Central is a gem

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.

Okay... So I finished reading Becoming in just a couple days and immediately bought Central because I HAD to find out what happened! Central was the perfect continuation to Becoming. Once again Miss Raine takes us into the Estilorian world where we learn more about the sisters. We learn more about Gabriel and his fellow Gloresti (haawwwwwwwt) warriors and the other Estilorians.

Central was predominantly through the perspective of the middle sister, Olivia, which was nice. I relate to her most being the down-to-earth book nerd type. Olivia is strong in her own way, but not like her sisters. Amber is the fighter, Skye is the light when all is dark, and Olivia is really almost like the heart. Much to my geekish pleasure the girls learn more about their abilities and how to fight back, to defend themselves in Central. Nothing gets me pumped up more than girls kicking some major bootay, and they do their share. Girl Power!

There is also some evil lurking and the sisters fall prey to those who are not so keen on the sisters being on their plane. The Mercesti are downright dirty and their leader, Grolkinei, will stop at nothing to get his creepy hands on them.

Again Central is full of the romance of Becoming and you find yourself falling hard for the Gloresti warriors sworn to protect the Daughters. Caleb (Skye's Gloresti) is a rock that crumbles under the power of Skye's persistent sass. James (Olivia's Gloresti) is just beyond words to me. He is strong, capable, fiercely protective, yet absolutely clueless on how to properly express himself to Oilvia. Love him! Want to put James in my pocket and take him home.

Did it rock my world? Fo sho! I give Central a 7.8 on my Richter scale.

Becoming with romance

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.

To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk. 

Raine Thomas does a phenomenal job with Becoming. I began following her on Twitter and visited her website to find out more about her books. After hearing some rave reviews I bought Becoming. I was not disappointed.

You meet Amber and learn that she is a very complex person having bounced around foster homes all her young life. She finally lands a stable life with Mrs. B and the hotness that is known as Gabriel. We also get a peek at some strange 'incidents' that happen to Amber, but Raine does a great job of teasing without telling too much. Just enough to keep you flipping through the pages, eager to know more.

When Amber and Gabriel take a trip to Alaska we finally begin to get some answers, but not without more questions of course. Slowly the puzzle that is Amber begins to come together only to have the picture on the box cover change.

Raine pulls us (rather willingly) into her fantastic world of Estilorians. A race of beings that possess great power, but are not without faults of their own. The complexity of this new world was fascinating and, being the fantasy geek I am, totally drew me in.

Amber is fiercely independent and a strong heroine. Gabriel is completely swoon worthy and Amber's pillar of support. We meet Skye and Olivia who, even though they are very much like Amber (wink, wink, no spoilers here) are each adorably unique in their own way.

Becoming is a fantastic coming of age, finding yourself, sort of story with classic romance mixed in. The kind of romance that makes you sigh with envy because of the purity of it. I loved every minute of this book and would recommend it to any young reader as well as us...ehem...mature readers who enjoy a romantic tale with classic chivalry and strong young women you can identify with. 

Did it rock my world? Yes'm, I give Becoming a 7.8 on my Richter scale.