Title: Untethered

Author: KayLynn Flanders

Pub. Date: July 20, 2021

Pages: 432

Pub: Delacrote Press

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

For fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Furyborn comes the thrilling sequel to Shielded about a world in a deadly magical war and the newly crowned king and feisty princess who must defeat the deadliest of foes before there’s nothing left to save.

Although King Atháren’s sister, Jennesara, saved Hálendi from the Gray Mage, the reprieve came at a steep price–the life of their father. Now Ren rules over a divided kingdom, with some who want him dead, and a Medallion that warns of worse trouble brewing in the south.

As second born, Princess Chiara is the perfect Turian royal–perfectly invisible. She longs to help restore peace on the Plateau, but with no magic and no fighting skills, she doesn’t stand a chance against a mage. So when a member of the Turian royal family goes missing and Chiara finds a clue about the rumored resting place of the mages’ long-lost artifacts, she decides it’s time to be seen.

As Ren’s and Chiara’s paths cross, they find the depth of the mages’ hold on the Plateau is more powerful than anyone suspected, and that they must learn to trust themselves, and each other, before the mages retrieve their artifacts and become too powerful to ever defeat. 

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you so much to KayLynn, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved Shielded when I read it last year, so being able to read Untethered early in order to start building up the hype is amazing. I’m super grateful. If you’re interested, you can check out my full spoiler free review for Shielded here.

I’m honestly kind of at a loss, because the book was so good, so captivating – now that I’m done, I don’t know what to do with myself. I fucking loved this book. Whereas Shielded was basically non-stop from the first moment, this book is more of a slow burn with a fiery explosive ending. Everything just keeps building and building with little bursts of action and high stakes to relieve a bit of the mounting pressure. But then you get towards the end, and you just know it’s going to be intensive, explosive, an outcome to change the world…

And I honestly don’t think it disappoints. At all.

I loved the inner conflict, panic and turmoil that haunts Ren. The need to explore, do and see, to prove herself – Chiara is a fearless badass.

The journey they each go on individually, trying to find their places in the world…and if they included each other is so good. KayLynn legit had me so engrossed that I stayed up way past my bedtime, and work is going to be really difficult. But I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know what happened next. I needed the tension and slow burn building of their feelings for each other.

I loved that Ren struggled with anxiety and panic. – well, that sounds a bit sadistic – but I loved how it was handled. I loved that the people around him didn’t think less of him, didn’t look past him…they just were there for him. Helped him get through it. I loved that Chiara is a risk taker and fiercely loyal. That despite being raised in a castle and being relatively sheltered, she never gives up, she keeps fighting. She’s so incredibly strong and loyal and it’s wonderful.

It was also so nice getting to see more of Jenna and Enzo. Not going to lie, I was a little sad when I first saw that Untethered wasn’t going to follow the two of them as the main characters. I loved them so much, loved Shielded so much, I was sad.

And now I’m telling you that there is no reason to be sad. They’re in it plenty, have pretty significant roles, and having the whole group together is just so amazing and so good.

Honestly, I can’t think of a single negative thing amount this book – not that, that’s my objective. I just loved it so much. I inhaled 75% of it in one sitting, because I needed to know what happened next. But I guess my only complaint is that the book is over. I don’t think there is another one, so this is probably it for these characters. I’m not ready to give up Jenna, Enzo, Ren and Chiara. I want to know what happens next! I want slice of life, happily ever after (or for now) stuff! I want to see weddings and parties and just everything.

Hell, after all they went through and suffered in this book, I think it’s only fair!

I loved this book, loved this series, it should definitely be on your radar, on your TBR and you should be reading it. Start with Shielded and meet Jenna and Enzo and fall in love. Then on July 20^th, get ready to meet Ren and Chiara in full light and fall in love with them on their journey to save themselves, their families, their kingdoms…their world. It’s a book you don’t want to miss.