A Review for Whirl (Ondine Quartet #1) and Billow (Ondine Ouartet #2) by Emma Raveling

Posted by Donna

Release Date: September 16th, 2011

Finished Date: September 19th, 2012

Publishers: Mandorla Publishing

Source: Bought 

Format: Kindle

Pages: 258
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US

Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war with the Aquidae, immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world.
Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble.
When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past. Alone and with no one to trust, she must now navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny.
All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down, in the hopes of eliminating her forever…
An edgy YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance, Whirl is recommended for older teens and mature readers due to strong language and mild sexual situations.

The Review:I first heard about Whirl when the author approached us for a review. At the time I was completely booked up so Melanie; the guest reviewer reviewed it for me. She loved it and has been telling me for months to read it and you know what? She was 100% right! 

Whirl is a very unique story. It centre's around water element's and girl named Kendra. Kendra is a strong and independent girl, who has been trained to fight Aquidae; demons, by her mother. When her mother is murdered, Kendra finds herself at a Haverleau; a special school for people like her, where they can learn about their magic. While there, Kendra finds out her mother has been keeping secrets from her, secrets that involve her destiny. Can Kendra really be who everyone claims she is? And can she keep out of trouble to find out?

I loved Whirl. It kind of has the same feel as Vampire Academy did with the settings like going to school, the different gifts but still I still think it's a very unique story, especially surrounding the water elements aspects. It's not one I've ever read about and finding out about Ondine's, Selkies and the many other people was really fascinating. 

What I loved about this book was it was so damn unpredictable, Kendra is such a rash character that rushes to do stuff before she thinks, you just honestly don't know what she's going to do. But that's a good thing because it leaves you guessing through the whole book. I loved how she didn't take no crap and always spoke her mind. She's a very feisty and fierce character and I really loved her. Another character I loved was Tristan. Oh wow, how he manages to steal you're heart from the very first few pages. 

The only small problem I had and I say VERY small problem, was trying to pronounce some of the names. I found it quite hard and it did take me a few tries to get it right - which I still don't think I got right in the end. I think it would make it easier on the readers if the author had a pronunciation guide to go at the start of the book, like she does with the knowledge guide at the back of the book, but other than that, I loved this book and I think everyone should read it!

Posted by Donna

Release Date: July 5th, 2012

Finished Date: September 2012

Publishers: Mandorla Publishing

Source: Bought

Format: Kindle

Pages: Unknown 
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US

It has been six months since ondine Kendra Irisavie arrived in Haverleau, the hidden capital of the water elemental world.
Six months since she discovered her destiny as the sondaleur.
Six months since a series of devastating events left behind their mark. 
Now, as she enters the chevalier elite program in her final year at Lumiere Academy, Kendra continues forward on her prophesied journey against the Shadow. Obsessed with what she must do to keep those around her safe, she struggles to balance her powerful magic and the demands of her fate with the challenges of friendship, the complications of romance, and the bonds of family. 
Meanwhile, the threat of the Shadow looms larger. Kendra and her friends investigate a series of puzzling human and elemental disappearances in the city of Lyondale and uncover a horrifying tactic used by the Aquidae in the war.
When danger strikes close to home, Kendra must separate the truths from the lies and choose who and what to believe. 
Even if it means facing what she fears the most.

The Review: I dived into Billow as soon as I finished Whirl because, well after that ending who wouldn't? I was dying to know what would happen next to Kendra and the gang and of course, I was hoping and praying for more Tristan time.....sigh....I do love him! 

Anyway, author Emma Raveling did a fantastic job with this fantastic sequel. In Billow we see the strong and independent Kendra struggle. After the loss of a friend, she's mourning but to everyone else, she's trying to keep her head above water. She throws herself into trouble to try and forget her pain and not only that, she's trying to forget about the one man that seems to have touched her heart - the problem is, she can never have him. Things are already looking glum for Kendra, but when the evil Aquidae start kidnapping children and adults, Kendra knows she needs to try and put a stop to this and soon her journey begins......

This book was little bit more emotional for me because of the journey Kendra took. It was pretty clear of how much she was struggling to deal with her feelings and I just wanted someone to come along and make everything better for her. And I wanted that someone to be TRISTAN! I'm telling you, the author really does like to keep us readers in suspense when it comes to their relationship and it's killing me. But I do love it. They have beautiful and intense moments together and you can really see how strong they would be together as a couple. However, they obstacles they have to get through and worse than ever. The author throws a huge twist in the end making us believe there is no hope for them....but I have faith.....they belong together so I'm sure she will make this work for them...somehow. 

The storyline was exhilarating, suspenseful and thrilling. There's so many engaging scenes too that leave you sitting on the edge of you're seat and by the end of this book, your'll only be wanting more! I for one, can not wait to read more by this talented author and I am eagerly awaiting news on Crest - book three in the series's release date.