I appreciate the opportunity to review. Sorry for the long delay in feedback. I'm working on clearing out my Netgalley backlog. I am DNF'ing all books that just don't work within the first 50-100 pages. Trying to find the joy in reading again by going through the hundreds of abandoned books here.

Just couldn't really connect with the characters and this story unfortunately. This became a DNF for me. Normally I don't rate DNF's but seeing it's mandatory on here, I gave it a 1 star. But I always encourage people to pick up the book, regardless of my rating and DNF'ing like this one, because everyone experience books differently so if it 'speaks' to you, definitely pick it up! Maybe it just wasn't the right time or mood for me when starting this one.

Couldn't really get into this one but it was generally a quick read. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre and is looking for a short read.

Book Review
Title: Heir of Illaria (Illaria #1)
Author: Dyan Chick
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Rating: *****
Review: I have heard about this series for a while but never picked it up, after reading the intriguing synopsis and I decided now was the time. The opening to Heir of Illaria was amazing and definitely opens the novel with a bang. We are introduced to our protagonist Wilona, who lives with her grandmother believing that her parents are dead and all she has left is an Ouroboros necklace which she is instructed to keep hidden at all times. One night she is out picking berries when she is cornered by two guards who serve the necromancer King, but nothing comes of this until she returns home. She informs her grandmother about the guards and she is going to tell Wilona something when they are attacked by royal guards but a woman appears and fights off the guards. She introduces herself as Saffron and she wears a bracelet identical to Wilona’s necklace and is going to get her to safety and I have a feeling she is from the White Ravens, the organisation the guard mentioned.
After escaping with Saffron they end up at a safe house which is the home of Lady Genevieve. It is here that Saffron explains that Wilona is the daughter of King Augustus who was overthrown by the current King and the White Ravens have been protecting her since the death of her parents. She goes on to explain that her grandmother wasn’t her grandmother but her governess and that her real name is Elisabetta, although her parents called her Etta. Wilona can she herself in the tapestry of her father in his final battle and Saffron also tells her as long as the necromancer King is in power she is a danger to him and a price will be on her head, in order to prepare her for what is to come they need help. I’d like to note here that Wilona/Etta’s reactions during this are very realistic as they bounce back and forth between determination, grief, numbness, and helplessness which is how most of us would react in the same situation.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Saffron and Wilona spend three days with Lady Genevieve and in these three days Wilona gets a crash course on being a Princess, learning everything from how to walk and eat correctly to interacting with other royals for the sole purpose of securing the White Ravens more allies in the inevitable battle that is to come with the necromancer King. When they leave Lady Genevieve’s home they are heading for another friend’s home Sir Henry to teach Wilona diplomacy before heading to meet with the Ravens themselves. Wilona also learns about different people within the Ravens and the lengths the King will go to in order to be unchallenged and Wilona is a threat he can’t afford. With Sir Henry, Wilona begins learning more and more about the political side of being a royal but she has made it clear that she doesn’t want to be a leader and she suspects the Ravens might be planning to marry her off which she isn’t ready for. But before that she learns she is going to meet with the Kings of Sardinia and Gallia to try and secure alliance with them which she doesn’t feel prepared for but she doesn’t have a choice. Gallia is also where her mother was born and her ‘grandmother’ taught her the language of that country meaning that might be the easier visit. However, I have a feeling that Wilona is going to struggle with the fact she has to be Princess Etta all the time now but that person just doesn’t feel right to her whereas Wilona does.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Wilona and Saffron are preparing to leave Sir Henry and he warns Wilona not to trust anyone and to rely on only herself and this message comes back to her when she enters to home of the White Ravens. She meets their leader Max, who claims to be her brother although he was born before their parents were married meaning he isn’t eligible to take the throne but I have a feeling that is who the Ravens are aiming to rule the Kingdom not Etta. Max is also a member of the Order of the Dragon, meaning he is a sorcerer who can control fire, the only thing that can hold off the Reapers and he is in a secret relationship with Saffron. Etta immediately doesn’t warn to Max and has a bad feeling about him although she pushes it to the back of her mind because she is exhausted but already we can see members of the community wanting to defer to her because she is the true heir. Ashton is another sorcerer who is chosen to be her guide around the camp and she isn’t dislikes him because of his attitude but when Max tests her for aptitude in magic and she passes Ashton is designated to train her as Max can’t be around her long without getting frustrated. Over the next couple of days Etta learns both she and Max will be in political marriages which she doesn’t want and I have a feeling Etta is going to forge alliances without offering herself as a prize and somehow surpass Max in her mastery of magic or raw ability.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Etta is trying to find out which element her magic aligns with as both Max and Ashton’s magic aligns with fire but she is struggling. Ashton tells her adults find it hard but after a few drinks it is easier so he sneaks her out for a drink where they learn her magic is aligned with water but they attacked. Ashton uses his magic to protect her but Max isn’t happy and basically tells her she has no business learning to fight as they are going to marry her off as soon as they can and the next day to heads out to try and set up an engagement. However, in the five days he is away Saffron agrees to train her and she manages to learn she shares her father’s natural ability in archery and knife throwing. Etta begins training but it is revealed that there is a traitor inside the Ravens and Reapers attack the camp but between her and Ashton they get rid of them, although I believe it was more Etta as she unleashes a large burst of magic. Her brother tells her that she is going to be moved for three weeks before heading to Sardinia where she will marry the Prince so she can’t get involved with Ashton despite the fact she is falling in love with him but I have the feeling she isn’t going to do what her brother wants. Master Edwards tells her that the necklace she carries marks her as the true heir as does her magic as the last person to wear that seal was her great-grandfather who was also the last water sorcerer.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Etta is being sent to the sorcerer trials with Saffron and Ashton as it protected by many magical enchantments so Etta should be safe there. However, before they even get there another group of Reapers attacks them and together Ashton and Etta fight them off. After arriving at the trials Etta meet Ashton’s friend Celeste and is instantly jealous of her but this is overshadowed when she meets Master Flanders whose own ability lets him see what element other sorcerers are aligned with. He tells her magic is actually called artic fire and it is extremely rare as water sorcerers are the rarest of all. In fact, the only family known to have a water sorcerer in every generation was the royal family, the same one Etta came from. He also offers to help her control her magic so she is less likely to pass out after using it. During her training session with Master Flanders he tells her that she is stronger than her brother and he should be afraid, coupled with her dreams of being Queen of Illaria, Etta has decided she isn’t going to marry the Prince Max arranged for her but she is going to fight with her own power and marry for love just like her parents.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the trials are attacked and at first everyone wants to get Etta out of there but knowing her power is stronger than her brother she is determined to stay and fight and it is her magic that turns the tide of the battle with her lightning strikes. However, people still die in the encounter and afterwards Master Flanders takes Etta and Saffron to a safe place to tell Saffron that Max shouldn’t take the throne but Etta as her water alignment means that she is the only one that can stop the Darkness. The Darkness is seen as a fairytale but older people like Master Flanders remember the signs of the Darkness coming and it is beginning again and Saffron has to agree that she is better to take the throne than Max but this may be fuelled by her feelings for him as he would be able to marry her if Etta was Queen. Etta’s plan comes full circle when the Prince calls off their engagement as he has married in secret as their Kingdom has allied with the necromancer King, which makes Max furious and he is even more angry when Etta reveals she can create artic fire the only thing that can stop the Reapers. A new plan is forged for them to attack the King while he thinks they are weak and to show them that the true heir to the Kingdom is unafraid. After some training she is able to control her artic fire and produce it a lot quicker than before and she also has numerous other spells in her arsenal now she is officially Master Flanders apprentice and finally the day has arrived for the plan to be carried out.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, Etta realises that Max has lied to her and quickly returns to join the battle at a critical moment when no one else can use their magic. Etta gets rid of all the Reapers and the King makes an appearance asking Etta to join him for dinner at his castle even offering her to bring a guest but not her brother. When she recounts the battle she declares she is taking Ashton to the dinner where they learn the truth about Max and his heritage, the king offers Etta to rule at his side but she refuses knowing now she is going to claim the throne for herself as it rightfully is. When they return she confronts Max who confirms what the King told her but he won’t work with her as he wants the throne for himself and take his few followers with him but over a hundred more as their to support their Queen. Overall, Heir of Illaria was a rollercoaster journey and I honestly can’t wait to read the rest of the series as soon as I can.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I read this book in one sitting because I could not put the book down, I highly recommend reading this book!

Was never able to download book therefore unable to review. I don't think I ever even saw that I was approved before it was archived

Interesting concept and a nice fantasy world! I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. It was slow at first but then it.picked up. I am curious about the nasty boom!

This was a well-written fantasy, but chock-full of tropes. Some I like, some I don't, and I can't say if I enjoyed this or not.

As soon as I started this book I knew it was going to just be a mash up of all of the possible YA tropes: chosen one, lost princess, supernatural powers, most rare power in the world, instant mastery of said power with 3 days training, instant affinity with knife throwing and bow and arrow, hate to love trope which is also a forbidden romance, insta-love pretty much. Uuuuugh. Just thank gosh it was a quick read. For someone who doesn't read much YA, this would be a good read, but for me, a seasoned experience YA reader, this just didn't fit the bill. I'll still finish off the trilogy, as I have them, but no promises..

This was a fun fantasy novel! I enjoyed it! It was one of those novels that you read and once you start you don't put down. The main characters were so great, had great depth and were so full of personality it was hard to not like them and want the best for them I know it followed a well used plot in fantasy, where a young girl finds out about her past and goes on an adventure to save the world or something along that line; but I think this novel made it it's own and made the book unique and interesting! I never mind this trope, so I am always happy to see what each author does with it. I did wish it had more about her training as a sorceress because that was really interesting but overall I enjoyed this book a lot! Highly highly recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy! You'll like this novel I know it!

Heir of Illaria might hold the record for the longest time it's ever taken for me to finish a book. It's taken me almost a year of picking it up and putting it down and picking it up again to finally get through it. Despite the fact that something was constantly happening within the story, it failed to capture my full attention. The story follows a seventeen year old girl named Wilona who's grown up leading a normal life, but finds out she's actually royalty after an encounter with the king's soldiers. She joins forces with a resistance group called the White Ravens, and sets off on an adventure to defeat the necromancer king. I like Wilona--I thought she was well written and we could clearly see her development from the beginning of the novel to the end. She starts off very weak and afraid to speak up for herself, but grows into a strong, confident woman. Her romance with Ashton fell kind of flat for me--I felt that Ashton didn't have nearly enough character development, and that there was a little bit on insta-love between them. The story as a whole wasn't bad, but it was predictable. There's only so many different ways you can write a story where the main character finds out they're royalty, and I just felt like I've already read something like The Heir of Illaria before. Overall The Heir of Illaria by Dyan Chick isn't bad, but it isn't anything revolutionary. I will recommend it to fans of YA fantasy who enjoy this kind of unknown royalty story, but it isn't anything I'd write home about.

Thanks so much to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of Heir of Illaria via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I think I spent more time rolling my eyes than actually reading this book. It was very reductive; predictable characters, predictable plot, predictable fantasy and chosen one tropes, predictable romance, even predictable twists. The characters were flat and two-dimensional, as if they were just stock characters. We got a lot of telling and almost no showing; for example, the main character is told to not trust anyone except her instincts and so she repeats this to herself almost every time she interacts with someone and then decides to follow it or disregard it with no evidence. Wilona is continuously being told that she is more powerful than they could imagine and we see her struggle a little bit, but she always pulls through at the end. We do not even get to learn about the most interesting part of the magic, the Necromancer King and his undead army.

I might have enjoyed this if I were younger, the plot is easy to follow and the characters are not very complicated.
What I liked:

-The magic was interesting, but nothing really special. Very elemental which foreshadowed much of what would happen later on.

What I didn’t like:

-UHM. So, spoiler alert, Wilona is actually a long-lost princess, which means she now has to go through princess training. Part of this training includes geography because as a princess she now has to contend with different kingdoms. HOMEGIRL had the AUDACITY to say that princess training is the only reason why she would have wanted to learn about different cultures and that without being forced to, she would not have been interested and was in fact afraid and concerned about people who looked and dressed differently. No one corrected her. I understand that obviously peasants in a totalitarian regime would not have a reason to care or learn about different cultures, but it is dangerous to write about it this way for young and impressionable modern readers. Her curiosity is important, being curious and empathetic about others is the first step to fighting xenophobia. But you cannot make such bold statements about the only reason anyone should care is if you’re making decisions in the middle of war.

-There was also so much misogyny. I almost put the book down after one of the very first scenes where they make a big deal about girls not being able to fight. While it is true that a lot of people believe that, it is also important that young girls are taught that this isn’t correct. Time and time again, even the people who were supposedly on her side, kept telling her she needed to hide because girls couldn’t really learn how to fight or couldn’t keep up. Even the romances had a strong side of misogyny which just left me feeling yucky. I don’t like when all girls are put down for the sake of one who is “not like other girls” and for female empowerment to happen only to one without addressing widespread issues. [Speaking of, maybe I should have been keeping track of how many times she was told she was special and not like other girls, or not like other people. I get it, she’s a good person, stop telling us and show us instead!]

-The characters didn’t have real motives. The strongest motives: powerlust, not dying. That’s it.

A fun read with a lot of adventure. It took me a while to get into this book, I originally picked it up a while ago and just ended up putting it to the side because I lost interest but recently picked it up again and was pleasantly surprised. The plot is engaging and the characters are likeable - nothing really stood out to me but I enjoyed myself nonetheless.

https://thebewitchedreader.blogspot.pt/2018/01/review-heir-of-illaria-illaria-1-by.html
*The publisher provided this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.*
What fate could be worse than death? In Illaria, the Necromancer King takes over the bodies of his dead enemies, forcing them to slavery. This is a kind of dark sorcery, fitting to his cruel and dark personality.
Wilona has lived her whole life with her seamstress grandmother in a small town, never suspecting that her fate was far greater than she could have ever imagined. One day, the king's soldiers appear and kill her grandmother, who begs Wilona to flee. With the help of a mysterious saviour, Wilona is able to escape, but her grandmother still dies.
With her life in shambles, Wilona is introduced to the White Ravens, a rebel group against the evil king. Still, she doesn't understand why the guards were trying to kill her. Soon enough, Wilona learns that she is, in fact, the daughter of the previous king, who was murdered by his brother. She was sent into hiding with a servant to protect her life and, when her parents were killed, there she stayed.
Now, Wilona has to assume her role as the heir of a country at war as well as develop the magical skills she never knew she had.
Wilona's journey is a very powerful one. Never had I thought, going into this book, that the story would be so captivating. This is the tale of a strong girl that, after realising her whole life was a lie, still had the strength to push forward, be brave and set an example for every young adult out in the world.
A storyline that makes supporting characters shine is also something that makes this book stand out from others in the same genre. Even the smallest character has something important, strength is built trough unity and training. There are also values of sacrificing yourself for others and how family ties are not always what they seem, sometimes, a feeling is more important than blood. By the end, I start seeing signs of how envy and anger can destroy a person.
With fantastical adventures and peril, this is certainly a book that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat, making his heart beat faster at every second. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be as confused as Wilona sometimes. Because of this, I advise this book to everyone, since I believe it contains a little bit of everything.

https://thebewitchedreader.blogspot.pt/2018/01/review-heir-of-illaria-illaria-1-by.html

I DNFed this book. The writing was shaky and I lost interest in the book about 30% through.

This book was sadly a disappointing read. Perhaps I had hyped it up in my own mind as something else so by the time I got around to it I found myself dissatisfied with the actual book itself. Still, this book needs, at the very least, a bit more editing work. One more revision would probably do the trick.

*Copy of this book provided by net galley in exchange for an honest review.*

Maybe one of the worst book I read this year.
I hate everything, the setting, the characters, the plot who look like the first draft of a book..
I really can't stand the main character who didn't do anything during all the book, she simply watch things happens to her for forget of them few lines later.
I'm sorry but I really can't say anything of good about this.. Maybe with lot of work and a total rewritten it could improve..

I absolutely loved this book! It was everything you can ask for in a fantasy young adult novel! It's medieval times with sorcerers and a girl who never knew she was royalty but was thrown into it. There's romance, battles and suspense. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

Wilona is 17 years old living in a small village. She has been raised by her grandmother and never really had any friends. She's been sheltered her whole life. She helped her grandmother with her job as a seamstress but was also taught to read, write and the Gallic language.

The only thing she had from her parents was a pendant she wore hidden under her dress around her neck. It wasn't until the day her grandmother was murdered did she find out what it actually meant.

Now she find out her true name and is drawn into a world of sorcery, all the while wishing she could go back to the cottage she shared with her grandmother. That can never happen.

An evil sorcerer is the king of Illaria but he isn't meant to sit on that throne. Wilona is only at the beginning of her journey and self-discovery.

This book was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher for a fair and honest review.

The first thing I noticed was how quickly I was going through the events. Here she is in the woods, here is a battle and then she is taken away, and all of that just in a mere 5% of the book (sadly Kindle doesn’t offer page count).

Fast-paced books are amazing, they keep you constantly on the edge of your seat. BUT! Too much is never the approach and it felt more like the author was rushing through plot checkpoints to meet the word count, without giving us any breathing room.

The next nose-wrinkly moment was the introduction of the Princess Diaries. A peasant girl suddenly has to learn how to walk, talk, sit and eat like a lady. The Kingdom is under a big threat, but it is always important to learn lady-like etiquette in a very short period of time. And of course, what lady doesn’t know her history and geography.

Because everything was happening so quickly, these Princess Diary moments felt absolutely unnecessary and quite silly, considering the evil that was threatening the Kingdom.

Another aspect that bothered me quite a lot was how quickly Wilona learnt some of the skills. Some effort and hard work would have been nice to see.

And finally, the main flaw for me was poor execution of main villains of the story. I can’t call them villains when I don’t even feel anything towards them. These are the characters I was supposed to loathe with my whole heart, instead I felt absolutely indifferent.

Heir of Illaria is the first installment of the Illaria young adult fantasy series. This book is told from the point of view of Wilona, a young orphaned girl raised by her grandmother who spends the story unlocking the secrets of her past and understand the role she plays in the war with the necromancer king as a long lost princess of a line of powerful sorcerers. This book sounded like it had a lot of promise, but I felt the delivery fell short. There were so many opportunities for the author to develop the characters better or enhance the world building that I just felt were not grasped. There were parts of the book that were slow and predictable. The book also contained your classic young adult insta love elements. The last 15% or so of the book finally picked up some, but unfortunately wasn't enough for me to make up for the rest of the story.