First in the Albatar Chronicles fantasy series, Kazari, is a teen pledge who - against the wishes of her family - has committed herself in service to the Lady, The Lady,goddess of goodness, aids Albatar in the battle against the evil Gorgones, demonic soul-sucking monsters that have been encroaching on the borders. Kazari responds to her calling, expecting she will serve in a utilitarian capacity; she is stunned to be chosen as a Hunter, the elite frontline defense force battling the deadly Gorgones. Kazari must undergo rigorous and deadly training and sooner than anyone anticipated she must face the Gorgones. An exciting page turner!

ARC from NetGalley

3.5 stars

This was a decent read. The magic system is interesting. It reminds me a super tiny bit of Sanderson The Way of Kings a bit in the mechanics, obviously not the metallurgy part.

The author seemed to feel it was necessary to remind us that Kaz is chunky like a dozen times. I get it. She is chunky. She could have varied the vocabulary a bit. Perhaps Kaz could be rubenesque, full figured, chubby, etc. It felt a bit excessive because it didn't feel like there was a point to it. I still don't know what colour her eyes were, but I know she was chunky. She didn't seem to be self-conscious about it. It didn't seem to matter to anyone around her. I just don't get why it was mentioned so often.

Kaz spends a lot of time blushing and being unsure of herself. I hope she develops a bit more as a character as we move forward.

I started to find the whole "the Lady" situation to be a bit preachy. There is a bit too much of the characters relying on the Lady instead of having confidence in themselves and their own strengths. It was a touch eye-rolley at times. Kaz with tears in her eyes because of the Lady and her pious joy got old fast. I recognize it is a huge part of the premise, but it could have been approached slightly differently, not hammered home as hard.

My major complaint is that this book did not feel that it had a real plot. It suffered from that first book in a series affliction. I need each book to have a plot arc and the series itself to have an overarching arc. This book didn't have that. There was no resolved conflict really. I mean, there was, but eh. It felt like happenstance.

I'll still read the next one, because it's interesting and relatively well-written, but I'm hoping the next books have Leonie coming into her own a bit more. She has a lot of potential. This was an interesting book, and I read it quite fast. I enjoyed the read. Nothing made me cringe. It was a decent book. I look forward to the next one.

p.s. change the cover ASAP. It is awful.

p.p.s. change the title. What is the point of having the tension build up the first 4 chapters when everyone knows whats going to happen because of the title?

A different type of fantasy read from what I'm used to. I feel it's leaning towards teen read rather than YA.

It is well written and is an easy read with an interesting plot. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

It is a nice first book in a series, leads to an end that would make some want to continue on - with it's own problem in it as well. An interesting fantasy read.

Arc received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me i couldn't for the life of me read it I found it okay but I don't think the book was up my alley and that's okay. The writing was okay but nothing spectacular. I found Kaz kind of whiny and she irritated me a little bit. The plot felt non existing at times and I don't think I would have enjoyed it if I finished it

In general the book is well written, the story is appealing, and it is an easy read.
However, the book is quite focused on the main character's development and the plot takes a bit of time to be established.
Kaz, for many many chapters, appears to be younger than she actually is, there is a lack of maturity you expect for a 15 year old and it felt throughout the book that she was only 12 y.o.. Not exactly a problem as her character continues to grow, and by the book ends, she is now written in accordance to her age.

It ends with a good cliffhanger, and I'm curious with what will happen next.

I see the plot and the style of writing of this book appealing more to teens than to YA, and taking that in consideration I'll give it 4⭐

This was a fabulous start to a new series, exciting, un-put-downable, and with a very interesting plot and characters. I will look forward to the rest of the chronicles! With thanks to Net Galley for my ARC to read and review.

This is a fun YA filled with high ideals, struggles and battles. It is a bit like a Divergent derivative. Our protagonist is chosen to be a Hunter of evil. The monsters are a little under written ( and I think there has to be a better word than suckers for them). The god figure, The Lady, is a very passive presence yet all us attributed to Her.

It’s a very fast read with a lot of kindness and nobility to it. For lovers of fantasy.