Candlewax Review

384 pages
Release date: April 3rd, 2012

An Ancient Prophecy. A Powerful Relic. An Insatiable Evil. When all three converge, the fate of every living thing will be in peril. All her life Catherine had hoped to see a fairrier cat. No book, no scroll provided to her by her tutors had ever mentioned this legend, much to her frustration, and now-at the worse possible time-she was getting her wish. Only, in her wish the cat wasn't about to kill her. A 732-year-old fairrier cat the size of a horse has killed his fair share of hunters. Driven to the brink of extinction for the supernatural powers of his coat, is he indeed the last of his kind? Sheltered, 16-year-old Catherine is about to find out. Unwitting heir to the Ancient Onyxes, she flees an arranged marriage only to stumble upon the cat's secrets, the force of the ancient relic she wears, and the dangerous mission they must undertake. Hidden under a desert that was once a fertile land, millions of predators are waiting to feast again. Catherine must discover the secret of the Ancient Onyxes and stop the creatures known as trodliks before they consume everything in their path. A whispered prophecy becomes her only guide and a rejected suitor just might be the one warrior she desperately needs. 


Review (ARC):
I always love a novel with plenty of action and adventure and this was no exception. At first I wasn't sure how well this story would turn out. Catherine seemed a bit like a pampered princess with no idea of what life would be like outside the castle. However, as the novel went on I began to see Catherine as a strong heroine who willingly takes on adventure to help save her kingdom. The other characters in the novel on the "good" side were likeable as well and I thoroughly enjoyed their adventures with Catherine. I feel like the only characters I didn't get too much of a sense of were Catherine's parents. However, the world created was amazing and I liked the detail that was shared. I loved that this story went along at a great pace and kept me reading until I finished it. There was also a bit of romance but it didn't overshadow everything else that was going on in this book. This novel definitely pulled me into Catherine's story and I think that it came to an amazing end. I can't wait to read the next one in the series and see what happens next. I definitely recommend this to those who like young adult fantasy novels.