Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for an end to the violence that has claimed so many of their loved ones. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bone Lands, a country where magic is outlawed and the Elementae–those that can control earth, air, … fire and water–are traitors, subject to torture . . . or worse.
Before she is even crowned, Shalia discovers that she can bend the earth to her will. Trapped between her husband’s irrational hatred of the Elementae and a dangerous rebellion led by her own brother, Shalia must harness her power and make an impossible choice: save her family, save the Elementae, or save herself.
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Brilliant storytelling with a villain who begs to be murdered in a variety of creative ways. A MUST HAVE for 2018.
Perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh’s Wrath and the Dawn series, Mary E. Pearson’s Remnant Chronicles, and Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series.
Full review to come . . . after I stop drooling over hot, online male models that remind me of Galen.
This was a surprisingly good book that I really enjoyed. The world was great, although I would have liked to have more detail about it. The characters were very dynamic. The writing was so easy to read and made this book flow nicely. I had a hard time putting this book down and was desperate to know what would happen next.
I will come out and say that Shalia’s character is not one I liked throughout most of this book, but her story is complicated. She accepts the marriage proposal to an adjoining kingdom to maintain peace in order to help her people and her family despite warnings she clearly ignored. But no matter Shalia was so determined to make her marriage work with her husband Calix and be a good wife. This is not made easy for her when Calix has a deep and dark hatred for the Elementae, something Shalia has learned she is one of. She is toeing a thin line with her husband as he becomes hard to please, paranoid, and abusive. Shalia tries so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt and help him see reason. While I sometimes thought she was knaive and weak, I think she was also trying her best to make the most out of her situation. What I did like that how afraid she was of her powers that she had no control over and wanted to get rid of in order to protect herself from Calix’s wrath. Anyone who is an Elementae dies. Shalia’s powers slowly grow as she becomes stronger.
Another thing I liked how Calix’s true face was slowly peeled back with each chapter. At first he seems like he’ll be good husband to Shalia and really cares about her, but then his true nature rears its ugly head. And let me tell you that boy is truly ugly on the inside. I think the author did a great job with his character no matter how much I despise him. Another thing I loved was Shalia’s close relationship with her family and especially with her brother Kai who stays with Shalia as she heads to her new home in the Bonelands. He is always there for his sister and is willing to do anything to protect her. I just really liked his character. I also really liked Gaylin, who is Calix’s brother.
Some people didn’t like the romance and that it was insta-lovey, but I don’t feel that way at all. I found to be sort of a slow burn kind of romance that didn’t overshadow the story as a whole. It really blossoms more than halfway through the story and I was very happy with the outcome.
I really enjoyed this story and am beyond exciting to read the next book. I think that a lot of things were done very well in this book. Parts of this book are hard to read for some because Calix is a truly despicable character who abuses his wife and kills without mercy or remorse. Not to mention he tortures people and how he treats his siblings is atrocious. I think there is more to his hatred than is let on in this book. But no matter I really liked this book and look forward to the next book.