I'd forgotten I can enjoy this genre. It's been a while.
At times, I wondered why I kept reading, but in truth I came to like the characters.

Five daughters. Five very different women who have to come together in order to deal with their father’s grave illness and possible death. You guys know me by now. I loves me a book that focuses on women and their lives. Add in some fantasy elements and this is a slam dunk for me right? I’m not quite sure.

I have a certain amount of respect for Bluebell. She is a strong woman, with a sense of loyalty and duty which I can admire. Her sister Ash is also somewhat endearing. She is lost in her magic and afraid to admit to her power. However, I have trouble feeling anything for the other women in the story. They are by turns, lusty, selfish and deluded. The book left me feeling disappointed. There was a little too much sex, but not enough love. These girls haven’t much love for one another, for their father, for their children or for their lovers. It makes sympathizing with them difficult. I have to think though. Should I require these women to be lovable? Isn’t it enough that they are individual and unique? They don’t all have to act in ways I think are acceptable, I’d rather they should be themselves, and goodness knows sometimes we are all un-likeable. I can deal with that.

One issue I have with the book is that some of the plot resolutions come a trifle too easily. A character is in a perilous situation and a magical creature appears, saves her, throws some prophecy into the wind and rides away. It was a little too convenient. I think that the problem is the book suffers from middle book syndrome. But this is a first book you say?! Yes, that’s true. I just think that this is a story and character’s who are decidedly on the road to somewhere else. That can be frustrating for an observer. We like a beginning, middle and end, but those aren’t to be found here. This is going to be a lengthy journey. I think some of these abrupt resolutions will get a call back later and things that bother me right now will likely make more sense when I get to the end.

For now though, it is goodbye Yellow Brick Road. These girls are definitely going places, but it won’t be pretty and they won’t always be nice. While I do have trouble deciding how I feel about this first book right now, this is a story I can get behind. I’m just going to have to keep reading.

Song for this book: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John

Well, I really liked the betrayal in this. At first I thought there were too many sisters and too many POV’s. The warrior, the romantic, the seer, the flirt, and the crazy. They each had their distinct personalities, but I couldn’t connect with most of them. I actuallu liked “the villain” Wylm the best, and sweet Eni. I felt so bad for little Eni! I am anxious to see where the next book is going to go. Bluebell definitely gave me Xena vibes!

Pub date: Mar 2018
A really good high fantasy featuring 5 very different sisters, whose father, the king, has fallen ill. Their own motivations and desires come into focus as Bluebell, the heir, races to find a cure. It was a great set up for the rest of the coming series with magic, religion, and sacrifice coming into play. I can't wait for the second, since this book was somewhat depressing with the strife and selfishness, and I'm hoping that in the second we'll see the sister's characters made stronger. I realize that I'd read Ms. Wilkins before; I also recommend her book Giants of the Frost, a contemporary/Norse mythology fantasy,

I feel like I gave this an honest shot, but none of this was connecting for me. I didn't find myself invested in anything happening 20% in, and I need a lot more from YA-adjacent fantasy these days than this. Nothing terribly new or revolutionary here, so I'm bailing.

This was not the book I thought it would be. I say that only to say it was much (MUCH) better than expected! All of the sisters have their own ways, their own powers, so to speak, and they are entirely realistic in that some aspects of them I adored, and some I loathed, but they all got under my skin. Bluebell, the obvious, was my favorite. She is fierce, she is devoted, she is single-mindedly loyal to her kingdom. But all of them have a true passion.

The secondary characters are not shadows, either. They breathe, they live. Heath, Gudrun, Wylm and Rowan - while they aren't quite solid, they're real enough that you remember them.

The plot was great - twisty and turny and it all came together in the right ways at the right points, in ways I didn't always foresee.

I'll look forward to her next books!

Five sisters are brought back together after their father, the king, is stricken by a mysterious illness and they must try to save him. Bluebell is a military leader and is next in line for the throne. Rose was married to the king of a neighboring kingdom to bring peace, but she herself is anything but at peace with her situation. The younger twins Ivy and Willow were brought up far from their older sisters by an uncle. Ivy wants only to be admired by men and Willow who lives for her devotion to her religion. Finally, Ash who is to be a healer/nun of sorts, but has discovered a gift that might endanger her family.

The quest has moments of greatness, but others I just plodded through. The voices of each of the sisters are well done, but it was a bit too much for me to be constantly jumping from one to the next. Ivy especially felt a bit unrealistic in her behavior and actions. Overall, an interesting read, but I doubt I will stick around for the second book.

Couldn't get into this one, so I didn't finish it. It just wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.