In the start of a
new series, Jennifer Estep takes us to a medieval fantasy world where betrayal
is never far away:
In a world where one's magical power determines one's worth, Lady Everleigh's lack of any obvious power, she is relegated to the shadows of the court, only called upon when those above her want to make fun of her. She may be 17th in line for the throne but Evie is more than happy to be left alone. But there are dark forces circling the castle and when her cousin Vasillia (second in line to the throne) comes for a visit, massacre occurs and Evie barely escapes and is forced into hiding. All Evie wants to do is hide away, like she has always done, but when Vasilla seems bent on plunging Bellona into war. Evie knows she has to step up and protect the kingdom. She may not be the hero everyone expected but she is all Bellona has.
This book starts out intense with the massacre of an entire family and royal court and I am here for it. I loved that the first betrayal is right at the beginning of the book and we are not waiting for the characters or plot to get there, Estep goes hard right from the beginning. This really set the tone for the rest of the book as Evie does not know who she can trust as there are spies everywhere and there is more than one person that is set upon protecting themself.
I appreciate that Evie comes off
as a real character in the fact that she does not feel the need to help protect
the kingdom right away. She wants to try to live a “normal” life as a gladiator
even if she does not have the training or power to begin with. I think that
this is a real thing that lots of people would do, the court never did her nay
favours or protected her, why should she care. Evie may not want to be the
protector of Bellona, but she does eventually come to understand that there are
some things that are just bigger than her and for the greater good.
I like the different powers that
were highlighted in the book, from lightening to shapeshifting to anything you
can really think of. It was also interesting having gems that could enhance
one's power and how some gems can help while others hinder. Now is it kind of
the same old same old, that the most powerful rule, yes it is, but that is what
fits not only in this story but world Estep built. If it were a democracy
government really the outcome of the massacre would have been the same with the
most powerful ruling, so I do not mind that Estep did not try to re-invent the
wheel here. She puts with what works with the story and does not try to
overcomplicate things
This book is set in a medieval
fantasy type world and this really fits the plot and what Estep achieves in
this book. It is not really a High fantasy book and the world building is on
the sparse side, but I am okay with that. Estep was able to lay everything out
so you understand the basics of it. Would it be interesting to know more about
the magic side of things and which powers are deemed more valuable than others?
Sure, but Estep has to balance between the book getting too bogged down in
these extra details.
This is a really enjoyable book
that I did not want to put down once I started reading it. I found that the
book was well written with an intriguing/entertaining plot and was able to
really root for the main character. I look forward to reading the next book in
the series.
Enjoy!!!!
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