The Affiliate

By: K.A. Linde

Narrated by: Erin Mallon

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, 17-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland - an Affiliate to the Queen.

Or so she thinks.

When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have...King Edric himself.

Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom.

Find out in this first book in USA Today best-selling author K.A. Linde's new Ascension series. Great for fans of Game of Thrones, Tudors, and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series.

©2015 K.A. Linde (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"With rich romance and twisty political intrigue, The Affiliate is a breakneck fantasy ride that's perfect for fans of The Selection or Throne of Glass." (Susan Dennard, NYT bestselling author of Truthwitch)

Don’t waste your time

I bought this during Audible’s first in a series sale and had high hopes. I love audio books and listen to them during my long commute to work. Don’t bother buying this unless you’re a teenaged girl. The story was so cliche and cringe worthy. The narrators breathless way of voicing the main character was enough to put my teeth on edge. Affiliates are not explained nor is the Consort or the class system. I would really like someone to explain to me how this girl managed to knock out a member of the royal household only to have him come back later and laugh about the obvious assault. Then call the main character ‘fun’. Don’t waste your money. I don’t know how this is a book series. This entire book is worse than the ending of Divergent.

Boring

Honestly this book was just so boring. It has great reviews so even though it started slowly I figured I would be patient and give it a chance. Ended up stopping in the middle of the "climax" and returning it because I just could not bring myself to care how it ended.

The main character obviously has some sort of special destiny/power/thing happening with her, but rather than focusing on that, she spends the whole book torn between two guys - one who tries to date rape her upon first meeting and his brother who is also only interested in getting to sleep with her. I'm all for a good love triangle but the author gives exactly one reason for the main character to be interested in both of them - they're hot. I need at least one redeeming quality to understand her interest in either of them.

I was also not a fan of the narrator as she made the female characters sound excessively whiny.

Not a fan of Narrator

The story it's self was good, however the narrator kind of got on my nerves. I thought she tried to be "too breathy" all the time and she put inflection in weird spots that took away from what she was reading instead of enhancing it. It wasn't enough of an annoyance that I couldn't listen, but I found myself rolling my eyes numerous times because of the way she read parts.

Patience young grasshopper

This is a world building book. Introductions to many characters, the backstory of magic, the political machinations; at the end you can feel why it matters so much. I just finished and can’t believe it took so much time to set up even though it didn’t feel like a while books worth. Just like the “if you like these books” suggestions—they are set up similarly and the reward is sweet therefore I’m putting faith in Audible and ploughing forward.
I am eager and hopeful and can see disaster and joy hovering in the wings. Can’t wait for the next phase of the ride.
Very light on romance-hoping for more in the next books.
Narrator did a great job.

blah

Would you try another book from K.A. Linde and/or Erin Mallon?

I probably would not

What was most disappointing about K.A. Linde’s story?

the character did some very stupid things.. The chick was very basic. Some of the dialogue was elementary.

Could you see The Affiliate being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No!!!

Any additional comments?

Do not waste your time. I will be honest, some of the story was okay but most of it was idiotic.

4 Fantasy Stars

When I first saw that K.A. Linde was coming out with "The Affiliate" I was on the fence because it wasn't my normal romance genre. So I pretty much wrote this book off and didn't even give it a chance in the beginning. For that I truly apologize. This book was so good I didn't want it to end. If you're like me and romance jaded, I beg you to take a chance on this book! It's different from her other books but a good different and the plot keeps you intrigued. Linde's attention to detail in this book was amazing! It felt like I was there in Byern. If you are still on the fence have two yummy guys,King Edric and Prince Kael to drool over! But on serious note all fans of Linde really need to give this series a shot! Don't make the same mistakes I did. Also if you can definitely pick up the audio narration as well. It definitely enhanced the story!

Disappointed

I had high hopes for this book, but it did not take too long before I began to be disappointed. The overall storyline was interesting, but it could have been so, so much better with deeper character development. I never grew even remotely attached to any of the characters and I only hung onto the story until the end because I was curious about the murders. There were so many things in the story that the author could have expanded on to engage the reader and bring more depth to the story, but instead she just stated things as fact and moved on. Returned both the book and the audible recording after finishing as well as the second one I had already purchased because I had no interest in continuing.

Loved it.

I had the book a while but hadn't read it until now. I had no idea what I was missing. I definitely didn't know where this story was going and still don't I can't wait for the next.

Meh.

Ok so let me just say as someone who reads alot of fantasy books with alot of smut this book was a 1.5 on my scale to 10. Honestly the last book was the best and only because it finally came to an end. These books never peek or pull you in. The best example I could give is when your use to climbing and diving of mountain but these books were like jumping of a kids sand hill. If your looking for a story line similar to this but a 20 out of 10 starts read the throne of glass novels by sarah j mass.

An Intriguing, Twisted Tale...

...and it's just beginning.
This is a great read for fans of "The Selection" or "The Bridge Kingdom." It has a bit of a YA feel, but not to the point that older readers won't enjoy it. Erin Mallon, of course, knocks the narration out of the park, as well.

This tale is intricately woven through a world where people are placed into certain classes, and society is ruled by those with royal blood. As one might suspect, this is the great compost pit for political intrigue, deception, mystery, and unknown loyalties. Yet within this novel a young woman finds her strength, fights for what seems right to her, and stands up to those who would seek her harm.

It's a great story for those who enjoy reading novels with strong heroines and a seriously slow burn romance. Since this is just the beginning, be prepared for an onslaught of characters and their development. But those of us who love being in the middle of a good series with rich characters will find it worth the wait.