani biancastri e mobili, sembrano molluschi in movimento, per non parlare dei denti che sono più simili a quelli dei cavalli.Il lettore viene invitato a mettersi letteralmente nei panni di tutti i personaggi e a comprendere le loro difficoltà. Solo così si riesce ad apprezzare fino in fondo lo sforzo reale alla base della riuscita. Nessuna magia, infatti. Solo un lavoro continuo di compromesso e di affetto, basato sull'onore e su saldi principi.Questa diversa prospettiva rende godibili le scene iniziali e rende anche più interessanti gli approcci dei due protagonisti alla ricerca di un terreno comune su cui basare i futuro.Poi ovviamente, nella vicenda la trama si arricchisce. Non tutti sono contenti dell'accordo fra Gauri e Kai e i nemici non tardano a comparire.Non dico di più, se non che Grace Draven è un'autrice di tutto rispetto e forse meriterebbe che i suoi libri venissero tradotti in italiano.

What such a little treasure.Love ‘Radiance’ and ‘Eidolon’ to no end. This series is one of the best love stories I ever read. The author made an awesome job describing Brishen and Ildiko relationship and how they’re evolving and changing through the story. They grow as individuals and together. And their love story is one of the best I’ve ever read.I’m in love with both main characters and personality. They’re both supportive, respect and help each other and always are trying to see the positive side of things and of their life together. I also enjoyed a lot how they tease each other and the good humor they have most of the time. They’re not complaining but trying to get the best of themselves and their situation.They suffer a lot at the end of every book but are able to keep going with each other’s help and love. Every scene between Brishen and Ildiko is beautifully and artistically written. I’ve already read ‘Radiance’ like five times and I think I’m going to read ‘Eidolon’ more than once too.Thank you for writing this incredible books. I wish they were translated into Spanish in the near future so my sister and friends could read them too. I’m recommending them to everyone, hahaha!I’m really looking forward to reading book 3 of the series, although I know it won’t be focused on Brishen and Ildiko, I hope they can show up from time to time in the story.