The Kindred by Alechia Dow

The Quick Cut: Two teens on opposite sides of the social caste are connected from birth as Kindred. They find their lives in danger when they are set up as the killers of the royal line.

A Real Review: Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC for an honest review. In many cases, the lifestyle you are born into is the one you will have. In rare cases, some will find an opportunity for a better life or something different than expected - but that takes opportunity and in many cases good luck. What would you do if you found yourself connected to one of the rich and powerful? Would you feel jealous at the opportunities they have? Or would you take the chance that they could share some of that lifestyle with you? These are the questions on everyone's mind when a commoner named Joy Abara is the Kindred connected to the nobility's Duke Felix Hamdi. Joy knows her class in life. Being from one of the poorest planets in the kingdom, she knows what is expected of her growing up. When she turns eighteen, she will marry someone of her station and no longer have a connection to her Kindred. At birth, everyone has somebody else in the kingdom they are connected to. Usually, the person you are Kindred with is someone of a similar or close class to you. In the case of Joy though, she somehow becomes Kindred with Duke Felix - one of the nobility. As they both are about to become saddled with adulthood, though, the unexpected happens and the royalty who run the kingdom they live in are assassinated. Whoever set them up to die not only pulled off the difficult task, but they also made it look like Felix and Joy did it together. Can they stay out of trouble together and outrun those who are trying to find them? Can they figure out who really did the deed? While you can generally classify this one as a fantasy story, I would say it is also very much a science fiction one as well. The intergalactic kingdom and multiple planets involved make this one a space oriented book that can interest anyone. There are also some romantic elements as well for those who aren't interested in space odysseys. Overall, this one was written in such a way to have appeal to a wide audience range. The fact that this story also happens to incorporate our own fair planet? Just makes the storyline that much more exciting to read. The characters are very well written, especially our two leads. Joy is an optimist who wants more out of life, but knows that isn't an option for her. She is destined to get married in a year to a guy named Maxon, even if she's not necessarily interested in him. Felix is by reputation a playboy who does what he wants and is quite the flirt. While he can do whatever he wants, he loves to spend his time playing instruments and has issues getting over his stage fright when it comes to playing in front of an audience. These two are from opposite sides of the spectrum on many levels, but their Kindred connection has made them best friends. When the book starts, they haven't even met each other in person - and the other nobility would like to keep it that way. They have to go against all the odds to not only meet one another, but survive what is coming for them. Seeing them make their connection live and work together is something that made me smile every time they dealt with an issue. My only issue with this book is the multiple sections in the past. In some cases, they provide important context that tells you more about what has happened to make Joy and Felix who they are. In other cases, the benefit to adding these sections seemed minimal at best. I preferred it when the storyline stayed in the present far more. A thrilling space story that can appeal to many readers. My rating: 4.25 out of 5