Kimberly Marraffino

Return to Kiluemar

I forgot how much I love to dive into YA fantasy. The return to Kiluemar was a ride! This was one of my reads last month, I totally enjoyed it. The Magic of the Realm follows a twins on a journey of self discovery. The world is beautiful, the author did a great job putting together the details and weaving the premise. 

The characters were definitely easy to love, Rhiannon was super smart, I enjoyed her character growth as well as the interaction with the other characters. James was pretty great to read as well. I liked reading about the history of the world which we see thru the narrator’s eyes. 

I can’t wait to learn more about this world! Super excited to see the relationship developments! Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of the book.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

MAGIC OF THE REALM will definitely appeal to readers of YA fantasy—especially urban and portal fantasy—and those who don’t mind a story without romance. I found it to be such a refreshing palette cleanser, and binged through it in a matter of days!

The story follows fifteen-year-old twins Rhiannon and James as they discover not only of each other’s existence, but also of their magical heritage. I’m a sucker for family dynamics, and the entire first part of the book I was desperately rooting for Rhiannon and James to meet. While we didn’t get much of the two together in this one, what we got already tells me I’m going to adore their dynamic moving forward. However, I did appreciate them as single characters. They were so funny and smart, and I don’t know if they were more mature than their age, or if the adults were overwhelmed by the events and acted somewhat younger, but I definitely loved how the twins presented themselves on page!

I really loved this introduction to the magical world of Kiluemar. You can tell that the author has worked vastly on the world building, because there’s so much lore and the magic was very nuanced. My only complaint is that in an effort to let the reader know about the history, there were some chapters that felt a bit like an information overload. When reading those chapters, I felt a bit removed from the main story, and it was hard to reconnect to what was happening with James and Rhiannon when they were over.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable read. I can’t wait to dive into The Evil Within soon!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Shelby Goodwin

In a nutshell, Return to Kiluemar is whimsical, mystical, and utterly rich in worldbuilding, fantasy lore, and witchy, elemental magic! This story takes off with a gripping, mysterious astral projection, and does not let go of your attention, right up to that shocking cliffhanger ending!

The main narrative follows James and Rhiannon as the mysteries of their parentage, the creation of their magical homeland, and burgeoning powers carefully unfold from the fascinating tales divulged by Kavana (my spirit animal), Pavian (total teddy bear), and Aidan (sexy Scot alert!). I loved them all SO much, but I am particularly intrigued by the villain, Merrick, so I am super looking forward to learning more about this insidious guy in book 2!

I was amazed how Marrafino weaves together such an adventurous, fast-paced urban fantasy that somehow also spans across vast reaches of time and pivotal historical eras, including a moment from my personal favorite, the Golden Age of England. She masterfully unveils the details of magic systems and origin stories of Kiluemar through various spellbinding flashbacks, which read almost like little fairytales, charming vignettes that transport the reader back in time through magical portals to discover lost secrets.

I am so happy to have discovered a new fantasy series to begin suggesting to my high school students for recreational reading! I highly recommend this book to fans of middle grade and young adult fantasy!!

Tatiana Alvarez 

Actual rating 3.5!

Thank you so much to the author for collaborating with me and sending me a copy of the book. 

Kiluemar exists within this realm, as long as one knows how to access the portal. 

Rhiannon and James are twins, except Rhiannon doesn’t remember her brother. In fact, she doesn’t remember a lot of things from her childhood. One day she awakes from a dream so vivid, she begins to question whether it had actually been a dream or real. Upon telling her aunt, Rhiannon soon is told the truth about her past and the prophecy James and her are apart of. Now, they must work together in order to save their realm from a powerful demonic entity who plans on stealing magic for himself. 

Marraffino is an extremely descriptive writer, so this isn’t a fast read story. It is definitely worth it to take your time reading this novel so you can soak in the rich history of Kiluemar, as it really sets up the story for the next books. (Of at least I’m assuming it will!) I found myself loving the side stories slightly more than the main storyline because they read like legends and I’m a big fan of folklore. 

This series has a lot of potential. Book one is full of world building and getting the reader immersed into this magic realm, so the plot line moves rather slow at first. It definitely picks up at the end. I enjoyed getting to read about Kiluemar and experiencing the realm through different perspectives. I think book 2 is going to be action packed, especially because book one ends on a cliff hanger!
🤯🤯🤯
Obviously, I need to know what will happen next!

I’m an 8th grade teacher and this book would definitely be suitable for my classroom. I think my students would enjoy it and it is written for their age group.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

This book was full to the brim with magic!

Return to Kiluemar mainly follows twins Rhiannon and James, who were torn apart and forced to forget each other as to protect them from the actuation of a prophecy. However, after years of obliviously living their lives apart, Rhiannon with their aunt and James with their uncle, their magic unexpectedly activates, and the twins finally discover the truth about the magical realm of Kiluemar and their family. 

The story starts with a bang. I was really taken by that first chapter, trying to understand what was happening as the protagonist found herself thrust in a world she didn’t recognize. It was very mysterious and gripping. As the story progressed and the twins are told the truth, we’re given several chapters that served as worldbuilding. In these chapters, we discover how Kiluemar came to be, who the important players are, how the magic works, what the Guardians are, until we reach Rhiannon and James’s parents. I enjoyed these chapters, perhaps even more than the chapters where we see the twins and their uncles respectively preparing to meet each other and leave for Kiluemar, because these chapters felt like stories within the story. I especially loved to learn more about the twins’ mother. 

The ending was incredible. I loved the twins’ flashback sequence, and I was happy to see them finally reunite. I would have preferred for a more emotional reunion, but I liked it nonetheless. The last scene was especially mindblowing. I wasn’t expecting that cliffhanger, and I’m curious to understand what happened and where the story goes next!

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Return to Kiluemar

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