Wayward Kin

by Andrew Landis

Life-altering magic, struggles for survival, and clashes with deep-seated inner demons. When a horde of beastmen ravage the capital, Lidria Avar is coaxed out of her self-imposed isolation to help the survivors. She’s convinced, however, she has little more to offer than her sword. Her viewpoint begins to shift after she saves a young boy who reminds her of her estranged daughter. Lidria meets Selis, an apprentice mage, and aids her in escaping from under her paranoid master’s thumb. An interaction between Selis and an enemy shaman reveals a link between her master, herself, and the beastmen. Selis obsesses over answering the questions burning within her, leading to dire consequences. Lidria and Selis bond as they work together to ensure their countrymen’s survival, figure out the mystery behind Selis’ connection with the beastmen, and find a place where they themselves belong.

352 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2020

About the author

I got my start writing back in high school, but it was simply a hobby. That hobby turned into a passion, and, after fifteen years, I decided to turn that passion into something more than a simple hobby.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

Dropping us in the middle of a battle complete with magic and monsters, a female warrior battles some beastmen. This is a little disorienting. This is okay for some sort of coda, like in a James Bond movie, but this seems to just drop us in the middle of the book.

Then the battle pauses and the whole things seems to just slooooowwwww doooowwwnnnn.

I think there's potential here, but this just doesn't quite make the grade. Your mileage may vary.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining fantasy novel with a strong female lead. The book begins in the middle of a battle to save a town. We are introduced to our main character, Lidria, as she fights her way through the city. There are people to save and bad guys to kill -- it's all pretty straight forward. Or is it?

I wish there had been more world-building. I am not sure who the Quelan were, where they came from, why they are hated, even what they looked like. Being a breaker was never fully explained.

There is a romance that seems a bit forced and kind of lethargic. The two main characters have a lot of internal angst and take turns wallowing and supporting each other. Dialogue is a bit underwhelming but it reminds me of actual conversations I have had!

I enjoyed the story and would love to see it more fleshed out.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has a very fluid writing style; the story carries you along like a smooth stream rather than a raging whitewater river. The plot seemed to take second priority to the main characters themselves. While very accurate, the repeating cycles of the internal struggles of both Lidria and Selis does get a bit monotonous, broken only by intermittent battle sequences. The romance between the two lead women definitely took precedence over the storyline and any world building.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea, but needs editing

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I thought the premise of this book had a lot of potential. Parts of it were really imaginative and interesting, but I wish the author had spent more time developing the back story and less time on the slow building romance aspect of this book. Overall, I don't regret the time spent reading it, but the editing needs some work.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warrior finds love.

Lidria has fought the beastmen for sometime. Now she has a chance for romance with Selis a mage. This is a very unique story by Andrew Landis in that the two main characters are female. The book itself is full of action and drama. I enjoyed it very much.

[Amanda Hallam-Taillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book, and fell in love with the characters. I hope this is merely a beginning to. An epic! There’s so much more I need to know.

I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book free from Good Reads.

The book starts off strong, dropping you right in the middle of a battle without establishing any of this world's (magic) rules, characters, factions, etc. And I loved it.
But then the battle ended and it's when the characters speak with each other that it all fell apart for me. The dialog felt so forced and emotionally intimate that I was unnerved by it. Maybe it's just me and my own issues, but when a majority of the dialog is devoted to character 1 expressing self doubt and insecurity, and character 2 comforting and reassuring character 1, I get a little bored and frustrated.
This goes on throughout the book and characters 1&2 are interchangeable as all of the main characters are in need of therapy.

Tldr: battles and fights are well written, dialog needs improvement.