I ended up DNFing Gravemaidens.

How long did I last: 115 pages

What's the story here?

Essentially, Gravemaidens is about this girl named Kammani who only has her brother and sister left. When her sister is picked out to to be one of the three maidens who accompany the lugul (basically the king) to the afterlife, Kammani is very upset. So, she comes up with a plan to heal the lugul. When she goes to the palace, she sees that there is a whole lot of intrigue going on at the palace.

Why did I DNF?

I was just so bored. I got 115 pages in and it felt like no action was happening. I did not care at all about the characters or what they were going through. The pacing was very slow and I just could not be bothered to continue with this -- and I was really looking forward to this book and excited for it initially.

I was looking forward to this one from the first time I saw the title and then when I saw the cover... WOW!

Some books have gorgeous covers but lackluster stories but thankfully Gravemaidens does not fit into that category because I was hooked on this story from the get-go. Sisters Kammani and Nanaea couldn't be more different but their relationship is one I wished I had with my own sister.

Kammani will do anything to save Nanaea from being sacrificed in a horrific tradition that everyone else sees as an honor.

I loved this one from start to finish and I can't wait to read the conclusion of this duology!

'I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.'

When a Lugal dies in the walled city-state of Alu, three young women are chosen to accompany him to the afterlife to be his Queens. Kammani, a healer's daughter, rushes into action when she learns that one of the 3 maidens chosen is her sister, Nanaea. Kammani trained under the great A-zu (healer), her father. Using remedies, old and new, she attempts to save the Lugal's life in the hopes of saving her sister. What she uncovers leaves her and her siblings lives in danger. She believes she's alone, but she realizes that her family and friends never leave her side, even through the thick of it. This is a story of love, loss, revenge, redemption and women rising to power in a man's world.

The plot progresses nicely. It is Fast-paced and enjoyable, even though some parts were predictable. I knew immediately who the "bad" people were, but I didn't know the deeper meaning behind the why. I actually still don't know other than the obvious answer, so I'm hoping that will be answered in book 2. The end was almost wrapped up too nicely for me, like this was supposed to be a stand alone, but then they decided to make it a duology. If the book had about 10 more chapters, everything could have been answered in 1 book.

There are many characters, but I'm only going to discuss two (for the sake of this turning into a 30 page review), Kammani and Nanaea. These girls made me want to throw a brick through a wall sometimes because they were so naive and wouldn't LISTEN. That being said, that's a perfect portrayal of sisters because that's exactly how my sister makes me feel from time to time. 😅 The way Kammani was stringing her love interest along also drove me insane, but I believe a slow burn is a good burn because it leaves the readers begging for the (hopeful) outcome at the end. All of the characters were enjoyable and helped move the plot along.

The writing was also very well done. I love historical fiction, especially ancient Mesopotamian, which is what this fictional world is based off of. The government, burial practices, daily life and punishments were similar (and horrific). Some portions were surprisingly brutal, so keep that in mind.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to see how their story ends in book 2.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Gravemaidens
By: Kelly Coon

*REVIEW* 💖💖💖💖
I started reading Gravemaidens on a whim and couldn't put it down. It's just one of those stories that captivated me with its premise and writing. The main character, I'll abbreviate K., is in a terrible situation. Save the ruler, save her sister, develop feelings for a good friend-all at once. It's a mystery wrapped with some romance, some violence, some folklore, plus love, hope and sacrifice. I enjoyed the lyrical ebb and flow of the narrative. The story moved at the perfect pace. It's an engaging, entertaining, complex, heartbreaking and beautiful story. K. is a strong intelligent girl, but I felt she was pushed to her limits. I felt sympathetic toward her and just hoped things would turn out all right. I'm very interested to the read the second book of this duology.

I recieved an early e-arc of Gravemaidens from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

I heard great things about this book before I requested it and I was extremely excited to start it. It wasn't a bad book, but it didn't have me wanting to read it in one sitting either. I felt like I had heard a story similar before, so it may have not had the intensity in the plotline that I was looking for. It started to pickup for me around halfway though the book once the main character started putting the puzzle pieces for what was going on at the palace together; the puzzle I had put together & solved fairly early in the story. I'm disappointed that the "bad guy reveal" was just quickly thrown in at the end of the book, it wasn't a big reveal either. Overall, I did enjoy the story for what it was, even though I don't think I'll end up picking up the sequel to it.

Thank you NetGalley for free eARC!

This book caught me at its beautiful cover! From there I loved the concept of the book based on the synopses. The story was new and unique and I would love a deeper look into this world with future books perhaps from other perspectives.

I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading it. The premise was exciting and new! I wasn't entirely sure who to trust, which to me is a sign of a well developed and executed mystery. I kept turning the pages, wanting to know what had happened to Kammani's abum and who is behind the death and poisonings at the palace! I was definitely intrigued, however, I felt like there was just something missing. Some of the characters fell flat. I found myself annoyed by Nanaea 90% of the time until the end when her reasonings became clear for her behavior, which is fine but makes for reading her scenes to feel more like a chore. I also wanted to like Dagan more. I liked him, I did, but I didn't really care all that much about him.

Overall, I felt this was a pretty good start and I do want to read the second installment. I have high hopes that there will be some more character development and that those characters I didn't feel connected to will grow and become better developed.

All in all, Gravemaidens had a solid plot that kept me curious and Kelly's writing certainly lent itself successfully to a fun and intriguing story. Some of the characters felt like a weak point, but one that could certainly be remedied in the next installment.

Fun, fast, and a mysterious read that I would certainly recommend if you need something quick and easy with a bit of suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this e-arc provided for free for an honest review!

Gravemaidens was a slow read for me but I think that's because I expect too much out of teenagers. Kammani and her family were exiled to the poor parts of the city after her father failed to heal the ruler's son. As further punishment, Kammani's younger brother was taken away from the family and forced to live and work at the palace. They only see him sporadically. A few years later, Kammani's mother died and her father spiraled into deep grief, not able to take care of his family so it's up to Kammani to take over for him and heal to help them out. When Kammani's younger sister, Nanaea, is chosen as a sacred maiden, her world seemed to get even worse. Kammani knows it's not an honor to be chosen as everyone thinks and is determined to keep her sister alive. At this point, I should have realized that Kammani was a young woman who'd had everything she'd ever known taken from her bit by bit and she never allowed herself to grieve because she was made to grow up when her mother passed. All her choices and her desperation to save her sister were revealed once we found out exactly what happened to her mother.

I still feel as if she made a lot of questionable choices. It was surprising that she could not figure out what was going on in the palace. I wasn't fooled about who was behind the murder attempts on her and who was trying to get the ruler out of the way but Kammani seemed to latch on to an idea and that was that. Her plan at the end was ridiculous and not well thought out. I wished she was smarter and did things better but she was a grieving sixteen years old, scared to death that she was going to lose her sister after everything else she'd already lost so she was desperate and running off instinct. She had to save her sister so she ignored her gut and went with the most obvious choice. I enjoyed the ending and I thought the book was well written. It was brutal and hard to read some of the stuff at times but I am excited about the next book. I want to see Kammani's next adventure with her siblings and friends. I want to see how it all plays out in Alu.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing an eARC copy of this book for my honest review.

Now onto the actual review.

There are parts of this story that I really enjoy, and then there are parts of this story that drive me absolutely up the wall.

The writing is absolutely lovely, and the descriptions of the world are quite rich. You do get a very good mental image of where the story takes place, and you get a very good understanding of the culture as well. That being said, however, some of the characters leave something to be desired for my personal tastes.

The main character makes a habit of chastising her friends and her family. Specifically she chastises her best friend for making rash decisions without planning - when the main character herself tends to make snap decisions and choices. So it all comes across as quite hypocritical. The main character ALSO completely ignores the help that's offered to her by people who genuinely care about her because either she's too proud to accept said help, or she's too busy hyper focusing on her terrible plans - which cause her to lie, sneak, and steal to accomplish. Overall, the main character is not a character that I actually liked.

The plot points of the story were somewhat predictable, and the major problem that I had with the plotline is that because of the setting and culture of the book, eventually the pool of potential villainous characters was very severely limited. This, I feel, was a huge detriment to what the story could have gone with.

Ultimately, I feel that there were many choices that the author made that could have, and perhaps should have, been done differently. I think that the writing is absolutely lovely, but the character personality and progression, as well as choices on plot were poorly made.

It won't stop me from reading more from this author in the future, in hopes that Coon's world and character development improves. I just spent most of my time reading feeling very frustrated and annoyed with the main character and the way the story was developing, which took away from any enjoyment I might have had otherwise.

Goodness this book was frustrating, there were so many times where I wanted to pull my hair out from how obvious some situations were and how the main character just couldn’t get it together. But then I thought.. if I were a teenager forced to take on a kingdom essentially to save my stupid fifteen year old sister from thinking death is some fairytale land.. then I would be more than a bit frustrating! I swear, the character of Nanea? I almost wished that she would just be allowed to go ahead and continue with the Grave Maidens ceremony so she could stop being so pigheaded and childish but then again, at fifteen, my sister had been a pain to deal with and our main character sure had enough patience for the both of us throughout this book.

It did kill me a little that our main character did not realize what she had in terms of a really great man. She kept us and Dagan in a will they won’t they for WAY too long but now that I know there is a book two, I’m excited to see where this new adventure will take Kammani and her friends after they just narrowly escaped death.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
•
2,5*
Pros: Interesting world-building. Beautiful and immersive description. Refreshing and original focus in the Akkadian empire, introducing the culture, mythology and traditions. Important take into family relationships and expectations.
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Cons: One-dimensional characters. Predictable plots. Clunky dialogues and scene sequences.

Gravemaidens is the first installment in author Kelly Coon's Gravemaidens duology. The story is about a girl, Kammani, who uses her smarts as a healer in a world where females of her stature aren’t even supposed to read. Kammani is an apprentice healer whose family was once part of the upper class until her father failed to heal the son of the ruling Lugal. Her families furniture, bedding, clothing, and all their jewels were distributed to others. Kami's father was once considered to be the beat healer in all the lands.

But, that was before he lost his way and started drinking himself to the point of no return. Kami has learned all she can learn but could use a pointer here or there to be just as good as her father. With the Lugal on his death bed, (3) sacred maidens will soon be chosen to accompany him to the afterlife. Kammani is the only one to see past the honor and cherished tradition for what it is: a death sentence. But, nothing could prepare Kami for her own sister, Nanaea, being chosen.

Nanaea still hasn't gotten over her loss of station. She is thrilled to be chosen knowing that she's lost so much potential over something she had nothing to do with. Kami refuses to let her go without a fight. In order to save her sister, she becomes the Lugal's healer in order to save her sister from certain death. She will have to stand and fight against those who want to see her fail which will also send her to the afterlife with her sister and the Lugal.

Kami has been chased after by a boy named Dagan whose family is very successful for awhile now. Kami doesn't want to settle down with anyone and therefore puts him off time and time again. Dagan is a charmer, honest, and completely devoted to Kami even though she doesn't give him the time of day. Even her sister and her best friend know that Dagan is the perfect match for her, and if she doesn't act quickly, she will be alone and end up a spinster.

One of the things that is done well is this story, is the relationship between the sisters. You will definitely understand why Nanaea is so thrilled by becoming a sacred maiden while her sister is sick of losing family members. Nanaea embodies a young woman resentful of her situation and just doing her best to survive rather than make a good life for herself. After all, she is finds herself the center of attention, and given whatever she can ever hope for before she is taken by the Boatman.

I also loved Kami's best friend Iltani who stands by her even when she makes some really dumb mistakes. Other characters to pay attention to are Nin Arwia. Nin is the Lugal's daughter, but she isn't so sure of herself or her legacy when it comes to taking over for her father. She and Kami become friends after a fashion. Kasha is the brother of Kami and Nanaea who was taken away from the family and given to the palace after his father failed to heal the Lugal's son.

Thoughts: The first half of GraveMaidens is quite slow, but if you have patience, you will discover that there is more to this story than first thought. I gave this story a better overall rating by discovering deep breaths and not allowing any character to get under my skin no matter how awful they really were. Kammani she bears a lot of responsibility on her shoulders thanks to her father never being around. Kammani even refuses to accept help from anyone which is just pride getting in the way. The ending leaves some interesting choices for the author to make concerning Kammani, her sister, and others.

This is the kind of commercial fantasy that you read, enjoy and then completely forget about. But I guess in this particular case I’m not allowed to forget about it because there will be a second and final book that will wrap up the story and decide Kammani’s fate once and for all.

To be honest, this book made me hate the concept of duologies. In some cases—rare cases—they work well and actually help deliver a good story without making the reader feel as though the entire book was cut in two with a sharp money-maker knife. Unfortunately, I felt the knife at work in this one.

But I was pretty entertained as well. It’s a fast-paced fantasy that contains a mystery case, cute predictable romance and lots of tense but fun sisterly interactions. Family is very important to Kammani; although I did feel at times that her wish to have her sister close to her was selfish. That she didn’t want to be left alone more than she didn’t want Nanaea to go to the Netherworld (die).

She was also very dramatic and always stressed out. Her stress was justified but really I wanted to scream at her, ‘‘CALM DOWN!’’ so many times. Regardless, despite that (or maybe because of it), I kept on reading, really interested to learn more about the Netherworld and cheering Kammani on as she basically tried to bring a very important person down in order to save herself and her sister.

I don’t like that this is a duology but I do like the writing, fast pacing, stressed out heroine and mystery component.

I fell in love with this cover months ago and have been absolutely dying to read this since – and this one lived up to the hype.

The story follows Kammani, the Healer’s daughter, as she tries to save her sister from being sacrificed. This book has everything I need: a dark storyline, respectful and charming love interest, best friends, sibling relationships, and palace politics.

I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. By far and away my favorite part of this entire book is the relationship between Kammani and Iltani. These girls have seriously just the best friendship. My only negative here is that when Kammani goes to the palace there is not enough Iltani – I am holding out hope that she will have a huge role in book two. And then there is Dagan. *swoon* I adore him. From the start you can tell he is in love with Kammani. He is a quiet, gentle presence showing her how much he cares. I just wish that he had more page time as well. There are only small flashes of him and of his past, but I need morrreeee! Again, here’s hoping he is bigger and better in book two.

The whole plot of the story starts because Kammani’s sister, Nanaea, is chosen as a sacred maiden sacrifice and Kammani is going to do whatever she can to save her from that fate. But Nanaea doesn’t want to be saved; she thinks it is an honor and she is excited to live like royalty. Now, I don’t have a sister, but the relationship between these two makes me so mad and so happy at the same time. I think it is such realistic representation of sisters, particularly sisters who are currently disagreeing, and even though they can be pretty mean to each other there is this bond and love that means they always have the other’s back.

Gah! The ending. Perfect. I am so ready for book two which looks like it is taking all my favorite characters and giving them the time and attention they deserve!

I did have a few issues, though. Number one: the way Kammani treats Dagan. [She drives me absolutely crazy throughout this book. When it is clear that Dagan loves her and just as clear that she is fighting her feelings for him, she is pretty dismissive of him. He tends to be an afterthought for her, yet she never doubts that he will do as she asks. Nope, didn’t like that. Number two: I felt like the mysterious culprit behind all the sabotages was kind of obvious. And the fact that Kammani didn’t pick up on it or even consider them is a little concerning since she is supposed to be smart. Number three: this book needs more Dagan and Iltani.

Gravemaidens-

I was so lucky to receive an advanced copy of Gravemaidens from Netgalley, in exchange for a review!

Gravemaidens is a thrilling new fantasy novel that is simply perfect for binging on a chilly fall night! In the kingdom of Alu, there is no greater honor than being selected as a Sacred Maiden, one of three girls who will accompany the dying ruler into the afterlife. Tradition states that the most beautiful young women must be selected, a privileged coveted by nearly every family in Alu. Kammani, the daughter of the kingdoms foremost healer, knows that the so-called honor is a death sentence disguised by frivolous luxury, and is horrified when it is announced her younger sister has been chosen. So begins Kammani’s race to prevent her sister’s death by any means necessary.

Gravemaidens is the first in an exciting in new fantasy duology! Kelly Coon has created a stunning world of fantasy, that I can’t wait to return to (seriously it’s going to be so hard to wait for the next one)! I love the realism and grit that Kammani possesses, making her both strong and relatable.

You can get your copy of Gravemaidens today from Delacorte Press!

My Recommendation-
I would recommend this book to anyone that has been in a reading slump recently, because Gravemaidens is the perfect fix! If you loved the sisterly connection in The Hunger Games, or the epic fantasy of Three Dark Crowns, Gravemaidens is for you!

"Three maidens are chosen for their land's greatest honor...and one woman is determined to save her sister from the grave." (from the Goodreads description)

I give this one a solid 3.5/5, but rounded up on Goodreads. This story is appealing in its depth of research and the historical relevancy the author takes with the topic of ritual sacrifice from many cultures from around the world.

The book’s description pulls the reader in because while the ritual may bring honor in death, there is a character who finds more worth in the living. Having Kammani be a healer cements her motivation and resolve to save the last remnants of her family from what everyone, including her sister, sees as a positive event. I honestly kept reading because I wanted to see Kammani succeed in her endeavor, but she also seemed like one of the only flushed out characters, besides Dagan and the Nin Arwia. I feel like I needed the book to be longer, if only to bring more detail to such an interesting world.

I enjoyed this one. I didn't think it was anything overly spectacular in terms of writing or plot, but I was interested in the characters, and it was a decently engaging story. There wasn't a lot that stood out to me, though. I would say this one is just average across the board for me.

This book had so much going for it. Great pacing, amazing world building, fantastic story line!!! I enjoyed this so much!

In this fictitious kingdom of Alu, when the ruler dies, three young maidens are granted the high honor of accompanying the ruler into death, becoming his wives in afterlife. It’s a great deal to be selected and a festival is held with all sorts of activities.
Kammani, daughter and apprentice of the town healer has basically adopted the role of healer herself in the absence of her father, as well as only caretaker for her younger sister Nanae.
The current ruler (the Lugal) falls ill and Nanae is selected as a maiden, while Kammani is called forth to heal the Lugal. There in the palace, Kammani is divided between caring for the Lugal and trying to convince her sister that there is nothing great about dying, but while she is there Kammani discovers that it’s possible the Lugal’s approaching demise is being caused by someone close to him. She meets new friends as well as enemies in her journey to the truth.

This book has ties loosely based in Sumerian cultures. It was slightly terrifying to think that some of the punishments and actions taken were culturally accurate. What an incredible fantasy debut!!!

I do feel like this novel does need a few trigger/content warnings for: death of a parent, self harm, substance abuse, and attempted/sexual assault. There is also a rather graphic birth scene as well so in case any of this makes you uncomfortable, tread carefully! And personally, the attempted sexual assault scene bothered me; if you want to know more about it, feel free to head over to my Contact Me page and talk to me!

Overall though, I thought this was an excellent debut novel. What I really liked most, and something I truly don't see in YA novels these days, is how these characters actually acted their age. Kammani is 16-18 (I literally can't remember) and I believe her sister Nanaea is 15. My cousins who are sisters have a similar age range and similar relationship that these two do. And Nanaea acts exactly like my 15 year old cousin. Kammani is a little more mature for her age, but that's because she essentially had to step up into the parental role after her mom dies and her dad slips into a depression. 

I also absolutely adored the plot line - our main character desperately trying to save their leader so she doesn't have to lose another family member. I felt raw emotions while reading this. Character motives made sense, I felt what they felt, especially when we find out why Nanaea acts the way she does. My heart BROKE. In general, all of the characters were dynamic and complex (except maybe Dagan, his soft cinnamon roll self didn't change a bit and that was fine). I think the author did a fantastic job creating different voices, personalities, and relationships between each of the characters.

The entire plot was a whirlwind mystery of trying to figure out why their leader is sick, how she can save him and her sister, all while battling her growing feelings for her best friend. It was mixed with more political intrigue than I expected. I'm excited to continue on Kammani's journey and see where her actions take her next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC.

A refreshing debut from a talented YA author! Set in ancient Sumer, the stakes are devastatingly high as two sisters are torn apart by a deadly tradition. One is slated to die with the city’s ailing king, as the other is charged with healing him. The author weaves deceit, love, and desperation into an exciting tale. Gravemaidens is a five star read and I highly recommend you pick it up!