Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon ended up being a big nope for me. I wanted to love this book so much especially since it started off really promising. In the end this book ended up being very boring. It could have been a great dark and twisty tale but it just wasn't.

This one didn't draw me in in the beginning. It felt like overused tropes and settings that weren't intriguing enough to make me want to see what was going to happen with the main character.

I really loved this book <3 The writing is gorgeous and atmospheric, the world building fascinating, and the characters and their dynamics really engrossing. Looking forward to WARMAIDENS!

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

Look at that cover! Isn’t it pretty?
Unfortunately for me, that was it for me..I’ve gone though a yoyo of emotions reading this book. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t love Gravemaidens as much as I thought I would.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Tried to get into to this one but disappointingly I couldn't. The main character was nothing special, the sister was annoying and the story wasn't drawing me in.

Young maidens chosen to be entombed alive with the dead king so that they might serve him in the afterlife. A sister, raised to be a healer, that would stop at nothing to save her sister chosen to be one of these girls. As the mystery of the King illness becomes clear both sisters are in grave danger. This was an interesting enough book. I felt it dragged a little in the middle and became a little convoluted. But it brought it back in the end. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this doxology. That being said if it was going to become a longer series I would more then likely give up at the first book.

I really enjoyed he world building of this universe. The magic system was cool as well. It’s a face paced fantasy that has a mystery price to it as well, which is a nice touch.

This book was so good! I’m so sad it took me so long to get around to picking it up!

The characters were amazing. I felt they made realistic choices based on their character traits. I felt the author did a good job presenting Nanaea’s reasoning for why she was excited to be chosen for the honor of Gravemaiden. This was something early on in the book I had a hard time wrapping my brain around, how can someone be excited to die? But the author makes it very clear, you learn along side Kammani her reasons. Kammani on the other side I felt I more aligned with her opinions. She sees being a Gravemaiden as a death sentence and does everything she can to try to save her sister. Once again I felt her character was realistic, her frustrations, insecurities and love interests. She was a character I could easily see as myself. I really enjoyed learning more about her.

The world building was on point. I felt like the descriptions kept me in the world without detracting from the storyline. I never felt pulled away from the study due to over descriptions. I really enjoyed learning more about the culture and beliefs and can’t wait to learn more in Warmaidens!

Gravemaidens is a wonderfully done book.

The highlights for me were the worldbuilding and the characters.

I loved getting to see how the world worked and how corrupt it could be. Fantasy books with political/royalty drama are my favorite!

I think the characters had great growth throughout the book. Seeing them progress and wanting to stand up for themselves.

The only real negative for me with this book was the pacing. It just felt a little off in some places but obviously not enough to make me stop reading.

DNF @ 27%.

The characters and plot didn't really grab me, and as much as I tried I could not submerge myself in the story, which is a pity because I was so looking forward to an epic healers tale.

I really enjoyed the main character in Gravemaidens, I liked how her main concern and the driving force behind her decisions was keeping her family together. The book was fast-paced, felt fresh, and left me wanting the second book at the end. I would definitely call this a successful debut for Kelly Coon!

Posted on Goodreads and Indigo.ca

“A dark, delectable, and utterly unique series that readers will want to drown in.” —Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess series


The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land's greatest honor...and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave.

In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame.

When Alu's ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honor. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her.

But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is—a death sentence.


The story was very good. I loved the characters.

Oh the struggles with this book! I swear this gave me all the feels. Being the oldest of my sisters, I know the feeling of having to take over when a parent can't. Once I pushed through the first few chapters, it was a breeze. Let's have a minute to admire that cover art too. Gorg!

YA fantasy titles are an automatic must-read for me, and this one did not let me down! I don't have a sister, but the bond between sisters is one of my favorite plot points to explore, and the setting was rich!

Ooh, the magic of this one! I really enjoyed the world building, and thought the different castes of people were very interesting. I wish that could've been explored a little bit more, but it was so intriguing! The healers were so unique, although 'healers' as a whole aren't new to the fantasy genre. I also really enjoy books with sibling bonds, and this one nailed it - a sister that would go through lots for her sibling is a protagonist I can definitely get behind!!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book.

I have been anticipating this book for many months now and it did take me a while to get to it, the concept is so intriguing and unique that I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of it. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. This being said, the world is well developed and I thought that the characters were realistic, especially as far as teenagers go and the sibling relationships that are depicted.

I think that the biggest reason as to why I did not enjoy this book is because it started off so promising and then slipped into a cookie cutter-like ya novel. Our main character, Kammani, who, while a stereotypical depiction of a sixteen-year-old girl, was one of the most inconsiderate characters. This may not make sense because she is trying to save the dying king in order to 'save' her sister, but she never once considers the opinions of others and she automatically assumes that she is always right. Not only that but she jumps to conclusions that don't really even make sense. I honestly had no respect for her at the end of the book and spent really the entire book cringing at her and annoyed with her decisions and actions. This made the book very difficult to appreciate. I also think that she got stuck in her own world and how her life was, she really couldn't afford to do that and keep everyone alive.

The upside of this book was the world building and a few of the minor supporting characters. Her love interstate's, Dagan is a sweetheart and patient beyond belief. However, I think that he could have done with a bit more development as an individual rather than just a love interest. Her best friend, whose name escapes me, is a fun character that I love and I wish we had seen more of her even! She added humor and an optimism that seemed to drastically not match with Kammani's dislike of basically everything.

Overall, I was sadly not impressed with this book. I'm thinking that my taste in books is changing so if you enjoy ya this might be better for you, I recognize that I have an unpopular opinion. This book had great world building and interesting culture, however, I did not like the main character and couldn't enjoy the story due to her, 2.5 out of 5 from me.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

This was a 3.5 star rounded up to 4 for me - It was refreshing to read a YA fantasy novel that focused a bit more on family than romance. Kammani wants nothing more than to become a healer, but is forced to step in and rescue her sister after she is chosen as a sacrifice. There is still a bit of romance, but I liked that Dagan takes a backseat to Kammani's main goal of rescuing Nanaea. The only real issue I had with the story was a lack of world building and fantasy elements. It was still a good story regardless and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Gravemaidens featured an intriguing plot, amazing characters, beautiful character dynamics and such exquisite writing! This book deserves to be recognized because it brings a sharp uniqueness to the ya genre. The plot twists were fantastic! This reads very quickly -- I devoured within a few days.