O P E N I N G H O O K:
My arms pumped at my sides as I ran faster; the water rushed beneath my feet. I had to reach Cresthaven's entrance before the bells stopped, but I was still nowhere near it. There was at least another quarter mile of fortress and waterway. Above me, the ashvan horses began their descent, already wrapping up their hourly patrol. Luminescent blue light glimmered from their hooves against the night, illuminating their jewel-toned bodies. Their lights vanished into the night sky, and only starlight remained.
Shit. The bells would stop at any second.
My sandals, laced up to my knees, were definitely not meant for running. Then again, neither was I, a lady of Ka Batavia.
(Page 1, US hardcover edition)
“You're descended from the Gods, but you can't walk on water without glass beneath your feet. You've forgotten how to fly without borrowed wings and can't even remember the secrets within the Guardian of Bamaria. You're nothing more than children of a drowned empire.”
~DAUGHTER OF THE DROWNED EMPIRE
If you're a fan of series such as Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas or Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce, this is the new book for you. Lady Lyriana Batavia has all the courage, pride, and recklessness we've come to know, tolerate, and adore from Celaena Sardothien. Both women commit to the future they want and do anything possible to achieve results, even if it's not always the right choice. Lyr is also similar to Alanna the Lioness, in that she starts out as a Soturion apprentice further behind and weaker than everyone else, and must work harder and longer to achieve the same goals, though her reasons are that she has no magic, while Alanna's are that she is disguised as a boy and training to be a knight.
The series kicks off with a look at Lyr and her life: She is third in line to the throne, and both her sisters are secretly unable to rule, cursed with dangerous Vorakh magic that could have them executed. On the day Lyr is to come into her magic, she's terrified that she, too, will reveal a Vorakh. Instead, it is discovered that she has no magic whatsoever, the only Lumerian in history to have none. Her dreams of becoming a Mage are destroyed, and she has no choice: She may go into exile, never to return home or speak to friends and family ever again, or train to become a Soturion warrior and protect her kingdom. The only problem? With no magic, she is at a disadvantage and may not survive training. Lyr is desperate to keep her family's secrets and protect her kingdom at all cost, even if it means sacrificing herself in the process...
Lyr really grows on readers as the novel progresses. She's selfless, but also incredibly headstrong and reckless. She does some incredibly stupid, thoughtless stuff that endangers the loved ones she's always claiming to want to protect as well as herself. That kind of character is always a bit annoying to me, but as they change and grow and evolved, they have the potential to become amazing protectors and strong in their own rights, and I can't wait to see Lyr take this path after the conclusion of the first book when her eyes are finally opened to what she needs to do (and stop doing) if she wants to truly protect what's hers. I also love her chemistry with Lord Rhyan Hart -- and if you're a fan of forbidden romance, this relationship is absolutely your jam! The two have known each other since they were younger and even shared a first kiss, but both have changed and grown over the years. Lyr is now all but engaged to Lord Tristan Grey, while Rhyan is now Forsworn, exiled from how own lands and come to claim sanctuary in her own. The two are tied together at the Soturion Oath ceremony as Novice and Apprentice, becoming Kashonim. The two now share blood magic and are tied together for life, but because of this, they are forbidden to ever be in a relationship with one another. This will, of course, lead to all sorts of delicious tension over the course of the series, and I'm already here for it!
If you want a new fantasy series to immerse yourself in this summer, definitely check out DAUGHTER OF THE DROWNED EMPIRE. The sequel just launched a couple of weeks ago and the first novella from Rhyan's point of view comes out this fall!
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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: PG15+ ( Heavy making out; sexual situations and innuendos )
Language: PG13 ( Cursing, including F-bombs, and sexual language/crude gestures and slurs such as whore. )
Violence: PG13 ( Soturion training requires students to fight one another. Nothing above the neck, but they aren't afraid to injure one another or make each other bleed. various hybrid creatures, but nothing graphic or overly violent. There are some invasions that lead to character deaths -- one is said to "fall to the ground in pieces." Street fighting between trained soldiers creating unrest and rough capture of a woman with forbidden magic. MC and a a fellow student are both whipped at different parts in front of the entire school, and partially bared and humiliated. )
Violence: PG13 ( Soturion training requires students to fight one another. Nothing above the neck, but they aren't afraid to injure one another or make each other bleed. various hybrid creatures, but nothing graphic or overly violent. There are some invasions that lead to character deaths -- one is said to "fall to the ground in pieces." Street fighting between trained soldiers creating unrest and rough capture of a woman with forbidden magic. MC and a a fellow student are both whipped at different parts in front of the entire school, and partially bared and humiliated. )
Other: PG13+ ( MC's mother and cousin are no longer living. MC reflects often on how her cousin was executed/murdered for having dangerous magic and has a lot of PTSD over the fact. MC is imprisoned for being suspected of having dangerous magic. MC and a fellow student are both whipped at different parts in front of the entire school, and partially bared and humiliated. During a fight, a male lands on MC with gross sexual intent and is kneed before he can taunt too far. MC reflects on a memory that another character saw their parents brutally murdered. Some characters use moonleaves to get high and are constantly drunk to hide their dangerous magical abilities. )
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C O V E R D E S I G N:
Such a striking cover! There's so much action and danger just in this one image. From the kingdom in the background to the dangerous-looking waves consuming everything to the sword piercing through that same deadly wave. I also love the way the blue and gold complement one another and make the title pop!
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: DAUGHTER OF THE DROWNED EMPIRE
Author: Frankie Diane Mallis
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Publisher: Seven Queens Press
Received: For Review
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
19-year-old mage Lady Lyriana Batavia is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria: a position of wealth and privilege, but not safety. Bamaria falls under the rule of the Lumerian Empire, survivors of a celestial war whose island sank in the Drowning. Now all Lumerians submit to the Emperor and his strict laws about magic. He decides what magic can be practiced and what powers remain forbidden. He decides who will die for possession of forbidden magic.
Lyr’s own cousin was executed for wielding the wrong kind. And for years, Lyr has sworn to protect her older sisters, helping them conceal their own illicit magic.
But when Lyr must participate in the ceremony that reveals her power, she uncovers something else entirely. Something that means banishment from the Empire.
Faced with death in exile, and leaving her sisters behind, Lyr has no choice but to accept a deadly contract. She has seven months to train as a warrior and pass the Emperor’s brutal test of strength—all without magic.
But when she’s forced to train with Lord Rhyan Hart, the man she’s secretly loved since she was a girl—a feared warrior in exile himself, forbidden to her in every way—she’s in danger of losing far more than her family, life, and country.
Rebel forces, and an invading army, are destabilizing Bamaria, just as her family’s secrets threaten to reveal themselves.
Surviving the training, and saving her sisters may mean sacrificing her own heart.
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