A blend of romance, action, and fantasy genres, Bent, not Broken by Suki Sather is an exciting fiction. The book revolves around the life of Delaney. She has always felt disconnected with the lives around her. She has loving foster parents and their three other foster daughters. Although the family is caring and filled with love, Delaney can’t help but crave for her real family. Many times, she has felt somebody’s presence around her, but, apart from a constant fragrance of cinnamon, she has no other cue to prove her instinct right. She is not aware that there is a war going on between Stryders and Kindreds, and she is at the center of this battle. The presence that she feels around herself is of Malik, a Kindred who has been assigned the task of saving her; however, over time, Malik has realised that Delaney is more than a responsibility to him; in fact, his whole world revolves around Delaney. Therefore, he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe — which is not going to be an easy task as Stryders have increased the intensity and frequency of their attacks.
The beginning of the book was a bit confusing to me because I was having a hard time following many characters. Moreover, the concept of Kindreds and Stryders confused me for a few chapters. As they say, patience is a virtue, my virtue came from patiently reading more. Soon, I was on the same page as the author — figuratively speaking. Suki’s excellent vocabulary and her narrative, sometimes descriptive, style of writing are enough to provide lovers of words with something to talk about. Bent, not Broken is packed with action scenes and action lovers would not be disappointed by adding this book to their collection. For me, action scenes became a bit tiring because I am not an action gal. However, this did not reduce my interest in the book because there are many other elements to keep a reader hooked.
Malik’s intense desire for Delaney to remember him is really moving. Her longing to feel loved is another factor that is pretty relatable. Fantasy being another genre of the book, there are new concepts introduced, like Kindreds’ ability to fuse into an animal, appearance of marks on their bodies which signify what they would fuse into — one of the significance, anyway etc.
What I, as a reader, found most worthwhile in the book is how many characters talk about their tragic past. This kind of conversation breathes an air of reality into the characters. When Delaney’s sister, Daphne, talked about her mother’s murder, that was the moment I finally connected with her character. Similarly, when Malik talked about his past, I started connecting with him. The dialogues and narration are excellently written. I’m glad that I have added this book into my collection.
I would recommend this book to the readers who enjoy reading a fiction that is a blend of action, romance, and fantasy genres, with action taking the front seat.
