Radiance: Volume 1 (Wraith Kings)

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None of the King or Queens of each family are happy but it's the way it is, I must say Brishen's mom is a bitch beyond all bitches. I will let you read the book about her! But honestly, that tells you just how much I enjoyed being in this world. And how sad I was to leave it. Her maids refused to meet her gaze while they laced her into her gown and twitched the train into perfect folds, but she’d caught their looks of pity mixed with horror from the corner of her eye. Ildiko told herself to ignore them. Arranged marriages were the fate of nearly all aristocratic Gauri women, each one made for power, for trade, for good of country. His Majesty, Sangur the Lame, had married off both his daughters to princes of foreign lands as part of the negotiations for access to ports and allies in war. The Gauri king’s niece was no exception to the protocol, and Ildiko had always expected a similar fate. The only question was when—not if—it happened. Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined. As is the whole book, really. Radiance is a pitch-perfect fantasy romance that weaves classic material into something new and delightful. As long as you’re okay with a bit of spice and a few really dark moments, you should shove this book to the very top of your TBR because it’s fantastic.

I must admit, this was really something different! *lol* I mean the book blurb already suggested that this wasn’t going to be your ordinary love story but wow, this one was really something else. XD The concept of arranged marriages between different countries is nothing new, in this case however it aren’t just dissimilar kingdoms but also different species our two protagonists have to deal with. Ildiko is human and Brishen is Kai and I’m pretty sure they couldn’t be any more different even if they tried. Then if Brishen's damn mother didn't come and visit him after he was better, not all the way as he was mutilated. I'm not saying how or what or what she did but OMG I want them to end her! I got so freaking mad!!!!! But Ildiko and Brishen meet right before their marriage in the garden and they didn't even know it until Ildiko gets ready to go inside and Brishen hears her name being called. Brishen enjoyed their conversation so much that he wants to talk to Ildiko before the wedding so she knows it's him. They share a moment in the garden and they didn't feel so horrified around each other and they were "honest".. yep.. I know it's a foreign word, but they were "honest" and told the truth about how they feel being around each others kind. They told each other how hideous they thought the other was and did that throughout the book until a turning point. She exhaled slowly. The space between her eyebrows stitched into a single vertical frown line. Had you crawled out from under my bed when I was a child, I would have bludgeoned you to death with my father’s mace. Voices in the distance carried across the green lawn and into the oak’s shaded sanctuary. The woman rose and scraped her hands across the imaginary wrinkles in her skirts. I have to go. I am missed.They first meet just before their wedding, and recognizing this kinship in each other, form an alliance based on mutual respect and honesty.

Aaaanyway enough of disgusting Kai dishes, let’s get to the main plot. Truth be told, there isn’t a lot of plot happening but I guess that’s mostly due to the fact that this is supposed to be a love story. At least the first book seems to be. After the ending I’m pretty sure that we’ll get a lot more action in “Eidolon”. ;-) With the first book Grace Draven prepared us for the world Ildiko and Brishen live in and I’m convinced that everything we learned in “Radiance” will be important once we start with book two. She charmed and fascinated him, and Brishen wished he had the leisure to know her better. But there was no time. He married at dusk when both human and Kai eyes could see each other clearly and recoil at the sight.She returned a brief curtsey and a last smile. As have I, sir. You have lessened my worries. We’ll meet again. She turned and hurried toward the voices growing ever closer. Radiance by Grace Draven is a near-perfect fantasy romance that hits all the right tropes while creating something new and beautiful. It does a great job balancing light and dark both literally and figuratively, though a few moments are so dark I went looking to see if I’d missed content warnings because they are both things I prefer to avoid, or at least be aware of before jumping in. There are no such warnings in the book, so I’ll offer them to you here: Her serious features relaxed into a wide smile. She possessed the teeth of a tiny horse--white and square except for two pairs of pathetic canines. He’d seen Kai toddlers with milk teeth sharper than those. He tried to focus on her words. Ildiko laughed and stabbed a piece of the potato off his plate. She popped it into her mouth and chewed with gusto, eager to blunt the taste of scarpatine still lingering on her tongue.”

The woman crossed slender arms. Despite the odd skin and grotesque eyes, she had a lovely shape and regular facial features. Brishen began to bow, eager to take his leave of this awkward situation. I'm an author and Louisiana native living in Texas with my husband, three smalls and a big doofus dog. I have lived in Spain, hiked the Teton Mountains, honeymooned in Scotland, ridden in competition rodeo and am the great great granddaughter of a Nicaraguan president. I also hate doing laundry and refuse to iron anything. I really couldn’t have said it any better. Ildiko and Brishen don’t have insta-love, they have insta-friendship and I don’t know about you, but for me this was a great approach. They respect each other and their cultures and they try their best to learn what it means to be human or Kai. Still, I’ve to admit that Ildiko has all my respect for putting up with the tradition of eating scarpatine. *shudders* I probably would have screamed and jumped on a chair. *LOL* Also I’m sure I couldn’t have eaten it ... not even if my life would have depended on it. XD The story begins with our couple on their wedding day. They are two different species and are being married off to set an alliance in place between their kingdoms. He is grey (not sure how many shades. let's say 49 or so), has giant razor-sharp teeth and claws, and alien eyes that are all one color. Here is what she says about his appearance:The woman’s eyes rounded. She inhaled a harsh breath and clasped one hand to her chest. Her mollusk skin went a far more attractive shade of ash. She remained silent and stared at him until he raised a hand in question. Well? She shrugged. I’ve only seen your hands and eyes. For all I know, you’re hiding the face of a sun spirit in that hood.