OH. MY. GOD! What an intriguing story. I loved princess Skylar and her great strength as she endured one assault after another on her body and I can't imagine how she endured when most everyone against her and those that wanted her kingdom! I fell in love with her knight who guarded her like a hawk and countless times risked his life for her. With her brother and father dead, she was now queen, a title she had never planned to take, but Sir Harlin went missing and because she would not agree to a marriage with a vicious kingdom she was kidnapped, tortured, yet she still fought and NOW I CAN'T WAIT TO READ BOOK TWO! ( )

For me, this was one of those hot/cold stories, which made it difficult to review and rate. What I liked was the fantasy world this tale took place in, a max of medieval with modern elements. They call it Steampunk. Dunnewin didn’t get into much detail about the world, other than the fact there’s another kingdom with more advance technology. I assume this will be explained in the second book. But, it did leave me wondering why there’s such a disparity of technology.

The characters were fleshed out in great detail, maybe a little too much, as I became bored with the continuous descriptions of Skylar’s gowns and jewels. I[‘m not a clothes horse and I felt they weren’t necessary, thought I understand Dunnewin was trying to set the stage. Even though the characters were well-developed, I had a hard time feeling of them. I had more feelings for the villain, Cross Lutherous, than I did for what happened to Skylar. I believe some of that was the writing style, a little too passive for my tastes. Also, there were issues with sentence structures that didn’t read well and some misused words like shutter for shudder. Really?

What I really liked, was how Dunnewin built the back story via dreams/memories. But even these became redundant. I just wanted the plot to get going. I finally became more involved with Skylar and Harlin once we spent more time in the present, and less in the past. Then I found myself rooting for her and Harlin, reading faster and faster until the end. I felt the latter part of the book was written better and the ending was perfect. Now, I want to see how Skylar will defend her kingdom against the Bellumortis.

If you like fanciful Steampunk stories, with princesses and knights, I recommend this story. I give it 4 feathers. ( )

" I am the change they will forever regret!"

This is a dark and suspenseful tale of secrets, torture and good against evil. The Kingdom of Mandolyn is is in disarray. The male heir to the throne has died a mysterious death, then the King is found slaughtered is his own bed. The princess' personal guard, the benighted, Harlin is accused of the crime and imprisoned. This leaves Princess Royal of Mandolyn, Skylar to rule the kingdom with the devious adviser to the throne, Cross Lutherus, by her side. Cross Lutherus hopes to rule the kingdom his way through the Skylar; however, he has underestimated her and her guard Harlin terribly.

We meet our wonderful heroine Skylar as she is being tortured in prison for the escape of Harlin, who was accused of killing the King. Skylar is a well-developed character and one fierce princess! She is smart, brave and determined. Along with her protector, Harlin, who is mysterious and one of the fearless benighted, they are quite a team to go up against. Most of all this is a tale of right and wrong and standing up for yourself, these characters let you live that. Along with A.M. Dunnewin's beautiful and descriptive writing, you can see the kingdom, the prison and even the torture clearly. Even the romance, which I could usually do without is meaningful; especially because Harlin needs Skylar as much as Skylar needs Harlin. There is an equality and strengths, and that's amazing. There was also a heart-pounding, un-put-downable exciting ending which left me impatiently waiting for the next installment of this saga. ( )

Even from the synopsis, it is obvious that this book will be a dark one, and probably very deep. The description of an innocent princess in prison, whipped and isolated, gives a pretty good feel for what this story holds. It is deep...it is dark...and it is fantastic.

Eloquent and well written, The Benighted offers a wonderful story, full of characters facing personal demons, as well as real life evils. It is easy to picture the world A.M. Dunnewin created, and the struggles the young Queen-to-be is faced with. The trauma she endures, both physically and mentally, is difficult to read about. In the end though, you feel as though you've grown right along side her, and want nothing more than to see her succeed, standing tall against the enemies she faces.

This isn't a book for the faint of heart. However, if you like books with real, honest pain and challenges to overcome, and see real amazing character and strength, you will enjoy this book. I would recommend it, and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review. ( )