Xpresso Reads

Definitely original, absolutely intriguing: Battling a dual reality, Kyanna is suffering from fainting spells where she lands into a fantasy world with kings, battles, deadly beasts, and a gorgeous soldier.Chimera throws us into not one, but two story-lines which are both full of mystery and romance. In her reality, Kyanna is a simple girl in love with the baseball star and trying to figure out her future plans. Her relationship with Lincon is incredibly romantic. I adored him - he's sweet, talented, and visibly in love with Kyanna. They've been together for a little while already, too, so there's no awkwardness of getting to know each other, or worse: insta-love. Kyanna, however, during her fainting spells, finds herself fiercely attracted to Koden - defender of the king in this alternate world right out of a fantasy novel. Koden is old world gentlemanly with a personality you can't help but admire. I could never decide who I wanted Kyanna to be with, or which reality I wanted her to live in. I was super intrigued by her actual life - what exactly is happening to her to cause her to faint. However, I couldn't help but become fascinated by the exciting events she was thrown in inside these dreams: We've got beasts who prey on women, vengeful princesses, and a fantastically beautiful scenery. Kyanna herself is a bit hard to relate to at first. I felt the author, being male, was trying a bit too hard to get inside the head of a teenage girl. Making a few stereotypical girly remarks and pointing out the obvious. It did get better after a while, though, and I was able to make a better connection with her during the second half where she seemed to get a more solid personality. This journey is not fast-paced. It's a slow process building up to Kyanna's dream, to have her discover everything this bizarre world has to offer. Nevertheless, I was so captivated by the beauty, the mystery of it all that I was not too bothered by the slow movement. I felt it was designed to give a gradual introduction into the unknown. It also helps that we get thrown from Kyanna's reality to her dreams, constantly leaving us with fresh intrigue.All in all the unique story easily won me over, plus the writing flows surprisingly well for a debut author. We've got a gorgeous setting and an easy to follow prose that will suit especially those reluctant to get into heavy fantasy.--For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads