In the Kingdom of Solanum, all the noble families have the ability to transform into a bird. Those who cannot transform are labelled “flightless” and are deemed unworthy of ruling.
When Aderyn’s father dies she inherits his title, Protector of Atratys, however she harbours a significant secret - she cannot fly. Ever since she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother, she has been unable to transform into her family’s ancestral bird, a swan.
Now as she travels to the Citadel to discover who is responsible for her mother’s death, she must keep her secret from being discovered or risk losing control of Atratys forever.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr have created a vivid world full of secrets, betrayal and political intrigue. The story is well structured and the writing is immersive. Although the general premise of the story isn’t anything new, the introduction of the shape shifting adds something a little different. I particularly liked that this wasn’t the main feature of the book, despite being important to the overall story. The shape shifting was integrated into the plot seamlessly and enhanced the plot rather than overwhelming it.
Now for the one little flaw in this otherwise fantastic book - Aderyn, as the main character, felt too immature and naive. Now I know this is part of her character growth and is a result of her father keeping her sheltered away in Atratys, but it was frustrating at times. Siegfried was a fairly obvious villain and she takes an age to question his motives. She also seemed to be oblivious to the treatment of the flightless outside her own dominion. However this did seem to improve as the book progressed so hopefully it will continue to improve into book two.
Despite Siegfried’s obvious villainy, I was unsure about the rest of the characters motives and who to trust. Lucien’s advice of “Trust no one” seemed very apt and I was expecting betrayal at every turn which kept me on the edge of my seat.
The supporting characters were brilliant, in particular I loved Lucien and Aron and I’m hoping we get more of them both in the next book.
Although there are a lot of unfamiliar character and place names, the inclusion of a map and family tree definitely helped me to keep track of where they all fit.
Finally I have to finish my review by mentioning the absolutely stunning book cover 😍 It contains so much detail and is very atmospheric - a great representation of the book itself!
Now begins the impatient wait for book two. Is it 2021 yet?
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 5)
When Aderyn’s father dies she inherits his title, Protector of Atratys, however she harbours a significant secret - she cannot fly. Ever since she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother, she has been unable to transform into her family’s ancestral bird, a swan.
Now as she travels to the Citadel to discover who is responsible for her mother’s death, she must keep her secret from being discovered or risk losing control of Atratys forever.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr have created a vivid world full of secrets, betrayal and political intrigue. The story is well structured and the writing is immersive. Although the general premise of the story isn’t anything new, the introduction of the shape shifting adds something a little different. I particularly liked that this wasn’t the main feature of the book, despite being important to the overall story. The shape shifting was integrated into the plot seamlessly and enhanced the plot rather than overwhelming it.
Now for the one little flaw in this otherwise fantastic book - Aderyn, as the main character, felt too immature and naive. Now I know this is part of her character growth and is a result of her father keeping her sheltered away in Atratys, but it was frustrating at times. Siegfried was a fairly obvious villain and she takes an age to question his motives. She also seemed to be oblivious to the treatment of the flightless outside her own dominion. However this did seem to improve as the book progressed so hopefully it will continue to improve into book two.
Despite Siegfried’s obvious villainy, I was unsure about the rest of the characters motives and who to trust. Lucien’s advice of “Trust no one” seemed very apt and I was expecting betrayal at every turn which kept me on the edge of my seat.
The supporting characters were brilliant, in particular I loved Lucien and Aron and I’m hoping we get more of them both in the next book.
Although there are a lot of unfamiliar character and place names, the inclusion of a map and family tree definitely helped me to keep track of where they all fit.
Finally I have to finish my review by mentioning the absolutely stunning book cover 😍 It contains so much detail and is very atmospheric - a great representation of the book itself!
Now begins the impatient wait for book two. Is it 2021 yet?
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 5)