I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

a new take on the fantasy trope of young adults/teens. the world-building in this book was incredible, and that really helped me enjoy this book.
i will definitely read more by this author!!

2.5 stars

This is the most predictable book I've read in a long time.

I started this book expecting to be swept away to a new fantasy world with rich world-building and an even richer plot. However, while I don't have anything to say about the world in itself, the story in general felt lacking. The romance seemed to be there just because it's what YA Fantasy books do and I did not care for it at all. Some of the dialogues felt a bit weird at times.

The characters were immature, dumb and just not very memorable. I never connected to any of them (I liked the best friend Iltani, though). I was annoyed by the main character's younger sister right from the beginning, therefore I didn't even mind that she's been selected to be a "Sacred Maiden"/"Gravemaiden". The FMC and her sister kept arguing and reading about whiny teenagers just isn't my idea of a good time. Also, I would have thought the FMC to be a lot smarter than she actually was...

If I didn't have an ARC of this, I would have stopped early on when I'd already guessed the reveal. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel. Unfortunately, I'm just not invested or interested enough.

Overall, this was an average YA Fantasy that I'll probably forget by the time of its release (October 29th). I know I may be harsh but I'm always looking for the next best thing, and a favorite book to add to my shelves and this wasn't it. I'm a bit tired and bored with unmemorable books. Even though I expected more from that interesting premise, I'm sure lots of readers will enjoy it. I wish I was one of them but it just wasn't for me. Gravemaidens was a quick read, at least.


(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Gravemaidens was an interesting and and fresh YA fantasy read. The mythology behind the world was built so well, that I had no trouble understanding them. There were a few things that fell flat for me. I thought that Nananea's character was spoiled and selfish - it made it very hard for me to understand why Kammani was doing ANYTHING for her, much less trying to save her life. The romance didn't do it for me either. I also wish that we had seen more of the world outside of Alu - but I guess that will be for the next book.

To start, I’ll say that the world-building in this book is some of the best I’ve seen. The reader is immediately immersed in a world steeped in superstition and ancient tradition, and the city of Alu feels incredibly real. The premise here is a great one because we feel frustrated (right along with the main character) by the bizarre and barbaric tradition of burying young women, ripe with life, along with their ruler—then calling it an honor.

However, where I found the world-building so well done, the characters and plot were less impressive. Kammani is a very typical YA heroine—headstrong, stubborn, bent on a mission that inevitably brings her into constant conflict with those around her. There weren’t enough layers to her character to really engage me, and I found myself somewhat disinterested in her evolution throughout the book. She became more interesting for me toward the end once she started examining her own flaws and the reasons behind them. Had she acknowledged her own limitations early on, I think this story could have been much grabber from the start. Instead, though, we spend much of the book watching her struggle to figure out the ruler’s “mysterious” illness while she also congratulates herself on what a great healer she is. As a result, she comes across as far less intelligent than she believes she is, which I didn’t find terribly compelling.

I also found the romance lackluster. Kammani shows little interest in a man who, while not terribly interesting himself (beyond being super gorgeous), is dedicated and affectionate. At one point, she says that she “can’t explain” why she won’t allow herself to care for him, and as a result, the distance just feels inexplicable and contrived. I wish I had cared more about their relationship.

That said, the author rendered some characters brilliantly. I found Nanaea, the beautifully shallow sister who turned out to be deep, a wonderful addition to the story, along with the spunky and comedic best friend Iltani. My favorite was Nasu, the guardsman, simply because his inner conflict was incredibly done—he ended up committing terrible transgressions against the MC because his sense of duty and loyalty was even stronger than his sturdy sense of morals. Wow! Talk about interesting. I would have liked to see more of him.

All in all, while I’m not sure there’s enough substance here to genuinely make this book stand out in an already crowded market. I found this to be a solid debut. I’m interested to see what this author does next.

I couldn't get into the story, I tried. What really turned me off is that it felt too much like Kate Elliott's YA Court of Fives trilogy- the scene where the MC's family is buried alive in a mausoleum, and it felt like Gravemaidens was written out of this scene. Additionally, I didn't relate to the MC because she has a nice young man who could help make him happy and though she likes him, she;s pulling away without communicating with him. Though she's a teen, she's in a world where children grow up fast and I found her behavior and choices unbelievable.

I didn't leave a review because I only do so if there's something very wrong with the book, but this one was just not for me.

I went into this book knowing nothing about it other than thinking the cover was beautiful. From the very first page, I was swept into Kammani's world and I was blown away by the author's beautiful prose, the relatable characters, and the very intense and unique circumstances of the plot. I thought this was an incredible debut and it definitely kept me guessing up until the very end. I thought the world and the premise was really unique, which felt very refreshing to me as a reader. I wanted the romantic sub-plot to go a little deeper and there were a few things that felt a little too convenient for me, but those are small, nit-picky things that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to others who are looking for a lush, exciting, unique fantasy read! Also, I'm super excited to find out what happens in the next installment. A wonderful, fast-paced, intriguing book!

Hello, I will be adding this review to my blog, Instagram, and Goodreads on October 21st, 2019. I will add links to the reviews once they are live. Thank you!

Title: Gravemaidens
Author: Kelly Coon
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: October 29th, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.



Synopsis: "In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame. 

When Alu's ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honor. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her. 

But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is—a death sentence.

Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There she discovers more danger lurking in the sand-stone corridors than she could have ever imagined and that her own life—and heart—are at stake. But Kammani will stop at nothing to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if it means sacrificing everything…including herself." (Goodreads)



My Review:
This review is going to be one of the hardest ones to write. The cover and the synopsis were just so grabbing and I have seen so much hype for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to it for me and I am real bummed about it.

Kammani is strong willed and loyal to her family. She wants to keep them safe and when her sister is called to be a sacred maiden, she tries to do everything in her power to stop it. I admire her dedication and love for her sister but I just didn't connect with her and found myself disliking her. She is a character type that has been done before and there wasn't anything that made her unique. A lot of the choices she made were dumb and for that she just annoyed me throughout the book.

The other characters weren't any better. Her sister was more annoying than she was. Dagan only had love on the brain. Nin was okay until her poor choices at the end. The only characters who were consistent throughout were the villains who were true to their villainous ways.

Although the plot is quite unique, it was very slow placed and didn't start moving rapidly until about 65%-70% through. It was very hard to stay interested. I did enjoy the sacred maiden aspect and the talk about the boatman. I would have liked to see more written for both when it came to a scene. As for the plot twists, everything was pretty obvious from the beginning and so it didn't leave much for me to be surprised by besides the ending which was surprising but a mix between good/bad.

Overall, it just wasn't executed well enough for me. I am sure others will find it be a great read but unfortunately it just wasn't one for me.

Gravemaidens is a story steep in tradition. Rich in world building and languishes the reader in words of beauty and clever wordplay.

Gravemaidens are chosen with great honor to their families to join the Alu's great leader to his afterlife. As the three maidens are chosen to be the Queens for the Lugal in the Netherworld, one girl from the village is not pleased. Her beautifully young sister was chosen and it would not do for her... or her family. They have lost much and she would not lose her sister to the barbaric tradition as well.

As a lover of fantasy, proper worldbuilding and character development, I was enthralled by the beauty of Kelly Coon's writing. She follows in the same path as one of my favorite duologies, The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Andieh. The descriptive storyline left my imagination hungry for more when the story ended. The next book must come faster.

FANTASTIC fantastic debut! Five stars and a tip of my Nerd Girl hat!

*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official book blog. To request a review please email NerdGirlGeneral@gmail.com

Solid 4/5 stars

So first of all, this ARC has an excerpt from the editor that promotes it as "dark and edgy". I went in expecting something more on the lines of dark fantasy, but I didn't really get that vibe at all. I say it plays more along the lines of death and life. Despair and hope. Deceit and trust. It takes two sides of the same coin and presents them with intricately woven characters, blurring the lines between who is in the right.

Choosing to live your own life, or an "honorable" death by becoming a Sacred Maiden.

The first quarter of this book is rough. You get introduced to characters all at once and given backstories right away. It was basically an info dump and then trying to get the main plot moving. There was so much happening, I couldn't help but feel to wonder why characters are doing what they did. It made me severely question their actions and be upset that they didn't do something differently. I even wondered why Kammani was so upset that her sister, Nanaea, was upset at her. It was clear that there was more going on, but so much info was being said all at once that it was really hard to keep track. Once you get closer to the halfway point, the story becomes more interesting. Even though it's a slow burn, I still enjoyed the middle and end more than the beginning.

Kammani is a very skilled healer, presumably one of the best in the land, and has views of living life for the better. She's a very relatable character, but I do feel as though she has a Savior-Complex. At first, it comes off as annoying, but as the story slowly unfolds and becomes more complex, we realize that she has good reason to behave the way she does. She is definitely the most developed character, and she pretty much carries this entire book.

Dagan is the love-interest we're introduced to in the beginning. He has similar views to Kammani and is really an overall great guy. I enjoyed him in the book, but I would've loved some more development from him. He was quite bland most of the time. Iltami is one I enjoyed for the comedic relief. She was truly a light in this book, and I always loved the scenes she was in.

Nanaea was one I cared less about in the beginning. That's what really made me struggle to get into this, especially considering she is Kammani's motive for her actions. I got easily annoyed by her actions, and at some points I wished to just skip over her scenes. I instead trudged on and found myself liking her more and more. She became a likable character well into the book. By the end, I understood her actions and felt for her. She was developed really well, and am definitely glad i got to enjoy her by the end.

Overall, I think the book has a lot of strong ideas. It combines multiple themes and manages to make an interesting story. While I do believe that "dark and edgy" promo is WAY off, I do think it manages to become a strong fantasy novel. While this is enjoyable, I feel that it might get lost in the slew of other fantasy novels releasing around the same time. It doesn't have enough to make it stand out, but I believe this is one that many will enjoy regardless.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and Delcorte Press for providing a copy to review. This is the first novel in the Gravemaidens duology. This was a well done YA fantasy novel. It was a bit slow but was well written.

This story is about a young woman, Kammani, who is training to be a healer. Kammani’s sister is chosen to be sacrificed with the king when he dies. As a result Kammani makes it her priority to try and heal the king in order to prevent her sister’s death.

This novel moved a bit slow, but had excellent world-building and engaging characters. I liked that the main heroine really valued herself as a healer and made sure that others saw her value as well. The setting is Middle Eastern and was intriguing.

The book ends up being more about intrigue and deceit and didn't have much action. It's promoted as being really dark and edgy...and it really isn't. All in all this is a well done, but fairly typical, YA fantasy book.

The story ties up nicely (although this is supposed to be a duology). I am unsure right now if I will continue this series or not; I liked it but I didn't love it.

Overall this is a solid fantasy story about political intrigue in a Middle Eastern setting. The pacing was a bit slow for me but the world-building was well done and the characters were engaging. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy in a middle eastern setting and like a lot of intrigue in their story.

This was a book I couldn’t put down. A beautiful story a out love and sacrifice! It was definitely an easy read, but that didn’t take away from the amazing imagery created!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. I am sorry to say this book didn’t hold my attention. I quickly found myself scanning rather than reading. The writing is actually very good but the main character is a replica of all the other YA characters out there. A young girl who is taking care of things beyond her years and is extremely talented. This type of character is just no longer interesting. The writing was very good though and I look forward to seeing this author’s future work when she has had the opportunity to further develop her skills.

I received this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The story is well written and I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be reading more from this author

A very powerful page-turner that I couldn't put down. I fell for the characters and could relate to them. I highly recommend this to everyone and this book definitely deserves some hype.

“Hope was a wonderful, terrible thing. It could make you long for things you had no possibility of gaining.”

Sacred Maidens are chosen to be buried alive with the ruler after he dies to serve as his wives in the afterlife. Kammani is trying to protect her younger sister after she is chosen to be a Sacred Maiden by trying to heal the current leader so there will be no need for a Sacred Maiden. Sacred Maidens are celebrated in this culture, her sister sees an opportunity for riches in the afterlife. But Kammani just sees it as unnecessary murder.

The world building in this book is richly detailed, based off of ancient Arabic culture. It was easy to get lost in the world the author created. While the world building was wonderful, there’s not a lot to the fantasy side. This feels more like an alternate history than a fantasy.

Kammani is a strong heroine, determined to be an excellent healer. I liked her relationship with her sister, they love each other but don’t understand the others choices. The mystery of the plot is fairly obvious, but it does take Kammani a ridiculously long time to figure it out, which makes you wonder if she’s not as smart as she thinks she is. She’s naive and impulsive, but she’s also sixteen, so that actually fits her character in a YA novel.

There’s not really much of a romance, the main character has too much going on. She’s very dismissive of a guy who is clearly into her, but she doesn’t really want him with someone else. Dagan was wonderful guy. I am curious on how things will play out after that ending.

There’s no cliffhanger, but there is a second book coming (this is a duology).

I think if you were a fan of Court of Fives you may like this book.

I would recommend this for fans of strong heroines who are wanting a detailed alternate history. I would not recommend if you are wanting a heavy romance or high fantasy YA.

I received this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

So beautifully written. I absolutely loved everything about it and I cannot wait to read more by the author!

Gravemaidens by Kelli Coon was a great dystopian book. It was a little slow in the beginning but a few chapters in I was hooked. Kammani is a great character and I couldn’t wait to see where this story was going. All of the secondary characters were just as interesting and you cared about them. How can you not fall in love with Dagen and swoon when he calls Kammani “sweet”so adorable. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and I look forward to this mismatch crew getting their revenge,

When a booked is being marketed as a “fierce fantasy” I expect more than 2-3 pages of fantasy. Gravemaidens literally has only a handful of pages which have a true fantasy element. Aside from those few riveting pages readers are left with their run of the mill corrupt kingdom story. Maybe being a made-up Kingdom makes this a fantasy novel? I don’t know. But what I expected and what I received were not one in the same.

In Gravemaidens tradition, whenever an Alu falls ill, the Kingdom selects three women to join them in the afterlife. Before they are basically murdered, the girls go through lavish living in the Kingdom and some flashy celebrations. Being selected as a Gravemaiden is an honor. While the light at the end of their tunnel might be dark and cold, they are promised to rule the underworld with the diseased Alu. For most this isn’t an issue, but Nanaea’s sister, Kammani, sees this tradition for what it truly is which is a death sentence. Kammani will do pretty much everything in her power to ensure that her sister’s fate isn’t sealed with the Alu’s death.

Now that synopsis sounds pretty damn thrilling. Yet I found myself irritated with the slow progression of a very obvious novel. What do I mean by obvious? Coon either doesn’t understand how to do good, cryptic foreshadowing or she really wanted to spell things out for the reader. Which maybe some readers will appreciate this style. But I believe that guessing and being shocked is big part of the fun with reading. Now these blatantly obvious hints may have been done with intent. But this approach simply was not for me. And want to know what I mean by slow? I mean get on with it, woman!

My other major issue with this story is it had so much potential to be something amazing. Coon had a pretty damn good idea but the execution was all wrong. Instead of focusing on a story that has been told, retold and told again, she could have focused on this Afterlife Kingdom. Now that would have shaken some shit up! I would have loved that element of fantasy. To go through the tradition, the Boatman and have Coon build this intense Underworld palace. That is what I wanted from this story. It would have been everything. And sadly, I don’t really see the end of this novel being setup to deliver what I was hoping for with the first installment of Gravemaidens.

Aside from my complaints, this isn’t the worst story that I have read. It just lacked originality and Kammani was quite annoying. Therefore, I am going to give this story the down the middle rating of 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press for the read!

I received this copy of Gravemaidens from Delacorte Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating fantasy with a character who think she's a lot smarter than she really is.

I'm not sure if that's intentional or not so that may not be an actual complaint.

Kammani's bitterness about the society she lives in is justified and her anger provides most of the books fuel.

I really did like this book and I'm excited to see where the second one takes us!

A grand adventure/intrigue type tale featuring a determined and gutsy heroine set within an old world Arabic like culture. This story took me by surprise, it wasn't what I was expecting (given the cover and tagged genre's on Goodreads), but that being said - I highly enjoyed it! Within its wrapping of palace intrigue, romance, and mystery the story also explores the rich and varied relationships that make up sisterhood in all its various forms...and is definitely a coming of age tale for our main heroine. With a good supporting cast set to go with her (somewhere in the next book, we know not where at this point) I would definitely be willing to follow her on more adventures as she seeks a way to overthrow the evil powers that be.
Now as far as expectations go - I expected this to be a fantasy, and with its imagined but familiar old world setting its adventurous plot it feels like it wants to be a fantasy - but without any magic of any sort coming into play it falls more into the realm of historical fiction... Which makes me wonder why isn't it? The world is similar enough to old world Middle Eastern cultures that it could easily take place in a real place and time. Granted YA historical fiction is not exactly a blockbuster genre, however in order for this particular story to be true Fantasy it needs, if not magic, then at least that element of the fantastic...That spark of magic would have brought this from 3.5 stars up to a 4 or 5 stars for me.