Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Series: The Ferryman and the Flame (1)
Paperback, October 2 2012, 402 pages
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How far would you go to save everything you ever loved? Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My thoughts
So Kaliel and Krishani are elvins, and as a rule elvins do not fall in love. They marry the land. This is not the only challenge these two face in their love for each other. I don't want to give too much of the book away but it seems everyone is trying to keep them apart and nobody understands that they do actually love each other. Every elvin has their path chosen for them from the Great Oak (kind of like the hat in Harry Potter but with a tree). These two are not meant for each other in fact in the words of the tree 'their paths shouldn't have crossed' (can't remember the exact words). The elvins do not stray from the path selected for them, that is until Kaliel and Krishani. Their seemingly innocent actions result in dire consequences for all elvin folk. They will either fight for their love or surrender to their fate.
I loved the descriptive writing in this book. Everything was described beautifully and I could really imagine the places the characters visited. I wasn't in love with the characters to be honest. There wasn't anything wrong with them, they where described wonderfully and I was immersed in the story but to be honest I didn't really care if their love conquered all or not, which is not the way I should be feeling whilst reading a book about a plight of love. I loved the plot of this story and thought it was extremely creative. The beginning of the book kept me interested because I was suddenly immersed in this magical world with all these different races and customs. I wanted to understand the characters as the customs and language was like a whole new world to me. The ending was the best part of this book by far. The battle was described in such detail that I could imagine myself being a part of it and fighting for my people. Not to be unkind but the middle did kind of drag for me, there just wasn't enough action for me. Yeah it was vital for the building of the story and the lead up to the end but I prefer my books to be chock-a-block with action. Overall a nice read, set in an amazing world that is a nice read for them lazy days lay in the sun.