I want to thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley.

The book is about a prophecy that the New Maiden will be reborn as a third daughter of a third daughter. The New Maiden is the princess of Velle and Elodie the oldest daughter has lost her claim to the throne. On the night of Brianne's coronation, Elodie goes to the market and encounters Sabine who sells her a sleeping potion but what she really gets is a bottle of Sabine's tears which hold powerful magic. Elodie gives the potion to Brianne and the young girl is put into a sleep that she cannot wake from. Elodie goes back to Sabine for help to revive her sister and to save the kingdom.

First off this book is beautifully written. There is so much emotion on every page that a reader cannot help but become immersed in it. One cannot help but be emotionally vulnerable while reading this book. Sabine's darkness is depicted realistically like depression: she doesn't want to get out of bed, she feels helpless and useless to her family. These are things that are not usually found in fantasy novels and it was refreshing to see it done in such a careful manner.

This does go into how dangerous religion can be in the wrong hands as depicted by the Chaplain who also happens to be the father of Brianne the New Maiden. Brianne is a naive young woman who is crowned queen after her mother passes. Instead of making her older sister Elodie her Queen Regent she appoints her father who has been using his daughter for his own gains.

The relationship brewing between Elodie and Sabine is a slow burn but in the good way. There are slow burns which are infuriating and then there are ones like the Third Daughter where the build up progresses the story along.

There are many twist and turns and ending with a cliffhanger! Ugh, it makes me want the next book now. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend if you love a book with good prose, excellent world building, and relatable characters.

I liked this a lot! I find Tooley's writing style to be very readable, which makes her books quicker reads than you would expect of a long YA fantasy. I'll definitely read the sequel!