Publisher’s Description
An orphan bent on revenge. A monster searching for freedom. A forbidden pact that binds their fates together.
Lyss has heard her father’s screams; smelled the iron-tang of his blood. She witnessed his execution. And plotted her revenge.
Then a violent encounter traps Lyss in a blood-pact with a rarkyn from the Otherworld and imbues her with the monster’s forbidden magic. A magic that will erode her sanity. To break the pact, she and the rarkyn must journey to the heart of the Empire. All that stands in their way are the mountains and the Empire’s soldiers—and each other.
But horrors await them on the road- horrors even rarkyns fear.
The most terrifying monster isn’t the one Lyss travels with…
It’s the one that’s awoken inside her.
Monsters of a feather flock together.
*** I received an ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review ***
Review
The Rarkyn’s Familiar is the debut Fantasy novel by New Zealand author Nikky Lee.
The Rarkyn’s Familiar follows the protagonist Lyss, an orphan apprentice in a camp of lowly trained mancers. When hunting with two brothers from the camp, they come across a landslide in the mountain roads. A partially destroyed cart contains one of the kingdom’s most feared creatures trapped within a cage. A rarkyn. In a series of well-intended gestures, the three release the powerful sigils on the chains and free the rarkyn but not before it bonds itself as a familiar to Lyss.
Now bonded as familiars, Lyss and the rarkyn have a short amount of time to find someone in the capital capable of breaking their bond before the overwhelming magic of the rarkyn drives Lyss insane. Hunted by the Order mancers, soldiers and the rarkyn’s last captor, Lyss’s magic grows more powerful the more time she spends bonded to the rarkyn but so does her own dark potential. Time is running out for Lyss and the rarkyn if they want to survive the binding.
Final Thoughts
The Rarkyn’s Familiar is an engaging debut novel exploring a unique concept of familiar bonding; where a human becomes bonded to a fantastical creature. This adds a refreshing aspect to the storyline and complex world building that feels genuine for these characters and histories. The is a truly worthwhile read from a new voice in epic fantasy.
Conclusion
A great read for anyone seeking a unique from a debut author and a well-crafted epic fantasy. Highly recommended!