I was pretty dang excited when I got approved for this book since I have been following Kelly Coon on Instagram for the longest. I’ve seen all her posts for a while for this book and when I saw it on NetGalley I was so excited. But when I saw I was approved I was overjoyed. From the synopsis alone I knew that this book was going to be good. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to read this before the release date but because of that I got to listen to the audiobook and it was amazing! I love Bahni Turpin as a narrator. At times I did feel like I was back in Garden Heights but that wasn’t a bad thing.

I loved how Kammani loved her family and saw the truth about the tradition of the 3 maidens. She knew that it wasn’t an honor to be chosen to be one of them and die with the ruler. It makes no sense. I loved that about Kammani. Even though everyone around her thought it was such an amazing job, she knew it wasn’t, so when her baby sister got picked she knew she had to do something. I hated how Nanaea thought it was some crazy honor to be picked. But I loved that Kammani didn’t stop at all trying to figure out how to save her.

I loved all these characters in this book and I cannot wait to read the next book! I am so glad that I got approved for this book! Go read this ASAP and come back and let me know what you think! Thank you, Kelly Coon, for this amazing story!

I was never the biggest fan of duologies, and this book made me even less of a fan. In some cases, though rare, they work to actually help deliver a good story without having the reader feel as the entirety of the book was sliced in two. This is not one of those. Instead it's just a fast paced fantasy that contains a mystery, predictable romance and will be drawn out over several books. I think it would have worked better as one much longer sharper novel.

Gravemaidens takes place in a fantastical world, expertly created by author Kelly Coon. The world is so rich and detailed that you feel like it’s a real place. Full of compelling characters, sinister villains and unexpected plot turns, this novel delivers on every front! I can’t wait for the sequel!

Chosen as a SPOTM contender - Gravemaidens was a title I was truly anticipating as the premise was new, and the ancient setting intriguing.

Unfortunately the novel was not as I had imagined it to be. The world was underdeveloped, and lacked context. It was a missed opportunity to delve into the society, why the traditions that were set are important, and even the main ceremonies - the general idea is relaid but there could've been more depth. Despite the occasional scene of violence there was no movement, and it was quite easy to loose track as to who was who as the reader isn't invested in the characters. The characters themselves spoke in a modern language, and often the narrative was simply anxiety, whining or repeating a fact to instill character traits.

There were lots of questionable scenes as to how realistic a scenario would be. For example; When the main character is pushed out a window her main concern is she can literally see the love interest flirting with another girl whom "she doesn't even want to be with because he deserves better". If she was dragged close enough on ground level she could spot him, and scream for him - I'm certain he would've been able to hear, and see the commotion happening. Yet he miraculous is close enough to hold her as she passes out on the pavement.

Thank you to Random House for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

A-Freaking-Mazing! While at first this book seemed to drag a bit, once it got going, it was at a downhill running speed. I loved the characters. I loved the conflict between the sisters, how one wants the "honor" of being a grave maiden while the other is trying desperately to save the ruler's life so that she can also save her sister. Just when you think you have guessed who dunnit, you have it wrong and have to guess again. I LOVED this story and look forward to more by Kelly Coon!

This book was great, not so interesting, but good. It's well-plotted, good written, and with likeable characters.

Gravemaidens was a bit slow and honestly I was heavily annoyed by the characters. I was really excited to see how this book went considering I am a nurse so it is fun to sometimes see a fantasy book from a medical perspective but this was just dull and unappealing to me. There was a lot of potential but it didn't seem to reach it.

Gravemadiens really had me enjoying reading again. it was written Beautifully and I loved all the characters. The story and scenes where just amazing I read it in one sitting I just couldn't put it down
Gravemaidens are girls chosen to follow their King to Death. Kammani is a healer, whose family was stripped of their Healing Standing for letting the Kings Son die, so her opinion on the death tradition is against it. She thinks it is wrong. When her excited Sister is Chosen as a Gravemaiden she takes it upon herself to Heal the King so that her sister doesn't have to sacrifice herself nor does the others. I really loved Dagen, Kammani's love interest, a lot. I so can not wait to read the next book in this duology.

I hate writing bad reviews. Especially for a book that I looked forward to for so long. And I really do always try to find something positive to say about every book I review. But, with Gravemaidens, that has been really, really hard to accomplish.

My initial thought after DNFing this one at about thirty percent was, “Wow. That entire beginning felt like a Hunger Games ripoff.” And I usually like stuff that’s derivative! But with an opening ceremony in the town square and a younger sister chosen as tribute(HA I’m kidding- the word tribute wasn’t actually used. The rest of it though…), Gravemaidens crossed over from derivative territory to copycat-ish. And I know that it’s hard to have wholly original ideas anymore. Everything is similar to something. But I’ve read plenty of books that are similar to The Hunger Games without feeling like a total ripoff.

Honestly though, I probably could have looked past that eventually. Probably. But nothing else in the whole first third of the book grabbed me! Sure, it was a fast, easy read. But it felt like that ceremony was all that really happened! And the characters were fine, I guess, but I didn’t feel pulled toward any of them or their stories. They all felt bland, like caricatures of people from *insert almost any YA fantasy book here*. Nothing in this book- not the characters, not the story- was engaging enough for me to want to keep reading, no matter how fast or easy of a read it was.

So I guess, if I’m going to try to end on a positive, then maybe this is a case of ‘it’s not the book, it’s me?’ But even that doesn’t feel right. YA fantasy is a highly over-populated genre right now and there are so many incredible books out there. One’s that go above and beyond, that take inspiration from stories we love and turn them into something totally new and stunning. I truly can’t see myself recommending this one over countless other options. Here’s to hoping others enjoy it more that I did I guess.

The premise for this book seemed super intriguing. I finished it so I mean it obviously had some good in there, but it was horribly predictable. I get it sometimes when you are in a situation you can't see what's right in front of your face, but this was predictable every step of the way. This heroine wasn't different than any other, yeah the setting was different, but doesn't change the fact that this was the same book I've read a hundred times. I was really hoping for something that would really shock and awe me but this wasn't it.

I felt this book was written in a very juvenile way. The main character makes ridiculous decisions that don't make much sense and the fallout is very predictable, which makes it hard to sympathize with her. I was unable to finish this book after reading 40%.

Hmmm..... What can I say, I really wanted to enjoy Gravemaidens but as a book being touted as a dark fantasy read it fell flat for me. I was quite intrigued about reading a novel based on Ancient Egypt with a book that focused more on family than romance. Gravemaidens did focus on family in particular siblings which was the only real thing I liked about it. The book wasn't near as dark and violent as promised and the Ancient Egyptian inspired worldbuilding was lacking. I am no expert in Ancient dialect but I'm pretty sure they didn't speak in our modern tongue. Also the main character Kammani definitely fell into your typical YA trope of I'm beautiful but I don't know it, I am special I just don't know it you saw a few years back. If I was younger I don't think it would bother me but as I have read my fair share of YA fantasy reads it gets tiresome.

Overall Gravemaidens is unfortunately just another generic fantasy read that I would probably be recommending to younger teens especially those who have not been exposed to the genre and it does have a good family theme to its plot. that I think many young teens would enjoy.

I know I am doing this book a disservice, but I will keep this relatively short and depth-free because I read it so long ago and barely remember anything *grimaces* ok here goes, y’all.

Also, HIIII it’s been so long!! I’ve gotten crazy behind on bookstagramming and reviewing, but here I am!!

Ok haha, on to the review…

Of what I remember and what I took notes on, I rate Gravemaidens four stars. It was enjoyable and relatively gripping, but lacking in romantic development and a little too surface level.

Strong points:

1. Medically-inclined heroine
I appreciated seeing a heroine medically-minded and taking over in her father’s footsteps, enduring challenges and fighting for her family in a different way.

2. Themes of family and overcoming hardships
It was interesting having a heroine so devoted to her family - even if the family member she is trying to save is the most annoying sister possible. She takes responsibility for her family and takes opportunities to help them when they present themselves. She also struggles through a lot over the course of the story, making her endurance apparent and teaching of strength in overwhelming conditions.

3. Overall enjoyment level
The book gradually became more enjoyable and gripping as the plot deepened and as I became more invested in the characters. Naturally, as the story progressed, more was revealed, the reader gets invested, et cetera, et cetera. Plus, the pace of the story balanced out after the beginning, so all in all it wasn’t bad.

Weaker points:

1. Predictability
Ultimately, I found this novel quite predictable, even though I was a little surprised at the final reveal. There were several instances I felt Kammani should have realized things a lot sooner.

2. Weird relationships
I was weirded out by their terms of endearment, honestly 😂 Also, I’ll get to overall in a second, but the main romance, in particular, felt surface level and underdeveloped. I kept thinking, some other dude is going to show up right? Because to me, the love interest felt like the love interest in other books who is initially the boyfriend but is just her settling but then she finds her true love, yada yada… ya feel?? But I will say, the romance and her love interest were also the places I felt had the most growth as the plot continued, PLUS the romance took a back seat to Kammani’s journey as a whole, so take this as you will.

3. Overall underdevelopment
As an overall assessment, Gravemaidens felt surface-level for me. The world, the romance, the overall relationships all felt underdeveloped and too light considering the brutal circumstances actually occurring.

Soooo basically this one was good and ended up as a nail-biter towards the end, but having finished it so long ago, I know I didn’t take a whole lot from it; it’s premise had promise (hahaha see what I did there?) but it wasn’t developed enough to deliver on the darkness and depth it could’ve had.

This marks the end of my first review back, haha. Love you guys!! And if you enjoyed this review, be sure to follow me here on Goodreads or on my booksta @ashton_reads!! Au revoir!

PS thank you to Kelly Coon, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest (albeit late) review! All opinions shared in this review are my own.

I didn't not finish this one, persay. Not entirely. I read it fully till about the half way point, and then got notably bored and skimmed the rest.

The beginning starts off entertaining. The plot is not SO unique, and is pleasantly nostalgic of the Hunger games. We have a main character, Kammani, the best healer in Alu. Her sister Nannea is chosen as a gravemaiden of the dead king. One who follows him into the after life to keep him company and lives happily there. Interesting, no?

Then we've got our peeta like character, Dagaan the rich son of a Lord who is in love with our FMC...who she rejects multiple times. Until...she doesn't. (Wut?)

He's so nice. Like a kitten. Or kicked dog actually. You honestly feel bad for him, and you can't figure out why. Dagaan is all that's good left in the world, but somehow he also just came off as a wet blanket to me. *Shrugs*

Unfortunately, Kammani cannot volunteer as tribute, as being a gravemaiden is spun off as being an honor. Women literally prepare their whole lives for the honor. She does know, however, that the honor is crap. and does everything in her power to enter the royal grounds and stop this charade.

So once everything is set up - quite well I might add, her palace days and healing get onerous and boring. Her snooping is boring, her death threat it boring...don't ask me how. It just is.

It picks up again at the end, as it should during a books climax scene, but otherwise, was fairly boring. I just can't stand how NICE the characters are. STOP IT!

To be honest the cover drew me into this novel. I appreciated the mystery and storytelling within the pages. The unique world drew me in and I am interested in trying more from this author.

Gravemaidens was one of my most anticipated to read in 2019. There are many aspects mentioned that I love, and make a great book: a healer, family, danger, intrigue, I mean, I could go on. And while parts of the book were very well done and semi-entertaining, it was one of the most predictable books I ever read.

Not once was I surprised about what would happen next, and by what the characters did. Nor was I surprised about how things ended. I was hoping to be wrong many times, assuming that I was being fooled. But nope. In addition, the romance in this book was downright boring. There was no chemistry, no banter, nothing. It would have been a stronger story, IMO, to omit it completely.

That being said, I did love how dark as a whole this book was. Morbid maybe, but I am who I am! I also loved the friendship between Kammani & Iltani - girl power!

All in all, it was just okay for me. It's a quick read, yet predictable and quite frankly, forgettable for that reason. Should I decide to read the second book, I would most definitely have to reread it.

From the very first page you can tell that Kelly Coon sees the world she’s created vividly. Her descriptions of clothing, people, markets, and architecture are more than enough to paint the world for the reader.

Unfortunately, other aspects of Gravemadens didn’t meet the same standard.

I was drawn to request Gravemaidens because of how wonderfully dark it sounded. I also felt that the themes hinted at on the back cover, those of honor and tradition, were poignant in today’s political climate.

But I felt lost in the early pages. There is a lot of language that is unique to this world, and I could not understand family relationships without it. It was also difficult to understand the regency without a few context clues as to what all these new words meant.

Ultimately, I put it down pretty early on when the main character suggests and believes in the power of a Hail Mary to save her sister, although just paragraphs before she knew all was hopeless.

I wish I’d made it further but I didn’t feel like anything pulled me along.

I actually quite enjoyed this novel. Author Kelly Coon draws on real life records of human sacrifice in ancient cultures as an inspiration for her fictional village of Alu. A small place deeply steeped in its traditions. One of the oldest traditions being the use of favored maidens given in sacrifice who are poisoned or otherwise killed so that they may join a departed ruler into the Netherworld. Young Kammani, a healer in training, knows all too well there is no great honor in being sacrificed to accompany the recently departed into the afterlife. So when her 15 year old sister is chosen as a sacred maiden, she vows to do all she can to save the life of the ruler who has fallen so grievously ill. We are given a rich and detailed history of Kimmani’s life, and I was riveted by her treacherous journey into the high life of palace society. As an outsider whose family was disgraced, Kimmani risks everything to save the life of the man who threw their family out into the hovels and took her young brother as a palace servant in exchange for the life of the son her father could not save. While they live very different lifestyles from our own, we can all relate to wanting to save our own loved ones from suffering. There is also plenty of high drama and treachery to go around, looks like this is book one in a series, and I look forward to hearing more from the young, fearless Kammani. Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy. Review is posted to Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Amazon

BOOK REVIEW⠀
BOOK: Gravemaidens
AUTHOR: Kelly Coon
@kellycoon106

So, I have to say upfront, this book was not necessarily my cup of tea. BUT it could definitely be yours. There is some pretty violent scents in here, and you may get pretty frustrated by the characters at times. But that’s not to say it is not a pretty interesting book. If you like historical reads, fantasy stories, and a strong female character…. Give it a whirl!

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.

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.

I received this book for review purposes from NetGalley. ⠀

This book was an automatic approval for work (I work at a bookstore).

I liked it more than some of the other books I’ve been approved for through work, but sadly, it still did not mesh with my reading tastes, but I think there is definitely a market for this kind of book! Those who like teen fantasy and/or teen sci-fi might really enjoy it! Overall, it had an interesting premise ans characters... and the cover is gorgeous!