Thank you so much @ReadersFirst and @HotKeyBooksYA for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
As a YA fantasy this isn't my usual genre, and I'm not the target audience, so I went into this one apprehensively, but I was intrigued by the blurb and I want to read more diversely, so I was excited to give it a try. I shouldn't have worried at all, this book is wonderful and such a great debut.
The story begins with a young girl living in an isolated environment, being raised in hopes of her becoming part of the Crown Prince's council of eleven. The council exists to connect together the various kingdoms and to protect, and aid, the Crown Prince. Every member of the council is connected by the "Ray" which is a force 'deeper than blood', and the girl is being raised to infiltrate that Council and break that bond. The set up here is so distinctive and the Ray builds a unique family of sorts, which I really enjoyed.
I loved the magic system and the world building. Each kingdom has it's own people, it's own culture. There's a lot going on, but the level of detail is handled well and never becomes confusing. I loved learning about a new culture and new mythologies that I've had very little experience of, and I thank the author for sharing these with us.
The character development is well done, focusing on strong friendships, and the adventure element is fascinating and gripping throughout.
I don't read a huge amount of YA, but I loved this one. I will definitely read book 2, and I think this one is well worth your time.
4 delightful stars.
As a YA fantasy this isn't my usual genre, and I'm not the target audience, so I went into this one apprehensively, but I was intrigued by the blurb and I want to read more diversely, so I was excited to give it a try. I shouldn't have worried at all, this book is wonderful and such a great debut.
The story begins with a young girl living in an isolated environment, being raised in hopes of her becoming part of the Crown Prince's council of eleven. The council exists to connect together the various kingdoms and to protect, and aid, the Crown Prince. Every member of the council is connected by the "Ray" which is a force 'deeper than blood', and the girl is being raised to infiltrate that Council and break that bond. The set up here is so distinctive and the Ray builds a unique family of sorts, which I really enjoyed.
I loved the magic system and the world building. Each kingdom has it's own people, it's own culture. There's a lot going on, but the level of detail is handled well and never becomes confusing. I loved learning about a new culture and new mythologies that I've had very little experience of, and I thank the author for sharing these with us.
The character development is well done, focusing on strong friendships, and the adventure element is fascinating and gripping throughout.
I don't read a huge amount of YA, but I loved this one. I will definitely read book 2, and I think this one is well worth your time.
4 delightful stars.