REVIEW: Kindred by J.A. Redmerski

Title: Kindred (The Darkwoods Trilogy #2)
Author: J.A. Redmerski - Website || Twitter || Facebook
Published: July 20, 2012
Format: eARC*
Rating: 5/5

Isaac Mayfair is hiding a dark secret. And just when Adria Dawson thinks the worst of her life among the werewolf world is over, she learns the secret that can rip her and Isaac’s love apart. Adria must come to terms with what the truth means for her. What it means for her life and how much time she has left to live it. She must choose between two different fates, neither of which can offer life as a certainty.

As if Isaac’s betrayal isn’t enough, Adria learns that there are things out there older and more powerful than werewolves could ever be. An archaic entity known only to few as the Praverian, unlike anything Adria has ever known or heard of.

As Adria struggles with her own fateful dilemmas, she must also try to find out why the Praverian is so interested in her and do everything in her power to stay out of its way.

Due to adult content, this book is recommended for 17+.

My thoughts, reactions & feelings

If I thought The Mayfair Moon was amazing, Kindred was spectacular. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, J.A. Redmerski writes Kindred, which completely blows The Mayfair Moon out of the water. Every part of Kindred was so brilliant, I’m still reeling from it all. 


Kindred starts off a few months later from where The Mayfair Moon left off and already, Redmerski had me wanting more Adria, more Isaac, and more werewolves. She starts off the book with one hell of a scene that kept me on my toes the entire time reading it. I had no trouble falling back into story with Adria and all the werewolves. It felt like coming back home to something comfortable and familiar. Kindred was not as fast paced as the first book, but it’s even more riveting. For me, Kindred had a pace that continued to build up chapter by chapter. The intensity, the tension, and Earth-shattering revelations hit me all at once and left me speechless. Redmerski’s storyline and overall writing was executed perfectly with great amount of emotion and passion. My curiosity and desire to find out what was going on compelled me to read this book at a much faster rate, not wanting to be away from the book for too long. At the same time, the closer I reached the end, the more I wanted to slow down, savor the book, and let it all draw out. 


I loved Adria in The Mayfair Moon, but I admired and adored her way more in Kindred. I really got swept up in all of Adria’s emotions. She’s gone through so much and even in this book, she’s still going through even more. After everything, Adria was still brave, still strong and she was still holding on even when she felt hope slip away. I love her selflessness and how she was always thinking and putting others before herself. Adria was just as tough as ever and I felt she was even more independent and fierce in this book. Adria and Isaac’s relationship was a lot stronger and deeper in Kindred. I saw how much they cared and loved each other in The Mayfair Moon, but I felt their love and connection in Kindred. Even though both are hiding secrets for the sake of each other, I understood why. I was able to sympathize with both of them. I think because of the events in Kindred, their bond became more solid. I loved seeing a gentle and softer side to Isaac. He was always kind, but I can tell in Kindred he’s less reserved. He really showed how much he loved Adria and how much she meant the world to him. What I loved most was that he never gave up on her and he never lost hope.

I was thrilled that Kindred had more background on Isaac and of course, the werewolves. I really got to learn more about how Isaac lived his life, what his duties and responsibilities were along with finding out some of the rankings in his family and the werewolf hierarchy. It left me utterly fascinated and had me wanting to know even more of this world. There was also another supernatural creature in the mix called Praverians. They read minds, control emotions, watch out for humans, but also feed off their essence. They’re super powerful, dangerous and even scarier than the werewolves. Praverians can crush a human and werewolf skull with just one thought and seriously, that had me amazed to no extent. I absolutely loved that Redmerski added the Praverians because it gave the book more mystery and suspense than ever before. Just when I thought Adria’s life couldn’t get any more complicated, she gets caught up with the Praverians. This gave the book more wow-worthy plot twists that really had my heart racing with anticipation and shock.

It truly is an understatement to say I loved this book so much. I loved The Mayfair Moon, but there was something about Kindred that really took my breath away. It was darker, sexier and definitely edgier. Better than the first, Kindred was forceful and out there, completely overpowering and downright phenomenal. I can’t wait for the third book!

*Thanks to Jessica for sending me a copy for review