by Emma Raveling
Publication date: December 19th, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Purchase: Amazon / Amazon UK
“I shouldn’t get involved.”
Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away.
Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets.
Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons.
Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe.
Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself.
But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price.
Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons.
Ondine is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.
Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away.
Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets.
Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons.
Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe.
Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself.
But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price.
Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons.
Ondine is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.
Melanie's Review: Ondine is an excellent insight into a younger Kendra, who is now future governor of Haverleau. In this we see her as a sixteen year old, trying to stay below the radar by following her mother’s rules -
‘Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself.’
And she has….until now.. because she is forced to step in when she sees one of her classmates being held responsible for something that is out of his control which attracts the attention of the bully – Rui- who has a lot going on beneath the surface and Kendra recognises that in him. Along with the bullied boy, Kendra decides to make a difference in this town and sort of leave a legacy for the better but will everything go according to plan?
As I mentioned, this is an excellent insight into Kendra’s younger self, I can see her emerging into the Ondine warrior we know her to be, ‘the sondaleur’. I like her strong sense of right from wrong, I like how she wants to make a difference and can see how these traits have manifested into her new role. Even though this was a short story, I liked the connection she had to Rui, it’s a shame there was never any time to delve into that further because he was like a kindred spirit and both victims of their parents visions. For all we know much about Naida Irisivie, I find myself wondering wth she was doing to her daughter, I’m surprised Kendra had any confidence left by the time Tristan took her away, she is cruel in my opinion and whilst I do know why she was that way with Kendra, it’s harsh. I really liked the story, it fit well to her character and definitely something I could see her doing plus it shows us she was just as fearless then as now and we get a very symbolic scene at the end which I thought was a great way to end this. As with each & every story we get in this series, it always leaves me wanting more!
Donna's Review: Emma Raveling never disappoints. She's back but this time with Ondine a prequel novella based around Kendra when she's younger and in the human world where she's trying to figure out the difference between right and wrong. There's something going on at school and Kendra knows she's the only one who can help right the situation, even despite all her mother's warnings. Her mother is a harsh women. At times I could see why Nadia is the way she is, after all, if you've read the series, you know her it all plays out for her and why she pushes Kendra so much. But there's a way to do that at I honestly believe Nadia did most things wrong. She puts Kendra down and doesn't really show her the affection a mother should, it was slightly hard to read because Kendra takes as much as possible in stride but deep down, I think she just wanted her mother to be proud of her, so does what she can. I enjoyed the overall story for Ondine too. It was good to see Kendra interacting with people, you can see the feisty person starting to bubble under the surface and even though she's in the human world, she's far from normal...and you do start to see glimmers of that. In all, even though this is only a novella, Emma Raveling manages to capture everything we love about Kendra and makes us wish that much more that she can get the happy ever after ending we all want her to have.
Excerpt from ONDINE by Emma
Raveling
Afternoon sunlight drenched the
wood, heat seeping through my jeans and warming the back of my legs.
Rui’s icy voice sliced through the
delicate spring air. “I need you to get the money from him.”
Potheads occupied the narrow recess
beside the stairs while the cheerleaders and athletes took the table farthest
from the building door.
They weren’t getting involved.
Neither was the Student Council
group gathered along the west side.
I’d managed to follow her rules for
the four months we’d been in L.A. The championship tournament was in two hours
and she’d be seriously pissed if my performance wasn’t better than the last
one.
I needed to concentrate on my own
shit, not get involved in anyone else’s.
Troy’s fear ratcheted up another
notch and the hot spike of emotion raked against my insides.
“I—I don’t know him that w-well…”
“That’s a problem.” Rui adopted an
expression of mock concern and pulled out a cigarette. “‘Cause your dad owes
mine a lot of money.”
Empath magic reached inside him,
sensing clumps of frustration and rage, hardened over the years.
“It’s just me and my mom,” Troy
said in a desperate voice. “I don’t see him that often —“
Mistake one.
“Often?” Rui’s voice rumbled with
the dark glee of a predator who’d spotted its prey. “So you do see him.”
“N..no.” Troy’s eyes darted around
the courtyard.
Don’t, don’t…
Wide eyes locked on to me. Great.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I m-m-mean…” He stumbled over the
words. “S-sometimes I do, but…”
Mistake two.
“Then you can get the money from
him, right?” Rui lit his cigarette. Troy flinched at the click of the lighter.
“I don’t think your old man would like it if my father got his hands on you.”
Troy swallowed, his gaze flickering
toward me again.
Sasha followed his line of sight.
“You thinkin’ a chick’s gonna help you?”
Rui slowly turned. Black hair, dark
eyes set against olive skin. Cold, grim awareness etched into his face,
creating an impression of severe superiority.
The things he’d seen and
experienced exceeded your worst nightmares and he wanted you to know it.
Rui flicked his cigarette, ash
landing a foot away from me.
“She’s not bad, Troy. Don’t think
she’s your type, though.”
I suppressed a sigh and stood.
Might as well get this over with.
“You don’t know my type, Vergara.”
A flicker of surprise in those dead
eyes. “You know my name. I’m flattered.”
“Don’t be.” I strode over and
leaned against the metal railing of the stairs. “You just have a rep of being
an asshole.”
Kane stepped forward, body tense.
Rui’s arm shot out and stopped him.
“You’re that junior.” A ring of
smoke gently swirled around his face. “Transferred here a few months ago.
Kendra, right?”
Empath detected a quick shift. Irritation
and anger smoothly transformed to calculating curiosity. The unusual degree of
control set off my internal alarms.
I shouldn’t underestimate him.
AUTHOR BIO
I’m a fantasy writer who lives a slightly eccentric life with my accommodating husband and our charming, neurotic dog. I'm currently working on the Ondine Quartet, a young adult urban fantasy/paranormal series featuring a kick-ass heroine, powerful magic, and the complex world of water elementals.
I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
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