Renhala

Renhala
Author: Amy Joy Lutchen
Adult Book
(Amy's Review)
4 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis

Kailey Rooke, timid accountant, dedicated to philanthropic work, finds herself spiraling into a deep depression after she suffers a horrifyingly odd and humiliating assault, to only discover more of these freakish assaults occurring across the globe.

A chance discovery leads Kailey to a meeting with elderly Gunthreon, actual master of persuasion. Gunthreon, who seems to know too much of Kailey's history for her liking, opens Kailey's eyes to a coexisting realm she never knew existed: Renhala, while entrusting her with the knowledge of her newfound power as karmelean, serving as a beacon to the Higher Ones. Kailey slowly starts revealing new talents, and Gunthreon is fascinated with what she starts achieving.

She soon discovers that Renhala is in danger, and this danger has been leaking into her own realm. As she uncovers secrets within herself, and attempts to toughen up, she fuses with an unlikely band of fellow travelers (including a dragon, woodsprite, six-hundred-pound greble, her faithful female canine companion, and a "giver"), falls into an unexpected love triangle, deals with her sexy and flirtatious best friend’s “issues,” and finds the courage to master a new deadly weapon.

On her mission to save Renhala, Kailey will find herself running from life-threatening disasters, such as greble Tartarin, who likes to remind Kailey that when he catches her, he plans on eating her brains with ice cream; she'll run from the deadly meeples: small cute bunnies with talons and an undeniable thirst for imposing self-destruction on others. Kailey will also run into the possibility that a centuries-old Renhalan rumor is true, that advanced technology existing in Kailey's realm shortens all life spans.

As blood is shed and puzzles near completion, Kailey pulls from deep within herself, conjuring up mystical qualities that enable her to astonish as once predicted at her birth, but despite the newfound strength, Kailey will discover that monsters not only come in ugly packages, but can be easily disguised as those she has come to love and trust.

My Review

I completely enjoyed the story of Renhala. The creativity it took Amy to create her world is amazing. All of the characters were intriguing and well developed, making you want to know more about them. She took the mother daughter relationship to a whole new level showing such love and devotion between the two. I liked the love triangle that was created between characters, too bad it wasn’t resolved, I am anxious to see who will be the winner. If you’ve read Amy’s blog and saw her inspiration for writing Renhala, you will see how much she has put into this story. It was actually very moving for me to see how Amy used her experiences. I only had two negatives with this story which are minor and maybe my own personal preference. It was long. I am all about a good read even if it’s lengthy and able to hold my attention. There were also few parts where the story slowed for me and I found myself wanting to skip ahead. All in all I would definitely recommend this to other readers who enjoy fantasy fiction. So here’s a little bit about the story, without giving anything away. We meet Kailey, who has just survived a horrible attack. This attack is just the beginning of a chain of events that will uncover the world of Renhala, Kailey’s world. Kailey will befriend a group of people who are pivotal in her survival from someone who wants to keep her from uncovering a plot to takeover Renhala. Along the way, Kailey gets put into the middle of a love triangle between two men, two very different men. Her mixed feelings put strenuous tension within the group, making things difficult for the group. Kailey is fighting to save a world like no other, against creatures only thought up in dreams and fairy tales. In the end Kailey will need to choose to follow the powers of good or give in to the power of evil.