To Stand Beside Her by B. Kristin McMichael

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Leila is a courier, and a really good one. She is strong, resourceful, courageous and compassionate. She has a lot of friends, but also a lot of enemies in kingdoms across the land - whose leaders wish to possess her. Leila is able to get out of almost any situation...but it wasn't until she met King Nalick that she found a reason to stay.

I enjoyed reading this book, and really liked Leila, Nalick and Anatolio. The story was fast paced and full of adventure and twists. It was a unique YA/Fantasy story line and did not feel like something that I have read before.

I did wish that I could have gotten a more personal perspective into what the characters were thinking (I have a personal preference for stories written in 1st person and this book was not). I wanted to know more about Nalick and Anatolio. I wish there was more of a build up in the relationship between Leila and Anatolio, as he is such a large part of the story. The last 1/3 of the book seemed a little rushed and a lot of major events were glossed over with little or no detail. The end of the book, while not a typical ending, was not an issue for me. A little sad, a little awkward maybe. There is definitely room for the author to pick the story back up and continue in a second novel.

Overall, it was interesting and a good read. I would recommend to anyone who likes the YA/Fantasy genre.



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