Kaidan Sordell, a childhood friend, is there to pick up the pieces and help Adria mend her wounds. His affection for her has gone unnoticed for so long that he’s not sure if he’ll ever have the nerve to tell her how he truly feels.
With the last summer before adulthood upon them, Adria and Kaidan decide to seek out the Temple of the Red Mare. The legendary tales of it revealing a heart’s truest desire is too tempting for lovelorn Adria to pass up.
Will she realize, though, that what she’s looking for has been trekking beside her all along?
Excerpt:
Kaidan’s house. She took a moment of respite to gaze at the magnificent night sky one more
time. Each twinkling cluster made her sentimental, especially since the view would not last for
much longer. The first slivers of light from the rising sun would come in an hour or so. The idea
only made her cherish it more.
Adria liked to believe that each star represented a romance that had once flourished on the
very grounds she now treaded on. Time may have claimed the bodies of the lovers, but it could
never eliminate what they shared. Love was magical; true love was celestial. Nothing could ever
truly eradicate it.
To share love with another is the greatest of blessings, she mused. The entire world was
brighter since she had met Lando. Her cheeks already ached at the thought of him.
She prayed that Lando was thinking of her from wherever he was. If only she could be by his
side right now! Someday, my bond with Lando will be part of the night sky. We’ll be the most
brilliant pair in the universe. Wanderers will rely upon us to guide them back to their homes.
Review by Sara:
I think what really was done well in this book was the creation of the characters. All of them, from the two main characters to minor characters were fleshed out so they felt real to me. The main female lead is Adria, a seventeen year old girl. I thought her love of sweets, especially caramel cheesecake, added another layer to her personality, and I really liked her as a character. She might have had her head in the clouds at the beginning, but by the end I thought she had exhibited tremendous growth in her outlook. I also liked Kaidan, who also exhibited the same sort of character growth as well from the beginning of the book to the end as well.
What I really liked in addition to the two main characters is how the adults in the story became some of my favorites. Even though they might be counted as minor characters, they had a profound impact on the story. I really liked Araceli, Granny Sabine, and Cassiopeia. All three of these women had insight as to what was going on and what was really important. Each of them had some great lines of dialogue when they were speaking with Adria, Kaidan, Lando and Rylee, and offered guidance when it was needed.
The Lioness is the sort of book I would recommend to anyone who wants to read romance or those who enjoy young adult fiction. I give it a 4/5 platypire rating.