Descending by Holly Kelly

Posted May 30, 2014 by Lillian in Reviews / 0 Comments

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.
Descending by Holly KellyDescending by Holly Kelly
Series: Rising #2
Published by Clean Teen Publishing on March 28, 2014
Length: 358 pages
Reviewing eBook from Amazon
Rating:

When Xanthus cashes in a long-standing favor, Kyros is faced with doing two things he thought he'd never do—protect a mermaid and live on land. Dagonians loathe mermaids and Sara, Xanthus's wife, is no exception. Also, a Dagonian standing on human legs? As if being around the vile creatures responsible for polluting his home and killing his sister wasn't horrible enough, Kyros has to deal with Sara's troublesome human friend, Gretchen.

Kyros can't help but resent Gretchen. Not only is she human and unforgettably gorgeous, but she leaves him swimming in confusion and feeling things he shouldn't be feeling—least of all for a land-walker!

When Gretchen is nearly killed by an assassin's bullet, Kyros's mission changes. He's forced to become her protector. Forced is a gross exaggeration, though. The more time Kyros spends with Gretchen, the more he finds himself falling for this spunky, witty human. When it becomes apparent that something dark and evil will stop at nothing to see Gretchen dead, Kyros expends his resources to find out who that being is. Unfortunately, the answer causes more problems than it solves. When a rogue mermaid wants you dead, you’re safe from no one… not even the ones you love.

Descending by Holly Kelly is book two of Rising and picks up not too long after the end of book one. Xanthus has been given permission to continue his work on land by Triton, but because Sara is his daughter he requires that Xanthus have bodyguards for her. So he asks his best friend Kyros and a few others to take on the task. Kyros was raised a true Dagonian, he loathes mermaids and humans killed his sister so he hates them too. Now his best friend has asked him to do two things he finds revolting: protect a mermaid and walk on land with the humans. Only because he fears Xanthus is under a mermaid spell does he accept, but when Gretchen, Sara’s best friend, arrives and is nearly killed, he finds that maybe humans aren’t so bad after all.

So I loved this installment even more than book one! This book is the story of Kyros and Gretchen. Kyros has no love lost when it comes to humans, they brutally killed his twin sister. And mermaids! He’s a Dagonian, all mermaids should be dead. But Xanthus is his best friend and he owes him a favor, so when he is asked to help protect Sara on dry land, he accepts, but only so he can break the spell the mermaid has over his friend (or at least that’s how he thinks). Gretchen is Sara’s spunky best friend that we met in book one, but she’s not so spunky anymore. She’s lost her intern job with an attorney after telling a client to basically kill himself, and then he does. Distraught she goes to Sara for cheering up. But Sara doesn’t know Gretchen’s secret. She was adopted and well her true mother is a mystery she will tell no one about. When Sara takes a bullet for Gretchen (and is miraculously walking instead of in a wheelchair), she begins questioning why she is harboring this secret.

I loved both main characters and of course the alternating POV was awesome! Gretchen is spunky, a fighter, who doesn’t take no for an answer. Kyros is a warrior, an old-fashioned male who finds it very confusing when he is attracted to this loud mouthed female human. It makes for an ironically funny read.

The plot revolves around Gretchen and her past, but also why someone is trying to kill her. I had figured out the big plot twist early on, despite that I still found it an excellent read. The suspense was page-turning (I read the book in one sitting!), and the romance was sweet. If you enjoy a good fantasy with lots of suspense/action and a little romance, I highly recommend you check out this series. A little note, even if you have not read book one, this book can easily be picked up and read as a standalone novel.

The publisher, Clean Teen Publishing, has a unique way of rating their books. Click this link to see the rating for Descending and their disclaimer.

About Holly Kelly

Holly Kelly is a mom who writes books in her spare time: translation--She hides in the bathroom with her laptop and locks the door while the kids destroy the house and smear peanut butter on the walls.

Holly was born in Utah but lived in Salina, Kansas until she was 13 and in Garland, Texas until she was 18. She's now back in Utah--"happy valley". Holly is married to her wonderful husband, James, and the two of them are currently raising 6 rambunctious children. Her interests are reading, writing (or course), martial arts, visual arts, and spending time with family.

Holly Kelly's first published book is: Rising. Rising was published by Clean Teen Publishing on September 6, 2013.

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