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The Rarkyn's Familiar: An epic action and adventure fantasy (The Rarkyn Triogy Book 1) (The Rarkyn Trilogy) Kindle Edition

4.5 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

Monster, her mind whispered again. She sensed the darkness twitch inside her; gathering its strength to consume her. Soon.


"A stunning debut." —Aurealis Magazine
"Steeped in other-worldly magic and adventure."
Andromeda Spaceways Magazine

An orphan bent on revenge. A monster searching for freedom. A forbidden pact that binds their fates.

Lyss has heard her father's screams, smelled the iron-tang of his blood. She witnessed his execution.

And plotted her revenge.

Then, a violent encounter traps Lyss in a blood-pact with a rarkyn from the otherworld, imbuing her with the monster's forbidden magic-a magic that will erode her sanity.

To break the pact, she and the rarkyn must journey to the heart of the Empire.

All that stands in their way are the mountains, the Empire's soldiers, and Lyss' uneasy alliance with the rarkyn.

But horrors await them on the road-horrors even rarkyns fear.

The most terrifying monster isn't the one Lyss travels with.

It's the one that's awoken inside her. Monsters of a feather flock together.

THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR is an epic, dark fantasy perfect for fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's THE WITCHER, Leigh Bardugo's GRISHAVERSE and Brandon Sanderson's MISTBORN.

Awards:
2023 Sir Julius Vogel Award Winner (Best Youth Novel)
2022 Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Bronze Winner (Young Adult Fiction)
2022 Aurealis Award Finalist (Best Young Adult Novel)
2022 Indie Ink Award Winner (Best Friendship)
2022 Indie Ink Award Winner (Prettiest Prose)
2022 Indie Ink Award Winner (Side Character MVP)
2022 Indie Ink Award Finalist (Best Debut)
2022 Indie Ink Award Finalist (Best Morally Grey Character)
2022 Indie Ink Award Finalist (Writing the Future We Need: Mental Health Representation)
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Award winning fantasy
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DX476W3T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Caelestis Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 12, 2025
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 492 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1738620081
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ The Rarkyn Trilogy
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 15 - 18 years
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the author

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Nikky Lee
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Nikky Lee is an award-winning author who grew up as a barefoot 90s kid in Perth, Western Australia on Whadjuk Noongar Country. She now lives in Aotearoa New Zealand with a husband, a dog, and a couch potato cat. In her free time, she writes speculative fiction, often burning the candle at both ends to explore fantastic worlds, mine asteroids and meet wizards. She's had over two dozen stories published in magazines, anthologies and on the radio.

Her fantasy, sci-fi and horror fiction has won three Australian Aurealis Awards, two New Zealand Sir Julius Vogel Awards, Bronze at the Foreward INDIES Book of the Year, three Indie Ink Awards, and a Ditmar Award for Best New Talent.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
68 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's pace engaging, with one review describing it as a fast-paced fantasy with action-packed scenes. Moreover, the character development receives positive feedback, with one customer noting the strong female protagonist. Additionally, the world-building is praised for creating an exciting epic, with one review highlighting the fresh magic system.

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7 customers mention "Pace"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pace, with one customer describing it as a fast-paced fantasy, while others appreciate its simple plot and action-packed scenes.

"The Rarkyn's Familiar is a wonderful novel. The main character is a strong woman with realistic weaknesses and flaws...." Read more

"A nice story exploring the changing dynamics between a person and the beast they're trying to benefit from having a relationship with...." Read more

"...Nikky Lee creates an exciting, thrilling, absorbing world. It’s a wrench to put the book down and come back to your own life...." Read more

"...of injustice, hope, and creatures misunderstood, terrifying, and wonderful. Highly recommend!" Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning that the main character is a strong woman.

"...spoilers, I recommend this book for its fast-paced story and excellent character arcs. The magic felt relatively fresh and interesting...." Read more

"...This fantasy book had such a great cast of characters and a plot that was simple but moved quickly...." Read more

"...Intricate magic systems, dynamic characters, action packed scenes, and fascinating bonds will draw you in and leave you wanting more...." Read more

"...The rich character development takes you inside this world and makes it hard to put down (the mark of a truly great book.)..." Read more

5 customers mention "World building"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the world building in the book, describing it as an exciting epic with a fresh magic system.

"...The magic felt relatively fresh and interesting. I enjoyed my time with it and will pick up the sequel." Read more

"...Nikky Lee creates an exciting, thrilling, absorbing world. It’s a wrench to put the book down and come back to your own life...." Read more

"I was hooked right away with the unique and complex magic system and characters that make you love them...." Read more

"...I'm all here for a girl and her monster. The magic was very cool and the world building kept me intrigued...." Read more

A must-read fantasy!
5 out of 5 stars
A must-read fantasy!
I first found out about this book thanks to the SFF Insider Discord! The author had posted a link to a sale on the first of this series, and from the cover alone I knew I wanted to read it. I’m so glad I did because this stands as one of my favorite reads of the month. Lyss and her reluctant companion The Rarkyn must travel through mountains, burning towns, and Order strongholds to get to the great city of Illredus in hopes of ridding themselves of a blood pact and hopefully all before Lyss loses her mind to the magic of it all. Characters We are introduced to the story by way of a mysterious creature that is known as a rarkyn – a beast of the Otherworld, trapped in the human realm. A rockslide has crushed his captor under rubble, but he is still bound by magic that suppresses his ability to escape. Then along comes Lyss, who in her foolishness and naivety attempts to release him from his binds. But all backfires when the clutches of their combined magic binds them in a blood pact. I really like Lyss. She seems timid but she proves to be anything but as the story progresses, she grows into her own as they attempt to escape the Order that would see them both dead. Atmosphere I really enjoyed the setting and the world-building of this story. It’s unique and brings beast and girl together on a mission that would release them both from the tethers that bind them. While the rarkyn has been hunted and forced to stay in this realm, Lyss is anchored by her own past and the pressures she had placed on herself her whole life to be better than anyone expects from her. Writing Style Lee has a great and unique storytelling voice in the young adult fantasy space. She has presented us with a magical story that all readers can enjoy, staying true to the adventure fantasy with only a very soft romance on the fringes of the tale. I would only caution the very younger side of the spectrum in the young adult range, as there are some graphic action scenes. But overall, I think readers both younger and older can enjoy this first-of-a-series. Plot With the blood pact threatening to turn Lyss against her own mind, she and the rarkyn embark on an adventure across the kingdom to seek out the help of stronger mancers of magic in the city of Illredus. There is nothing easy about their trek, and they are faced with many trying times and forces against their control. On top of that, they are being hunted, not just by the Order but also by the very man who trapped the rarkyn to begin with – rarkyn are intensely sought after for their Otherwordly magic and neither of them are safe on this trip. I turned page after page to see them on their way. Intrigue The uniqueness of this story pulled me right in from the very first page. There is a spring of world-building and character development that immersed me in a story I couldn’t put down. The Order on their tails was thrilling and the magic at word was enthralling. I was especially eager to see Lyss transform on the page from a timid girl to someone worth her salt, and while this does end on a bit of a cliffhanger (kind of par for the course in a series) this took me on a ride I won’t soon forget. Excitement Excitement is an understatement! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am so eager to get into the pages of the next book! I am giving it some time for the author to release more about the third and final book in this trilogy, but I highly recommend this to all readers looking for an action and magic-packed adventure fantasy.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024
    The Rarkyn's Familiar is a wonderful novel. The main character is a strong woman with realistic weaknesses and flaws. On a journey to cure herself of a terrible bond with a creature called a 'rarkyn', she faces dangers and persecution from all sorts of people. The rarkyn speaks to her and she begins to learn that perhaps it isn't the bad guy she once thought.

    The worldbuilding is subtle and deep without being boring. There are very few parts which could be considered infodumps, with the vast majority of the worldbuilding being shown through dialogue and the main character's senses. The author respects the reader's intelligence.

    Without going into spoilers, I recommend this book for its fast-paced story and excellent character arcs. The magic felt relatively fresh and interesting. I enjoyed my time with it and will pick up the sequel.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2022
    A nice story exploring the changing dynamics between a person and the beast they're trying to benefit from having a relationship with. The feathery Rarkyn made me think of the garuda in Perdido Street Station. Good but. Big respect for so much passionate marketing effort Nikky Lee put into this book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023
    I’ve just finished my second read of Nikky Lee’s exciting epic, The Rarkyn’s Familiar. It’s the story of Lyss, an orphan girl bent on avenging her father’s death at the hands of the Empire’s merciless soldiers. By accident, she bonds with a monster—a Rarkyn from the Otherworld. Their only hope of freeing themselves from the bond—and for Lyss to prevent the madness it will bring—is to seek a cure in the heart of the Empire itself. They set off on this dangerous journey, pursued by the Empire’s relentless soldiers and a powerful mancer who has his own reasons for wanting to capture the Rarkyn.
    The first time I read The Rarkyn’s Familiar, a month or so ago, I read it fast (if you can read a long book fast) because I was so eager to find out what happens next. This time, I read it slowly, because I wanted to savor and appreciate the amazing world this author has created for us. From the nomadic huts of the Wildners to the simple villages and dangerous Otherworld creatures our characters encounter on their epic journey, and finally to the complexity of the viciously authoritarian Empire--this is a world that invites us to listen and learn. I learned that not all valuable creatures in the world are human—there are other species, with their own lives and values and goals. In fact there may be more than one world (Is Terresmir Terra?) Perhaps some creatures can move between different worlds. And perhaps human magic is not the only kind of magic possible, or even the most powerful. Yet perhaps communication and relationships between the species are possible. And, as Lyss discovers, perhaps the greatest struggles are with the monsters within ourselves.
    Nikky Lee creates an exciting, thrilling, absorbing world. It’s a wrench to put the book down and come back to your own life. I’m eagerly waiting for the next volume of the trilogy. Can’t wait to re-enter Terresmir.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2024
    This was a very unique fantasy with a complex world and magic system, but I struggled to understand those complexities which made it drag for me.

    I love learning about different magic systems, but this one never clicked for me. I never felt like I really understood how the magic and the Otherworld worked, which left me feeling frustrated. Maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention at the beginning of the book, but I’m usually pretty good at picking these things up.

    It was a slower paced book, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that but I had difficulty with it. There was a lot of journeying through the wilderness together. When action was happening it was exciting though! I think maybe if it had been shorter the pacing would have worked better for me.

    Where I think this book really shone was the relationship between Lyss and the Rarkyn. Their arc from enemies to reluctant allies to friends was done very well as it happened gradually and believably. I loved their bond at the end!

    I also really enjoyed how the characters backstories were doled out gradually through dreams, flashbacks, and letters. It was fun to piece together what had happened to them.

    Overall I think if you’re prepared for a slower paced book with a complex world and magic system you might enjoy this.

    Thanks to the author for the copy.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
    I was hooked right away with the unique and complex magic system and characters that make you love them. The world is complex and the plot fairly simple. There's great underlying tension, while giving lots of time for the two main chars' relationship to form, which was awesome. When things come to a head, it's all on. I was flipping pages as fast as I could to see what would happen. All the characters in the story have their own tale to tell, including the antagonist. It's such a cool world full of injustice, hope, and creatures misunderstood, terrifying, and wonderful. Highly recommend!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2022
    I had been seeing a lot of good things about this book and I think it lives up to the hype! This fantasy book had such a great cast of characters and a plot that was simple but moved quickly. Skaar was wonderful and the antagonist was great, especially when his full motives were unveiled. The ending has a cool moment that reminded me so much of Attack on Titan. This story held my attention pretty much throughout the whole book. I enjoyed Lyss' journey; I appreciated that she was a normal girl caught up in all this. I'm all here for a girl and her monster. The magic was very cool and the world building kept me intrigued. I do think the book could have done with a glossary (I'm a glossary girl) since there were terms and things that I did fully grasp until later.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Elise Carlson
    5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply immersive YA fantasy adventure
    Reviewed in Australia on June 17, 2023
    The characters are well developed, their stories meaningfully intertwined and the writing let me feel as though I journeyed alongside them. This is a richly built fantasy world, touching seams with an Otherworld, from whence magic creatures can travel. Both worlds have their own magic system, and the human population disagree about who can wield magic and how, those repressive of magic holding the upper hand as the story begins.

    The story has the familiar master and apprentice trope, but the twist is this master of magic is himself a magical creature, tutoring a human. And he's still learning to control his own magic. Meanwhile young Hane also has great promise with magic, though he falls in with an experienced magic wielder who seems to wish both Lyss and her tutor great ill.

    This is a story of pursuits across the wilderness, allies, enemies and people whose motives and goals are less clear cut. Each character has their own clear goals and most are sympathetic —save the kind of baddie you love to hate. A very entertaining debut. I'll definitely want to read the whole trilogy.
  • EM
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2024
    I loved this book, the characters and the world building were fantastic and the magic system and the aether and how the characters interacted with them was super cool.
    Skaar and Lyss are great main characters and I loved their different PoVs, and I really enjoyed the slow unfurling of the mysteries surrounding them.
    Will definitely be grabbing the next book, I highly recommend
  • N. Brooke
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted writing
    Reviewed in Australia on May 21, 2022
    This book has such beautifully crafted writing. A few lines were just perfect, and it was a joy to read. It's an epic fantasy with excellent intricate worldbuilding and the classic hero's journey, which is always a great storyline. I loved the characters, although my favourite ended up being Hasek who was only a minor character, but he came across quite vividly even though he wasn't in many scenes.

    I would have rated it 5 stars except that I think it could have moved a bit faster in the beginning or been condensed a bit. Also, I would have liked a bit more tension between Lyss and Rark, they seemed to accept their predicament and become allies a little too quickly. And I would have liked to see their friendship grow and have greater compassion for each other - they did have this, but it felt like it was only because of the bond instead of actually liking each other. I think a stronger friendship between them would have increased the stakes in the action scenes, making the reader more emotionally invested. But overall, it's still a very enjoyable book.
  • Veronica Strachan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly entertaining
    Reviewed in Australia on May 22, 2022
    The Rarkyn's Familiar was written to remind us that no matter how many stories there are out there, a clever author can always find ways to bring us a new and unique tale. Lee has absolutely delivered in this first of an epic new series, The Rarkyn Trilogy.
    It's a superbly written fantasy, slick and effortless to read. A thoroughly entertaining twist on the tale of a bonded familiar.
    But this adventure of murder, kidnapping, revenge and magic has a slew of factors that push it above your everyday read. Before you realise it, you're following the well-written arc of Lyss and Skaar as they slowly unpack their changing understanding of themselves, their worlds, and their burgeoning interdependence. This was so well done. I really loved it. The plot shared amongst the multiple POVs compels you to turn another page. The magic/psychic system is brilliant and the rest of the world building complex and satisfying. Lee weaves in snatches of the larger world, twists and teasers in the layers of plot that make you impatient for the next volume.
    A fabulous read. Bring on Book 2.
  • Susan Lee
    5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning debut novel
    Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2023
    A stunning debut novel that keeps the reader wanting more. Well-developed characters lead you through an intriguing world of magic. I recommend reading it once just to enjoy the twists and turns of the plot and a second time to enjoy how well the novel is written and the world building crafted. I can’t wait for 2nd book in the trilogy.

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