Fast paced and intriguing, this YA fantasy was interesting and plot-driven. The characters were likeable and realistic, and I really enjoyed the magical elements.
I have been recommending this title (and the sequels) to customers since it came out.

You know when you read a book knowing that the synopsis sounds GREAT, and maybe you're expectations are a bit high because you want it to be so so good (which of course is all books, because you wouldn't often go into a book hoping it will be bad...), and then it is a bit of a let down? Alas, this book was that for me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it by any means. I liked it, it was fine, and I finished it. But by the end of it, I was still left mildly confused by a few things. Mainly, there were so many characters from so many kingdoms that after a while I basically gave up trying to remember who was who. And that kind of made this book fall into the slightly forgettable pile. Also, maybe it's just me, but I didn't love the style of writing either, it fell a bit flat and never let me feel totally engrossed. Having said all this though, I won't discount reading the sequel... what saddened me most was probably my super high expectations.

Great fantasy! I really liked Elenna the main character as she was smart and spunky :)

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I am always a fan of fantasy novels, but this one really took it out of me. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book and the story-line was basically a combo of all the things I like in fantasy novels- a mix of Lord of the Rings, Outlander and Game of Thrones, in terms of period setting, Scottish (or Irish?) language, magical stone circles, moving trees in battle, and warring political houses.

But eff me if this wasn't a whole heap more complicated than it needed to be. There was just SO MUCH packed in here that I half had a headache every time I tried to read it. Usually a 400 page high fantasy novel would take me about 2 days to read if it's as engrossing as this should have been. Instead it took double the time because I often found ways to distract myself, especially when things got repetitive.
What I struggled with most was that there were so many characters and so many political parties/families, and so many locations, and so many specific magical terms etc etc etc. Sometimes a high fantasy novel will have a key where they list all the different words or elements in the book with a description to assist the reader in keeping track of everything. Most of the time I'm fine without them and it's just a nice added extra. This book definitely NEEDS this and would have made the reading experience much easier.

Otherwise, the characters were all vaguely interesting, some were not utilised enough- I would have liked Victoire to be more involved in the story, and Sophy would have done with more screen time too. Elanna was decent in the end, but spent SO MUCH TIME going back and forth in her opinions that I would often skim the sections of internal dialogue as she debated for the hundredth time which side of the revolution she should be fighting for.

I also tended to skim over the long and repetitive passages describing the soil and the feeling of the trees in her skin etc. Don't get me wrong, I have a degree in environmental science, I love nature, but this just made the novel much longer and didn't always add to the story.

I wish I'd liked this book more. Not that I didn't, more that considering all the elements of the book, I wish it had been executed a bit better than it was. I still enjoyed it though.

A promising debut from a new voice in fantasy.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lady Elanna Valtai is fiercely devoted to the King who raised her like a daughter. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Elanna is accused of his murder and must flee for her life.

Returning to the homeland of magical legends she has forsaken, Elanna is forced to reckon with her despised, estranged father, branded a traitor long ago. Feeling a strange, deep connection to the natural world, she also must face the truth about the forces she has always denied or disdained as superstition – powers that suddenly stir within her.

But an all-too-human threat is drawing near, determined to exact vengeance. Now Elanna has no choice but to lead a rebellion against the kingdom to which she once gave her allegiance. Trapped between divided loyalties, she must summon the courage to confront a destiny that could tear her apart.

Taken prisoner by King Antoine Eyrlai as an infant, Elanna has little memory of her homeland or birth parents. She has been raised to believe in the Ereni version of history and has little time for the Caerisians; her own people. But when her beloved King Antoine (who has been the closest thing to a father to her) is murdered, Elanna, with her Caerisian heritage, is accused of regicide. Knowing such a sentence (even though untrue) would mean her death, Elanna flees. What she discovers when reconnecting with her Caerisian roots makes her question all she thought she knew about the circumstance of her capture and the conflict between the Ereni and Caerisian people. She must also embrace her magic, a force she has always felt stirring within her but has had to suppress. For there are witch hunters with stones magicked to incapacitate people like Elanna, so they can be captured and executed. But Elanna’s gifts are unique and may be just what the Caerisian people need to rise up again and reclaim their freedom.

The Waking Land is a promising fantasy debut. The prose is beautiful; it sparkles, particularly when Bates’ describes Elanna’s blossoming powers. The descriptions of Elanna sensing the earth and being able to will it to do her bidding are so evocative and original. The last third of the book is especially well written and paced; as though Bates’ is really hitting her stride here.

Part of Elanna’s journey in the novel is discovering her true identity and it is wonderful to see her transform from a confused, frightened young woman to a woman embracing her power and magical destiny. She is a strong female protagonist and I can’t wait to follow her journey in the rest of the series. I particularly love fantasy with female characters who can match (or even overtake) the abilities of their male counterparts. As the novel progresses Elanna shifts from being dependent on others for her welfare, to being entirely autonomous and powerful in her own right. Her power, though, is a force for good – she doesn’t achieve change through bloodshed unlike much of the history of this magical world. There are exciting battle scenes, for sure, but I liked that Elanna’s magic was a benevolent one – a freeing over containing.

Elanna’s conflicting allegiance – to the Ereni or the Caerisian people – is interesting due to her upbringing. This conflict, as she must decide who to believe and who to fight for, made me consider the fact that she may have been suffering from a form of Stockholm syndrome before the novel begins; a brainwashing to the Ereni beliefs and versions of history. As readers, we join Elanna on her journey to discover the truth. However, in the early stages of the novel when she is in the process of challenging all she thought she knew, it is sometimes difficult to fully grasp her as a character and to know which version of history is correct. It keeps us off-kilter, as much as Elanna is, which may have been Bates’ intention. We must also challenge other characters’ allegiances. At times, this meant more work on the part of the reader to interpret what is going on – both in Elanna’s interpretation of events and what we are able to learn from conversations and historical information we are given. This is resolved, though, in the last third of the novel when I felt I had a firm grasp of the world and characters.

The Waking Land is a strong debut novel; the magical system is unique and intriguing, the main protagonist is one I want to follow into future books, there is a satisfying love story, and – most importantly – it is a powerful tale of a woman reclaiming her identity, autonomy, and magical destiny.

Stay tuned for an interview with Callie Bates here on my blog in the next couple of weeks.

I actively hunted this book down when I saw that Robin Hobb herself had given it five stars, and said she thinks 'Bates is an author well worth watching,'

From the first few pages I knew I'd be ditching absolutely everything to finish it as soon as possible. We meet a five year old girl who's caught in political uproar as the King himself comes to her home, shoots her nanny and takes her hostage so her father will stop trying to apparently take over the kingdom. Elanna has no clue at all of what her father may be doing - she loves her parents, she has a new doll, and she's had a lovely evening until the gunfire started...

We then skip forward fourteen years, and meet Elanna again when she's nineteen and still under the control of the king - but it's not such a bad life at all. She's able to study and they have intelligent conversations together - much more than he has with his actual daughter. She's bullied from many angles regarding her heritage - apparently her people are heathens, dirty, and unintelligent - but in general she's thankful for the quality of life she's been given, and she believes everything she's been told growing up. She has some close friends and opportunities that wouldn't have been possible back in her uncultured land.

This all changes when her only protector, the King, is found dead. As one may have gathered, his actual daughter, now Queen, isn't a fan of Elanna and quickly tries to frame her for the death of the King, which means Elanna has to flee for her life (though that makes her look guilty), and you'll just have to pick this up and read for yourself to find out what happens next. The above is possibly the first 2-3 chapters - there's so much more to this than the only life Elanna has ever known.

The pacing through the novel is possibly the only tricky thing - though there isn't anything wrong with it from a reading perspective, it doesn't always follow what one would expect which can throw you a bit - but if anything, it makes them seem even more desperate for their cause, and more realistic when everything doesn't go to plan. The action is what drives this novel as they all run out of time again and again.

Another factor of the novel is what you would have to call a love triangle, however it's the most convincing one I've seen. Elanna isn't torn between her affections for the two men in question - she's caught up between someone she feels closer and more similar to (and someone who sees her for who she is as a person), and what she should do for their people, the future of their land and people, and someone who is quite fond of otherwise - it's also an arranged marriage from when she was five, and what everyone around them expects to happen... And Elanna isn't flighty or distraught about this - like all her other decisions in the book she approaches this one with mature thought and deliberation.

The landscape, world building, and magic system in this book were all wonderful and delicate and I am desperate to see more set in this world so I can learn more about this and see where the characters take themselves. So far it looks like a standalone novel, and the plot certainly ties everything up neatly... but goodness, I'd love more.

Overall this was a beyond fantastic book, and I eagerly await to see what Bates comes out with next.