Where Do Your Loyalties Lie? • Allegiance

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver
Series: Legacy #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Source: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley
[I received this from the publisher. This in no way affects my review.]

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge. 

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn.

About two weeks ago, I posted a gushing review for Legacy, the first book in this series. I wasn't sure how I was going to find ALLEGIANCE initially, but I am happy to report that this book is brilliantly done. The plot is taken one step further, the characters are developed even more and all of the gushing, crying, seething I went through while reading tells me one thing - this book manages to eclipse its predecessor, and I cannot wait for what Cayla Kluver throws at us next

The Characters

It is safe to say that, in this book, I both loved and hated Alera with a passion. There were moments when I really wanted to hit her, if only because I'm the kind of person that believes you should try to live with the choices you've made (and plus, the moping was a little much). She had, however, completely redeemed herself in my eyes, by the end of the novel, because of her incredible transformation. I liked watching her transform from a teenager to a woman fit to be in her position – it was amazing to see her maturity, intelligence and emotional capacity develop in this book. Alera is a wonderful character to read about. She may not be a kick-butt heroine in the physical sense, but I’d say she’s pretty darn awesome.

Steldor was a revelation to me. It's incredibly surprising (to me anyway) how much I came to love and respect him in ALLEGIANCE. I wanted to kick his ass back in Legacy because he came across as such a conceited, haughty little prick. It's definitely to Kluver's credit that I can now sincerely say that I love Steldor. Sure, he's still got a cocky, bossy attitude. But it become clear how true his feelings for Alera are (and there are a ton of swoon-worthy moments in this novel). I can also admire his abilities as a leader and military man. He became so much more lovable in this novel - and I absolutely loved, loved, loved it.

Kluver still manages to write such a beautiful cast of characters in this novel, bringing out my concern for each and every person equally. I felt like I got to know so many personalities, but I never found it difficult to tell them apart. There was a definite kinship between me and every other character (except the Overlord) and I found as I was as concerned for their fates as I was for Alera's.

The Story

If I loved Legacy with a passion, my heart burst at the seams while I was reading ALLEGIANCE. You guys, if Legacy was a brilliant novel in my opinion and I found it gush-worthy... well, you can multiply that feeling by a million when it comes to ALLEGIANCE.

This novel appealed to me even more, mostly because it felt packed with a whole lot of action AND story this time around. Things happened - and quickly - and I just completely absorbed while I was reading. I didn't know what to expect exactly - but what was delivered into my hands was a brilliantly planned and executed plot. I couldn't have predicted the ending, and I'm glad I wasn't able to, because it was interesting and unexpected.

This book made me laugh and cry and swear out loud. It put me into such an emotional tizzy and I believe Cayla Kluver has once again written a masterful, powerful novel that I devoured thoroughly and surprisingly quickly.

Personally, I say you should...

... definitely read this if you were a fan of Legacy. Actually, I'd go so far as to say you really should read this book! I absolutely LOVED it and would recommend it to fans of YA, great world-building and wonderful characters. Cayla Kluver definitely works magic with her stories!