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C.A. Hollister's roots are deeply planted in the rich soil of a small North East Texas town, where family gatherings buzzed with the warmth of shared stories and the joy of cooking together. This nurturing environment sparked her imagination, leading her to create her own unique universes from a very young age. In her storytelling, she blends the familiar with the fantastical, weaving tales that resonate with raw emotion and explore the universal longing for connection and love. Her approach to writing marries the everyday with the extraordinary, inviting readers into worlds where magic touches the mundane, and where characters' desires and heartaches echo our own.
Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman for Readers' Favorite
C.A. Hollister’s Destiny Unbound is a dark fantasy novel about Draya’s destiny coming to fruition. Darya is an outcast with an affinity for animals and nature. She often dreams of marriage and a family that she can never have. One morning, Darya's boss, Janine, gives her a gift trip to Broughied. That afternoon, Darya is about to enter her apartment when her neighbor’s dog, Dash, warns her of a stranger. Darya greets her roommate before entering the shower. When she exits the bathroom, Darya slips in blood. Annie is dead, and the attacker slashes at her with a knife. She escapes from the apartment, and Dash kills the man. Annie’s boyfriend, Mark, holds Darya responsible for Annie's death. He follows Darya to Broughied, but Ronwen and Horsa send Darya through a portal. Waking up on the beach, Darya has no memory of anything. Who are the two strangers who abducted her?
C.A. Hollister includes several elements to build intense suspense. Anger, trauma, betrayal, magic, and a slow-burn romance make the plot unpredictable. The supporting characters' details are vital to Darya. They help Darya to move forward instead of being a recluse living as a victim. Her mother’s treatment of her as a child is understandable since her conception was a nightmare. The time travel pieces, dreams, and visions Darya experiences are easy to follow. I felt some empathy for Mark. He lost Annie, and his grief makes him delusional. Letting go of the past so you can live in the present became an apparent theme in the book. The details of the settings and action scenes were exceptional, and I could envision every moment unfolding. The unpredictable plot enchanted me from start to finish. Destiny Unbound will appeal to dark fantasy readers who like magical stories, time travel, and a heroine who learns her true purpose.
