The Affiliate - Review

The Affiliate (Ascension #1)

By: K.A. Linde

Published: September 15, 2015 by K.A. Linde, Inc

339 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon)

Summary:

On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland—an Affiliate to the Queen. 

Or so she thinks. 

When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have... 

King Edric himself. 

Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom.

MY REVIEW:
This is one of those times when I finished reading a book that I didn't have much to say. The book was interesting...but I kept feeling like I wanted more. Perhaps since this is the first in a series there was a lot of ground work to make and foundation to build on. There were aspects I enjoyed more than others - the interactions of Cyrene with both the King, who is only 20, and the Prince, age 18. But I felt like they were just barely touched on. Again leaving me with the feeling of wanting more.

The cover drew me in first. The synopsis second. I had higher hopes for the story but am not giving up on it. I do want to see where Cyrene's journey of discovery takes her next.

The story is about 17 year old Cyrene who, on her day of presenting, is chosen to be an Affiliate, the first class among her people. She is set to work with the Queen and to do the tasks that she sets for her. But the problem is that the Queen doesn't like Cyrene...primarily because the King is taken with her. The prince too seems to have some sort of attraction to her and is more pushy about it. Through the course of her time at court, affiliates and others begin being found murdered. And Cyrene learns that she is the common puzzle piece to each of those found murdered. She along with 2 other affiliates and her best friend Rhea, set out to investigate more of what's going on. Through this journey Cyrene discovers that she has powers within herself that she doesn't understand and pieces of her own puzzle lead her to battle for her own life.

Cyrene is a brave, strong young girl. She doesn't cave to the pressures at court, she stands her ground and speaks her mind. She's a very likable heroin.

Fans of YA Fantasy and stories with magic elements with a royal setting will enjoy this! I look forward to seeing if the more I'm looking for comes to fruition in the next book.

Favorite Quotes:
"I can never be anything but the king...but when I'm with her, I want to be."

The cord binding them together was the fuse, and every touch and look and emotion was the match igniting the flames.

"Because I want her to want the man behind the crown."

Sometimes, you have to take risks to see outcomes!

In another life, she could have been the girl happy to be at the beck and call of a king, happy to be a mistress. But that other girl wouldn't have heard destiny knocking, and she wouldn't have answered.

Language Rating: 1 (light)
Mature Content Rating: 1 (light)
Final Rating: 3.5 stars