Central (Daughters of Saraqael #2) by Raine Thomas

Central (Daughters of Saraqael #2) by Raine Thomas

Publisher: Iambe Books

Release Date: November 2011

Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance

Source: Author 

Goodreads Summary:

For avid student Olivia Murdoch, life on the Estilorian plane is filled with wondrous adventure. Every lesson about her new existence is both exciting and challenging. Along with her sisters, she embraces this non-human half of herself.

Helping with her lessons is her Gloresti, James. Teacher, scholar and distractingly attractive, James takes on his roles of Olivia's guide and protector with equal dedication. As he learns the human emotions that Estilorians no longer experience, he starts to see Olivia as much more than just an assigned pairing.

The physically weakest of her sisters, Olivia trains hard to learn things that no typical human classroom can impart. When they travel to "Central," the Estilorian base, she comes to understand why she must become strong enough to defend herself. She and her sisters are targets.

Not all Estilorians welcome them. In fact, more than one would see them dead.

My Review:

It's really hard to put into words how fabulous this book is, it really is. Central which is book two in the Daughters of Saraqael series is a rather perfect sequel in more ways than one. It is well-written, intelligent, imaginative, and it has just the right touch of romance. In Central we have a book that centers itself on it's characters overcoming their fears and learning how to trust not only themselves but those around them and I really loved every minute of it.

In Central we continue to learn more about the Estilorians which are beings that used to share the world with humans but had to leave because of their powers and the complexities those created in the human world.  And in Central we have the daughters of Saraqael who are half human/half estilorian showing the Estilorians what human emotions are all about and it is rather interesting because through them Thomas gets to show the reader how the lack or excess of emotions can affect a person/being. Which leads me to our protagonists in Central: Olivia and James.

Olivia and James are such lovely main characters and so well developed. Which is, by the way, another talent of Raine Thomas. She knows how to make incredibly three dimensional and well rounded characters. Both primary and secondary characters in this book are complex and interesting. Doesn't matter if they are villains or heroes, everyone has a story to them which is given to the reader in small increments through clever plot twists and storylines. Olivia, the female lead in this book, is what you would say a more studious type of girl. She is intelligent and has a very good sense of what is right, and is of a very calm and sweet nature. In this book we get to follow her journey as she learns to become more assertive and confident in her abilities and judgement. James, the male lead in this book, is an amazing character as well. He is everything you would want in a male protagonist. He is strong, protective, respectful and always willing to learn and grow as a person. There is no pride with him, just a strong and quiet confidence and his main struggle in this book is about learning how to understand human emotion (as he is an estilorian) and it is rather interesting to read about.

The romance in this book is just perfection. Like in Becoming there is no instantaneous love. There is no love triangles in this book and both Olivia and James are respectful of each other. James gives Olivia her space to grow and viceversa. There are no impositions here and it's just a breath of fresh air to read about the development of such a healthy love story.

What shined for me in this book above everything else has to be the the fantasy elements included in the story. The Estilorians themselves as beings are so uniquely created and their world is so rich, vivid, intricate and colorful that when you read about them it's as if a picture is painted in your mind and you feel that they are real. I would also say that animals, creatures and places of myth and legend make an astonishing appearance in the Estilorian world and I loved every minute of it. Fans of fantasy definitely have a winning book in Central. This book is fantasy at it's best. So creative and for me a definite must read for fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings who might be dying to read a fantasy book with a newly and uniquely created world.

My Rating: 5/5