You are Mine by Jeneal Falor
ebook, 273 pages
Published May 6th 2013
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Mine #1
Source: ecopy from Author
Summary:
Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.
Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.
You are Mine is set up in a world where women are complete possessions and being subservient to a warlock is considered the best life they can hope for. I only say best because the other option is becoming a tarnished, which means you are branded and cast out of the world. (Although the tarnished seemed to have way more freedom than the owned women, but that was kind of the point) Janeal Falor took such a difficult subject, and made it a fascinating read. I really enjoyed You are Mine. I couldn’t put the book down.
Serena is a spunky and independent minded young woman. Both things that I loved about her, but they were also considered her worst traits in this world. Her father hated her for her self-thinking and independent attitude. She was severely punished whenever she questioned him. When she was sold to a rich suitor, I was actually scared for her. I had really come to like her. But then in a fighting competition, her new owner was defeated by a barbarian, named Zade, and by defeated I do mean killed. So now Serena has a new owner, and he is an outsider to their world of ownership and total patriarchal rule. It’s so ironic because the barbarians are feared for being savages and cruel creatures, but he is so much more human than Serena’s father and the other men in their society. He actually treats Serena with respect and gives her some free reign.
One of my favorite parts of the book was how Serena chose to kind of speak out and show her independence. She went into town with the ample money that Zade gave her and she went to a tarnished woman to help her create totally nontraditional outfits for her bonding ceremony with Zade. She completely broke with tradition and chose colorful outfits and even wore pants. Scandalous! Zade doesn’t mind at all and I like that you can see that he is slowly starting to like Serena and she is even warming to him.
You are Mine is well written and very engaging. I read the whole book in one sitting. I went into this book expecting to like it but I was nervous that the society would annoy me with their backwards thinking and ways. But what really happened was I found some characters that I couldn’t stand,and got to hate from page one to the last page, but I also found some characters that I really connected with and came to love. Serena was such a treat and so was Zane. You are Mine is a great read.
And Now I have the cover reveal for the prequel to You are Mine called Mine to Tarnish
Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death.
Janeal Falor lives in Utah where she’s finally managed to live in the same house for more than five years without moving. In her spare time she reads books like they’re nuts covered in caramel and chocolate, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and enjoys the outdoors. Her husband and three children try to keep up with her overactive imagination. Usually they settle for having dinner on the table, even if she’s still going on about the voices in her head.
Author Links:
Evie Seo
Holy gorgeous eyelashases!!! *staring at the first cover* This sounds so intriguing and unique! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this series before.. GOSH, thanks so much for bringing it to my attention, I will definitely be adding it to my TBR! 🙂 Also – love the review 🙂 I really enjoy stories with strong, independent and flippant heroines, so this one gives me high hopes for a great ride! 🙂 THANKS!!!
Michelle @ In Libris Veritas
I really like the sound of You Are Mine, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it yet.
Christy @ Love of Books
Oh, hell no, I would not want to live in that world. The story sounds really interesting though!