Review: Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Paperback, 490 pages

Published February 28th 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Source: NetGalley, ARC
Buy the book:  Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn....

Ok, I didn't have as much love for Legacy as I thought I would. So, when I was about to start Allegiance I was really afraid it would suffer "Second Book Syndrome" and be worse. Good thing I did take a chance on this one. It turned out to be one of the rare cases that the second book greatly surpassed the first!

The book picks up shortly after the end of Legacy. If you haven't read it, don't read this one until you do. The amount of details you will not know will be monumental.
The plot and minor story lines really pick up in this book. Real drama, intrigue, and mystery made this installment a treat to read compared to the first. The story slows down in several parts, but I can understand why to a point. It is necessary to see a peek of such young queens thoughts and actions, but some routine things should be cut. Secrets become prevalent, but it greatly adds that little something that the plot needed. Now there is more wonder, excitement, and tough decisions for the characters. The results of their choices were probably not what they had hoped, but it does set up for a wonderful third book. 
This book does a great job at really letting us see the characters from a different perspective and more in-depth within their personalities. An excellent example of this is Steldor. I really disliked him in the first book, but I get to see a new him in this book. Be prepared, I actually liked the man by the end of the book and I never thought I would say that. Narian only makes slight appearances here and there, but those instances really make a difference. The one that really intrigues me in this book is London. He's holding a lot of information back I believe. I think I know where a lot of these secrets and "lost" information is heading. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for third book to find out. I see an amazing conclusion to this series in the works if Kluver's writing continues to grow and improve like this. :)