Fans of bloodleaf will love this book. This novel is filled with adventure and death. A real page turner. I absolutely loved princess Aurelia she is a strong willed character with so much passion. She was interesting to follow along. I love fantasy books that contain royalty so this was just the jackpot. The world building is amazing along with the character development and the overall plot of it is great.

After the ending of Bloodleaf I was ready to dive right into Greythorne to find out what happened next with Aurelia and Zan! I was very surprised to see that Smith took the storyline in a very different direction for this book so I struggled in the beginning with the shock of the character changes.

As the story progressed and we learned more about the new characters I found myself getting sucked in again and enjoying the new twists. While I enjoyed the overall storyline, I struggled with the use of Spectral Travel and Time Travel to explain a large amount of the happenings in the story. I felt the use of these elements really did more to undo to story than to wrap it up. The time travel gaps along with the recurring theme of people dying and coming back caused this book to fall short of its predecessor for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for the opportunity to read Greythorne in exchange for my honest opinion.

Following her debut novel, Bloodleaf, Crystal Smith follows up with Greythorne, the epic, not-to-be-missed next installment of Aurelia's journey as she tries to ensure her family's legacy and recover from the trauma of her past.

Greythorne opens with a time jump, bridging the months from Achlev's fall to Conrad's impending coronation. Immediately steeped in intense emotion and sense or purpose, Greythorne wastes no time in captivating the reader and maintaining momentum throughout the novel, thanks to beautifully written characters and some crafty twists. Readers who fell in love with Aurelia's strength and magic will not be disappointed, even though the Greythorne's real magic is the relationships and sense of family between the characters.

This book was so different but in an amazing way. I really enjoyed reading it, so much so that I finished it in a day. The plot was unpredictable and suspenseful. I know the teens at my library will love this book. I will be purchasing it for our YA collection at the library. Great book!

I can't wait for book three of this series! This fanciful world of Smith's is one I want to inhabit. Her plot lines are original and intriguing. They seamlessly transitioned from being mysterious to alluring. Aurelia and Zan's relationship is swoonworthy and it's kinda cool how their magic is connected. No spoilers, but I think fans of this series will delight in the epicness of "Greythorne."

Everything about this book entranced me. The book's cover is gorgeous and so detailed, the plot is complex, the characters go through amazing development and the ending is a SO EXCITING! It leaves some questions unanswered, but not too many. I appreciated how Smith tried to wrap some plot up, but not to the extent that the next book will be predictable. Every chapter is carefully organized to link to each other, which is appreciated by a perfectionist reader like myself. If I had to choose only five words to describe this book they'd be: mages experience epic, worldbending love.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! *More incomprehensible fangirlish screaming*.

Greythorne is the sequel to Bloodleaf, a book I absolutely loved beyond all logical reason. Sometimes I enjoy a book so much that it becomes physically possible to review it objectively. Our favorite Bloodwitch Aurelia is back in Renault, keeping a low profile and avoiding being burned as a witch by living in a whorehouse and plotting to infiltrate the party barge of one of her many enemies, Dominic Castillion. Castillion is some kind of tyrant from the north who has been swooping in and taking over various nations, and he has eyes on Achleva. Aurelia encouraged her fiance Zan to go and parlay with Castillion…only his ship got caught in a storm and Zan drowned.

OR DID HE?

Find out next June, because I refuse to spoil that. You don’t have to wait long to find out and it’s worth it.

Anyway, Castillion is only one of Aurelia’s many enemies - she’s got more than a few in Renault, including the Tribunal, which is determined to have her burned as a witch. Her little brother Conrad is about to be crowned King, but his situation is precarious, at best. I mean, his sister is a known witch, and the Tribunal really, really hates witches, especially its leader, Isobel Arceneaux. She’s really not that big on witches.

Anyway, the Arceneaux and the Tribunal interrupt Conrad’s coronation just to be dicks and undermine the young king before the crown is on his head longer than thirty seconds. They deliberately provoke Aurelia into a public demonstration of her magical blood powers, forcing her to flee, yet again, with her loyal guard Kellan and her old nurse/teacher/friend, Onal. They venture into the Ebonwilde forest, where there are rumors of witches capable of old magic and a dead/immortal horseman who enjoys chopping off heads…

This book was an absolute blast to read, and a worthy followup to Bloodleaf. There’s action! Romance! Magic! Card playing! Shapeshifters! Somberly sweet hallucinogenic wine! Zombie wolves! Witches that live in the woods! Ruined cities! A party barge! What more could you possibly need?

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and HMH Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review Greythorne by Crystal Smith.

Okay, just when I think that Bloodleaf might have been a fluke in how great it was here is Greythorne. A delicious and dastardly epic filled novel full of intrigue, death, and the pursuit for the throne. Princess Aurelia is one of my favorite young adult character's right now. Her passion, devotion, and ability to take a risk are some of the reasons why I love this series soooo much! It is a quick read that will having you yell out loud while reading.
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