Book Hookup: Search results for lombardo

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Rayna's Sacrifice action-packed page-turner

Rayna’s Secret is book 3 in the Katori Chronicles. This coming-of-age tome is YA fantasy at its best as Prince Kai approaches his 17th birthday. As heir to the throne of Diu, he faces several big decisions. He and the love of his life, Rayna, feel the symptoms of their Katori blood burning within their veins. It is time to head to Katori to participate in the Conhaspriga, or their Katori powers will burn out and be lost forever; powers Kai needs to save his mother.

With Rayna at his side, Kai steps away from palace life in Diu, and they head for Katori to take part in the Conhaspriga--a coming-of-age test to get into Katori. The test grows into a battle against Katori Guardians working against his every move to enter because they fear he is like his biological father, Keegan.

Kai and Rayna grow in their Katori powers. Inspiration from Alenga and his desire to save his mother spurs Kai on. Through visions, he knows she is alive but trapped in her beastmaster form. But not everyone is eager to save his mother.

Kai and Rayna work together throughout this quest. They come against one obstacle after another while learning to master their powers individually. The ever-changing circumstances force them to make difficult decisions, often at their own peril.

Rayna's Sacrifice is action-packed; a real page-turner. The Katori Chronicles realm offers wonder characters, and Lombardo's world-building skills are masterful. I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to fantasy enthusiasts who enjoy the Age of the Sorcerers book series by Morgan Rice. It is a fantastic journey for readers young and old.

Reviews of other books in the Katori Chronicles series

Half-Light (Book 1)

Mariana's Secret (Book 2)

The Traitor (Book 4)

Keegan's Wrath (Book 5)

About A.D. Lombardo

Angela Lombardo was born in Akron, Ohio, raised on a farm by her grandparents. Angela loves animals, the country life and is still a tomboy at heart. You can take her off the bobcat, but you’ll never get her to enjoy the city. She dabbled in playing the piano, sports and fishing.

Her love of comics started with Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Being a Trekkie and a BMX rider, Angela did not have many girlfriends or time for makeup. She spent most of her time with her older brother crashing dirt bikes and three-wheelers. As a teenager, her grandmother sent her to Barbizon to teach her how to be a proper girl. She is fortunate she had a son.

Angela started writing The Half-Light in fall 2017 after a sleepless night gave her pause about the mother in a made-up story she created for her son. She spent the weekend solving the mystery of where the mother went.

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Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Mariana's Secret - an unpredictable, action-packed plot

Mariana’s Secret is book 2 in the Katori Chronicles. In it, Author A. D. Lombardo picks right up where book 1, The Half-Light, left off, with 15-year-old Prince Kai of Diu discovering and learning how to use his Katori powers as he approaches his 16^th birthday. He is focused on learning what happened when his mother died 12 years earlier. With Kendra’s help, he uses his powers to relive the memory. What he learns changes the course of his life. His skills, both magical and otherwise, continue to grow. One of those skills includes learning to be a spy. It creates secret connections and places him strategically to learn sensitive information. With each new discovery, he finds things are not as he has been told all his life. He struggles with anger and must learn to navigate his painful emotions as he continues to perform his royal duties.

When a mysterious stranger threatens the royal family in Diu during the Winter Festival accompanied by Landon Maxwell whom he’d known from childhood, it raises a whole new set of questions. Who is this man and how did he get past security? And why does he want to hurt the King’s family? Kai travels to Albey Estate to talk his aunt and uncle into coming to the safety of Diu, but while he is there, it comes under attack. Men equipped with hand cannons and other new and deadly weapons swarm the estate from the sea. Kai senses a Katori man on one of the ships and is sure it is the same stranger who threatened the palace.

While all this is going on, Kai’s prearranged marriage to Amelia is still moving forward. The problem is that his heart belongs to Rayna and Ameilia loves Tolan. Based on his visions, Kai is certain he meant to be with Rayna and tries to find a way to get out of the prearranged obligation that would make him King of Milnos. To compound things, he learns that when he and Rayna turn 17, as full Katoris, they will become sick and must travel to Katori for the Conhaspriga or risk losing their magical abilities altogether. As their birthdays draw near headaches start followed by fever. Responsibilities seem to make it impossible to get away, and the Katori elders do not want Kai to return to Katori for some reason. This places all kinds of hurdles and obstacles in their way.

Mariana’s Secret is full of more than just Mariana’s secret. With multiple plot threads woven into an unpredictable, action-packed plot with relatable characters, this original story easily earns 5-stars and comes highly recommended to epic fantasy readers. I do recommend reading the Half-Light first, but Mariana’s Secret will be an enjoyable read even if you don’t.

As BookHookup I am a longtime book reviewer and I received Mariana's Secret as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.