As much as I wanted to like this book, unfortunately, it didn't work for me. The premise was good but the execution was not it.

Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon
Rating: ★★★★☆

Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon immediately drew me in with its intriguing premise and atmospheric setting. Set in a world where ancient rituals and political intrigue shape the lives of its characters, the story follows three girls thrust into roles they never expected. Coon's world-building is vivid and immersive, painting a picture of a society teetering on the edge of darkness where tradition and personal ambition collide.

What stood out to me most were the characters. Each is well-developed with their own motivations and struggles, making them feel real and relatable. The protagonist's journey is particularly compelling as she navigates the complexities of duty, sacrifice, and forbidden love. The relationships that unfold are filled with tension and emotion, adding depth to the narrative and keeping me invested in their fates.

Coon's writing style is engaging, balancing moments of suspense and action with quieter, introspective scenes that delve into the characters' inner conflicts. The pacing is well-crafted, keeping the story moving at a brisk pace while allowing for moments of reflection and character development. Gravemaidens is a captivating read that blends fantasy elements with themes of courage and resilience, making it a great choice for readers looking for an epic tale with strong female leads.

I really loved this book, the world and characters were well introduced and the energy was never ending!

I read this book before release and I STILL THINK ABOUT IT. The sibling relationship. The drama. The love! It's a series I love to read again and again. It's been a couple of years so I think it's about time for a re-read. Kelly Coon is one of my favorite YA authors! She's also a very lovely person.

This book had a very interesting blurb and I couldn't wait to give it a try.

It's set up that when the ruler dies, three maidens are chosen to go with him to the underworld. Yes, as in actually go with him and not just see him off to his resting place. It's an honor to have, but really its a death sentence in the end.

Kammani is going to be a great healer like her dad one day. Least she hopes to be and to bring their family name back to an honorable one. Kammani dad is asked to go heal the current ruler. However, that doesn't end up happening since he can't be found. On top of that stress, her sister is chosen to be a maiden for the ruler.

Well Kammani is not having that, since she see's it as the death sentence it is and want to go see about healing the ruler herself.

As the journey begins, there are twists, hidden secrets and so much more. It's a very well built world that you can easily picture and get sucked into. The characters are done well, the storyline carried well and has me wanting to get the next book to read.

It's a fantasy worth reading.

Sadly this was in my Dnf pile (did not finish) give my notes I’ve finally found on the story, the storyline concept just was a drag for me and I couldn’t push through. Netgalley doesn’t offer a dnf star style option sadly so the one star shouldn’t hold merit.

Well…

That was boring.

I am not even going to bother writing my own summary of the book like I normally do, because not only did I already write this review and it deleted before my very eyes as I finished (pray for my sanity) but I am now doubly ready to move onto something with a bit more romance and pizzazz!

Let me first say, for the second time, this isn’t a bad book. The writing is fine, the pace is medium to fast, and you definitely move along through a story that has a beginning and an end. The problem I had was that it just didn't GRAB me. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and I didn’t ever begin to truly care about them. I didn’t feel anything they felt, no matter how much they cried, or described how hungry or angry they were. They felt very two-dimensional and naive, which is a theme that followed the MC for the entire book.

Kammani is supposed to be a really responsible, hardworking, intelligent, gifted and driven character. She really does care for her family and works hard to provide for them, as she is the caretaker for both her father and sister. But for someone that has had to grow up fast, she acts like a child! She makes brash decisions without thinking them through and has zero regard for the consequences or who it might affect negatively. Her reasoning is always something dismissive to a friend of hers that sounds something like “I just have to” or “i have no choice”. She just comes off as very naive to me, which makes it so hard to believe the character this author is trying to sell me on.

I wish there was also more evidence or showcasing of her healer abilities. It definitely gets touched on and is brought up a lot, but her abilities with the lugal just seemed like basic nursing care that anyone could do. It wasn’t coming across to me what tricks, tinctures, formulas and ideas she had that were original that could have helped him. She got most of her ideas and help from other people, which makes me so confused why she is being praised for being so adept at her career.

But probably the most frustrating aspect of this tale was the romance.

Someone pleassseeee save us from girls who can’t use their words and make up their minds!

The romance in this story is dull, dreary, and basically nonexistent.

You have a nice, handsome, accomplished, excited and willing young man who voices his desires to Kammani and his intentions to marry her and what does Kammani do? She plays a game of cat and mouse, and not even a good one. She leads this poor boy on the entire book instead of telling him that she wants to focus on her career. She just gives him half, noncommittal answers to keep him around but not committing to him. It’s so sad to watch and my least favorite trope. And then towards the end, her change of tune is brought on suddenly and without a buildup. It was all just so…annoying.

I was really hoping this would be a dark, whimsical and thrilling tale but it fell flat. The saving grace was that it was easy to get through when I decided to sit down and read it, but it took a lot of pushing on my part to force myself to get it done. I had trouble remembering who was who due to the confusing names of people and items, but I got by well enough. All in all, not my favorite book by any means. But a decent story and one I was able to finish.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

I wasn't a massive fan of this book. I am not saying that it was bad but it just wasn't for me, the premise of the book was good and I feel that this will be a big hit for others but it was just not for me. The main character too is not someone you like and I felt that this was probably why I did not enjoy it as much.

I ssldt was not able to finish the wonderful book due to health reasons.
I really did love the forst 1/3 of it though before I was forced to put reading on the back burner.
It isnstill on my list to eventually be able to finish, now that my health is better and I'm able to start reading again.
And boy am I excited.
It had a great story and amazing characters that were relatable and pulled me in immediately.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. "The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land's greatest honor...and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave." This sentence alone made me know I needed to read this. The story is a little predictable, but it is an enjoyable read still. I want to read the second book once it comes out. If you like young adult fantasy you should give this a read.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This is a book that I’ve heard a lot about an author that I’ve heard a lot about and I have to say I enjoyed reading this fantasy book. There is something so magical about the way the author creates this world and this plot, you will fall in love with all of it and it will all feel so real as you read it. I thought the plot twist was very interesting and I appreciated the ending, this is part of a duology so I am very curious to see what happens in the second book.

“Gravemaidens” by Kelly Coon was absolutely a page turner that had my emotions all over the place. Recommend!

I did not finish this one. I received it as part of Indigo's teen SPOTM program and I DNF'd at about 20% in. The characters were not for me and I was finding it hard to enjoy it based on their personalities. I'm sure they grow through the book, but I wasn't able to stick it out.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Kammani is a young girl following in her father's footsteps as the healer for her city. After her father was cast out of society for not being able to heal the son of the current ruler, he found solace in drinking, and Kammani was left to pick up the pieces and take care of what remained of her family. When her younger sister Nanaea gets chosen to be a sacred maiden to the dying ruler, Kammani makes it her mission to save her sister and right her family name. Little does she know that she is putting her own life in danger. This was an exciting fast-paced beginning of the Gravemaiden's duology. It had great character development and wonderful world-building. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.

I wanted to love GRAVEMAIDENS. The premise made it sound like I would, and I went in with hope! But, it wasn't meant to be. This book was just... bland. The beginning felt like it came straight out of The Hunger Games in an eerily similar sort of way, not the similar where "if you like this book, you'll like this one." And beyond that, neither the story nor characters held my attention, feeling very surface level in depth. Against all the other YA fantasies out there, this one just didn't measure up for me and I left it unfinished after getting a little over halfway.

DNF
I tried to read this and lost interest. I ended up DNFing this novel; however, I do still want to try to finish reading it at some point in the future! I just don't think that now was the right time for me and this book.

You can always count on a character with two dead parents to be a healer of some sort in a fantasy. The world is violent, that much can be told from the story. Kammani has a full plate, between saving the king and her sister. The girl don't even really get to live. Will I be picking up another book in this series? I'm not sure. But I do think there needs to be some sort of longer timeline for the author