Review: Broken (Crystor #2) by C.K. Bryant

Title: Broken (Crystor #2)
Author: C.K. Bryant
Publisher: Dragonfly Press
Pub. Date: June 3, 2012
Acquired: From author, for honest review.
Purchase “Broken”:
Amazon / BN / Smashwords / The Book Depository / C.K. Bryant’s Page

With Kira injured and dying, Octavion’s last hope is to plead with the king of Panthera for a cure. But King Ramla’s magic isn’t free. The price he asks Octavion to pay goes against everything he’s fought so hard to protect and could destroy his bond with Kira. Will Octavion trade his crown and swear allegiance to a kingdom feared by all, or will he sacrifice the woman he loves to remain faithful to his father and Xantara? Find out when BROKEN takes you on a journey into the savage and unpredictable world of Ophira.

Oh. My. Word. I don’t even know how to begin this review because I have SOOOO many words of praise filling my mind right now. Alright, let me attempt to process this book and put together a review that won’t be comparable to a teenage fan-girl’s “O-M-G, I lurve you, Ms. Bryant” fanmail.

Alright, so if you haven’t started this series, you have NO EXCUSE! Why?! Because Bound, book one, is free right now on Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle reading app. Just go to Bound on Amazon. Alright, now go, purchase this book, read it (it’ll take you a day, because you won’t be able to put it down), come back here and read this review. After you’re done reading Bound and then this review, you’ll, of course want to go purchase Broken. If you don’t…Well, then, I guess you must not enjoy master storytelling, complicated-but-beautiful romance, otherworldly princes and princesses, strong heroines…Do I need to go on?

Broken took up right where Bound left off. And from the start this book was an emotional roller coaster for me. It starts with the desperation of both Kira and Lydia gravely wounded. And while knowing that these two front-burner characters are most-likely going to pull through, there is still an amazing strength behind Octavion’s hopelessness that pulled me in. I felt his desperation.

Then, there’s some happiness. Again, I was pulled in and drowned in the greatness of Octavion and Kira’s complicated relationship.

About midway through the book, there was a scene. I won’t even begin to tell you what it was about because it’s not something that I can or should give away. It’s a pivotal part of the story that deals with some fall-out. It’s a scene that plays between Kira and Octavion. I’m going to be honest and say that RARELY does a book move me to tears. Rarely. But this scene was HEARTBREAKING. And I am so beyond impressed with Ms. Bryant’s ability to take this story to the depths that she did. Simply amazing.

The book ends after a few more up and downs. The ending is most-assuredly a cliff-hanger. And it’s one that will leave you anticipating Ms. Bryant’s next installment in this series.

This series is on my list of MUST-READS. If you’ve been wanting to read this for awhile and haven’t gotten to it, I implore you to wait no longer.

My Rating: