Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  Through the Last Door

AUTHOR:  J.A. Jaken

PUBLISHER:  White Owl Publishing

LENGTH:  376 pages

BLURB:  

When Kaori Sansa’s father dies, he is forced to return home to claim the throne as the rightful heir of the country of Kazure. In the aftermath of his father’s death, he learns that the country he loves is riddled with corruption, and is hovering on the brink of war. Will he be able to hold the kingdom together despite the odds that are stacked against it, and somehow unlock the buried powers of Shinja, the Sacred Beast of Kazure?

REVIEW:  

Maybe, in the end, this was the lesson Yura had been trying to teach him: Live well. Live strong. Make any sacrifice for the ones you love. Keep the promises you make. Accept each day for what it is and nothing more; don’t worry about what happened yesterday, and don’t pin your hopes on tomorrow.

And above all, don’t be afraid to have fun along the way.

After the sudden death of his father Kaori is forced to give up his studies abroad and return to his homeland to take his place as the new ruler of Kazure. But while he is glad to see his old friends again, Kaori is having to deal with the frustration and stress of ruling a country he knows little about, and with the ‘guidance’ of eight Lords who pretty much have only their own lands in the forefront of their minds. On a tour of the four most outlying provinces, Kaori learns that not all is as it seems in his lands, or with his friends, and he is going to have to figure out who he can trust before he ends up dead and his country in the hands of a shadowy enemy.

When this book came up on offer for review here on the blog I was a little hesitant to pick it up. I’ve not read anything by this author before (though I have had several of her books rec’d to me by various people) and lately the “let’s give this one a try” method has not exactly been swinging in my favor. So, yeah. I was a bit hesitant.

And then I looked up the book, saw the cover, and ran back to claim this story for my own.

I am all kinds of slutty for a pretty cover, and this one sure is pretty. I don’t feel all that bad about it, to be honest, but I just wanted to give props to whoever was the cover artist because they give good cover.

However, a cover may sell a book but it sure don’t make one. That is all on the author and their writing. So I kinda had to cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Turns out my friends may have had something when they rec’d me all those books, because I found I really enjoyed this story and this writing. It was a bit too lighthearted at times for my tastes, and I certainly wanted to shake Kaori everytime he went all kumbaya on everyone (for the love of all that is holy, must you trust everyone??), but at its heart, this is a really good story. And one that I really liked. Mostly because it wasn’t always lighthearted (next time why don’t you throw me off the freaking cliff, it would be easier on my heart!) and Kaori’s quirks start to grow on you because he never gives up and he doesn’t back down–even sometimes when he probably should.

Also, there is Hunter. I love Hunter. All that glorious tension between Kaori and Hunter was built so very very nicely till it kinda just made my kindle combust. It may have taken forever for them to get there, but once they were there they were nicely stuck together. Probably in more ways than one.

While the blurb may have tempted me, and the cover sold me, it really was the story that made this well worth the time. Some very well rounded secondary characters helped give this story depth, and I liked how certain obstacles were overcome (even if I kinda saw them coming). Plus I really liked the world building here.

So, yeah. Good book. Go read it–especially if you are in the mood for a fun fantasy story with slow-burn romance to keep you going.

RATING:  

BUY LINKS:

J.A. Jaken

Amazon

Amazon.UK

ARe