The Call of the Rift: Flight by Jae Waller is the first book in an alternate-historical fantasy about Kateiko, a young Rin girl on the cusp of adulthood. This beautiful story is full of lush descriptions and roughly based on lesser-known legends and myths of the indigineous people of Canada. The Call of the Rift: Flight will take the reader on a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and romance as one girl finds her destiny.

Kateiko, aka Kako, is an easy to like character. Having spent her entire life in the Rin-joyeun, Kako longs for more. She has a wandering heart, missing the only family she has left, a cousin who married into a sister tribe across the ruined divide. Against the wishes of her guardian. Kako leaves the Rin to start a journey she never imagined. Kako is fierce and determined, loyal and kind. She is also naive. This naivete leaves her open for manipulation by those she readily trusts. My heart broke for her over and over again as she made choices she would soon regret.

There are many characters that come into Kako’s life as she journeys, but two in particular are my favorites. Tiernan is a Sverbian mage, a former soldier, and probably the most important in terms of Kako’s transformation. He comes off as a bitter man, a hermit living alone in his cabin in the woods. Kako owes her life to him and his neighbor who is a healer. He offers to allow her to stay with him while she heals, and he teaches her the languages of the surrounding towns. I like Tiernan, he’s unusually kind, and I think he sees a little of himself in the young Kako.

The other character that stole my heart was Airedain, an Iyo (a sister tribe to Kako’s Rin) boy around her age. Like Kako, Airedain is finding his own way of life in the nearby city. While Tiernan can be described as Kako’s conscience, Airedain is the devil on her shoulder. He is a terrible influence, yet he is also the closest thing she has to home. He reminds her of her people. I have a feeling this boy will become important as the series develops.

The plot of the story really is a journey for Kako. When she arrives on the other side of the divide, she is running from her people and the “ghosts” she sees when she uses her water gift. She refuses to attune to her spirit animal (a wolf for those interested). Arriving on the other side though, she realizes that it isn’t just in her joyeun that she sees the spirit world, but anytime she calls her gift a rift appears. It’s an interesting twist to the story. War is also brewing, a saidu wants the knowledge Kako has about the Rift, and it will cost her everything.

While I had an arc of this one lying around, I wound up purchasing the audiobook. I had a hard time with some of the names and words Kako used, and it became a distraction for me. Listening made a world of difference. Sera-Lys McArthur drew me in with her melodic voice. Her tone and inflection allowed me to know instantly who Kako was interacting with. I’ve already purchased the sequel. I enjoyed her so much!

Overall The Call of the Rift: Flight is a solid start to the series. I loved Kako’s journey, which truly came full circle. Each person she encounters is a fully-fleshed out character. The world-building is phenomenal! I felt as if I’d truly stepped back in time to early colonial Canada. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys alternate history and fantasy.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Emerge by Melissa A. Craven is the first book in her series Immortals of Indriell and is a fast-paced adventure I couldn’t put down! Allie Carmichael’s life is about to change forever when her parents move across the globe in the middle of the night. Arriving in a small town in Ohio, Allie never expects to find people who understand her even when she doesn’t understand herself. Emerge follows Allie’s transformation from mortal to immortal and will leave you begging for more.

What I Enjoyed
I love the cast of characters! It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with so many different characters. While Allie is the main character, there is an entire family of characters waiting for her in Ohio. Each one has his/her own quality that helps you keep them straight, but I’ll admit it took me well over half the book before I was able to do so without flipping back pages. My favorite character (aside from our two main) is Liam. He shows up midway through so I won’t spoil anything, just know that I love him.

Allie is a force to be reckoned with! She’s more than a little lost when we first meet her. Upset about their move and feeling like an outsider, she keeps to herself, or tries too. Allie is fiery, but also fiercely loyal to those she considers friends, something she’s never really been able to say she has. Now that she does, she has to learn to adapt. But that isn’t the only thing she has to adapt too. She has the strange new power lurking inside, ready to burst out, and when it does, Allie’s friends will be the ones with all the answers.

Then there is Aiden. I adore this boy! He is the first person Allie meets in Ohio, and he is also the first person to not flinch when she touches them. Allie finds herself drawn to him, and he seems to be just as fascinated with her. Aiden is a complex character, portraying himself as the classic playboy/jock at school, but showing a softer side to Allie and his real friends. Like Allie, I was drawn to Aiden and found myself falling for the shy guy he truly is.

What Left Me Wanting More
While I love the immersive nature of the story, I needed more. More details, more descriptors, more words, just more. There is little transition between scenes, which led to confusion on my part. Multiple times I thought I’d skipped a page when in reality the story shifted to the next scene without a transition. This made for a choppy read at times, especially in the beginning of the book. As the story progresses and the pace picks up speed, the transitions become seamless.

Another aspect that distracted from the story for me is the narration. It is told in a limited 3rd person, mostly focusing the story on Allie and her experiences. However I really struggled following the narrator in the beginning. Some of this is due to the transitions I mentioned earlier, but mostly this is related to a “tell” rather than “show” method. There may be a technical term for this, but I don’t know it so let me explain. For example, instead of showing through the characters’ interactions that Aiden and Allie are drawn to one another, the narrator tells us Allie feels a connection to him. This is a personal preference for me as I tend to read mostly first person narration. Once I got used to the writing style though, I flew through the book.

Final Thoughts
Overall I really enjoyed Emerge. Craven has created a unique world with her Immortals, and I cannot wait to read more! True to the title, the story follows Allie as she awakens as an Immortal. I loved learning about this new world with her. The awe-inspiring abilities that come with her immortality leads me to believe that as the series progresses we are in for a real adventure. Emerge encompasses everything I love about urban fantasy and combines it with a hint of romance and a dash of action. I highly recommend it for anyone that enjoys the genres.

Snowflakes and Holly by Jae Dawson is a sweet, small-town holiday romance about two people facing their fears and overcoming grief. I adored this one, reading it in one sitting. The town and the main couple are relatable and believable. I found myself rooting for a good outcome early on.

Holly is a broken character, still struggling with PTSD five years after the death of her father. Once a risk-taker, now Holly is cautious and living her life in a bubble, afraid to do the things that once brought her so much joy. I ached for Holly. Her heartbreak, even five years later, is a festering wound that will not go away. Grief, true honest grief, is like that though, and I love how the author presented it through Holly.

Blake is a former gold-medal winning Olympian snowboarder who lost not only his leg but his career to cancer. Now with his cancer beaten, he’s looking to start a new life, but he’s drifting. He doesn’t know what he wants. His entire life up to his cancer was competing and being a professional athlete. When his friend Finn throws him a lifeline as a trainer at his gym, Blake jumps on it. I understood Blake more than I thought I would. I hurt for him and the choices laid out for him. It’s not easy to shift your dreams and adjust to a new way of life.

When he, quite literally, runs into Holly on the slopes, his life alters yet again, and it takes her with him. He thinks he won’t see her again, but he’s wrong. His PT is going on maternity leave, leaving her partner in charge of his care. Her partner happens to be Holly. I love the dynamic and tension between these two. Their banter and interactions drive the book. I love that he challenges her outside her comfort zone and that she helps him reexamine his life.

Overall, I really enjoyed Snowflakes and Holly. Holly and Blake were a fun couple, both sweet and steamy. If you enjoy holiday romance and small towns, I highly recommend it.