Review: Sora's Quest by T.L. Shreffler

       Title: Sora's Quest
       Series Title: The Cat's Eye Chronicles
       Author: T.L. Shreffler
       Published by: Runaway Pen
       Published on: 18th April 2012
       Format: Kindle Edition
       Rating: 4 stars

Summary:

"Sora Fallcrest always dreamed of adventure, but as a member of the nobility, she learned the ways of a Lady instead. Now seventeen, she is expected to choose a husband and marry. She plots to run away, but just as she is stepping out the door, she runs into a mysterious man--and is kidnapped.
Abducted from her manor, Sora is plunged into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore. She finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won't let her go--not when her Cat's Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power -- or will the power wield her? (Winner of the SKOW 2006 Best Fantasy Award)"

My thoughts/What I think?

4 stars.
So this book is permanently free on amazon, so I thought why not? I downloaded it on kindle. It was everything I was hoping for.
Sora, the protagonist of the story wants to lead a life of adventure, to live freely but her Lord Father and society expects her to marry on her seventeen birthday, when a blooming ceremony is held and suitors come forward but Sora has other plans. She plots to run away after the ceremony ends, to search for her mother but things don't go as planned. Abruptly something happens at the ceremony and chaos ensues. She is at the wrong place at the wrong time, she was running away but in turn is actually kidnapped by a Assassin. Thus her adventure starts. She is stuck with the Assassin- Crash and his companion Dorian and Burn- a Wulven or Wolfie; an ancient race of magical beings, last of their kind. At the blooming ceremony, her father is killed and everybody thinks she killed her Lord father. The Crown is after her, she is kidnapped and made to journey with the assassin, the thief and the mercenary against her will. After certain misadventures she has no where to go but with them. And to top it all Volcrian- a Wulven mage is hunting the assassin for revenge for killing his brother. And only one thing stands between Volcrian and Crash and that is Sora and her Cat's eye necklace which protects it's wearer from magical attacks.
And Thank god, there is no insta love or love triangle. And the characters were complex to read and understand because when you think about it, all Volcrian is trying to do is get revenge on Crash for killing his brother but here he is the villain. And Crash or Viper(his real name) is an assassin and kills for money. Nobody is innocent or good, just circumstances are making them villain and hero out of them.
And Sora is in the middle of it all. Crash wouldn't let her go because she is the key which will help him keep alive. We see Sora at the start as a naive little girl but she grows well. She takes everything in stride. It's a fun read where there is little or no romance but adventure and action. The world building is something which was lacking a little but the writing was beautiful. We are left with a bitter sweet ending. I can't wait to read the second book in the series.
I loved reading this book and finished it in just one sitting. Recommended to everybody.