95th out of 129 books
—
60 voters
Gate to Kandrith (Kandrith #1)
by
Nicole Luiken (Goodreads Author)
Sarathena Remillus, daughter of the newly elected Primus of the Republic of Temboria, has been given a mission: discover the secret of slave magic. Anxious to escape the corruption and treachery of the capital, Sara welcomes the chance to finally prove herself far away in Kandrith, the tiny nation of former slaves.
Accompanying her on the journey is Lance, a Kandrithan to w...more
Accompanying her on the journey is Lance, a Kandrithan to w...more
ebook, 364 pages
Published
March 26th 2012
by Carina Press
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Wow...
Sarathena has been raised with money & power & owning slaves. Left to her own devices, she runs wild. When she is 16 her family loses all their money and her father uses her for her beauty to gain a powerful standing in the Republic.
Sara is sent off to Slaveland, aka Kandrith, as a child of peace. Each land sending their own child as an ambassador to the other country to maintain a peaceful pact. Her father also gives her the important job of finding out about the magic of Slavela...more
Sarathena has been raised with money & power & owning slaves. Left to her own devices, she runs wild. When she is 16 her family loses all their money and her father uses her for her beauty to gain a powerful standing in the Republic.
Sara is sent off to Slaveland, aka Kandrith, as a child of peace. Each land sending their own child as an ambassador to the other country to maintain a peaceful pact. Her father also gives her the important job of finding out about the magic of Slavela...more
I found most elements of this story really engaging and unusual. And unusual is something I generally appreciate. I like being surprised and shown stuff I haven't seen a dozen times before in fantasy novels. But then, on the other hand, some of the events in the plot made even me raise incredulous eyebrows. There were a couple of instances where I wished the author had taken a different route and not gone to some of the places she did. And this lowered my rating down to 3 stars from the 4 I thou...more
I thought this novel was great.
It starts with a bang as Sara is prepared to assassinate the priest of the God of War if he –as she expects–withholds the blessing that her father needs as the new Primus of the Republic of Temboria. Withholding his blessing would be a death sentence, and Sara would do anything to protect her small family.
During a narrow escape from a undesirable suitor who drugged her with an aphrodisiac, Sara meets Lance, who she at first mistakes for a slave. She could not have...more
It starts with a bang as Sara is prepared to assassinate the priest of the God of War if he –as she expects–withholds the blessing that her father needs as the new Primus of the Republic of Temboria. Withholding his blessing would be a death sentence, and Sara would do anything to protect her small family.
During a narrow escape from a undesirable suitor who drugged her with an aphrodisiac, Sara meets Lance, who she at first mistakes for a slave. She could not have...more
One thing I can always count on is for Carina Press to offer absolutely breathtaking fantasy romances. Gate to Kandrith is no different.
This book quickly squirmed its way to the top of my favorite book list. What makes this story so great? Well let's start with the fact that it is, at once, both a self-contained story and the first book of (at least) two. Simply put, the ending fit. Even if it does make me want to throw a tantrum in the hopes that Carina will release the second even sooner. I g...more
This book quickly squirmed its way to the top of my favorite book list. What makes this story so great? Well let's start with the fact that it is, at once, both a self-contained story and the first book of (at least) two. Simply put, the ending fit. Even if it does make me want to throw a tantrum in the hopes that Carina will release the second even sooner. I g...more
What an amazing adventure in a unique and vivid world! I don't like epic fantasy - I just don't have the patience or interest in remembering tons of different characters, subplots and geography throughout multiple fat books. Gate to Kandrith was *just* epic enough to be large and interesting, without overwhelming me. The world, the cultures, the politics, the secondary characters all were full and rich and interesting. It's been a long time since I really felt excited and consumed by a story. I...more
Full review can be found here.
I have to admit that the first few pages didn’t really capture my attention very well. Some time passed between me experimenting with getting a taste of the first pages and settling down to read the rest of the book. I’m not sure why it failed to really draw me in as it was a fairly strong opening passage. It could have been to do with all the fantasy-world name dropping. I much prefer when authors go to the lengths of inventing some form of religious system for the...more
I have to admit that the first few pages didn’t really capture my attention very well. Some time passed between me experimenting with getting a taste of the first pages and settling down to read the rest of the book. I’m not sure why it failed to really draw me in as it was a fairly strong opening passage. It could have been to do with all the fantasy-world name dropping. I much prefer when authors go to the lengths of inventing some form of religious system for the...more
Gate to Kandrith drew me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go. The story moves along at a cracking pace, introducing elements of romance right away and weaving them around an interesting society and world.
The countries of the Republic and Kandrith are very different. The Republic is ruled by a Primus who has seized power, attended by a court of nobles with slaves to serve them. Kandrith was founded by escaped slaves, headed by one chosen by the Goddess of Mercy and protected by magic...more
The countries of the Republic and Kandrith are very different. The Republic is ruled by a Primus who has seized power, attended by a court of nobles with slaves to serve them. Kandrith was founded by escaped slaves, headed by one chosen by the Goddess of Mercy and protected by magic...more
First of all, I really loved this book. The world building was amazing. I love how Nicole Luiken was able to introduce the reader to her magical world and make them fall in love with it. I appreciated having some background on the mechanics of magic in Kandrith, but I really like that the background wasn't delivered in a heavy-handed way. We learn the secrets of "Slave Magic" step by step along with Sara.
A large portion of this book is what I like to call a "road fantasy," where the characters a...more
A large portion of this book is what I like to call a "road fantasy," where the characters a...more
Gate to Kandrith is the exceedingly long tale of Sara and Lance, two children of rulers of opposing countries, Temboria and Kandrith, respectively. Well, "opposing countries" is being kind of generous. "The children of rulers of one tiny refugee country and the heavily militarized one surrounding it on all sides" would probably be more accurate.
The summary pretty much says it all - Sara's father asks her to discover the secrets of the Kandrithian's magic, which is the only reason they haven't be...more
The summary pretty much says it all - Sara's father asks her to discover the secrets of the Kandrithian's magic, which is the only reason they haven't be...more
What I Loved
POV
The book switches between three characters Sara, Lance and another mystery character that is either the bad guy or the good guy and we don't know which till the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed getting information from all three different points of views. At times I got a little confused when the pov switched characters but only for a few sentences.
Characters
Sara: I'm not much of a princess fan so at first I went back and forth with her character, but as the story progressed an...more
POV
The book switches between three characters Sara, Lance and another mystery character that is either the bad guy or the good guy and we don't know which till the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed getting information from all three different points of views. At times I got a little confused when the pov switched characters but only for a few sentences.
Characters
Sara: I'm not much of a princess fan so at first I went back and forth with her character, but as the story progressed an...more
Gate to Kandrith is truly a gate to an imaginative world that left wanting more, much more! The story was not what I expected at all. Luiken wove a great deal of twists and a turns, with an ending so explosive I am unable to stop thinking about it. I seriously NEED the next book in this series now!
Gate to Kandrith starts off with political intrigue, and a ton of world building. Our heroine, Sara, is tasked with finding out the secret of Slave Magic. She is to journey to Slaveland, accompanied by...more
Gate to Kandrith starts off with political intrigue, and a ton of world building. Our heroine, Sara, is tasked with finding out the secret of Slave Magic. She is to journey to Slaveland, accompanied by...more
I should start by saying I've never read a book by Nicole Luiken before, but I hope this won't be my last -- as in, I really hope there's a sequel to this book, and soon!
Sara, the heroine, is a pampered rich girl sent on a political mission for her father and people, along with the story's hero, Lance, who dislikes Sara's culture. Their individual growth throughout the story is matched only by their growth as a couple, and they truly seem to belong together by the end, despite their differences....more
Sara, the heroine, is a pampered rich girl sent on a political mission for her father and people, along with the story's hero, Lance, who dislikes Sara's culture. Their individual growth throughout the story is matched only by their growth as a couple, and they truly seem to belong together by the end, despite their differences....more
I still can’t believe the hero…did what he did on pg 255. I kept thinking “He’s bluffing. There’s no way.” And then yep, he sure went ahead and did it. It surprised the heck out of me and I loved that. Really, I would give the book five stars for that scene alone. But also, the world is detailed and unique. The plot twists are unpredictable and the mc’s are engaging with very real obstacles keeping them apart. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
Jun 09, 2012
Jess the Romanceaholic
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
slave-or-indentured-servant,
fantasy,
raped-or-abused,
sexual-assault,
oh-noes-u-saw-me-nekkid,
2012-read,
on-the-run,
enemies-to-lovers,
starcrossed-lovers,
magick,
major-illness-or-injury,
major-character-death,
cliff-hanger-ending,
beautiful-heroine,
betrayal,
werewolves-or-other-shape-shifters
Gah! Despite the cliffhanger ending and a few minor bumps along the way, I LOVED it. 4.5/5 Stars Full review to follow.
Gate to Kandrith is a good read. The world is unique, the cultures & religions are intriguing. This is a fresh voice in Fantasy/Romance cross genre.
Stay with it - it's not that the beginning drags; it doesn't, but so much happens, so many characters are introduced and there is a lot to absorb about the groups/cultures/tribes/politics that it takes time to get into the rhythm of the story.
Your patience will be rewarded. Lance and Sara - she from privilege; he from slavery. It's an age-old sc...more
Stay with it - it's not that the beginning drags; it doesn't, but so much happens, so many characters are introduced and there is a lot to absorb about the groups/cultures/tribes/politics that it takes time to get into the rhythm of the story.
Your patience will be rewarded. Lance and Sara - she from privilege; he from slavery. It's an age-old sc...more
May 22, 2013
Perspehone
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Jesslyn
marked it as to-read
May 09, 2013
Melissa Hayden
marked it as want-list
May 08, 2013
Angel Reader
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
Bunni
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2013
Darksiderpc
marked it as to-read
Apr 06, 2013
Bourgie Love
marked it as to-read
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Nicole Luiken wrote her first book at 13 and was published at 16. She lives with her family in Edmonton. It is impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing.
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