Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Damian
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About The Book
A storm at sea leaves shifters Tony and his brother Daniel castaways on an unknown island. They soon discover they much farther from home than they imagined when they meet Brion, the elven mayor of the town of Rerenlion. They also learn all the island’s shifters have been magically imprisoned in Stronghold for crimes against the populace. Brion tells them the only way they can return to their own world is with the help of King Cerdic, and gives them a letter of introduction, as well as one for safe passage to the capital.
The safe passage serves them well when they cross paths with elves who hate or distrust them for what they are. When they eventually meet the king, Tony and Cerdic are drawn to each despite the fact that Tony refuses to believe the island’s shifters are guilty of the crimes that landed them in Stronghold. He offers to prove they were framed by having Cerdic send him to Stronghold as a spy from another world.
Will Tony be able to prove his theory and survive in the process? Will the shifter and the elf act on their mutual attraction in spite of their differences?
The Review
Brothers Tony and Daniel find themselves in a predicament while trying to relax on a cruise. The shapeshifters abandon the ship to discover they’ve ended up in a strange new world. As wolves, they possess the ability to protect themselves; and as attractive young men, they appeal to potential love interests despite their different surroundings. But will either of these advantages assist them when it comes to making friends with the elves who rule this mysterious new world?
Soon after arriving, Tony and Daniel are taken to meet King Cerdic, who questions their presence because his realm has a problem with shapeshifters. The king has imprisoned other shifters for crimes committed in his kingdom, though Tony suspects they may be innocent. Tony decides to investigate in order to protect himself, his brother, and his fellow human-to-wolf colleagues. His mission gets complicated when Daniel becomes involved with one of the elves, Elvina. Speaking of complications, his own attraction to the king adds another wrinkle to the mix.
Will Daniel and Elvina find a life together? Can Tony, as a wolf in a country that suspects his motives, realize a love affair with the king? And are the other shapeshifters guilty? If not, who framed them, and why? You need to read Of Another World to learn the answers to these questions for yourself.
And I recommend you read this one. Kendrick takes us on a compelling and exciting journey, with such a wonderful mixture of plot twists.
I took a course on travel literature in college, in which we read all sorts of fiction and nonfiction that focused on a character or characters undertaking a voyage of discovery, danger, or intrigue, often all three combined. Kendrick’s adept writing about Daniel and Tony embarking on such an excursion reminded me of the power and uniqueness such a story can generate.
Mystery and revelation come at every turn, as the characters learn about the world in which they find themselves. Travel stories take characters completely out of their comfort zone and force them into a world of adventure, which brings the reader along with them. You get to learn as they learn, worry when they worry, and explore right along with them. Kendrick is quite good at this genre of story.
I do have one complaint about the novella. I wish I had a lot more time with these characters and their exploits because I enjoyed the journey so much! It ended all too soon.
The Reviewer
Damian Serbu lives in the Chicago area with his husband and two dogs, Akasha and Chewbacca. The dogs control his life, tell him what to write, and threaten to eat him in the middle of the night if he disobeys. He has published several speculative fiction/horror novels with NineStar Press. Keep up to date with him on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.DamianSerbu.com.
