I think this had an interesting premise, entertaining themes, and decent representation but something that felt missing. Maybe the characters weren't fleshed out the best or the world building was lacking, but this slightly missed the mark for me.

Elodie can do no wrong and I support all her decisions. With that being said this was a fun antiheroine and I really look forward to the second book. I loved watching our two main characters team up!

4.5/5
A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
With dynamic characters, LGBTQ+ representation, romance, a dark prophecy, political intrigue, and magic tears, this book was always a guarantee to sweep readers off their feet! You will not want to miss this beautifully written fantasy story.

Elodie, the eldest daughter of the late Queen, lost her claim to the crown thanks to the decree of an old prophecy. Instead, her younger sister, 13-year-old Brianne, will take the throne and Elodie will be ousted from her life as royalty. To make matters worse, because Brianne is so young, her scheming father will be the one who truly wields the power of the Throne until she comes of age.
Sabine and her family barely scrape by, making a living selling potions and occasionally Sabine’s own tears, which have magical properties than amplify potions or magic of any kind.

Elodie and Sabine cross paths when Elodie decides to use a potion to put Brianna into an enchanted sleep, a long sleep that will ensure that when she awakens, she’ll be old enough to make her own decisions as Queen. When the administered potion goes terribly awry, Sabine and Elodie will have to join forces to protect the future of the kingdom.

The story moves at a clipped pace which kept me going chapter to chapter with ease. The end of the book sets up the next book in the series with a clear purpose in mind.

I struggled a lot with the characters and the romance aspect. I didn’t find Elodie likeable at all (a sentiment that I think was not unintentional by the author) but the other characters weren’t lovable enough to “carry the team” so to speak. Because I wasn’t getting attached to the characters and couldn’t see why they’d be interested in one another, the romance element felt like it was being *told* to me rather than shown.

One of the big reveals seemed fairly predictable to me, but the other reveals seemed to come out of nowhere without any natural progression or lead-in, so in this way it fell short for me. I feel like there is probably a sweet spot somewhere between the two ends of that spectrum and when an author can do that well it really makes a book thrilling for me.

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to LBR for an e-arc of this book!

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about this book. I enjoyed Sweet & Bitter magic, but I felt this was similar to that, it was almost like rereading the same book. The characters almost felt the same as well.

I like Elodie the best, but even then, I struggled with this book, because I wasn't loving the characters. They felt rather flat to me. I also, while liked Tooley's writing style in her previous book, struggled with it in this one. It was a very, very slow book, and by 50% I felt like nothing had really happened. I probably could have skipped to the end of the book and been fine.

The writing wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't working for me. And as I said, the pacing left a lot to be desired.

I'll probably try reading this book again at some point, maybe it's just a me thing?

I really enjoyed this book! It had great political intrigue, a super slow burn Sapphic romance, and a lot of twists and turns I didn't see coming. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was it got kind of slow in the second quarter of the book. The ending cliff hanger also really leaves you wanting to read the second book!

3.5 stars.

I had really high hopes for this book, which was billed as an anti-heroine slowburn romance. It was... almost that? While a solid, intriguing read and a promising start to a new series, it just didn't quite reach the heights I had hoped it would.

When the fabled New Maiden, third daughter of a third daughter, is born to the Queen of Velle, all rejoice in their coming salvation. All except for Elodie, the eldest daughter, who has lost her birthright claim to the throne and knows that her younger sister's coronation will only lead to the empowerment of the Chaplain and his church. To protect her country and its people, Elodie purchases a sleeping potion from Sabine, whose tears have magical properties. But a mistake sends her away with a potion that puts Elodie's sister into a sleep that she cannot be woken from, forcing the two young women to work together for the sake of their families and their country.

First of all, the political intrigue woven into this story is top notch. It was so much fun watching Elodie and her family navigate the court both before and after the Chaplain and his people took hold of it, and all of the manoeuvrings that were required of all of the players in this game. Elodie is written as a smart, capable young woman put into a miserable situation, and in that way every single action she takes is believable. Her siblings are equally likeable, and it's great to see their bond and how it develops throughout the story. While Sabine is equally admirable as the second lead, unenviable in her position as the one whose literal sadness earns her family the money they need to survive in the poorer districts of Velle, her family never gets the same development to make them worth caring about as a reader. I believed that Sabine cared about them, but they never seemed particularly redeemable. I also wasn't quite sold yet on the relationship between Elodie and Sabine, but I'm hoping that the second book convinces me more.

The mythology itself is also fascinating, if at times a little muddled-feeling. The idea of a Maiden who would be reborn to bring salvation to the world is easy enough to follow, but it became difficult at times to piece all of it together with the different parts of the plot coherently - especially with the introduction of a second piece of the mythos introduced near the ending and how this played into the Big Bad's plan (or not).

And, genuinely, my biggest disappointment was the ending. It all felt SO clean and tidied up so quickly, the cliffhanger aside. The Big Bad just... stepped aside? That was it after all of that? So much story was spent for so little payoff before a new problem was introduced that was only tangentially related.

The Third Daughter shows significant promise and I'm hyped to see what Tooley does in the follow up story, but sadly I think it just didn't hit quite the right notes for me this time around.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

Once again my sapphic fantasy queen Adrienne Tooley has delivered. This book had two main shining features: the characters and the magic. I loved the characters in this. Tooley’s books always have these great characters who are supposed to be “difficult” or “unlikeable” to others but as a reader we find them to to be complex and sympathetic and are rooting for them the entire time. Within the first few pages of this reading about Elodie’s harsh honesty and ruthless ambition I knew I was going to love her. The magic in this was so unique and honestly really spoke to me. Often when reading about magic and emotion in fantasy the main example used seems to be anger, and channeling that anger into something, but this uses the magic of Sabine’s depression and sadness. It was handled so well, and there were a few parts that were difficult to read because I felt them so deeply. I really loved this and I can’t wait to read more.

ARC provided by NetGalley

I liked this book a lot. The premise was really interesting and it had a strong start with two POVs (something I always enjoy). I liked the theme of First, Second, etc. that was repeated throughout the world building as well as the idea of the relationship between the Church and the Crown.

I had a bit of an issue with the middle of the story. I got to about 60% and pretty much nothing had happened. There wasn’t really a “villain” yet and our main characters hadn’t accomplished much of anything.

But, the book was saved by the last 25%. The story really picked up and some interesting twists were thrown in there. I’d definitely read the second book in this series (IYKYK 😂).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 Stars

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley, Adrienne Tooley, and the Publisher for providing me with an arc to read and review.

I was very interested in this book since it had been announced I am always looking for more queer fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I really enjoyed everything from the magic to the corrupt religion to the relationships.

This book follows Elodie, the first born daughter to the queen in the kingdom of Velle. For the first few years of her life she was raised to rule but when her sister was born and proclaimed the New Maiden as she was the third daughter of a third daughter her right to rule was taken from her but she still expects to be able to help her sister rule. But when her mother dies before her sister comes of age she has to fight for her right to assist her sister’s new rule against the corrupt religion in this world. Sabine has always been different, her magic is unknown and her family barely trusts her existence. When Sabine accidentally loses her family’s last hope of making it out of debt she has to team up with Elodie to fix her mistake.

I went into this book not really knowing much and I highly recommend that because there are so many fun twists and turns that keep you wanting more. I can’t wait to learn more about the world in book 2. I also can’t wait to see more of Sabine’s magic as it is so intriguing.

I highly recommend this is you are wanting to read the start of a new series that has magic, corrupt religion, and many queer characters.

I really thought this book was soild. I think i liked the second half of the book i a bit more then the fist half. This book was packed with poltical eleements and also a ton of twists and turns. This story had duel POV and also so much poltical drama this is the start of a series and had a a slow burn lbgtq+ romance and this book was really good!! I am def excited for book 2!!

Thank you, Netgalley and Little Brown for the review copy of this amazing book.

I have been clamoring for this book since its announcement. I'm drawn to simple world-building and royalty stories that don't expand outside the city walls. I feel safe in those stories. Throw in a bit of political intrigue (nothing too complicated) and I'm sold. But the thing that stuck out about The Third Daughter was the subtle romance.

Elodie reminded me of Eloise Bridgerton right off the bat. She's snarky, fierce and tends to wear her emotions on her sleeve. If she's not happy, you're going to know it. When her 13 yo sister is crowned queen, she goes into protective mode right away. The Church is sketchy and she fears they're going to use Brianne. She concocts a plan to put her sister to sleep to spare her the pain of being under the Church's watchful eye until she'd old enough, but the plan goes awry when the potion gets mixed up. Elodie seeks out the apothecary who gave her the brew by accident, Sabine.

Sabine doesn't live the lavish life Elodie lives, but her tears are magic and they pay the bills. But losing the brews to Elodie that fateful night causes issues of her own. Unable to pay rent, her sister offers herself up at a gambling den. Sabine must find a way to pay the debt and that's when Elodie enters the chat.

The dynamic between Sabine and Elodie is great. From opposite sides of the track, they both have a strong sense of familial duty. They're both reeling from the absence of their sisters and trying to find their way in the world. The stakes feel high throughout the book and the pacing is great.

I can't think of a thing I didn't love about this book. I can't wait for book two!

3.5 stars

The Third Daughter is a fast-paced, quick read that immediately pulled me in with its sense of urgency and problem to be solved. Although I had a ton of questions, I thought the beginning was extremely well written and I enjoyed getting to know both Elodie and Sabine. However, the book ultimately fell flat for me as the plot progressed.

Things I liked:
- Sabine’s magic and the exploration of the manifestation of her depression
- LGBTQIA+ representation including F/F relationship between main characters
- The portrayal of the clergy and the dynamic between crown and church
- The prophecy of the New Maiden was highly original and creative

Things I think need to be fleshed out more:
- The general world building - I had trouble getting a sense of Velle’s place within the world, the conscriptions, the other kingdoms, the general struggles of Velle beyond the poor in Harborside
- The New Maiden - her prophecy and return. This was my biggest complaint. We only learn about her through scripture which doesn’t really present a good picture of the miracles she worked, why she left, and why she was destined to return
- The Second Son - same as above. This felt like it came out of nowhere to me because we didn’t have a good sense of The New Maiden and her “Favoreds” to begin with.
- The Queen’s death - I still have a lot of lingering questions about this and felt like there needed to be more explanation or speculation about the cause.
- The Warnou/Anders siblings - with the focus almost entirely on Elodie and Sabine, there was little done in providing any sort of characterization for anyone else and I think additional side characters would have helped round out the plot.

Overall, this was an engaging read and I’m curious to see how the points I mentioned are handled in The Second Son.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers/Christy Ottaviano Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This was written so beautifully. You can feel the emotion poured into every sentence. I felt immersed. There was some representation for depression and well its not every person's experience. It felt important. It does something I really liked in His Dark Materials series. It discusses the effects of religion when warped.

I really love Adrienne Tooley's writing, and The Third Daughter was no exception to that. She crafts a dire and situation in a beautiful world, and the story she takes you on is one you're likely mot quite ready for.

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley is a delightful YA Fantasy. This was my first novel by Adrienne, and I really enjoyed it,.even with a little bit of lack of depth in some areas but not enough that I wouldn't highly recommend it.

This story starts with two POVs running parallel till they interact with Elodie, the first Princess, and Sabine, a common-born who has some skills as an apothecary, and both have some hidden secrets from the world and each other. Both are battling events in their lives that bring them to this point and heavy weight on their shoulders.

This does have sapphic elements to it, but I would not consider this a romance but having a very light dusting of a possible romance, but this feels like a book one, and we will get more from future novels.




Themes/Tropes: Political intrigue, Princess/common-born, Exes, Bad family dynamics, slow burn, light/dark

Adrienne Tooley tends to write "cozy fantasies" and I have really enjoyed both of her previous novels. However, The Third Daughter feels like an attempt to develop a more epic fantasy series, but without the world building to back it up. Lack of world building was fine in her more low-stakes works, but in this book, it just made everything overly simplistic and less engaging. While I loved all of her other protagonists and love interests, I didn't much care for Elodie or Sabine. I also would have appreciated a little more context for Sabine's magical abilities as well as the magic system of the world as a whole. 2.5/5 stars.

I loved this book!!!! The political intrigue was absolutely cool and the very soft sapphic romance was the best 😭

The world building and character journeys were amazing, and the I was freaking out about the twists and turns and betrayals at the end 😭 I had a lot of fun tabbing this book, I started off with light pink tabs and progressively moved to darker colors ending with a dark maroon in accordance with the vibes of the book 🥲

The ending was satisfying and it opened up a huge new plotline for book 2, I can't wait to read it!

-- ty to the author and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy at yallwest and via Netgalley!

I wasn't really paying that much attention to the relationship with the clergy but never the less I did like the part the tension played in the story. The sapphic relationship is VERY slow burn, it was like molasses. But I did very much enjoy the mental health aspect, wonderful depiction to depression and not wanting to be here anymore. I felt for both Elodie and Sabine but emotionally wise I resonated with Sabine more due to her mental issues and her being her family's only way of making money, so much pressure on her shoulders. I did like Elodie's parts in the story, I enjoyed that the aspect that the clergy wasn't just one villain but the church as a whole. I have read other books where it was royalty vs. church: who has more power over the people in the kingdom, those kinds of books while those parts didn't really gather my full attention, I did enjoy how well written they were as well as the planning and the detail of the various storylines including the church and the royal blood. I love Elodie's family dynamic, I wish we got to read more about each of the siblings father's but with the way it ending "maybe" there's a sequel in the works? Who knows.