Book Review: Bound By Chrisitne Bryant

Bound By Christine Bryant is a young adult parnaormal romance and the first in The Crystor Trilogy. I have actually had the privelege of reading Bound more than once and can honestly say that I grew to love the characters even more the second time I read it.

Bound starts off with Kira, an average girl who struggles with fitting in, lacks the physical strength to climb that blasted rope in gym and is counting down the days to graduation. She has issues with her mom and her step dad, and finds peace only when she is with her best friend Lydia.

Lydia convinces Kira to go on a photo shoot with her in the mountains and that is when Kira's normal everyday life gets shot to pieces and nothing is the same again. It is when Kira discovers there is more, much more to her best friend of two years. The kinds of things that take Kira by surprise and test the strength of her friendship with Lydia.

Then there is the discovery of Lydia's older brother, Octavian. He is incredibly handsome, super protective and brooding. He confuses Kira with his upredicatable attitude and she doesn't know whatquite to make of him. Then he asks her to make a choice that will forever alter her life and lead her on the path of discovering life beyond the world she knows. To discover mythical creatures, beautiful worlds, evil villians, new found abilities and adventures she never dreamed existed. These things come at a price though. She must leave all she has ever known behind, and never look back, because more than just Kira's life depends on it.

Can Kira make the choice necessary and is she willing to give up what she knows for the hope and promise of something more? As things heat up between her and Octavian, and she finds how deep the bonds of friendship can really go, she learns she is being hunted and she must turn to the two people who would show her what love, family and freindship are all about . All leading up to a climatic ending you won't expect that will leave you begging for more.

But in order for you to find out all the juicy details you have to read Bound! It isn't your regular paranormal romance, there are great surprises waiting inside to be revealed. Christine's imagination is phenomenal and her descriptions are so clear you feel at times you can reach out and feel the cold water rush by, or see the brilliant sky and hear the wind rustle gently in your ear. Not to mention the way she describes her characters. They take on a three dementional life of their own.

I love how Kira learns she is not someone to be easily manipulated or pushed around as she once believed. I think the strength and courage she displays allows one to look into themselves to see where they can make weak things strong within themselves.

I love the bonds of friendship that Lydia and Kira hold strong. That they are willing to move beyond what is expected to create something extraordianary. I love Lydia's loyalty and selflessness to Kira. She always looks for ways to help Kira be who she really is but could never see for herself.

And Octavian is wonderful to read. He is strong and powerful and sometimes callous until he starts to realize his behavior has consequenses. Octavian then fights the warrior inside himself to find the compassion he once possessed. He learns that he can open himself up and not be guarded all the time. I love the changes in him as he remembers who he once was as he strives to bring parts of himself back to balance in with the protective warrior he was forced to become.

I felt the plot has surprising twists and turns that leave you wondering what is going to happen next. I thought it was well played out and that subplots that ran through it supported the over all direction of the story line. I felt that the characters were well developed and grew as they learned and recongnized things about themselves to help them be stronger. I felt that the world of Kira, Lydia and Octavian was beautifully written .

Don't miss out, to find out what happens next and why I read Bound twice (which I don't ever do, until now) click here, here and here to get your own copy. You'll be glad you did. Click here to see Christine's website to learn more about the next exciting book in the Crystor Triogy, Broken, which I am really anxious to get my hands on!

Disclaimer: While I do sometimes receive copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always remain my own!