The Lightning-Struck Heart (1) (Tales From Verania) Paperback – July 20, 2015

I heard about this book for the first time months ago... but I was hesitant to try it... even though I've heard nothing but praises from very trusted sources I wasn't sure if this was a story for me... and now I am sitting here, writing this review and totally shaking my head at how stupid my past self was... ;) but can you really blame me? a book about Sam, a young wizard's apprentice who's gay, his best friends are a hornless gay unicorn named Gary and a half-giant named Tiggy, and the whole book is full of their adventures... it doesn't sound like a novel that everyone might like... hence, my hesitation... :) but oh how wrong I was... because it was spectacular and everyone has to read this gem :) let me tell you a bit more about our main character, and quite a few secondary ones, along with the main plot of the story :) and then I will proceed to sing only the highest praises about this awesomeness that all of you need in your lives... :)Sam is the main character :) he's the apprentice of Morgan, the king's wizard... he and his parents used to live in the slums, until one day little Sam accidentally turned boys that were chasing him into stone... yeah... that doesn't happen every day ;) he and his family are then whisked away so he can learn magic, so he can become the next king's wizard... fast forward a few years, and now his best friends are very unique magical creatures... Gary and Tiggy :) not to mention that he has a very serious crush on Ryan... totally swoonworthy knight and unfortunately boyfriend of Justin, king's son... can you say awkward? ;) but wait, there's more... ;) when Justin is kidnapped by a dragon all four of them are going to rescue him... :) yeah, because that sounds like a great plan :) the whole book takes place in a fantasy world, and is filled with magic and all sorts of awesomeness like that ;) so that's pretty much all I can tell you about the overall plot and everything, because I refuse to spoil you anything :) so instead let me gush all about the reasons why I adore this book :) but before that, one last thing :) it is only the first story in a series about the same set of characters, but you get a lot of resolutions in this one and it doesn't end on any cliffhanger of any sorts, so don't worry about it :)There were oh so many reasons why I loved this book... the writing style... the story... the characters... pick one and I will elaborate ;) how about the writing style first? :) I've never read T. J. Klune's books before, but all of them landed on my wishlist before I finished this novel... not only that, but I got all other available installments in this series before I got to the middle of this first book :) the style is so entertaining and just simply hilarious, although not all of you might enjoy this type of humor... :) I personally loved it :) it was full of sass and sarcstic banter and that's definitely my favourite kind... :) not to mention that this author has an amazing ability to create very diverse characters and I love them all... well, not all, but you know what I mean :) Sam is a hero I connected with a lot... he may be young, but there were moments when he really surprised me with his a lot more mature than I expected behaviour... yeah, he has completely silly moments as well but they certainly don't ruin the impression :) Gary, the hornless gay unicorn is the absolute Queen of Sass :) his outrageous sarcastic comments made me snort-laugh more than once :) Tiggy is adorable with how protective he is of his friends... Ryan is all swoonworthy and knightly and stuff... ;) his interactions with Sam are just... you'll see ;) but who surprised me the most is Morgan... I did not expect to love the king's wizard as much as I did... his friendship with Sam, the way he supports him and cares for him... how close they are to each other... *sighs happily* there is one scene in the book that makes me tear up to this day when I think about it... of course there are quite a few more, but I can't name them because of spoilers... ;) nonetheless, they were all brought to life by an absolutely amazing narrator, Michael Lesley :) yep, I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I highly recommend you guys to do it as well... they way this man voices different people... I couldn't believe that it's just one person :) all of them have distinctive voices and the whole performance really adds to the story... :) not that the story needs it, because the book itself is fabulous :) full of sarcastic banter, friendships, adventures, surprises... like you-are-gonna-fall-from-your-chair surprises :) trust me, I could sit here all day... a few days even, and tell you all the reasons why this book is amazing... :) you're not a fan of fantasy? give this book a try either way... :) you don't like audiobooks? give this particular audiobook a go, you will be surprised :) just... please... if you haven't already, give this amazing gem a try... it's so wonderful... so funny and yet so emotional in the most surprising places... I have no words good enough to really describe all my love for this book... so just go read it already ;)

5 starsI loved this book! The beginning chapter sold it to me and the rest of the book was just as great. The writing is really good but there's a flare of flamboyance (?) that flavors the writing into something that adds a fun and slightly outrageous tinge to the story. I will mention that I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did an awesome job which just made the book even better.Sam is an apprentice wizard in the city of Lockes. He was born in the slums and didn't have many prospects until he accidently turned a group of boys to stone. When he became the apprentice of the King's wizard, Sam and his family were moved into the castle where they had much better lives. Sam has a rather unusual personality and his mouth tends to get away from him...sometimes getting him in the most unexpected situations. These unexpected situations end up adding to Sam's reputation which seems to just bring him more unwanted attention.Ryan is a Knight that Sam has had the hots for since Ryan first showed up at the castle (when Ryan was 20 and Sam was 15). Sam never thought that he could have Ryan so he tried to avoid him as much as possible so his feelings don't make a fool out of him. Since Ryan is also the boyfriend of Justin (the crown Prince who is a major jerk), Sam was even more sure he couldn't have anything with Ryan.Sam has a big group or friends/adopted family that he loves very much. His parents I already mentioned and there's also Morgan (the wizard he's an apprentice to) who's like a second father to Sam. When Sam was 14 he went on a quest into the forest and met and befriended Tiggy and Gary who became his best friends. Tiggy is a half-giant that seems kind of simple-minded but is a fierce friend that tends to smash anything (or anyone) that hurts buddies. Gary is a Unicorn whose horn has been stolen. Gary is flamboyantly gay and acts like a diva, and he showers everyone with glitter when in a unicorn rage...he's very funny and a bit of an idiot (in a lovable way). Those are Sam's core group but he also has other friends and adds more as he goes.Sam has been crushing on Ryan and knows he's dating Justin but it's still a shock when Ryan and Justin's engagement is made official. The King is also pushing Sam to find someone and it makes things especially difficult for Sam. Sam and Morgan start making plans for Sam to get away from the castle for a while to go do some special wizard stuff with another wizard (Morgan's old mentor). Ryan isn't too happy about it but since he's still with Justin there's not really much that he can say. Unfortunately, Justin decides to be a jerk and in the process, he gets kidnapped by a dragon. The King ends up giving Sam & Ryan the task of finding Justin and saving him from the dragon (with Gary and Tiggy along to help).It's hard to say just how deep Ryan's feelings for Sam were before they left (Sams were reasonably deep already) but as they embark on their quest, he definitely showed signs of jealousy and protectiveness. Sam is kind of oblivious about it...I kept thinking his obliviousness was a way for him to protect himself, like if he didn't realize Ryan had a thing for him in return then the heartache and such wouldn't be as strong. Their mutual attraction is pretty obvious to those around them but they ignore it and the frequent ambushes by dark wizards and other assorted dangers along the way tends to keep them busy. They are able to complete their quest and rescue Justin but their problems are still there because Justin is more concerned about himself than logic or anyone else's feelings which leaves everyone is stuck in a bad situation. Thankfully, things do get worked out (although they do take a while to get there) and Sam and Ryan end the story starting a well deserved HEA together.This was a greatly enjoyable story and I loved it! Sam was an awesome hero. He can be a bit dense at times but he has a good heart with a snarky attitude that made me love him. I would so love to have him as a real-life friend. I also loved the secondary characters...their convos and interactions really made the story for me. I liked Ryan...at least at the end. It was kind of hard for me to judge him because none of the story wasn't from Ryan's PoV and we didn't get much of a view into his head. I can't help but wonder when he made his oath and why the hell he wouldn't talk to Sam before making a step he couldn't take back later. Still, I guess it was needed for the story and that was the only downer for me in the story. Overall, I love the story and the characters and I'd highly recommend this book.* note - I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a great job.