Review: Amulet of Power by Katie Lynn Johnson

Amazon

Synopsis

Forgotten Memories. Dark Enchantments.
And a Long-Lost Source of Unimaginable Power.

Keeping her end of a desperate bargain to save her island home from destruction, Alexa Costa finds herself in the unlikely employ of Queen Jada. Bound by a powerful spell, she swears allegiance to the kingdom of Alvair and remembers nothing of her romance with Caleb. Now she must adjust to life within the castle, where her personal opinion means nothing, her skills are constantly put to the test, and her private thoughts are public knowledge.

Rumors abound and secrecy reigns in Queen Jada’s inner circle, the members of which include the mysterious Prince Dante, the self-obsessed Princess Tiana, and the valiant Captain Whitman of the Alvairan Army. It's only a matter of time until Alexa suspects treachery, but with enemies waiting outside--and inside--the castle walls, will regaining her memory be enough?

My Rating: 5

My Review:

I definitely loved reading Amulet of Elusion, so - despite my extreme excitement - I was also very nervous to begin. Sequels can be both a blessing and a curse. Luckily, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Amulet of Power was just as good, if not - dare I say it? - better than the first novel. I completely devoured it, and enjoyed every second of doing so.

I used to hate the memory loss plot in fiction, I will admit. I thought it was overdone, and frankly, taking the easy way out. Johnson, however, changed my mind by doing such a nice job with it I could not find a reason to complain. Oh, maybe I was yelling a bit at Caleb and Alexa because I wanted them to remember everything so desperately, but it was the good kind of yelling. In which the reader is able to follow them along in the story and fully experience all of the twists and turns.

Believe me, there's plenty.

The series continues to be the best kind of magical. We go further into the power of the amulets (thanks to the amulet of power) and get a deeper grasp of what they are capable of. They are such an intriguing plot point that I can't get enough of.

Amulet of Power is not just a classic good vs. evil story - it is so much more than that. The heroes have dark sides and the villains have light masks and it's exactly the way I like it. This, along with excellent development in general, has me handing out a handful of gold stars to Johnson for characters. (Metaphorically, but still.) Even the supporting and minor characters (Swift, Archer, I can go on) really stood out and had life.

Of course, Alexa and Caleb get a gold star each.

Alexa really proves to be an excellent heroine, and having to struggle with everything that she did just made me like her more. I didn't think it was possible, but Caleb managed to get even dreamier as a character. (Ladies, consider yourself warned.)

And Dante? I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's an absolute gem.

I love the fantasy, high adventure and (really love) the romance of Amulet of Power. Readers will be unable to put it down, and want the next installment of the series like it's the sixth amulet.