Whirl (Ondine Quartet Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Emma Raveling (Author)

Book Description

An Impossible War. An Explosive Magic. An Inescapable Destiny.
- The World of Water Elementals -
Book 1 of the Ondine Quartet

"A powerful fantasy story entwined with danger, romance, and action." - Readers Favorite

Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war. The Aquidae are immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world.

Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Empath Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble.

When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past.

Alone and with no one to trust, she must navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny.

All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down...

An edgy young adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance, Whirl is recommended for older teens and mature readers due to strong language and mild sexual situations.

Ondine Quartet series reading order:
- Whirl (Book 1)
- Billow (Book 2)
- Chevalier (#2.2 short)
- Warrior Prince (#2.5 short)
- Crest (Book 3 - coming 2013)

Also Available:
- Ondine Quartet Collection: Volume 1 (Box set contains Whirl, Billow, Chevalier, and Warrior Prince)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Raveling has created a highly original and spellbinding fantasy world full of charismatic characters, a thrilling story, creative fantasy elements, and some sizzling romance...an enchanting, fun, beautifully written novel. A definite MUST read!" - Word Spelunking

"Non-stop action, love and an amazing world that has never been seen before...I am totally addicted to this series and cannot wait for book 2." - The Kindle Book Review

Top Pick: "I loved reading about the world in this book and the heroine was one I found myself rooting and falling for. I recommend this book to all fans of young adult and mythology." - Night Owl Reviews

"A powerful fantasy story entwined with danger, romance and action...It kept me at the edge of my seat with its edginess, twists, turns and adventure." - Readers Favorite

About the Author

Emma Raveling writes urban fantasy, fantasy, and paranormal books for young adults and adults. Hopelessly addicted to coffee and diet coke, she is currently busy at work writing the rest of the Ondine Quartet series.

Sign up for Emma's newsletter to be notified of new releases: smarturl.it/erbooks

Product Details

• File Size: 477 KB
• Print Length: 260 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0984022546
• Publisher: Mandorla Publishing (September 15, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005NIXRRC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,101 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Original and Captivating- A MUST read! October 11, 2011

By Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Format:Kindle Edition

Whirl has one of the most intriguing synopses that I've read in a long while, but they way the synopsis grabbed my attention cannot even begin to compare to how gripping I found the book itself. Emma Raveling's debut novel Whirl is a captivating, imaginative, enchanting, enticing, fast paced page turner.

Seventeen year old Kendra's life changes forever the night her mother dies. Kendra is an ondine, a powerful water elemental, who, along with her mother, has lived away from the ondine community and in the human world her entire life. After her mother is killed, the mysterious and good looking Tristan comes to take her back to Haverleau, an ondine community in Washington. Once in Haverleau and among her own kind, Kendra quickly learns things about herself, her mother, and her purpose that she never expected. With new friends, complicated romances, and an unasked for fate, Kendra must find herself and her power in order to defeat the evil Aquidae who are out to get her.

Whirl pulled me in from the beginning and by the last sentence of the prologue I was hooked. In Whirl, Raveling has created a highly original and spellbinding fantasy world full of charismatic characters, a thrilling story, creative fantasy elements, and some sizzling romance.

I love how Raveling took a fantasy/mythical being- the ondine- that has not been explored much in YA books, and created such an intricate and fascinating world around it. From the detailed histories of the ondine to the governing infrastructure within Haverleau to the societal hierarchy in this community, Raveling provides so much detail, background, and development that this world she created, especially Haverleau, and the people within it, seem incredibly real and believable.

There is a large cast of characters, all very well developed and engaging. I really love the heroine Kendra. She is one of those perfectly flawed characters that could easily demand your attention, but doesn't have to because you can't help simply giving it to her. Kendra is witty, independent, tough, clever, and compassionate, but she's also quick to judge, hasty to act and speak, and has a temper...yet, underneath her tough, hard exterior lies an insecure vulnerability. I instantly connected with Kendra and found her to be a relatable and impossible to ignore. Kendra's new friends, Chloe, Aubrey, Ryder, Cam, and Alex provide an eclectic and refreshing reprieve for both Kendra and readers alike.

Two of the most intriguing characters are the charming Julian and the mysterious Tristan, both of whom make for very different romantic interests for Kendra. Julian is a rich, charismatic demillir (male ondine-born) who serves as a chevalier (knight or protector of the water elementals). Julian and Kendra often share witty, sarcastically insulting banter and always seem to be trying to one up each other. Julian really gets underneath Kendra's skin, but there exist an undeniable attraction and pull between the two. Scenes involving these two were always fun to read. Tristan on the other hand is a gardinel (a selkie warrior) and his job is to protect Kendra. A romance between Tristan and Kendra would be most forbidden and dangerous, but their connection is palpable. The chemistry between these two sizzles right off the page and is enticingly hot. Both men are completely swoon-worthy and I cannot wait to see how this little love triangle progresses.

The story itself is fast paced and never boring. There were scenes that left me breathless and wanting more and scenes that took me by surprise. Raveling doesn't shy away from the realistic and vivid when it comes to the fight scenes; there's an exciting edge to the way she presents these scenes. The fantasy elements are, well, fantastic. Kendra's ondine powers are explored in such a way that I found them wickedly cool. Raveling has truly presented the world of water elements in a new, fresh way.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I am always impressed when a writer can create a new, refreshing, and fantastical world that I've never imagined before, and I'm doubly impressed when I find myself longing to be back in that world hours after I've put a book down...when it comes to Whirl consider me doubly impressed. Whirl is an enchanting, fun, beautifully written novel. I will eagerly be awaiting the next book in the series. A definite MUST read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW - fantastic non-stop action October 3, 2011

By The Kindle Book Review

Format:Kindle Edition

I am very glad that this will be a 4 book series. The first book in the series introduces us to Kendra. Kendra is a 17 year old ondine, a descendent from Dessondines, water creatures.

Kendra was living in the human world, when things go wrong, she is taken to the ondine community of Harverleau, where she can learn to harness her abilities and her destiny. Kendra is accustomed to starting a new school, as she had to move around a lot, so this one was no different. With all schools there is a hierarchy and Kendra quickly works out where she is in the order. Kendra makes friends quickly, but enemies even quicker.

Kendra is attractive, she draws a lot of attention because of her beauty, but also because she is the prophesised saviour to her kind. Kendra doesn't want to believe she is this ONE, but none the less, has to face the music and accept her responsibilities. Kendra causes trouble wherever she goes and doesn't like being taken care of. She believes she can take care of herself without anybodies help. One of her protectors is Tristan, Kendra can't seem to keep her mind out of the gutter when he is around her. Then there is Ryder and Julian and a whole lot of other boys that just can`t help but want her.

This book has non-stop action, love and an amazing world that has never been seen before. The issues that Kendra has to face are quite realistic in terms of teenage angst and rebellion, excluding the special abilities of course. I absolutely loved this book and was blubbering at the end. I am totally addicted to this series and cannot wait for book 2. - Katie Turner (Kindle Book Review)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful characters, action and romance. Perfect! November 17, 2011

By The Book Runner TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was so much fun to read. Besides the cool title, this story reminds me of Blood Past (Warriors of Ankh #2)by Samantha Young, with all the martial arts training and the powerful girl who is destined to save the society.

****Some Spoilers****
Kendra was raised outside of her people's community because her parents escaped with her when she was a baby and went"rogue". Her father died, but her mother trained her to be a fierce warrior to fight against demons that attack their kind. When her mother was killed, Kendra was brought back to her village by the gorgeous Tristan, a Warrior Prince. While there, Kendra learns she is "royalty" and in danger because she is the Sondaleur, the prophesized savoir of their people. Kendra has to learn all the rules her people are ruled by and is attacked several times by the demons trying to kidnap her and take her to the legendary "Shadow". Every time she is saved by Tristan, but she wants the right to be trained to defend herself. She buck heads with her grandmother, the governor of the people and has to learn which battles to take on and which ones she can't win all while learning to use her newly acquired powers and falling in love with the unattainable Tristan.

I loved, loved, loved this story and highly recommend it to anyone who likes Samantha Young,Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte #1) Rachel Higginson Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)or Shelly Crane's Significance (A Significance Novel) stories. I will DEFINITELY be purchasing the next one in this series called Billow. It can't be published soon enough!

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes (.99)
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes

More About the Author

Emma Raveling writes urban fantasy, fantasy, and paranormal books for young adults and adults. Addicted to coffee and diet coke, she is currently busy at work completing the Ondine Quartet series.

Sign up for Emma's newsletter to be notified of new releases: http://smarturl.it/erbooks