Reviewed by whisperingchapters on
Serena is a gargoyle princess who's in need of lots of protection. Her current guard is always losing sight of her so she's assigned a new protector, Tristan Gallagher, without Serena knowing. As soon as these two meet, they are completely drawn to each other, but there are laws that state that Serena and Tristan could never be anything more. Danger is lurking around and soon it will strike.
My world is not filled with happily ever after. It's full of realism, treachery, and falsehoods.
I love Serena so much. She's all kinds of sassy, rebellious, and doesn't take shit from anyone. She also doesn't want to fulfill her duties of being a princess. Tristan is there to protect Serena and to also show her how to defend herself without using her powers. There was so much sexual tension between these two, it could be cut with a knife! Serena and Tristan's witty-banter made the story so entertaining. Also, how they met wasn't under normal circumstances. Serena was in her birthday-suit, enjoying the rain when Tristan first laid eyes on her. From then, things get so amusing.
Some of my favorite characters from The Revelation Series, like Callan, made an appearance! He's Serena's father and still so very funny! I'm going to miss his apron sayings. They are the best and fit Callan's personality. He sent Serena a shirt that said, "My Sperm Donor Rocks". That is Callan for you. Another hot gargoyle made an appearance and that is Gage Gallagher! *fans face* I absolutely love him and his British accent. I need more of him in this series.
The Royal Protector Academy felt so much like a regular college. There are dorms, classes to attend, but instead of P.E., they get self-defense lessons, and fighting lessons. The friendship between some of these characters like Mags, Serena, and Ethan, is so carefree and fun. You can tell they trust each other, too.
One thing that I found off-putting was the possessiveness that Tristan and Serena have for each other. I know this is paranormal so it's very understandable, but I found it to be very early on in the story and I wish it could have waited for it to happen further into the story. Another thing that I didn't like but didn't mind as much was the information load that got thrown into the plot. This happened with Revelation, but the following books weren't like that so I'm sure it won't happen much in this series.
Despite that, the world-building was so vivid. I could see myself in this world, either attending the academy or as a mystical being. A lot of things felt real even if these things don't exist. Randi has a way of luring the reader with her characters and her writing. I have high hopes for this series since I know for a fact that Randi's books just keep getting better and better!
The ending just broke me. I knew it would happen since Randi is known for writing those type of endings that leave you wanting more. I went through so many emotions while reading this story, but the ending brought so many feels to my heart and I desperately need the second book to alleviate my heart-break.
Overall, Vernal is seductive, dark, thrilling, exciting, and enchanting.
I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 29 June, 2016: Finished reading
- 29 June, 2016: Reviewed