Rebel Lost, by Mindy Klasky is the second book of a charming and adventurous Fantasy series. Keara spared her Dark beast Caw on her twelfth name day, but this marks the start of her trouble.

I loved Keara's honest and rational mindset, despite how young her character is. Her bond with her Dark beast was strong, with Caw providing a light hearted humour to the more tense scenes.

Though Keara often seemed anxious about her situation on the run, she possessed tremendous strength and determination as a character.

The belief system of the characters was elaborate and intriguing, but I did find it ironic that those that spared their Dark beasts were seen as evil when it is the Dark beasts that would take away any darker thoughts.

This novel was mysterious and driven by themes of power and corruption. It made me think every step of the way, a feature of a great piece of writing.

Rated 4/5 stars. ( )

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Mindy and I must say her storytelling skills are commendable.

The concept of each person having a Darkbeast brought to mind the 'Golden Compass' where each human had their daemons reflecting their inner beings. But that's as far as the similarity goes. Here, the Darkbeast are supposed to take away the dark thoughts of the humans. Post reaching a certain age, each human is supposed to sacrifice their Darkbeast as per the rules laid down. Those who don't comply are seen as rebels.

I found this a bit unsettling considering the Darkbeast are the ones helping their humans to make the right decisions and be a better person. It does put a question mark on the kind of society that exists (without Darkbeasts). If you don't have a Darkbeast what happens to all the dark thoughts. Are there any good people there?

Though this is book 2 in the series, barring a few references, you can read it as a standalone. The story is about Keara, her Darkbeast, her friends and the trials she faces for not sacrificing her Darkbeast.

I found the characters in the story to be strong and real. One gets to see the different shades of friendship, betrayal, sorrow, tragedy, and fear—all woven beautifully into the story, making it believable. It would be interesting to read where Keara's adventures will take her next.

I look forward to reading the other book in the series and would recommend it to others too. ( )

I also received this through Early Reviewers. I read this straight after the first book in the series. Again it was easy to read, with the main character still behaving like an annoying teenager at times (which is to be expected in a YA novel). The character of Caw helps lighten the mood during the darker moments of the book. ( )

An enjoyable book. When I selected this book for earlyreviewers I did not realise it was the 2nd of the series - however this caused no issues. I found the main character, Keara, quite selfish and self-centred at times and not always that easy to connect with. Easy to read with moment of excitement. ( )

Synopsis: Keara has chosen to keep her darkbeast rather than killing it, and Caw is really happy about that. However, since that decision Keara's life hasn't been easy and now she, Goran and Taggart are looking for others who have made the same decision. Their quest leads them to Darkers who may or may not be their friends and plunge them into more trouble than they thought possible.
Review: This is a well written book that explores the meaning of friendship and questions blind loyalty. ( )