I ran across Karda (Adalta Vol 1) by Sherrill Nilson on BragMedallion.com. The mixture of science fiction and fantasy intrigued me. Here are my thoughts about it!
Synopsis (from the author):
On the beautiful world Adalta, an ancient alien emerges.
Young Marta is dropped to the planet for her first secret mission alone. In this dangerous job there are two rules: Don’t get attached. Don’t get discovered.
As cover for her mission, Marta joins the Mi’hiru, the all-female elite guard who patrol the skies on Karda, majestic hawk-headed flying horses.
Arrows and swords are the only weapons allowed on this planet. But Marta discovers illegal high-tech weapons smuggled from her ship.
The ancient alien, long thought defeated, uses a power hungry nobleman to escape and with the smuggled weapons they threaten all life on this planet.
To stop this threat, Marta reluctantly joins forces with handsome, arrogant Altan. As their connection grows, she struggles to keep her secrets.
Tensions rise. The alien’s power grows. Will Marta accept the frightening elemental magic Adalta wants to give her to save the planet she loves?
What I liked about Karda:
Karda surprised me with the combination of science fiction and fantasy. Marta’s cloaked trade ship, smuggled high-tech weapons, and the origin of Adalta’s population all added to the science fiction parts of the book. The Karda and their ancient alien enemy of Adalta, bring the fantasy conflict to life. I enjoyed the romance part of the book and the development of the relationship between Altan and Marta. The connection between the Karda and Mi’hiru provided a great backdrop to the story. Overall, Karda was an excellent book!
What I didn’t like about Karda:
Despite the book’s appeal, there were a few issues for me. First, the “talent” that the people possessed was unclear to me for a while. Secondly, it wasn’t clear if Marta had talent from birth or if Adalta chose her to have talent. Lastly, the political divisions and the governing structure were a little confusing and not fully explained. Given their importance in the story, more clarity would have helped.
Overall impression:
I liked the book! The characters and their relationships were intriguing, and the political backdrop added a lot to the story. The Karda were cool, and their psychic link with the riders helped move the story along. Overall, Karda entertained me and led me to add the rest of the series to my TBR list.
My rating:
4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 Stars)
Connect with Sherill Nilson:
You can find Sherrill Nilson on her Amazon Author Page, Goodreads Page, or website. Find all the Karda books, learn more about the author, and maybe buy a book or two.
Connect with me:
Find me on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Say hi, and let’s connect! Let’s talk books and reviews.
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