I was going through my old kindle looking at stuff I hadn't read yet trying to work out what I wanted to carry over onto my new one so was reading a few chapters of everything to get a feel and sadly this just didn't hook me. My reading tastes have changed and this no longer fits.

Well written but ultimately not the right story for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters at time but overall intriguing.

I requested this title back before my blogging break. I have ended up with a number of titles that are overwhelming to catch up on now I am back from my blogging break. I am regretfully not going to be reading and reviewing this title, but now I am back from my blogging break, I am looking forward to reading and reviewing some of your future titles. Thank you so much for the opportunity and apologies.

DNF

Liked the start, but after 150 pages, I didn't feel a connection to the characters or the plot. Heist fiction may not be for me as a general rule.

The formatting of this book didn’t work so I cannot review it unfortunately. I’ve given a neutral rating in this case.

I really tried to read this book with an open mind and get through it, but try as I might, I was never able to fully immerse myself in the plot. I was so looking forward to reading this, so I was rather disappointed that it did not live up to my expectations. I'm sure some would really enjoy this book, but for me it just didn't cut it.

This was well written and parts I really enjoyed but overall there was just something missing for me and I didn't connect with it as much as I had hoped I would. But I will keep an eye out for more from this author as the writing style worked.

Honestly, I was drawn in to Beneath the Citadel initially by the cover. I mean, it's super stunning and super creepy so how could you not want to read it?! I really enjoyed the story and will absolutely be checking out more books by Destiny Soria in the future!

Beneath the Citadel was a suspenseful, immersive, and evocatively written fantasy novel. The worldbuilding and the magic were interesting and intricate with plenty of visual/sensory descriptions to aid the imagination. The multiple points of view were well developed and executed, and I liked the intermittent flashback chapters that added background and depth to the story. Each of the main characters was distinct and likable, flaws and all, and having a diverse cast where the story wasn't about their oppression and their existence was normalized was refreshing. The antagonists of the story had their own development as well, creating some moral complexity. There were several twists and surprises in the story that kept me guessing and wondering at how the team would achieve their goal and what the end of their journey would look like. The ending was bittersweet but hopeful and wrapped up important loose ends while still leaving some things to the imagination, which is probably my favorite kind of ending.

Beneath the Citadel could be described as a book all about escapes. There are a lot of escape scenes in this book, which can get quite repetitive. However, the group do find new ways to save their skin, but at the back of my mind there was limited risk of them not escaping because they were so good at it. On top of this, there were a few times where the pace slowed right down because they’d been captured, but there was limited action.

In Beneath the Citadel there are multiple magic systems in play. There are the Rooks and Sentients who are born with magic skills. But there are also blood bound people, who are bound to an element to give them magic skills. These systems had their own strengths which we saw through Evander and Vesper, however there’s not a hard line of which one is better or worse in this world. Which I thought was unique in a fantasy novel as often they are pitted against one another.

I really enjoyed how in-depth the characters were. It felt kind-of breakfast club-like at times with how different the characters were, but without them leaning too much into their stereotypes. The cast is diverse as they show POC, bi, gay and ace rep, anxiety and plus-sized characters. Cassa as our main character is your typical brash rebel. She can be both ego-centric and abrasive at times, and our other characters often call her out. Newt is someone I relate to heavily due to low self-esteem that plagues his actions and decisions. Contrasting against Evander who is notably brave and ready to protect the other characters because he loves them so.

Alys stands out as one of the best written characters. She has anxiety attacks during the action of the book, which is written so well but in a way that would make it understandable to those who haven’t experienced it themselves. Alys is also fat and ace, which is woven naturally into the book without it being her entire personality, but to just genuinely give depth to her character.

A good part of the book and its character was that Cassa’s relationships with each of the other 4 main characters differed per person. The different POVs allowed us to have a connection to each of these characters too, and better understand the differences around Cassa. However, each of the four do seem very centred around Cassa, but this is discussed in the book at some length about how it’s not healthy. I didn’t enjoy that the characters had limited experiences away from Cassa at times.

An issue with the book is that our main characters don’t really understand who the real villain is. They’re rebelling against authority in the city and then fall into the plot where they come across the main antagonist, and even then they’re completely unsure what is truly going on. And truly I kept second guessing myself whilst reading it too. This is both good and bad, as it kept me on my toes, but sometimes they felt ‘rebel without a cause’.

This book is a standalone book, but I’m excited to read more from Soria because of it. Whilst this book had its issues, I think the good parts such as the character depth, magic system and world building pulled it back up.

Positives
Magic System felt unique
Characters are written in-depth
World building was well done

Negatives
Slow pacing at times
Took time to understand antagonist

The magic is legit the best thing ever about this book. I've never read Destiny Soria before this, but I will again simply because the magic element of her world-building ROCKS.

I loved Destiny’s debut, IRON CAST, so I was really excited for her foray into otherworld fantasy. Unfortunately, BENEATH THE CITADEL and I just didn’t connect. It’s one of those cases where all the pieces are there, but somehow when they’re all put together, you’re staring at the final product wondering if you screwed something in wrong.



It follows four friends and one ex-friend as they contend with the powers of the Citadel, their city’s ruling body, who has long kept the public beneath its thumb using the prophecies of its Seers. Need some land? Oh, sorry, it was prophesized that we should have it. The political implications provide interesting texture to what would otherwise have been a basic mystery. But in the end, the story as a whole falls short of its potential.





Hands off my memories, witch!


The magic is honestly the coolest thing about this book. Magical powers are rare and feared, and come in all varieties related to the mind. Seers who see true futures. Diviners who catch snippets. Rooks who steal memories. Sentients who read your truths in your features. And more ordinary people with blood bonds to elements, who can manipulate silver, gold, iron.



As with IRON CAST, Destiny shines in inventing unique kinds of magic. And for the most part she’s successful in navigating the pitfalls that always come with prophecy, by adding some ambiguity: not-so-infallible prophecies, human error, liar prophets.



The characters are also pretty solid. I actually disliked Cassa quite a bit and I found myself dreading her chapters, but that could be a personal thing; she’s got that baseless self-assurance and cockiness, despite causing real damage to her friends, that tends to rub me the wrong way.



But I liked everyone else quite a lot, and overall the cast is diverse in terms of both race and sexual orientation. There’s a cute m/m romance that felt really organic. Alys is ace and has panic attacks, which were rendered with such wonderful sensitivity and feeling. And I like Vesper, because she’s painted as a traitor but actually has really complicated motivations.





I think we just went over that


The plot is where it fell apart for me. It’s somehow both too fast and too slow at once. It begins, BAM, right after the teen rebels have been caught in their first attempt to break in to the Citadel. We get an introduction to each of them as they are on trial before the Councilors. Normally I don’t mind being thrown in in the middle, but this time it just felt like I was missing half the story. People are losing their memories? There’s a huge mystery? Cool! … but it’s already happened before you got here. Then it immediately slows down so each POV can comment on the same information. Speed up again, they’re escaping their cells and finding their way (dun dun dun) beneath the Citadel, where a revelation kicks off the main plot.



A couple things didn’t work for me. First, we have five POVs and occasional flashbacks to how each of them met each other. There’s a lot of backtracking, and also a lot of repetition, because the POVs tend to go over the same segment of time more than once with little movement ocurring. There’s also a lot of “let’s have long conversations about things we all know,” which is one of my particular hot spots. And some pieces that didn’t make sense. So many flashbacks to Cassa and Evander’s former romance, which never became important.



Finally, we’re acquainted with the Big Bad very early, so there’s very little mystery and much more running around trying to figure out who to trust, what to do, how to do it. The emotional punches landed softly, because for the most part they were expected. The ending was actually a clever, unexpected twist, but by then I was just waiting for it to be over.



Just not meant to be


Sadly, we just weren’t meant for each other. I almost DNFed a number of times, but instead forced myself through. When I notice I’ve been skimming for pages, I know a book just isn’t working for me. Which is too bad, because some of Destiny’s writing is truly beautiful, full of quotable gems, stunning descriptions, and humor. It just struck me as a book that could have used another round on the chopping block, some tightening here and cutting there. But other people really loved it, including my co-blogger Whitley, so if the synopsis appeals to you, definitely give it a try!

I don't often abandon a book, but "Beneath the Citadel" was dropped somewhere around the midpoint - after a good, solid college try. I disliked it for the same reasons that others may enjoy it; the characters are always snappy and witty in a sort of Arrested Development kind of way, and the romance and emotions are so ON at all times that the reader is constantly getting slapped in the face with smouldering gazes, side glances, and rosy cheeks.

I personally didn't love it, but it smacks of exactly the kind of writing that a younger teen would enjoy - the entire book is a chip on a shoulder, and may appeal to some.

Beneath the Citadel starts with a great premise and I always love a heist type of story, and the audiobook narrator did a pretty good job in getting the reader into the story. The characters were interesting, unique voices and motivations which obviously made it easy to remember who's who when listening.

The downside is that once I paused the audiobook for a couple of days, I struggled to pick it up again, I literally had no motivation to want to know what will happen next, I wasn't really hooked in even if the characters and the writing were good. There was something about the plot that did not keep me keen. I am also not going to lie here... I kept on thinking of Six of crows and how it was just not like it; however, when saying that, I am not saying that they were the same, but the vibes were kinda there my brain couldn't switch that off. The fantasy elements were interesting and I liked to read about a book centred around the power of memory and the hunger for power.

Overall it was a good book, a solid 3 stars.

I have attempted to read this book for over 3 months and while I absolutely adored Soria's previous book, IRON CAST, I can't get past the 40% mark of this book.

Despite an interesting cast, I never felt any real tension or danger. The purpose of the back and forth in and out of the Citadel was unclear and I didn't understand the motives of the characters. The fact that none of this was clear by nearly halfway through the book led me to put it down several times before finally giving up on the book entirely.

While I definitely intend to read further work by this author, and I may attempt to read this one again, I cannot continue to waste time on a book that I can't get through.

As I did not finish this book, I will not be posting a review online and will refrain from posting to Goodreads until the time if/when I decide to try it again.

I loved Destiny Soria’s Iron Cast and was greatly looking forward to this book, but after finishing it… Iron Cast was better by far.

I’ve had a hard time determining if Beneath the Citadel just isn’t for me, or if it isn’t for me right now. Would I have enjoyed it more if I was in a better mood for it, or would my thoughts still be the same? Unfortunately, I have absolutely no urge to reread it to find out, but who knows? Maybe I will someday.

The novel takes place in the fictional city of Eldra, where infallible prophecies determine events and the fate of the people. The High Council rules with an iron fist, taking advantage of the gifts of rooks, diviners, seers, and sentients to prevent threats to their power. As a result, the last rebellion was crushed underfoot, leaving only their children as bitter survivors. Cassa, the daughter of rebels, seeks to expose the council’s corruption and overthrow them, and the key to doing so lies beneath the Citadel—but she and her friends have to break in and get there alive first.

Before I get more into the plot, let’s talk about my reactions to the characters.


Cassa is normally a character I like, one on a revenge quest, but she doesn’t do much for me. She’s full of anger, hatred, and conviction but waffles once it’s game time. I’m just generally bored by her and unimpressed. We spend more time with her waxing on and on about how she’s trying to live up to her legendary rebel parents than about her. I get that she feels inadequate, but she never rises from this until the end, and it was just exhausting to read about continuously.

Alys is a decent character, but I don’t feel any great care or connection to her, either. I like that she is an overweight, ace character who experiences anxiety attacks. The attacks especially are depicted excellently in how they can creep up on you and take over your entire being and state of mind.

However, not much about her weight seems to affect her overmuch, and her sexuality isn’t mentioned beyond a brief nod, so I don’t feel like good representation comes through as much as it should. I like that she is a steadfast, no-nonsense person with a tough outer shell that hides her doubts and insecurities, but as a result, she tends to stay in the background outside of her POV chapters. I wish she stood out more throughout; she feels more like an afterthought.

Newt, meanwhile, is probably the character with the most interesting past and skillset. The son of a rebel who ultimately betrayed the rebellion in exchange for comfort, Newt’s trying to make a difference. His father is the source of his hatred and suffering. He literally attacked Newt as a child to teach him to be faster, to escape from anything. Newt is extremely double-jointed, so he can bend his body in ways the average person can’t, including popping his joints out of place, squeezing in impossible spaces, and so on.

His father harshly conditioned him to be able to do this, so in exchange, Newt has a lot of built-up trauma from his childhood that he does a swell job of hiding from the others. He bandages his joints both to brace them but also because he’s terrified that one day, he’ll end up breaking himself. Otherwise, he’s a generally kind, calming person. He’s also gay and crushing hard on Evander. I’d honestly read a book just about Newt.

Evander is also okay as far as characters are concerned. I liked him better than his sister Alys because he stood out on the page more. He has a joke or wise crack for every occasion, usually to break up tension or to hide his own insecurities. He underwent tremendous pain to be bloodbonded to silver, and since he survived, he’s able to control silver at will.

It’s hard for me not to compare him to Jesper from Six of Crows, because he, too, is black, bisexual, and the flippant, long-range attacker on the team. But when all’s said and done, they are slightly different characters, and it’s perfectly within the realm of reality to have two black male characters with a sense of humor who are bisexual. I think he and Jesper would be fast friends. I do enjoy his slowburn romance with Newt, which is described enough and with the best pacing a standalone book can offer. It’s very believable as a result.

Vesper is sort of part of this group. They are friends until she betrays Cassa and the others to the Citadel, ultimately for their own good. Vesper is one I’m going back and forth on. I understand her motivations and agree with them as the book goes on, but she’s not a particularly interesting character. Like Cassa, she’s kinda just there and since she’s separate from the main cast most of the time, I don’t believe their connection to her that much, convenient flashbacks aside. The most interesting thing about her is how she’s able to use her rook ability to combat a sentient’s ability and also protect other people’s memories from being stolen. There’s not much to her personality, though.

Solan is my favorite character behind Newt who is tragically underutilized. He needed so much more page time. Solan saved me from DNF’ing this book at around 50%, if I’m being honest. Newt and Evander alone weren’t enough to carry it. I can’t give too much detail about Solan without spoiling anything, but let’s just say, he is incredibly interesting and terrifying, and the ending was super anticlimactic. He deserved better.

The hardest thing to get into, though, is the story itself. For a heist-like book, it sure does like to meander. Because of the multiple POVs, we’re in character’s heads a lot, which normally, I don’t mind. Here, though, there’s far too much repetition of information, most of which served as exposition or did nothing to compel the plot forward.

The worst culprit of this was Cassa’s POV, but nearly every character also waxes on with her about her legendary parents, about the Citadel’s grip on society, about infallible prophecies and fate versus free will. This is great information to have, but why are we still repeating it even halfway through the story? This repetition made it much more difficult to slip into this world and enjoy most of these characters and what they were doing at any given time.

Another big problem keeping the plot from really taking off is how passive to the plot all the characters are. Maybe that was deliberate because it keeps the reader wondering: Do these characters have free will, or is everything they do predetermined and commanded by prophecy? These are important questions to ponder, to be sure, but it makes for an unexciting book. There’s only so many times I can watch Cassa get caught by Citadel guards in the middle of her plans before my eyes just glaze over and I wonder, “What’s the point?”

Ironic, because that’s a question that the characters ask themselves throughout the novel. What’s the point in all our struggling if our enemies know what we’re going to do before we even do it? What’s the point in trying to make a difference? Again, excellent questions. I just wish the novel let the characters address them a bit more actively. It’s almost like, in this case, instead of the main characters being overpowered, the Citadel is, to the point where the characters can barely do anything that’s impressive or meaningful. Time to nerf these bastards.

The ending did inspire some bittersweet feelings, but, overall I’m finding I’m dissatisfied with it and by the plot, where we went with it, and how things were resolved. I kind of feel like so much of what the main crew did was pointless given what actually happened, and I’m certain I’m not supposed to feel that way. The actual writing style was fine. I just didn’t care much for the story or most of the characters.

Out today: BENEATH THE CITADEL by @thedestinysoria! This book is INCREDIBLE. The world-building is masterful — it grabs you from page one. Follow this motley crew as they use their strengths to overcome the strange corruption happening in the Citadel. There’s magic! Psychic powers! Prison breaks! Snarky attitudes! Ever-shifting suspected sources of evil! Treason! Transformations! Diversity! And so much more! Pick it up today — I guarantee you won’t regret it! .

"No one wanted to believe their mistakes were preventable. If your future was foretold, then you weren’t accountable for it."
Enjoyable standalone fantasy is something to be thankful for!

So Beneath the Citadel is an enjoyable book about a fantasy heist. Four criminals, and their maybe-ally on the inside, attempt to pull off a rebellion against the oppressive high priests ruling their city. But can they trust the allies they’ve picked?

On the whole, I thought this worked pretty well. It’s a fast paced and entertaining romp. And it works without losing structure – the book keeps clear character motivation and thus a clearly established goal.

The characters, on the whole, work. Cassa, the group’s leader, is driven to a fault, often stubborn and unable to admit her mistakes. Alys is the plus-sized and ace bisexual fortune teller of the group, quieter and occasionally insecure. Vesper was by far my favorite character: she is a girl in disguise, attempting to hide her memories and save her friends. And then there are the two final leads: Evander, Cassa’s ambitious and funny ex, and Newt, the group’s spy.

…okay, so I really really hesitate to call something derivative – that’s weird territory as a reviewer. And I actually don’t think this book, in and of itself, is a super derivative work; it distinguishes itself in both plot and character. but …. when you’re comparing your book to Six of Crows. You really cannot have a couple in the story in which one is a white gay guy who has a dead mother and a bad relationship with his father and a whole self-realization arc, and the other is a black bisexual guy who jokes to suppress his feelings, deals with nervous energy, has some past romantic tension with the lead character, and who’s special talent is that he can – I swear to god – manipulate metal. I genuinely struggled seeing these characters as something more than Jesper/Wylan fanfiction? Which might be a me thing, but there it is.

Oh god, I think I have a few extra things to say:
❤️The world building could’ve been cleared up with a map.
❤️I liked that there wasn’t much romance! One is plenty.
❤️The writing itself was quite solid.

Something else that I enjoyed about this book was the focus on quality of memory, and on the power of memory as a weapon to control society. There’s something deeply terrifying about forgetting, about not being able to fight back because you cannot remember what someone has done to you.

On the whole, this was a decent read but not a fantastic one. A solid three but not more.

This was weird and boring and honestly, the writing just did not mesh well with me, so I am not interested in writing a full length review because I do not have the energy to spend on this book.

It's rare to find a stand alone fantasy in YA these days so Beneath the Citadel makes a refreshing change. As much as I love a good series it's just so nice to pick up a book and know that you're going to get a full story with no irritating cliffhanger. What you're also going to get is a story full of diverse characters, a good amount of action (it opens with the main characters imprisoned and sentenced to death!), and a really sweet slow build romance.

This is the story of five teenagers who are working together to continue a rebellion against the city council that has subjugated their people for years. This is a world where the rich hog the resources while the poor suffer daily and they use prophecies to justify their actions. Cassa is the leader of the group, her parents were rebels who died for the cause and she is determined to live up to their legacy. Then you have her ex boyfriend Evander, who has a magical talent for manipulating silver, and his sister Alys who is a diviner who can see glimpses of the future. The final member of the group (and probably my favourite) is Newt, a contortionist and escape artist who is just looking for acceptance after being raised by an abusive father. There is also Vesper, someone who used to be Cassa's best friend but who betrayed them and is the reason they were captured in the first place.

The story is told from multiple points of view but I had no problem keeping their identities separate and enjoyed getting the chance to get to know all of the characters a bit better. The world building was good but there was a lot to learn about which did slow down the pace of the story a little in the middle but, after the explosive start, and in the build up to an action packed ending, I didn't mind the slower middle. There were plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting and the story was enjoyable throughout. I'll definitely be watching out for more from Destiny Soria in the future.