Stars: 3 out of 5

It is sad when you say something like "It was okay," when you try to describe a book. Unfortunately, this is exactly what this book was. Just okay. The story was okay and moved swiftly enough to keep me interested. The characters were okay, though I question the need for some of them. The worldbuilding was... lacking, honestly. 

There are some aspects that I liked about this book. The relationship between the two sisters being one of them. It felt very real. It wasn't saccharine sweet. They bickered, they resented each other, they didn't see eye to eye on some things. But they always cared about each other, even when mad and fighting. 

The sisters were also pretty fleshed out as characters, with distinct motivations and character flaws, so it was easy to empathize and root for them. Though Celestia's stubborn belief that Lindon would help them and do as she asks "because he is her husband" became a little bit grating overtime. Especially after their first encounter when he proved that no, he wouldn't do as she asked or even listen to her.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about Ico. Honestly, I'm still not sure what purpose he played in this book. He had no motivation for going on this quest (apart from being forced into it for no fault of his own), and he is never a driving force in this story. He is more of a complaining sidekick that the sisters drag along. We could have cut his character out of the book completely and not lost any of the story. The sisters could have hired the help of a nameless boat captain or guide and he would have fulfilled the same role.

I loved the jungle and the valley of the Seraphine river. It is so well described that I could feel the humid heat and smell the sweet and rotting stench of the river. I was less entranced with the other locations in this book, because we spent a lot less time in them, and most of the time spent was indoors, so I couldn't really picture them in my head.

And speaking of locations, some of them were completely unnecessary. For example, what was the point of the whole visit to the Emperor's palace? It didn't move the plot whatsoever. They learned nothing new there. It was just a detour before continuing the story. And it felt shoe-horned into the story as an afterthought.

Finally, I'm still not sure how the magic of this world works, and it's never really explained. So we have aetheric magic, and the magic of each Airiana is different, but then also you have the Starless mages, and oh wait, the magic in the city of Bloodwine is also different, and there is alchemy... It's a confusing mess. Don't get me wrong. I'm more then happy to believe in a complex magical system, if I understand the rules. Here, the author doesn't even bother explaining them, so that's frustrating.

Also, I'm not sure I am onboard with the ending. Are we forgetting that the Emperor of the Seraphine had forbidden them to go after Decay? That he kept them as hostages in his palace to prevent them from doing that? That they basically committed treason? And killed a few of his guards escaping the palace? Yet Celestia returns to Cross Winds, like nothing happened. Is she not afraid that Starless Mages will come for her in the night? For her son? The Lady of the Seraphine even told her that those are human affairs that don't concern her. Yet Celestia seems to continue her life, like nothing happened. 

I am also not particularly sure how I feel about the romance between Celestia and Omaira (spelling). It felt completely unnatural to the story. Probably because it wasn't woven organically into the story to begin with. Celestia was so focused on finding Decay and preventing her husband from dying that any hint of romance simply wasn't there (or I missed it). So it was shocking to me to see them so sweet on each other days after her husband died. This as not needed. They could just have been really good friends brought together by pain and loss and the hard times they experienced together. Whatever grew out of that friendship could have been a story for another book.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Beholden’ by Cassandra Rose Clarke not only had an absolutely gorgeous cover and prose, but a story that totally captured my imagination. Definitely recommend!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
I really struggled with this one as it has a beautiful cover. The beginning chapter was so good! But soon after that I lost interest. The characters were pretty well crafted and the hints at the larger world were interesting but nothing was as interesting as the 1st couple of chapters.
I pushed through a third of it and I gave it the benefit of the doubt with needing to set up a lot in the world, but in the end I was just bored. The main point of the plot never seemed very urgent and I don't like it when the gods just tell people to do things but then say "I can't tell you why"

I liked the concept and the setting but the story was a bit slow and it was a bit wordy for my taste. I liked the dynamic between the characters, especially the sisters, and the story was interesting enough to keep me reading but it took a long time to get through.

The cover and blurb/premise of this book are very interesting, but I unfortunately didn't like the execution of that premise, the writing or the characters.

First of all: the cover ist STUNNING! Second of all: the book had great potential but it disappointed in a way. It wasn’t anything special to be honest. It was average. You could guess what was going to happen next. That wasn’t that bad tho. But it wasn’t really good either.
The relationship between the sisters was kinda toxic, but we all know the love between the siblings. The characters were strong. I loved the girl power in here. But that was it. They were just there. Only travelling somehow and talking boring stuff to each other. And even that was just complaining about there current situation. The "exciting" things were just there and didn’t even seem like something you would like to read about.
I mean, there was a great potential, but the end product was just not it.

2/5 Stars

This was not the books for be. I really didn't enjoy the writing style here. I couldn't stay engaged with the book or the characters. I really liked the setting, However, I just didn't really care about the characters. There was just a lack of character building and world building. Everything just fell flat for me. Like I said Unfortunatly this book just really didn't do much for me.

As a general fantasy novel with a few innovative twists, this is a fairly solid genre book that focuses on the bond between sisters as their debt to a goddess they made a bargain with when their family fortune fell on the rocks, a rogue accidentally dragged into it all, and a surprise fourth party member. Ms Rose-Clarke has also written a few other works as well as two Halo novels, so I can’t really call this a first novel. It’s entirely possible that this didn’t stand out to me as much because I was reading it against some very good books, but other than a very out of nowhere twist at the end of the book and pregnancy and sisterly bond, I really don’t remember that much about this book, and this is only a few days after having finished it. Still worth a read! Just not that memorable to me personally.

I went into this book cautiously optimistic despite the low (by Goodreads standards) rating at the time I picked it up. I love unique settings, and the tropical river setting (exemplified by the gorgeous cover) seemed right up my alley. I also know that GR ratings don't always tell the whole story and we can easily trick our own brains into misinterpreting them.

And to start off with it, this book rewarded that faith. The plot clipped along at a reasonably fast pace even if I could have done with a few more chapter breaks, and the setting is pretty fun, and even includes a magical river boat! But, here's the thing - even more than settings, I care about characters, and frankly I found all three of these characters to be either bland (Izara, mostly Ico apart from the occasional snarky comment) or insufferable (Celestia). This book really failed to give them consistent character motivations that lasted beyond a single page, which meant that most of the dialogue boiled down to functional plot driven stuff and/or the characters endlessly complaining. I got halfway through this book, and I still have no idea what motivates any of them as people.

I do think there's something in this book for people who care less about characterisation and just want to be entertained by a cool setting, but I ultimately put it down at the halfway mark.

- The cover is just amazing
- I loved the world created in this book, I think this was a real feat.
- Seemed like it could have benefitted from a stronger edit, but overall I think this was a solid book.

Thanks to Erewhon and NetGalley for the review copy!

Mixed feelings towards this book. I can't really enjoy it that much. Unfortunately, the writing style is not my favorite so I got very slow on reading this book.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC


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Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage, Celestia’s perfect manners, and Izara’s nascent magic to their aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact a dangerous plan—using a spell she doesn’t fully understand, Izara summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their land. But a favor from the river goddess always comes at a cost . . .

Now, five years later, rumors of war and disease are spreading, Celestia’s husband has been called away on a secret mission for the Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay their debt to the Lady—embarking on a mission that will put them on a collision course with Celestia’s husband, the Emperor, and a god even more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine.

Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn’t want to be found and prevent the end of the world.

Celestia and Izara De Malena are orphaned sisters who, desperate to keep their family name and estate, make a deal with the Goddess of the River, The Lady of the Seraphine - a husband for Celestia in exchange for a favor. Finally, after five years, the Lady calls in her favor, at a time when Izara is pulled from the magical Academy, and Celestia is newly pregnant. Not to mention Ico, the ex-pirate river guide who got roped into their deal by either fate or hapless proximity. Together, the three of them venture out on a quest to stop the return of one of the most powerful mages in history, thought to have died half a millennia ago - Lord Kjari.

My favorite part of this book was the hierarchal nature of the gods, the Airiana & Laniana, and the magical system connected to siphoning their power. While elemental magic and alchemy are not anything new, there were elements to the mythology that felt new and fresh. The inventiveness of the gods is what drew me in the most.

Unfortunately, that's about all I really liked about it.

The characters, while engaging, did not inspire any attachment from me. I never felt invested in any of their stories, and I wanted to so badly! There were times when Ico's sass added a bit of zest and fun, but that's about it.

And, omg, the plot! I love a good quest, but it was such a struggle to get through at certain points. It's a wonder the book is so long because, by the time I finished, I felt like nothing noteworthy had happened. It was just a string of little moments with little to no meaning. I think the most frustrating part of this book was that there were multiple moments along the quest where they'd face a challenge, and the anticipation would build, and then it would just deflate like a remarkably sad balloon. There was no follow-through on these promised moments of tension, and everything seemed way too easy. Every time there's a proposed hardship or task to overcome, the characters are like, "oh, it's actually not so bad." Really!? Like, fine, the author explains why things seem to just work out, something about magic creating coincidences, but that's a shoddy excuse at best. And when we finally do get a moment of tension, it lasts about half a second before we're on to the next scene. And the ending! UGH, it was just so unsatisfying - you put these characters through all that, and for what!? An entirely predictable and unmemorable finale.

All in all, I wanted to like this book so much. Nothing makes me more heartbroken than a fantastic concept with so much potential that's lost in the plot because it's executed poorly.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3!

Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for the e-book!

Link to review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4567852278

The book cover really woke over, it’s an absolute eye-catcher. But the content it holds? I’m sad to say that I really couldn’t like it that much. The effort was there but the idea was done before and it’s not a new thing to do. The worst thing was the magic system: it lacked details and wasn’t well explained. I often felt lost reading it.
The world itself was beautifully crafted and very vivid. The description of surroundings was on top. The rest wasn’t.

I enjoyed Cassandra Rose Clarke’s Forget This Ever Happened, so I had high hopes for this book. This was extremely disappointing and I nearly couldn’t finish this one.

This book is so pretty! It's actually the reason why I requested it and the book started spectacularly. The two sisters are in the jungle trying to find a god or goddess to bargain with then it went downhill (my reading experience I mean).

The premise is interesting, it's well-paced, and the relationship between the sisters is well done. The writing style is beautiful and descriptive. Sadly, it's not enough to keep me interested. I'm surprised I finished this book coz i just lost interest upon chapter 3 tbh. It lacks world-building despite its awesome concept and the plot is straightforward and flat. The characters are underdeveloped anf don't have any character arc. Another regretful read *sigh*
Rating: 1.5/5🌟

Thanks to Erewhon Books for the DRC via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

The cover is stunning.

Starts out at a good pace, overall seems well written with interesting world building. While this wasn't my cup of tea (stopped at 10%), the right reader would give this an easy three stars and possibly four should it continue as it has.

Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon books for the ARC.

3.5/5 stars
This book started out quite dramatically, with Celestia and Izara de Malena stomping through the depths of the jungle with their guide Ico so that they could find a goddess, or as they are called here, the Airiana. When bargaining with gods and goddesses, one must always expect to pay a price and the price for Celestia de Malena finding a husband to manage her property effectively was that the Lady of the Seraphine could call upon the three of them at any time for a favor. And then I put it down for a while because I sort of lost interest and decided to read a few other books. Once I was in the mood to read this again I finished it in just a few reading sessions!

Celestia’s husband is called away on a mission for the king, where he and his party will try to track down and kill a wizard who was thought dead five centuries ago. Shortly after, Celestia, Izara, and Ico are contacted by the Lady of the Seraphine for a mission of their own. They must track down Lord Kajari and convince him to stay in the world, because he’s not a human wizard - he’s Decay, one of the Airiana and the counterbalance to Growth. Without him there will be no death, only continuous unchecked growth. The story is really just a long journey to find Decay with some interruptions.

There’s a ton of cool scenery, from lush jungles to gilded palaces, to a hidden city, to the desert fortress of Decay. The concept of aspected gods and goddesses is not an original one, but it is one I really enjoy especially when they interact with mortals. I even liked the characters, but overall something didn’t completely jive with my tastes so I didn’t love it even though I can appreciate the story overall. It’s also really difficult for me to pinpoint what exactly didn’t work for me so it’s taken me longer than usual to settle on a final rating. Honestly, I think it just ran a little long for what the story contained and need to be edited down to a somewhat shorter length and snappier pace.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was a bit of a long one, but I enjoyed it! Some really good world building, and I liked the main characters. I think there could be a few parts that could be omitted but other than that this was well done!

What can I say about the Beholden? From beginning to end this book didn't go where i was expecting. Every time I thought I knew what was about to happen, I was wrong.  

I love the characters. Celestia, Izara, and Ico have an interesting chemistry that makes this feel like an ensemble story. About their getting to know and trust one another. Even if it isn't.

The world feels alive as you're reading. There are so many questions that I was left with as I was reading, things i wanted to know more about or to ask further questions. 

The only complaint I have about the book is in regard to Iomin's Treasure. This one.... facet of the story feels like it's something that the author expects you to know and understand without actually explaining anything about it.  Honestly though, if that's the only thing I can find to be annoyed by ? It's a dang good book.

 I really hope that the author gets to come back and write further stories set in this world. The Arianna, the relationship between them and the world, heck, even the history of Lord Kjari's war. I don't really care what it is, so long as it's not a direct sequel and we get more of this gorgeous world.  

Which, that probably sounds strange. I loved these characters after all. Why wouldn't I want more for them? Well, because I feel like their story was so well done that to continue telling their story would take away from it. I think that if you were to follow this up starting a year, a decade, even two decades from now, there would be too much that wouldn't work if you had to stick close to these characters. They earned their ending.

 Thank you #NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. As a librarian I can guarantee I'm picking up a copy of it when I can for my library.

~Thank you NetGalley and Elehowen books for allowing me to receive an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!~

3.5 Stars
*The premise of this book really enticed me and the blurb caught my interest in a sentence. It was a solid book, but I did expect something different.

Plot
*The blurb made the plot sound extremely interesting and I felt it did meet my expectations. I liked the journey and adventure aspect and I felt it moved along at a proper pace that fit the story. The debt due to the goddess was also a unique plot point to build off and I liked how she contributed to a lot of the action being pushed forwards.

Characters
*I liked the character's motives and how each of them interact. I did feel there was a lack of development as I was not able to really get attached to them or feel for the characters. The river goddess felt the most enticing but that's probably due to the shroud of mystery around her, not necessarily her actions.

Worldbuilding
*The concept of worldbuilding seemed really good in this story but I was let down a little bit by the lack of it. The scenery and everything were super well-written and I loved learning the new locations and about the empire the character's lived in. I still felt a little disconnected and I am still working out why, if I figure it out I will amend this statement.

Overall
*I did like the book. its solid and has a good foundation, I just think some changes could have been made to fix the disconnect I've heard be commonly felt while reading this book.