Chosen is the first in the thirteen books of the Ancients of Light series and is only the beginning of a young Witch’s journey toward developing both the strength of character and magic that will be required to fulfill her prophesied role as leader of the Light faction.
Revelations of nuances in the Prophecy - facets that were never fully comprehended by the Ancients - will continue in successive stories. The culmination of its true meaning in the destiny of the supernatural world of the Realm will only be revealed when Kaitriana is adequately prepared to lead the Warriors now being called together to champion the Light’s purpose.
Familiar characters return for each storyline as the focus turns to a new key couple in every book - a pair that significantly factors into the purpose of Light – however, the story of the Chosen does not end with Book #1. Kaitriana and Lorcan, their growth together as partners in leadership and in love as a couple, will thread through the series as Kaitriana assumes the role that was destined as hers since the beginning.
Chosen(Ancients of Light, #1) by Heather Fleener
She is Chosen
Kaitriana’s gift of magic is unrivaled. A descendant of the most powerful Ancient in existence, her birth was foretold ages before her time. Destined to lead the Witch faction, she is betrayed by her own kind, destroying her birthright and all hope of delivering the Realm from the sinister shadow of the Ancient Dark.
He is the Key
Lorcan is a mighty warlord in the Vampire species. His animosity towards the magical immortals is personal - his mother was their Queen. Having long since severed all ties with his former kin, his existence remains plagued by the repercussions of her treachery and a secret that threatens to be his downfall.
They are the Prophecy
An arcane prophecy from the time of the Ancients proclaims that only two in all of creation can bring peace to the Realm. When Kaitriana miraculously appears seeking his protection, Lorcan must forsake his duty and disregard the dictates of his breed to shelter the female. Together they must combat the Ancient Dark and surmount the forces within their own factions that would oppose the Prophecy. Their fates have always been entwined and only when joined can they triumph over a blood feud that has shadowed the Light for millennia.
And with that exchange, I totally fell for Kaitriana, witch child, and Lorcan, vampire warrior! She was such a feisty little thing, laying claim to her vampire with gumption, befriending spiders, telling everyone how it is, mischievously doing magic she oughtn't. And when she comes back as an adult, I held high hopes for her: she seemed just as feisty, just as headstrong, youthful and prone to mistakes, yes, but independent and fierce. I was amused and ready to watch Lorcan fall off his high horse as the Warrior of Light, maintaining his ferocity, sure, but having the world as he knows it upended on him.
I was enchanted and sucked in from the beginning on this book. Vampire, witch, magic, yes, please! Excellent setting up of the lore, laying out who the Chosen is and the prophecy, introduction of strong characters, an epic battle that has been ongoing and only going to build more tension in Dark versus Light. I enjoyed Kat's constant need of corrections of modern phrases she doesn't have the hang of, having played Sleeping Beauty for 500 years. I really enjoyed it...up until Lorcan kept being a big butthead, stuck in his ways, and demanding that Kat submit to him and she does! Ugh. Then it was more like .... The Taming of the Shrew and the strong independent female leader is suddenly bowing out to the male because he is male. The capitulation made me groan. I could have handled a good compromise on both sides, but total capitulation? I suppose the Realm hasn't caught up with the non-Realm, although this was a matriarchal society, so why does she have to give in to Lorcan?! Phooey.
At least Kat keeps her feisty attitude and despite downplaying her own power and authority and bowing to Lorcan's, she seems to be keeping it close to the chest. I love how Myrrdyn is constantly having something going, too. His hands are everywhere and you just never know what next wrench he is going to throw in! Don't get me wrong, Kat doesn't become a total pushover. I wouldn't have read on if she had. I just didn't like that the build up and premise of the Chosen is this ulta-warrior Queen who has to abide by the Warrior of Light's every decision. They are the prophecy together and therefore should compromise and rule together. An excellent set up to the series, which is going to compromise thirteen novels! I was eager to see what Kat and Lorcan would be up to next as I'm sure we will be meeting another Queen. ;)
Forsaken
(Ancients of Light,
#2) by Heather Fleener
Fire
is her Destiny…
Ella long ago determined she would not live a life where magic
defined her. Feeling no kinship with her Caste, she walked away from the Realm
and its conflicts. She found acceptance and fulfillment in her life amongst the
mortals and is on the brink of achieving her dreams.
Darkness is His Curse…
Nicholas is the most revered warrior in the Darks’ army. His
personal animosity towards the Light drives his existence and draws him to the
one Witch he is set on controlling. Nicholas knows the reasons that Ella never
found acceptance within the Fire Caste of Witch and he will use that knowledge
to pursue his Dark agenda.
Cole is Nicholas, Warrior of the Dark, Lorcan's equal for the other side. He isn't fully devoted to Rhydach, the leader of the Dark, however, nor is he truly DARK...he just isn't for the Light. At first motivated to use Ella for his own Dark means, he can't help but falling for the little fire witch. When he chooses his responsibilities for the Dark over her, Ella gives him up, heart-broken, on the verge of having Dark within her. Enter Myrrdyn to bring her back to the Realm to take her place on the side of the Light.
Ella is...a firecracker. She is feisty and strong and won't be anyone's play thing. When she and Kat team up, I swear you can feel the Vampire of the Light shudder. I was very happy with Kat in this book, although this is Ella's story. She is feisty and seems to have this hidden side. Sure, she's with Lorcan, but Kat is going to do her thing, subtly or overtly, but without outright defying her mate. I think after the events in the first book, Kat is not just merely giving full obedience to Lorcan...she has learned how to work with her mate, supporting and co-leading. Lorcan, too, has seemed to learn a little give. Phew.
Ella and Nicholas have a very stormy, tumultuous relationship with lots of tension, especially after she learns that Cole is Nicholas and she just went to war against him!
Broken
(Ancients of Light, #3)
by Heather Fleener
Darkness
Claimed Her Soul
The adversity of Kylie’s youth forged an indomitable spirit. A
vibrant and strong woman determined to plot the course of her life with room
for nothing beyond the next measure of success, Kylie believed in only herself,
and most certainly neither destiny nor love. All those tenants were derailed
with a single encounter, but the same man that tempted her to live again drew
her into the middle of an aged war, the consequence being her own destruction,
plummeting her into a hellish existence.
A Warrior Haunted by His
Failure
Sayer’s mission was only to
foil the latest plan of the Darks in the Outer Realm and return a few Vampire
to Hell. Finding a perfect mortal that tempted him beyond all reason was
unforeseen complication. Just when Sayer realizes that his eternity is meant
for one alone, Kylie is destroyed by the Darks, and the loss drives him to the
pits of despair, revealing events of the past that would best be long
forgotten.
This one was very interesting, with what happened to Kylie, and I feel like all of the characters are working together better, stories and characterizations built up with one another, and the tension is mounting as the friction between Light and Dark keeps escalating! A very enjoyable series, if they keep up as so I have no doubt I'll be reading to the very end!
Heather Fleener lives in Indiana with her husband, D.A. and their twins, Thomas and Alexandra. Professionally she has spent her career working in the area of Intellectual Property law. Reading has been a passion of hers since she was young and she has adored romance novels her entire life. The romantic styles of Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood are her inspiration, though she has read and loved the stories of countless other authors. Her fascination with the paranormal began to form at the young age of six, watching late-night ghost and vampire movies with her Grandpa. Unfortunately, as a result, she also remains afraid of the dark to this day.
Combining her love of epic romances and the supernatural was a natural progression for her overactive imagination. When the idea for the Ancients of Light series began, it was an abstract story line rambling around in her head to help kill a few miles on the treadmill. As the stories and plotlines continued to grow, it finally became necessary to put the words to paper and build the characters that had been living in the Realm and having conversations in her head for months.
The series is a testament to many miles on the treadmill and lots of characters that insist on having their stories told.
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