Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: Cassidy Clarke
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: June 25th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Princess Soren of Nyx is no stranger to loss after a decade-long war with the neighboring kingdom of Atlas. But with her best friend slowly succumbing to a cruel Atlas poison, she hatches a reckless plan: kidnap the enemy prince from the battlefield and use his life to barter for the antidote.
But when that prince calls her by a different name…the name of his sister, whose death began the war ten years ago…everything changes.
Stolen away to Atlas, trapped behind enemy lines, Soren must navigate a kingdom she knows nothing about, surrounded by a family she doesn’t remember, and work to hunt down the antidote only Atlas possesses, all while strange memories fight to take over-memories of a different life, a different home, a different girl.
And memories aren’t the only thing awakened by Soren’s return. Dark, forbidden magics begin to stir, threatening both her new life and her old. With death stalking in every shadow, the lost princess must fight harder and sacrifice more than she ever dreamed to save what she holds most dear.
READ IT.
Uh wow, how have I not known about this book? It’s a gem. AND YOU NEED TO READ IT TOO PLEASE.
This, hands down, has the best sibling relationships I have ever read. They felt incredibly real and they were tight knit. But that didn’t stop arguments, nor did it stop apologies. I think getting a multi point of view set-up with everyone really sold this book for me. I loved seeing everyone’s sides and decisions. What they were thinking and how that played into the further plot.
The MAIN character, Soren, is just on the cusp of some major character arcs (well, everyone is for that matter). Saltwater did a great job of accomplishing a cast that needs to grow, but without making you not want to keep going. I LOVE the initial vibes for Finn, Kal, Soren, Elias and more. I think some serious moves will be made throughout the series.
There’s only a dash of romance at this time (which I am curious as to how it’ll be carried over multiple books). I would have loved a bit more, yet by the time some feelings were being expressed I realized I was very much emotionally attached to these two getting their way. The best kind of feelings towards fiction relationships.
I couldn’t get enough of this book and it is so easy to fly through. There’s not intense world-building throughout. It works well in that it’s still easy to know who’s who and what the overall plot will continue to be. I’m interested in many of the sub-plots with meddling gods and betrayals galore.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: some
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: medium
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, wasting sicknesses, near death experiences, weapons violence, battle scenes
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