Author: Donnielle Tyner
Publication date: October 19th, 2015
Synopsis:
Bound by Vengeance.
Sadie has found the resolve to fight the man who caused so much pain in her life. Her tentative alliance with the HCA underground gives her the resources to train both her body and Talent for when she comes face to face with her grandfather.
Bound by Loss.
Being separated from her friends at St Vincent’s is harder than she could have ever realized and it doesn’t help that Kian has withdrawn from her as well. With help from a new friend, Sadie uncovers more about her past and that someone close to her has been keeping secrets from Sadie her entire life.
Bound by Fear.
Tragedy strikes close to home, giving a longstanding enemy, one desperate and willing to do anything to have Sadie on their side, an opportunity to arise. Allies and friends come together to stand against evil, but at a terrible cost. Sadie’s history and future collide while the world is thrown into chaos.
Sadie must overcome or forever be Bound. My Review:
I received a copy from the author to read and review in return.
I was one of the lucky readers who received an ARC copy from Donnielle Tyner herself. I was super thrilled about the first installment and couldn't wait to start the second book of the series, "The Caelian Cycle". This book was so different to the first one. So many new factors about the Caelian world were introduced, a bucket load of character developments were portrayed, and the ambiance changed completely. This definitely made the concept of the entire story that much more interesting. Let's get into the nitty gritty.
Bound starts out at a different pace than what I was used to from the first book. We begin from where we left off, only a few weeks later where Sadie is forced to hide underground now that her dangerous talent and status as the granddaughter of the Moreau (one of the most important but narrow minded and dangerous Caelian families) is out in the open. Both humans and Caelians are hunting for her, holding different motives for their actions. Sadie is at a point in her life where she is filled with anger and hate for her grandfather and his sidekick, Link, but not only does she cast this frustration and anger towards him and his minion, but also to her friends and those who are closest to her. This new trait of Sadie's was something I really had to get used to, as she was previously known to be assertive, more composed and determined. But obviously, this change was a result from the final events in the first book (no spoilers here, go on... read the book!), and I couldn't help but sympathize for her. These final turn of events turned her into a tougher person, but simultaneously emotionally she was also becoming weaker.
Even though the pace of the book in the beginning was quite slow, the reader was consistently pulled into the story with the build up of potential suspenseful scenes, waiting for something to creep up and throw Sadie's world upside down. This didn't happen immediately however midway through, when the reader least expects it, I was blown away by the unexpected incident which took the story in a complete different direction. I love how Donnielle has such a talent for executing this, and she never fails to leave the reader in complete awe (and sometimes devastation!!).
Sadie's relationship with her boyfriend Kian and friends back in the orphanage intensified immensely. Her relationship with Kian moves so quickly that they decide to take it slower and focus genuinely on each other and what they want from their relationship. I found this to be a very realistic move for their relationship and it made me admire how much they loved each other through thick and thin. The relationship Sadie holds with her friends isso strong, whenever her friends were threatened or in danger, my heart would sink at the thought or notion that something would happen to them.
Ms. Tyner's writing style and and timing is impeccable, and she has an amazing talent to keep the reader consistently engaged into the story. Bound was no different and at every suspenseful moment I found myself clenching to my kindle for dear life. Now, that's what I call talent (pun definitely intended)!
I am absolutely thrilled that I have been featured in her praise section of Bound, and I cannot wait to read the next installment of this wonderful and adventurous YA dystopian series.
