Laura Rueckert

Action and adventure mingle with intrigue, royalty, and arranged marriages, while ghosts and gods play their own games.

Princess Jiara's older sister, Scilla, was brutally murdered shortly before her marriage to a king, whose alliance would remove the increasing threat of war. Scilla, now a ghost known as an 'Earthwalker', will not rest in peace as long as her killer remains free. And the longer it takes to find the criminal, the more violent she grows. But with war still being an ever show more growing threat, Jiara's parents have little time to spare. Before the end of the mourning period, they agree to give the king Jiara's hand in marriage, and only a few days later, she finds herself as the queen of a country and people she knows little about. Her own dyslexia and language difficulties make things worse. But she has no time to concentrate on such problems as she begins to suspect there might be a tie between the country and her sister's death. If she doesn't figure out the weave of secrets soon, all those she loves will pay a deadly price.

This one was actually much better than I thought it might be. It has all the elements needed to make an exciting, young adult read for fantasy fans, who love series about clashing countries, magic, strong heroines, intrigue and a dash of romance, but this one manages to keep it bound into one, exciting book. Every page holds something new, and the weave of secrets is very well done. There are subplots, which all come together as they should at the end, and characters to root for...or hate. Princess Jiara isn't hard to connect with, and she isn't even one of those heroines, who makes silly choices. Rather, she has a good head on her shoulders and does well with what she has. Even the descriptions of the various countries and cultures are well done and draw the reader in. There's more richness than I hoped for, and it's well written, too.

Of course, it's impossible to pack the amazing goodness of what many authors use three books for into one without losing something. The romance wasn't extremely strong, and there was little chemistry on that end. But, in my opinion, that isn't really a problem. The marriage is arranged, and while there is attraction, it's not the main focus of this book. Jiara has enough on her plate, and any romance slides as a tiny nibble along the sidelines of the plot. The King seems nice but we don't really get to know him. So, romance fans aren't going to be swooning as much as they'd like, but action fans and secret intrigue supporters will get their fill.

While logic held pretty well the entire way through, foundation and depth were missing from the 'Watcher' aspect and their involvement. It was hard to grasp what they really are or their greater meaning in anything. Because of this, there were several events, which happened too quickly and conveniently. This cheapened the ending a bit and skipped over some needed depth to really make the ending sit. But I enjoyed reading this one quite a bit and appreciated how the author got so much into one novel...and accomplished it in a way that works pretty well. It's an easy and exciting read, which is hard to put down. So, that makes it a good read in my book (no pun intended).

I received an ARC through Netgalley. show less

I thought this book was so well crafted. I loved both the political intrigue in this read and also the hints of supernatural elements. I also really loved that this book as of right now is a complete story (standalone) It was a fun read. I also really loved how this book tackled not common representation like learning challenges like dyslexia. I struggled with learning challenges my whole life. I also this this one of the best political romances I have read in recent years. The villain was a show more bit predictable but It was a super fast pace read and one that I enjoyed. I really enjoyed this read and think you should check it out if you liked the political focus worlds like ash princess!!! Such a great read! show less

I thought this book was so well crafted. I loved both the political intrigue in this read and also the hints of supernatural elements. I also really loved that this book as of right now is a complete story (standalone) It was a fun read. I also really loved how this book tackled not common representation like learning challenges like dyslexia. I struggled with learning challenges my whole life. I also this this one of the best political romances I have read in recent years. The villain was a show more bit predictable but It was a super fast pace read and one that I enjoyed. I really enjoyed this read and think you should check it out if you liked the political focus worlds like ash princess!!! Such a great read! show less

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t know what to expect from the synopsis, but I was not disappointed!

I loved that there was no preamble - As soon as the book started, we were straight into the action. When I first began, I thought this would mean there would be little world-building, but writing this with hindsight, I can almost picture the different countries with their different customs and languages!

I also really enjoyed the element of sisterhood. Jiara loved her sister fiercely, but show more not unrealistically. There was a little jealousy, there was guilt ... All of which made their relationship very relatable.

Jiara’s dyslexia was such an important component of this book. It gave her obstacles to overcome, but did not stop her. I thought the author’s note at the end giving information sources was also brilliant.

If i had any complaints, it would be that certain elements were not described to their full potential. For example, I’m still not entirely sure what the elephant birds look like (They are such fantastic creatures! A better description would of satisfied my imagination!) and there was little description of the character’s physical and personal attributes. I can’t picture Jiara in my mind!

Having said this, it was fantastic to have a romance in which the female protagonist does not rely on the male to save her! I shalln’t say more, as I wouldn’t want to inadvertently give spoilers, but I really liked Raffar’s persona, having read too many ‘enemies to lovers’ troupes recently!

Thank you to North Star Editions/Flux and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC. show less