My mom should have killed me the day I was born.
Being a twin complicates the Evian line of succession, but Chancery Alamecha is fine letting Judica inherit the throne. After all, she’s the stronger sister—the merciless fighter, the ruthless politician, and the groomed heir. But something unexpected happens when Chancery tries on her mother’s staridium ring, forcing her into a role that she never … her into a role that she never wanted: the prophesied queen who will prevent the destruction of Earth.
Now I have to kill my sister.
Judica, enraged by this turn of events, vows to do anything to reclaim her rightful place as empress. Including challenging Chancery to a battle to the death. While Chancery is away training, she gets a taste of the human world, where she can do whatever she wants without genetic obligations. Now torn between a life she was born into and one that makes her happy, she must confront her treacherous sister—or cause the end of the world.
What are the critics saying?
“A fast moving, engaging tale in what promises to be an epic fantasy romance series,” Kirkus Reviews.
“Baker’s writing is swift but potent, and scenes of action and romance both prove exciting,” Publisher’s Weekly.
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Deliciously epic! The hostility and looming fight between the twin sisters creates fantastic tension, and the budding romances were totally swoony.
I loved this book! Bridget Baker is my new favorite author.
Loved this book, and the second book in the series is even better.
This book is a very well written story about the demands of a young woman who has to learn the ways of her people and to lead them to peace and prosperity. Her race descended directly from Eve. She learns that she is the chosen heir and she isn’t sure that she wants that. Familial infighting and many obstacles come her way.
Very well written story. Excellent audio book.
Chancery and Judica are twin heirs to the Evian throne. Judica is to be queen and Chancery, as the first borm, was supposed to be killed. Even though Judica has tried to kill Chancery on her own, their mothers decision to keep Chancery has been held. One action has changed everything though, and now Chancery it to be the next queen. She never trained for this, or thought of what she wanted for the kingdom, but now she has to fight for it.
In the beginning I felt like I could easily be Chancery. Reading under a tree and having her one close friend. I can understand where a loy of her decisions and feelings come from. I was also kept on my toes constantly. Every time I thought I knew who was causing problems or what the right choice was, something major would change. And CLIFFHANGER!!!
A uniquely written book, with a thrilling and fascinating storyline. Action, betrayal, love are just some of the things you come across. The characters are not only fun and fascinating but also very interesting and a little barbaric. The world building is absolutely incredible.
All in all, this book was written brilliantly!
I believe this is my favorite book by Bridget E. Baker so far! I love the characters with their strengths and weaknesses. The world created and the story of who they are is so original. It’s clean and the ending is awesome! The book is long which I loved because I don’t like it when a good story ends. I want it to keep going. I’m looking forward to the next books in the series. Loved it!
I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and are expressed voluntarily.
They may have been raised in the same house, but these twins couldn’t be any more different if they tried. Chancery and Judica are perfect foils of one another, yet neither can understand the motivations of the other. Both believe they are doing the right thing, but the results will hurt both of them no matter what path they take.
As with the twins, the relationships throughout this story are absolutely unparalleled. There is so much intrigue and back story that will keep you guessing who is the hero and who is the villain. This is one seriously large family, and everyone has their own agenda.
I love the dynamics between Chancery and Edam. So much tension rests between them which makes for a great story. Without giving away any details of the story, suffice it to say, the intrigue never stops.
One of my favorite parts of the book is Chancery’s attitude. Even when she tries to change how she’s thinking, she talks herself out of it. Her ingrained goodness just cannot be moved into any other direction.
If you’re looking for an action-packed, magical realism adventure, then you’ve come to the right place. I think this might be my new favorite series! Best I’ve read all year!
I love YA fiction and this series did not disappoint!! It has a brilliant twist on real-life, introducing deep, well-developed characters and engaging storylines. I can NOT wait to see how the series ends.
I loved this book! Bridget is a new author to me. I definitely plan to read more of her work.
Bridget leaves you wanting to know more about every character and this is just the beginning. This series could go on forever and I would continue to read them! I fell in love with this series and want more and more. I cannot wait to see what comes next! and then next after that!
Judica and Chancery are the polar opposite twins of their mother, Enora, the Empress of Alamecha. Think the Grim Reaper and Cinderella, in dress, attitude, and actions. In the evian world (yes, like the water! But actually because they are direct descendants of Eve, frequently living 800-900 years or more), the youngest daughter is the heir to the throne in each of the major ruling groups. Each empress can have hundreds of children, but it seems Judica and Chancery will be the last for Enora at her age. Judica has been trained for battle in every form since birth, as every daughter is upon birth until a younger sister is born, and Chancery has basically been a pet/companion for her mother. Very different upbringings in the same household. The personality of each suits their role in society and all seems to be going to plan until their mother is murdered. Unfortunately for the sisters, just prior to the death of Enora, something no one ever expected about Chancery is discovered. Now all the planning and customs are about to be upended and a battle to the death is declared. Of course, the hunky love interest is burning to step in and be the hero he thinks Chancery needs, but she is a young woman with her own mind, even if her heart is distracting her in a couple of different directions. Just the right mix of fantasy, actual facts, interesting concepts of the human world combined with an “other,” and romance to keep you reading straight through to the end, then clicking “buy” on the next book to see what happens next!
A classic battle between sisters, twins with wildly varying personalities. One destined to rule and the other glad she did not have to. Things become topsy-turvy almost immediately as the twins are required to find a middle ground, a clearly impossible situation. It is great to see the twists and turns and the self-discovery. This is the beginning book in a series and it will be interesting to see where things go; lots of opportunities to expand the themes in this introductory book.
Great story line.
Loved this book! So many twists and turns! Definitely kept me drawn in and made me want more. When I started this book, it was not what I expected, but I found myself hooked and couldn’t put it down!
Wow! I absolutely loved this book. There was so much depth and character building in Chancery’s character. She went through so many trials and hurdles. She tried so hard to remain true to herself, even when she was trying to find out exactly who she was. I found myself cheering for her, rooting for her, and believing in her.
I wasn’t sure what to think of Edam at first, but found myself loving his character by the end of the book. And Noah’s character- so much more than what meets the eye.
Judica….I really wanted to hate this character. Then, I wanted to feel bad for her, then I started to like her. I went through those emotions a few times and want to know what will happen next.
The storyline kept building, leading up to an epic battle. Man, I couldn’t put it down. And then, with what happened next – whew and wow.
I can’t wait to check out book 2!
Love this series! AWSOME Author.
Each book in the series was good, introduced you to the characters more in depth.
This book made me a Bridget E. Baker fan! Great series.
I just finished this book. It was so well written. Bridget Baker’s descriptive writing in this book made you feel like you were right there in the middle of everything that was happening. It was full of suspense, intrigue, mystery, action and romance. It kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next. This book was not a book that you could predict the outcome because as soon as you think you have it figured out it jumps to a new twist.
I hated when I had to put it down to live in reality. When I finished the book I was left wanting more and I can’t wait for the next one. This could be made into an EPIC movie.
This is the first book in a new series by Bridget E. Baker. I’ve enjoyed everything she has written so far, and this one ended up being good as well. In the beginning I was a little unsure how much I was going to like it, but it ended up getting better and better as it progressed.
Chancery was easy to like and her sister, Judica was easy to hate. However, I was very conflicted about their mother. I was infuriated at her for some of the things she let Judica get away with, and I don’t think Chancery’s view of her mother is completely accurate. I kept thinking that Chancery would have some real issues with her mother over the things she lets Judica get away with. However after reading the book and seeing how brutal their culture could be, it made a little more sense why things were the way they were. I think the author is really good at showing how her characters feel, and why they feel that way, and there are definitely some layers that need to be peeled away from some of these characters. This being a series, I know it’s not all going to happen in this book, so I can be patient.
I liked the romance in this book, even though the love triangle was slightly annoying. I think we all know who Chancery will end up with. I think the other guy was just thrown in to add some tension. The high school thing that was added late in the book wasn’t one of my favorite parts either, even though I understand it was added to help Chancery figure out if she would want to live a human life. Other than those small things I liked this book very much.
I do have to add that there was a lot of blood in this. It wasn’t really gory, just a bit descriptive, and it was shocking how brutal these people were. I’m not sure being next to immortal would make me less concerned about the kind of injuries that are inflicted in this book. I mean it still hurts! I would think they wouldn’t want to repeat that too often, but clearly they are not like me. I also wondered why they didn’t get sick of ruining their clothes and having to clean up all the blood. Practice swords are a thing, maybe they should try using them? Anyway, it’s an interesting world and I plan on reading the sequels.