The Waking Land was a really interesting and unique fantasy with high appeal for readers of YA as well as adult fantasy titles. The plot is very fast moving and narrator Elanna is easy to like. Her divided loyalties between the King and court that raised her (and abducted her as a child) and the family that she felt abandoned her by leaving her to her fate were realistically portrayed and explained. The magic Elanna uses and that infuses her birth country is very unique and sets this novel a part from more predictable titles.

However, I thought The Waking Land had a few problems with the pacing, with Elanna's escape after the assassination of the king dragging on a bit too long considering the fast pace of the rest of the plot. Relatedly, I would have loved other parts of the novel to be longer or explored further, such as Elanna's discovery of and education about her powers, the description of Caeris, the reunion with her family, and the climax and denouement of the plot, which I felt was rushed. Moreover, while I enjoyed the romance, I'm not sure why the author included the rumors that the love interest was gay as they weren't really addressed and these rumors and the negative perceptions of homosexuality by other characters seemed to only serve as a plot device to create angst or tension in their fledgling relationship. Additionally, since these rumors added nothing to the story they at times seemed to reinforce negative assumptions and feelings about gay relationships. I would have really liked if the love interest came out as bisexual or pansexual and I hope the author addresses this more fully in the next book.

Even with these issues, I did really enjoy reading The Waking Land and am curious to see if Bates continues with this series or writes other titles.

I really enjoyed The Waking Land. It offered a great world to escape into with interesting characters and an equally interested take on magic. I got caught up in the story and found myself eagerly awaiting the next night's reading. The experience of torn loyalties was explored in an interesting, if a bit overdone, way. And, of course, a love story with some interesting twists on the standard Prince and Princess fall in love, get married, have a multitude of heirs and live happily ever after .There was much that was left undeveloped and unexplored. I am hoping that means that more is forthcoming. I will definitely read the next installment.

As a young child, Elanna is held at gunpoint and then hostage to a king in a nearby land thus keeping her father and mother in line and away from the crown. She is raised as one of the royals and treated well until the day comes when the King has been found murdered and the number one suspect is Elanna. Spirited away by her own people she discovers the truth about who and what she is and what is expected of her. A love triangle, political intrigue, rebellion and some cool magic involving all things growing and you have a delightful start to a new fantasy series that is sure to please fans of "The Tearling" or "Game of Thrones". Elanna doesn't conform easily to her new role and it is refreshing to find a princess with her own mind about her future. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Inventive, with lovely writing. I can definitely see crossover appeal to a teen audience. While there is a brief sex scene, it is no more graphic than many teen novels. Comparisons to Naomi Novik's Uprooted are definitely on the mark. It had a similar feel, with a unique storyline.

This was an engaging book and well written for the most part, but the transition between chapters 27 and 28 was exceptionally rough and disorienting. I felt like a chapter or 2 had been left out.

This fantasy has some unique aspects, mostly related to the power of the main protagonist, Elanna (“El”) Valtai. El discovers she not only has magical abilities, but she is the designated "Caveadear" - someone who can “wake the land” after having taken certain ritualistic steps. For instance, she needs to drop her blood on the land and stones from time to time. On certain occasions, such as the Day of the Dying Year, a sort of Halloween, when the veil is thinner between this world and the world beyond, she must actually “wed” the land. Oddly, this means having sex outdoors.

El was captured from her home land of Caeris when she was five and taken to Eren, a rival kingdom. But shortly after the story begins, the king who protected her for 14 years is murdered; his evil daughter Loyce has taken his place; and El is suspected of regicide. With a little help from sympathizers from Caeris, El escapes, and begins a new life.

At first she fights her saviors; she is 19 but acts more like a typical 16-year-old protagonist: bratty, self-centered, ungrateful, and a know-it-all. Gradually, she is deprogrammed from the propaganda of the Ereni, and taught to be the Caveadear. She also jumps right into the sex in the park idea, even though she has been inexperienced up until this time.

Eventually, the forces of Caeris and Eren come to a head, and El must waken the land and save the day. This she also jumps right into, suddenly able to speak to the mobs of people and change their centuries of loyalties. She grows up fast, it appears. But not everyone survives the confrontation.

Discussion: There are some pretty sketchy plot threads in this book, as well as some likable elements.

One of the “bad guys” is actually nuanced, but the rest are quite caricatured. The whole idea of having sex on the ground to wake up the land struck me as absurd, as did El’s instant metamorphosis from bratty teen to world leader. Her love interest, Jahan, was pretty much perfect, however, and El’s female friends are much better and more admirable characters than she. But she was such a big baby for most of the book, and so improbably changed at the end, that it all seemed silly. At one point she even declares: “The land is awake. The city is mine. Lord Gilbert is mine. Caeris is mine.”

Moreover, the whole back-story about how a Caveadear comes to be didn’t hold up; according to the book, Ancient King Ossian was supposed to name the next one, but he was dead. El just somehow came into the power after a two-hundred year hiatus with no explanation. Finally, I thought the ending was overly contrived.

What a wonderful new world and culture Bates has created. Her characters were well-developed and the story line was so rich! I hope to see more from Callie Bates!

I really enjoyed this title. I found the first person narrative exciting and enjoyable. The author introduces a new world that really drew me in and kept me interested. My only setback was the difficult spelling of names and places. Other than that, the magic and mystery was just awesome.

I found the storyline to be interesting, but the main character to be childish and annoying. However, as a coming of age story for a teen/YA, the angst and conflicted emotions and frankly childish actions of Elanna may find a more sympathetic audience. I frankly couldn't finish it due to my irritation at her constant whining and waffling loyalties. The world-building is good and the magic mythology as well. Nice storyline too, I just couldn't stand any more of the main character to be frank. I won't be recommending this to any adult readers of YA and only suggest it to younger teen or pre-teen readers interested in fantasy.

I wanted to love this book, based off the description. I find myself liking it, with some reservations.

My main drawback was not connecting very well with El - she feels a lot of feelings that don't seem to resolve. Her tumultuous childhood gave way to a precarious existence living at the king's mercy, all the while being teased and bullied by his daughter and heir. Never-the-less, El strives towards creating a life for herself that is full of connection and opportunity. But after learning an unpleasant truth about someone important in her life, she struggles to understand it and the reader is left struggling with her. - and nothing really comes of the revealed truth. Being reunited with her parents brings uncertainty- but even as she proclaims her disinterest in becoming their daughter again, they appear unconcerned and forge ahead as though no time lapsed between them seeing her last and today. While their is grief displayed over the lost years, there is also a certainty that everything will turn out alright in the end - which I didn't believe or have faith like El's parents seem to have.

Additionally, I found there were a some "off-screen" characters, who, when mentioned, caused me to pause and reflect on who they were before I was able to continue with the story. They didn't add to the story, rather, they distracted me from the main plot.

Concerns aside, I enjoyed this read - not without it's limitations, but still entertaining.

I was pulled in by the beautiful cover. Then the description hooked me next. So I was intrigued and I must say that I am so happy I read this story. It was beautifully written with great characters you can relate to. I love that the main character is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Which is hard considering she was taken from her family and then taken back by her family after a period of years.

The story line is great and keeps you guessing. The character development is wonderfully done and makes you really want to root for the characters and what they are facing. The ending was fantastic and wrapped things up nicely.

A pleasant although not groundbreaking YA fantasy. The pseudo-Celtic setting may be a point of appeal for some readers.

Really, really enjoyed this book. Elanna is an interesting and likable character dealing with tough issues. Hard to put down!

As someone who loves to get her hands in the dirt, I was enthralled by the premise of this book. The main character, Elanna, is very connected to the land and can use her magic to make trees move and even see through the eyes of animals. I really enjoyed the way Callie Bates has built this world. Unfortunately I was also frustrated that I didn't feel more connected to her characters. I wanted to really like Elanna and Jahan but I found myself getting annoyed at them. There were a few points in the story where I thought the story could be veering into something very interesting but it didn't. For example I thought, "wow, if he really is a spy that would make this story so much more interesting." This debut novel has a lot of potential and I'll definitely be watching for future books by Callie Bates.

This was an exciting story about a young woman caught between the rising tensions of the two countries. One of them is her childhood home, while the other was both her prison and then her eventual home. Her struggle to find her identity reflects much of what young people her age feel. It's a struggle of whether you are who you were raised to be or something more? Along the way she discovers fantastic powers that can alter the course of the conflicts, whether she uses those powers, is what you will find out.

This book is an excellent read! If you enjoy fantasy, you will love this book!
Elanna is being held captive by her family's rival country, Eren, after her father's plans to overthrow Eren's king are foiled.
Elanna is raised with respect and maybe even a little affection from the King of Eren. But the king's daughter hates her and would do anything to get Elanna in trouble. After the king is mysteriously poisoned to death, Elanna realizes that she is being framed for his murder. Her only way to survive is to go back to her native country.
But how can she go home to a country she barely remembers? Back to the parents who abandoned her? Elanna is torn.
Through a fast-paced series of events, Elanna learns that she is not just the daughter of a king, but that she has her own unique power that hasn't been rivaled in over 200 years.
In order to find out what those powers are, how she saves everyone, and who she falls in love with, you have to read the book!
This is a very unique, refreshing, brilliant story. The tree-hugger in me loved all of the ties to nature!

​Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy! I can't wait to read more from Callie Bates!

I really liked this book! Its a lovely fantasy novel about a girl, Elanna, the daughter of the head of the rebel forces, who had been raised by the king ever since she was kidnapped at a young age. Now that the king was murdered, she is forced to piece together the truths and lies and discover where she truly belongs. Oh yeah- and there's earth magic in the book! Overall a really enticing read!

I'll be honest, this book was not for me. It was long, drawn out and tedious. I'm sure there will be many people who absolutely love this book but it certainly won't be for everyone. While the writing itself is fine, the characters are a little lack-luster, and the plot is predictable. It's sad that this book fell so short in my estimation as I was very excited upon reading the blurb, especially when Callie is compared to Sarah J. Maas, one of my favourite authors, as one of the fantasy writing greats.