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For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.
When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?
WARNING: Contains sweet romance, some violence and plenty of adventure.
A Lyrical Press Science-Fiction Romance
lexcade
Posted July 18, 2012
Number one, Is that cover not seriously hawt? All right, moving on to an actual review. *Glances at cover one more time.*
OK, I think I'm ready now. I. Loved. This. Loved it. It's some of the best science fiction I've read in a while, with two incredibly different main characters who discover that they're not so different after all.
Yes, there are alien races, yes there are other planets, but deep down, what I love most about this book is that it's a book about people.
Keir has been ostracized his entire life because of his blue skin. Otherwise seemingly normal, Keir has been forced to hide in the shadows, scavenge for food, and fend off attackers since a young age. As a result, he's incredibly distrusting. When he first meets Quin, he's being held in a storage room, a beaten and battered prisoner. The pair manages to escape, leading them down a road where Keir finds not only acceptance, but a deep, abiding love.
Of course, that's not all, and you're gonna have to read the book to find out. The world(s) Pippa creates are wonderfully done, each having its own customs, lore, and geology. Nothing felt...contrived, or too difficult to understand, if that makes any sense. Each world the characters travel to feels like it could exist somewhere, and the different alien races are fleshed out with their own political issues, customs, etc.
At its heart, Keir is a story of love and redemption for both Keir and Quin, two incredibly broken people who find healing with one another. Though Keir has suffered the most physically and mentally, Quin has suffered emotionally. Immortal after the destruction of her world, Quin has traveled the stars searching for the being responsible for destroying everything and everyone she loved. She's loved and lost along the way, and each loss has left its scar. Once she starts falling for her Smurfin companion, she wonders if he could ever love her, but buries her feelings. The middle of the book is when their love story truly starts, and it's pretty amazing to read. I laughed and cried with both as they found their ways to each other.
And just FYI, the last 20 pages or so nearly scarred me. I was almost bawling.
Pippa Jay's Keir is most definitely a fantastic science fiction read (admittedly, I read it all in one day). It's also a fantastic read that happens to be science fiction. I would recommend this heavily.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AstonWest
Posted September 15, 2012
An enjoyable tale, once I got farther into the story and understood what was happening. The author has set up plenty of elaborate world-building, which tended to drag down the pace in several areas. The romantic side of the novel is what one would come to expect, though the relationship seemed to be extremely rushed for the amount of time the two main characters spent together. I was also a bit disappointed that the full reveal of the main villain was broadcast by one of the main characters well ahead of them meeting in person. Overall, it was a fun story and one I'd recommend to others.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite
Keir was a mere child when he was taken from his home and runes were carved on his tiny body. His father considered him a curse; the town people feared him and would destroy him; they called him the Blue Demon. To hide the scars covering his frame he kept his body wrapped in a tattered cloak. He was innocent of any wrongdoing but was imprisoned anyway. When Quin discovered him in the prison he was ill and dying. With a mighty explosion she freed both him and herself from the vile, dank jail. She transported him to her home in the stars. Even there his survival was uncertain; Quin bound herself to him for life to save him. During the bonding Quin discovered that Keir had healing powers. Intrigue and danger were at hand and Keir could not stay.
Author Pippa Jay offers readers a tale filled with love, romance, intrigue, danger, fantasy, science fiction and action. I enjoyed watching Keir and Quin’s relationship grow into love. But there is a more important aspect to this tale. The author has demonstrated the plight of those who are different. While many tolerate differences should they not be celebrated? I found it amazing that a father would reject his child because he was dissimilar to those around him. The father hated the son so much that he had him imprisoned. Pippa Jay is a talented writer. Her plot is captivating. I stayed up most of the night reading it. I just could not lay it down. Her lead characters are well-conceived. This is Jay’s debut novel but I am sure there will be several more to come from her in future.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Leighn_Hill
Posted May 5, 2012
It begins in darkness. Keir, outcast, cast into a dungeon and sentenced to die. A spunky redhaired woman appears from nowhere, and adventure ensues, and a little love, and a dash of joy, and a heaping spoonful of pain and heartbreak. It's a book filled with colorful images, and strong emotions, and so adventure-filled you'll stay up all night reading it.
One of my top five books ever. I can't wait to read it again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ramore
Posted June 15, 2013
Keir is fantastic debut from Pippa Jay! I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-moving, action-packed adventure that I could not put down!
Quin is a smart, confident, strong women who has been travelling to distant worlds and other times through gateways opened with her special abilities. She has suffered loss but has survived 300 years of life. Keir is a young man who has been persecuted all his life because was born with blue skin.
When Quin and Keir hook up, both of their lives are changed forever. The find they share a twisted heritage that makes them more similar than different and ultimately binds them together in a way that will both help and hinder their relationship.
Together Quin and Keir face persecution, betrayal, and capture. All the while, they become closer and stand together to face their foes - to the death if necessary.
Personally, I didn't quite get the romantic connection between the young Keir and the 300-year old Quin. But that did not prevent me from enjoying both of these characters with all their flaws and their strengths. They were well-developed and complex. I don't know if they are present in the sequel, Gethyon, but there is certainly some potential for further adventures.
You get to visit several worlds and meet a few non-human beings in this book. There is a wonderfully dark and dismal medieval-like world, complete with a belief system that is directly out of the middle ages. Another world has castles made of coral and sea serpents. Ms. Jay's imaginative scene setting is a delight!
Honestly, if I had not just read a 5-star book, I might have awarded 5 stars to this book, but it wasn't quite that good. Keir is a great book and if you like fantasy and romance, you should read it
Combining otherworldly elements with science fiction and some hesitant romantic encounters, the author has created an interesting story that demands attention while delivering its message. I will be honest and say that Keir, the hero, was a little more self-indulgent and emo than I normally like: more than one I really wanted him to just “man up” and get on with things. Which is a testament to the writer in that a character moves you to talk at them (don’t judge) as you read along in their story. However, his demeanour and approach was nicely contrasted with the introduction of Quinn, a confident and headstrong woman with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude toward her own survival.
Together the two manage to travel through space and time, confronting their own pasts as they vanquish the demons that have crippled them emotionally. The two characters are deftly crafted and their personalities and strengths complement each other nicely. This is a story that is told in both protagonist’s points of view, and works smoothly through most of the story. The sticky parts tend to happen when their own pasts are leading their interactions, rather than the confidence in each other that are developing as their adventure continues.
Underpinning the action and adventure, and even romance, is the fact that this story is ultimately one of acceptance for the character that lies beneath the body you are born with, with small victories against the injustices and prejudices that are all too common in our everyday existence.
The first novel from this author is a good one, showing great promise for someone to watch.
I was provided an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for the Jeep Diva reviews. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibilities.
karenYbynum
Posted November 26, 2012
Loved this book! Keir was a fantastic read. The hero (Keir) and the heroine (Quin) had so much rich character development. Both of them were riddled with emotional--and physical--scarring; however, it was beautifully woven into the storyline to make them stronger people. Together they were able to overcome their insecurities.
Keir is packed with action, adventure, intrigue and spicy love scenes...but one of my favorite things was the role reversal. Keir was the inexperienced one, and I loved that Quin taught him--not just how to make love, because that was hot--but how to experience life and to open himself up to forgiveness. Keir suffered a great many things, but Quin was there to support, encourage and bring him back to life.
A few of my favorite lines from the book:
“I am not friendly. I am dangerous.”
He felt her presence in his mind still, like cool hands soothing his fevered thoughts. It both disturbed and comforted him. Was she an angel in human guise? Or some demon sent to torment him before delivering him to his final hell?
His words filled her with a sadness so sharp she had to fight down tears.
He screamed for help as they took him through shadowy streets to an unknown place, but no one came.
Why am I such a sucker for tortured souls?
“We weren’t meant to have these powers, Keir, but it’s how we use them that defines who and what we are.”
“Friends may easily become enemies. Prosperity attracts envy. We must always be wary of complacency and misplaced trust.”
Would learning the truth justify the risk?
For the first time in remembrance, he wanted to touch and be touched in return. To hold her and have her return his embrace freely, with more than a friend’s affection. To feel her white skin under his fingertips. To brush the hair from her face as the breeze did now, and run his fingers through it.
He leaned close to her, and the darkness of his eyes seemed to swallow her soul. “Your fears will come to pass.”
***
I have more, but pretty soon I'll be quoting the entire book! So go buy it! :) Keir is a must read!
I can't say Keir was a fit with me. There was nothing wrong with Pippa Jay's writing or the story, in fact I imagine readers of sci-fi and urban fantasy will enjoy this! For me being a reader of romance there were few points that didn't quite do it for me. I do read the occasional sweet romance, but those tend to be contemporary and goofy.
Keir's character spent a good portion of the beginning of the book in angst and feeling low and dying and depressed, not that that's bad per say but I’m used to of the strong, alpha male, confident heroes so reading Keir was a bit of a struggle for me.
I did like the mystery around Quin, she was a nice strong heroine, capable and kind. What I didn't like was the multiple point of view, it didn't work for me in this case as romance reader I wanted more romance more emotions, hence I do think urban fantasy readers will get more out of this.
Like I said I think Keir simply didn't fit me and my preferred genre even though it is categorized as sweet romance. So the rating below is going to be in my romance standards.
Anonymous
Posted October 8, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted July 27, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted June 7, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and...