Surrender (The Ferryman and the Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille

Title: Surrender

Author: Rhiannon Paille

Publish Date: October 22, 2012

Publisher: Self-published

Pages: 402

Other Books in the Series: Justice

Buy the Book: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Can I just say that I loved this book? I honestly fell in love with the world, the characters, and the circumstances these characters found themselves in. Okay, now that I got that out of the way, here's the review:

Surrender, the first book in The Ferryman and the Flame series, by Rhiannon Paille begins with a strong start. It introduces a world that has a complex set of laws and a dark past that no one can truly understand unless they experienced it. In the mind of the young protagonist, Avristar is a utopia, above war and the cruelties of life. But the story illustrates that peace doesn't not always mean perfect. I struggled, however, with the fact that the history of the land was hardly touched on and I kept wanting to hear more about it but that never really happened. 

Why are certain things forbidden? Why must these boys -- men -- marry the land? What was the true catalyst of this situation and why do I feel like there is something missing? I hate it when I feel like something is missing. I felt that a lot of key narrative about the bad guy especially was not covered, the story focused more on the light and I felt that the story needed a bit more dark. The nice thing about this story though is that the pacing makes it easy for you to forget the lack of information and I honestly didn't really have time to process what was missing until I finished the story. The pacing made the story addictive and I definitely couldn't put it down.

Kaliel and Krishani are quite a pair with their deep sense of duty and continuous longing for what is considered forbidden in their land. It was heartbreaking to read about them giving up so much and despite everything, they cling to the hope that they may be together. I loved how their romance was set up during the course of the story and it takes some time to process just what their love means. It was easy to lose myself in them and their feelings for each other. Their whole romance was enchanting. I liked how the author put them on equal terms with their insecurities, skills, and emotions. They have a beautiful relationship and I definitely don't want to see it end. Ever. 

The book was awesome except for those few missing things that made me yearn for answers and get frustrated at the narrative. I loved it and I really think you will too.