Does the darkness frighten you? - Broken Aro (The Broken Ones #1) by Jen Wylie

"I was very surprised how much I liked the story; as only an 'occasional visitor' to the fantasy / supernatural genre I often find their stories and characters repetitive, but in Broken Aro I never once thought that to be the case and instead I found myself quickly taken into the world Wylie has created, just like a good book should do." - Goodreads

Description:

Open your eyes to darkness. What do you see? Does the darkness frighten you? Now imagine the darkness being the cargo hold of a slave ship. Your city has fallen. Your family is most likely dead. You don't know anyone around you, and some of them aren't even human. Giving up would be so easy to do, but not for Arowyn Mason. Not after being raised in a military family with seven brothers. Every great story should begin with a plan. Aro's was to escape and to survive.

Escape comes, but at a price. As they reach the shore, Aro and the other survivors learn that freedom doesn't mean safety. The slavers want their property back and will do anything to get it. The party uses every ounce of their brute strength, a hearty helping of cunning, and even ancient magics to keep themselves alive. Sickness, danger, and even love surprise them at every turn. Dealing with danger becomes their way of life, but none of them ever considered that nothing can be quite as dangerous as a prophecy. Running turns into another race altogether as her world falls to pieces again and again.

Incredibly well written, this adventure jumps right off the page as the story slowly unravels. With many shocks in store for the reader, I never got bored and constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Each character comes into their own, esp. Aro as she grows into a strong female lead with the support of her now family. With the descriptive nature of the book, you can’t help but become involved with the story / characters, which leads to emotional turmoil at times ~ but at least this shows how engrossed I got. - Goodreads

EXCERPT

Her eyes opened to darkness.

She wasn't surprised. When bad things happened and you finally opened your eyes it was always dark wasn't it? Because otherwise when you woke up you wouldn't be scared, not right away, not until you remembered. Yet in darkness nothing else could be seen but the memories of what had happened, it didn't matter if you opened your eyes or kept them squeezed closed.

What happened…

She closed her eyes again, not against the memories, but the sudden tears and choking sobs. Still, she tried to not remember, but her head hurt. All of her hurt, but her head hurt the worst. She'd been hit by something, very hard. She had no trouble remembering the pain. She remembered falling to the ground, her brothers screaming her name over the insane loudness of the fighting and everything fading to nothing as darkness claimed her.

She sucked in a deep breath. The fighting. Yes, the city had been attacked. The walls had been breached. There had been fighting in the streets. She had been fighting. Her brothers had been trying to get her out. They had been so close. Had they?

She shifted and froze, terror creeping up her throat and choking her at the same time until nothing but a strangled gurgle came out.

They had not.

She knew because she felt the cold metal shackles around each wrist, felt the weight of the chain between them. The same fetters bound her ankles. Dirty straw prickled her cheek and the other smells of her surroundings overcame her. They overwhelmed her and made her gag. The rank scents of piss, shit and vomit almost covered the stale reek of sweat and the tang of salt.

Salt.

She'd thought her head had just been spinning, but no, everything moved, lurching and swaying. She was at sea.

At sea in chains meant only one thing. The rumors had been true. The Gelanians had allied with the Franuan Slavers. Beneath the combined attack, Kingsport had fallen and the Frans had taken their cut, citizens to sell as slaves. She was a slave.

Well that sucks.

****

She looked up in a daze at Prince, simply amazed to find him suddenly there. She turned her head as a scream cut through his calming words.

She gaped in horror. Bodies lay broken everywhere. Pieces of bodies. Blood and gore covered them, the ground, and the trees. Kei stood a short distance from her, tearing a man to pieces.

But it wasn't really him, just a monster who reminded her of him. He didn't have teeth like a beast, or feral glowing red eyes, or such impossibly long claws. Her sweet Kei wouldn't cause such destruction, wouldn't be covered in so much blood.

"Aro. We have to go. And quietly. Do not call out to him. It isn't safe."

She looked up at Prince, her eyes wide.

"He's gone into the fury. He might hurt us. So quiet. Understand?"

She nodded even as more tears came to her eyes and she looked back at Kei. It was Kei? Her Kei?

The monster turned. His glowing red eyes met hers and a growl rumbled from him as he took a step toward them.

Prince rose swiftly and set her down, pushing her behind him. "Do not come closer."

Kei paused, cocking his head to the side slightly as if struggling to understand.

She peeked around Prince, her hands on the small of his back, afraid to move. Kei looked at her and she saw his sharp canines and the blood on his face. Trembling she whimpered, hiding more behind Prince.

"Go," Prince demanded. "She is safe now."

Kei continued to hesitate, swaying slightly as he watched her.

"You are frightening her. You need to go."

With a mournful howl Kei spun and disappeared into the trees.

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About the author:

Jen Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold. 

Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales. 

Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. 

Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys, Australian shepherd and a disagreeable amount of wildlife. 

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