Wow. Gravemaidens just blew my mind people! This was a buddy read with two very dear friends, Haley and Kal, and let me tell you something. If you could see our group DMs while reading this book, you would all know that we were insanely in love with this story. Although I haven't read that many YA books this year, I can tell you right now that Gravemaidens is probably one of my favorites this year.

I'll be honest and say that I went into reading this book with very little knowledge. I briefly glanced at the blurb because with a title like that and with the cover art it has, it really didn't take me too long to decide I wanted to read this book. I am happy that I knew so little about it, because I discovered the story as I went along, which made the reading an even bigger journey.

I really liked Kammani. I felt close to her, both with the pressure she put on herself, as well as the insanely high expectations she put on everyone around her, especially her younger sister. I loved reading about her life as a healer, and how she was very proud of being able to help the people in her town. I was impressed by how her first thought when she had to leave for the palace was for her patients, for the people she knew depended on her, because it showed that she didn't just do this job to copy her father, but because she truly loved being a healer.

I'll be honest, for the longest time Nanaea was a character that I didn't like. I saw her as immature, selfish, and mean at times. It wasn't until towards the end that I understood her motivation, what made her want to be one of the sacred maiden, and my heart broke for her. Since the reader sees everything from Kammani's perspective, there's nothing in Nanaea's behavior that suggests a deeper meaning to her actions, so I was honestly took by surprise when she finally breaks down and tells her sister what makes her be happy for being chosen as one of the sacred maidens.

Out of all the characters, Iltani is definitely my favorite. She said and did the things I wish Kammani did at times, and her personality in general brought some "oompf" to the story, a sort of fierceness that I felt was needed. She basically said what I thought and I loved her for it. I need her to be safe in book 2.

The pacing wasn't as fast as I generally read, but the writing style more than made up for it for me. I enjoyed trying to discover who the villain was, and I was eventually very happy to see that the character I hated the most got what they deserved. I'm sorry, but I've never been happier to have my "Ah-HAH I knew IT!" moment.

What stayed with me the longest after reading this book, however, may be surprising. I make it a point to read the "word from the author" whenever I'm reading a book that I love, and reading what Kelly Coon wrote about her research and how she was inspired by history, I was left with the desire to read more books like this one. Not just because they are a joy to read, but because they tell important stories in some of the scenes, stories that unfortunately are true and they did happen. There was one scene in particular that involved a punishment and a brick that's still with me weeks after I finished reading this book.

All in all, I truly enjoyed reading this book and I cannot wait for the sequel!

This was such a pleasant surprise and an absolutely awesome debut! I loved the writing style, the themes (specially the family theme, which I always enjoy!) and the characters, as well as such an intriguing and different plot!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy to review.

Kelly Coon's debut YA novel was really great. It was beautifully written and had a great cast of characters. I enjoyed this world a lot. it was well built and rich. The city seemed to be divided into two parts the rich and the poor. Love and family is pretty strong theme throughout the story. I cant wait to see what happens in the second book.

Gravemaidens is an outstanding debut YA fantasy novel from Kelly Coon. The story is one that follows two sisters and their unbreakable bond. Filled with excellent characters and action to keep readers on the edge of their seats, this is one that should not be missed! Coon's writing is strong and fast-paced. Highly recommended to readers looking for a new YA fantasy. This is the first in a duology. Be sure to check Gravemaidens out today!

Gravemaidens is a debut novel by Kelly Coon — and again, you guys — I am blown away by the talent these debut novelists have this year! I’ll be honest, I mainly wanted to read this book because of that cover! Y’all, I’m a sucker for beautiful covers, and I’m happy to report that the story inside matched all its beauty and more.

Gravemaidens is a story is full of loss, but also familial love. Our main character, Kammani, has studied the art of healing from her father who was once the greatest healer in all of Alu. After the death of his wife, and being stripped of his status for being unable to save the young prince’s life, Kammani’s father is so absorbed in his grief that he can no longer administer healing to the people of the kingdom, and instead, he uses his days to drink his sorrows away. Kammani has lost most of her family in one way or another, so when her sister, Nanaea, is chosen for the great honor of accompanying the dying king into the afterlife as a maiden, Kammani sets out to do everything she can to restore the ruler’s health in order to save her sister’s life. Kammani hopes that her father is up to the task, but when misfortune strikes again, it is up to Kammani to find a way to heal the dying king.

This book, while it reads like so many other YA fantasy novels, it is absolutely unique. The author took inspiration from actual historical events where human sacrifices were made so that royalty would have company in the afterlife. The story line was well planned out and paced perfectly, so there was never a dull moment. I also really enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other. The parallels and the bond between friends and family is strong in this story.

Although this is said to be the first in a duology, it almost has a happy ending and could easily be read as a stand-alone novel. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing what happens next for Kammani and her friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an e-arc to review.

I should probably start with the fact that I’m not a big fantasy reader. So with that in mind this book was a cute book. There certainly were parts that I enjoyed very much. I probably will read the next book when it comes out. As I would like to see what kind of trouble they get into. Obviously it’s a fantasy book so we really can’t talk about believability. But I did like the conflict and I also like the fact that Kammani was wrong as to who was poisoning everybody. There’s probably some people who could have guessed who the real killer was. But when that twist came I had no idea.

Y’all, I am so disappointed. I feel like I’ve been duped. Awesome synopsis? Check! Gorgeous cover? Check! The actual content… YIKES.

Content warning: attempted sexual assault

So… I think this might be my first one star read of the year, which is really saying a lot since we’ve only got 1.5 months until the end of the year. (If I keep saying that, will it actually sink in? I’m not sure yet.) But y’all, I struggled through so much of this book. The idea sounds so cool, though, but I think the execution failed miserably. I was bored for most of the book and wanted to DNF it multiple times. At the time I was too serious about it, I was basically 75% of the way through the book so I pushed through; however, that doesn’t mean I didn’t skim some of the later chapters.

Everything here felt mediocre. I hate saying that when it comes to debut authors because I know they pour their heart and soul into this book, but I simply could not force myself to be generous enough to give it even two stars. I’m fairly certain I questioned something in almost every chapter. And it sort of took a murder mystery side plot that made me confused.

Here’s the thing though, I liked Kammani to an extent. I liked that she had healing knowledge and how fierce and loyal she is to her family. I struggled, however, with how she and her sister, Nanaea, fought constantly. Kammani is incredibly blind to her version of the truth surrounding the Sacred Maidens and the dying lugal that it simply takes forever to gain real insight and understanding. She won’t even listen to her sister and really pushes aside Nanaea’s insistence that being a Sacred Maiden is what she wants despite how silly it may seem in her older sister’s eyes.

Also, I grew uncomfortable every time Kammani mentioned how men would gawk at Nanaea it what was obviously a sexual way due to how beautiful she is. (At least that’s how I interpreted it.) She’s only fifteen, and it’s mentioned repeatedly how pretty she is, which there’s nothing wrong in that, of course, but it’s the way Nanaea was sexualized even though she’s only a child.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Nin Arwia and to be honest, I completely missed the part where she’s only sixteen, just about the same age as Kammani. From the way the author wrote about her, I thought she was older, at least in her 20s. I will say, though, Nin seemed to get the short stick when it comes to everything and I almost empathized with her toward the end. I’m curious to know about her, especially since as a woman she isn’t able to inherit the throne and the people look down on her, thinking she needs to get married quickly before anyone will take her seriously.

I wasn’t convinced of Kammani and Dagan’s romantic feelings. Kammani had this running thought that her life would end if she accepted Dagan. However, I did like that Dagan always Kammani aware that she would be her own, whole person if they ever decided to be together.

As for Iltani, Kammani’s best friend, I’m not sure what to make of her. It was like the author was trying too hard to make her this cool, aloof friend but it fell flat.

Again, here I wanted more. A lackluster writing style on top of all of my previous problems made the book a complete bore. Is it historical fiction, too? Another struggle was trying to find the setting. We get general clues, but I’m the type of reader who needs concrete evidence of a time period because I feel like I can settle into a book better.

Unfortunately, this was not the most spectacular read for me. It’s hard for me to say if I’d even want to read the sequel.

Review: 5 Stars

Gravemaidens went on my wish list the second that I saw its cover. I had my fingers crossed hoping that I could get an advanced review copy. When I did I had the hardest time waiting until closer to publication to actually read it. After many of my most anticipated releases of the second half of 2019 wound up disappointing me I was so pleased when Gravemaidens turned out to be an incredible read. I am so grateful to be on Kelly’s street team and to be a part of this book’s release because It was amazing and I would love to be the person to introduce this book to someone.

Hope was a wonderful, terrible thing. It made you long for things you had no possibility of gaining.

The world building was incredibly well done. The vivid descriptions brought this rich world to life, making it easy to visualize every scene of the story without bogging down the pace of the plot. I also loved how throughout the story the reader saw how many of the people viewed the Sacred Maiden ritual as such a great honor. It truly showed just how much faith they had in their religion. I was truly amazed at how much research must have gone into this novel. In this book the citizens worshiped Enlil, who was a god worshiped by ancient Sumerians and much of the culture in this book seemed to be influenced by Sumerian culture as well. The main character Kammani was a healer and the herbal healing practices seemed well researched and were vividly described as well. These vivid descriptions of culture and healing practices really helped make the book feel realistic.

“I have plans to be as great of an A-zu as Abum was. And a woman cannot do everything she wants.”

The characters had me incredibly invested in this story and its plot. Gravemaidens was an emotional roller coaster and I was rooting for Kammani every step of the way, even when I wanted to shake her for her choices. Kammani had to grow up fast and take responsibility for her family at a young age. She could be quite cynical, but she was also incredibly determined and she would do absolutely anything to save her sister Nanaea. In comparison Nanaea seemed so young and naive. Nanaea had a taste for the finer things and she clearly had no clue just how much Kammani sacrificed for her on a daily basis. The story of these two sisters got me by the heart strings as Kammani’s loyalty and love for Nanaea had no bounds.

If I could picture my future exactly as I wished, I’d be a healer, living alone or with a man who understood I didn’t want a brood of children to take care of. Or, worse, babies who died or girls who were put to death on a whim. Not I. I’d take care of all the people of Alu instead. I’d work throughout the city setting broken legs, healing breathing ailments, and tearing the sick right out of the Boatman’s arms.

I had the hardest time setting this book down. I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading and got up at 6 a.m. so that I could fit in a bit more of the book before work. The plot was so intense at times and the world building was so rich, but it was the characters that truly got my heart and made this story so incredible. I am so happy that this is going to be a series, even though it felt like it was a stand alone story. I can’t wait to return to this world and these sisters again.

The ache to melt into him was overpowering. To give in to the strength of his arms and to be a girl again for one second, not someone who had to bear the weight of her family on her shoulders. The need for it was so strong, I could feel my resolve giving way.

This book follows Kammani as she struggles to save her sister from a fate that is masqueraded as as honor. The ruler is dying and Kammani's sister is chosen to be one of the sacred maidens to accompany their ruler into the afterlife. Kammani sees this as murder and sets off in order to kind out how to heal their ruler and save her sister.

I loved reading this book! However, I am a little disappointed by the lack of world building especially with such strange words and traditions. I do love the premise and would recommend it.

**4.5-stars

In the walled-city of Alu, traditionally three maidens get chosen when the ruler dies to accompany him into the underworld. Essentially a death sentence, being chosen is nonetheless viewed as a great honor. When our story begins, the ruler is currently on the brink of death.

Kammani's father is a great healer, although disgraced after a former royal patient's death, he gets summoned to the kingdom to attend to the ruler. Unfortunately, he mysteriously disappears, never getting to tend the sick man.

Kammani has been training under her father's tutelage for many years. She dreams of one day being the best healer in all the land.

When her sister gets chosen to be one of the ruler's maidens, and her father cannot be found, Kammani takes it upon herself to get into the kingdom and prevent the ruler's death. If she doesn't, she could lose her sister as well; the only family she has left.

Once in the kingdom, Kammani feels like something sinister is going on. After a botched attempt on her life, she knows she must be close to the truth.

I truly enjoyed this world. I felt it was rich and well built. If I had to sum in up, I would say, in my head I was picturing Astapor, 'the red city', from Game of Thrones. A world sharply divided between haves and have-nots. It was brutal and dangerous with a healthy dose of palace intrigue.

I really loved these characters and how the story unfolded. There is a lot of beautiful writing in here on grief and sacrifice. The love of family is a strong theme throughout and some of the dialogue between Kammani and her slightly pouty younger sister, Nanaea, had me in tears.

I did get frustrated with Kammani now and again over some of her choices but overall, I understood her motivations and felt attached to her character. I think we left it at a perfect spot for the continuation and I look forward to the battle that I know will be taking place. It's bound to be epic!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Delacorte Press and NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. This is such an impressive review, a lush, dangerous world, and one I cannot wait to return to! Well done, Kelly Coon. Well done!

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and Delcorte Press for providing a copy to review.

Gravemaidens is a unique and fascinating fantasy that takes place in ancient land where sacred maidens are chosen to be buried along with their dead king. This book explores the bond of sisterhood, and how one young woman will do everything in her power to save her beloved sister from a tradition that is drenched in beauty and death. The world building is richly detailed, based off of ancient Arabic culture. It was easy to get lost in the world the author created. The theme of this book plays along the lines of death and life; despair and hope; deceit and trust. It takes two sides of the same coin and presents them with intricately woven characters, blurring the lines between who is in the right.

I thought the book was well written, had a great cast, and I'm looking forward to the second book!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this title. I had been eyeing this cover for weeks and when I got the arc I was beyond excited. The cover is just absolutely stunning. I was so fully invested in this book from page one. I could not wait to see what happened next. The upsetting part of this was that the plot was VERY predictable. That was my only issue with the book. I enjoyed it but I figured out the end about half way through.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to review this title.

Visual and inspiring, the setting for this story is absolutely stunning. The story was very compelling and overall a very enjoyable read!

I was super blessed to be on the street team for this book, which is an experience I will always remember and cherish! But unfortunately, Gravemaidens just wasn't for me.

If you're interested in sister relationships and fantasy based on Ancient Mesopotamia, you might want to give this a chance! The story follows Kammani, a healer's daughter and apprentice as she desperately tries to heal the lugal (the king) to save her sister from being buried with him in an ancient sacrifice. But a wrench is thrown into Kammani's plans when she discovers something that makes even tougher and more dangerous to save her sister.

There were a handful of scenes (especially at the end) that had me turning the pages and fully invested in what was going to happen next, I just simply wish the whole book had felt that way. I think a fair amount of readers have been disappointed by this book because the main characters - Kammani and her sister Nanaea - at times make frustrating choices, or in Nanaea's case, complain about being saved from death (which is a tough thing to relate to for most of us). I didn't personally mind their characters, as they seemed pretty realistic for teenage girls (though I admit, I did think Nanaea was around 12/13, not 15, when I first started reading), and I could understand and sympathize with their circumstances.

I liked the romance in this as well, since it's definitely a different approach to a YA relationship than usual! Kammani is informally betrothed to Dagan (a very loyal, caring, and devastatingly handsome farmboy), but struggles to accept his love and affections as she wants to first save her sister, and then build a healing career. I thought it was super cool to have a fairly established relationship in YA fantasy that's built on genuine love and support for one another. It was also REALLY cool to see a female character in fantasy prioritizing a career over marriage. I do wish we'd gotten to see a few more sides of Dagan though, as he seemed almost too infallible throughout the entire book.

But my real disappointment with this book lies in the worldbuilding and plot. While aspects of the world are interesting and clearly based on Mesopotamia (the palace is called a "zigguratu"), I felt like most of it was just built into the naming of places rather than the descriptions or actual functioning of the society. If you swapped out the labels, it could have been based on anywhere. I wanted to learn more about how religion and other forms of sacrifice/prayer operate, what the natural landscape surrounding it looks like. The author includes a works cited page in the back of the book, which is amazing, and I would've liked to see more of that research actually show up on the page.

The plot for me was also very predictable. I was able to identify the largest twist in the story and the main culprit in the first quarter of the book. Of course, that was just me and my reading of the book, but it made it tough to read through some scenes, especially when Kammani was piecing together clues of the mystery, but I had already jumped way ahead of her. If you're someone that doesn't mind a more straightforward plot or doesn't read a lot of fantasy as it is, you might really enjoy this! If you're a really big fantasy reader looking for something more intricate or complex, this may not be for you.

Every aspect of Gravemaidens holds a ton of potential and delivers in some ways, but I felt that a lot of the execution skims the surface rather than delving deeper into the characters and world. I think a lot of people could really enjoy this, but it just wasn't meant to be for me unfortunately.

A story of family love and a sister's loyalty set in the time of the pharaohs. I enjoyed this book for the well developed back stories that painted a vivid picture of a time when women were valued as objects. The characters fit their histories with one young woman trying to better herself and save her sister from a fate considered an honor but in truth, just an early death. The journey she must take to accomplish her goals places her whole family in danger setting the mystery in place and adding tension to the story. A very good teen/ young adult book that is the first in a series. I'll be sure to watch for the next book too.

Gravemaidens is a YA fantasy set in an area similar to ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. In this society, maidens are chosen to accompany the ruler to the afterworld should he perish. These "chosen ones" are sealed in a tomb with the deceased and then made to drink poison or assassinated by a selected guard. Kammani, the daughter and apprentice to a local healer, has seen her younger sister Nanaea be chosen as one of these sacred maidens. She is distraught at this choice and wants to do all she can to save her sister from such a fate, as she sees it for what it really is...not a blessing, just an early death.

Both the premise and the cover of this one had me hooked. It was a good spookyish setup for a fall read and I really liked that it was set in a setting that is not common in current fantasy reads. I enjoyed the world building and the detail, the blending of existing cultures and imagination to create something that really is Coon's own. I enjoyed this atmosphere and the overall story was intriguing and entertaining.

The characters were dynamic and believable for the most part, though I did have some issues with Kammani as a consistent character in her actions (sometimes smart characters make dumb choices) and the supporting character of Iltani (she was a bit too flighty for my liking, though I did appreciate her sarcasm). Any other issues I had with the individual characters themselves really worked themselves out nicely for me with the ending, though I won't say more than that. Just trust in the author to have it make sense.

The pacing seemed a little up and down at some bits, but overall the plot moved nicely and the narrative kept me interested from very early on in the book. I will admit that I had somewhat figured out the plot by fairly early on in the book, but the writing did have me second guessing myself here and there, so I call that a win. This was a good and quick read that I wanted to get back to and I am looking forward to reading the sequel and seeing how this all shakes out.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I enjoy reading this book and learning about the culture of Alu. We followed our main character Kammani who wants to be the best healer in Alu, like her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life. When the Alu's ruler falls ill and Kammani little sister, Nanaea is chosen as of one the three maidens to accompany this ruler to the afterlife. Which is a tradition and honor. Our main character does not like that her sister is chosen and see the whole thing as a death sentence. She is willing to do everything to save the ruler life so her sister does not have to die. Kammani will discover deadly secret and will stop at nothing to uncover them.

Gravemaidens was unique and fascinating fantasy that take place in ancient land where sacred maidens were chosen to bury along with dead king i.e. Gravemaidens. It revolved around this concept, a healer and her journey trying to save her sister who was chosen to be one of the gravemaiden. It was about injustice and ill-treatment towards low class people and women, ancient dogmatic tradition and cruel practices, family, friendship, sisterhood, grief and loss and how people react to it differently.

Characters-

Kammani was brave and strong willed young healer. She dreamed to be best healer in the city like her father and followed his footstep ever since she was a child. I adored her love for family. She kept her promise to her dead mother and became breadwinner, a mother to her young siblings and a daughter who supported her father who was lost in grief and alcohol. But she was also very flawed character. I didn’t appreciate Kammani’s stubborn nature towards Dagan and his love. It was clear she loved him but never admitted it and kept pushing his love away and also any help and support from her best friend Iltani. The reasons she gave felt empty. I could see why near the end but still it was a bit annoying. I adored her for not leaving her family behind and risking her life to save them.

Iltani and Dagan were the best in the book. They kept the tension and my annoyance at bay. Iltani was character I would love to be friends with. You never get bore with her. She had a way to every problem. Her impromptu plans, bold nature, and smart mouth made me smile whenever she appeared in the story. Dagan was sweet. He was gentle, generous and humble handsome farmer’s son. I instantly liked him and I was ready to swap places with Kammani telling her ‘girl you can have your dream and let me have this charming man’. 😉

All secondary characters fit in their role perfectly. Most of them were naïve and stupid specially Nanaea. Villain was evil, chilling and full of deceit.

What I liked-

That cover is perfect for the story. Writing was great. It gave life to interesting characters and brilliant setting. Book was first person narrative that started with Kammani introducing her world, traditions of Alu and her family. How they were cast out, what happened to her mother and father since then, how unfair Lural (king) was to her family and how she hated the concept of sacred maidens. Her world turned upside down when her sister was announced as one of the maidens. And so her journey started towards saving Lural and so her sister from being buried with him.

I was curious to know how she was going to save the king. As soon as she entered the palace and started healing king I knew who was behind such cunning plan, where the story will head and if she will succeed in saving king and her sister. I must say author did great job at misleading my guesses and I almost believed them. I enjoyed finding answers and culprit, reading the twist and turns, and learning more about the world along with Kammani’s journey.

What I loved most was the world. The city – Alu, kingdom, palace and its structure, market, people and their orthodox nature, their discriminating mentality, blind belief in their religion and tradition was brilliantly displayed. It made sense as the story was set in the ancient world where they still used tablets not paper. I also liked the some Mesopotamian mythical aspects, the God Enlil they worshiped and story of boatman they believed in so religiously. All descriptions were vivid. Ancient treatments methods, childbirth, tonics and tinctures were well researched. As a pharmacist I loved reading this part of the book. Author’s note at the end was enlightening. Few things in the book like burial rituals of royalty and treatment to lower class and women were actually facts and was inspired from the Sumerian history.

Another thing that I loved was Kammani’s family, their history and what happened to them. It was emotional and it pained me to see Kammani grow so fast without letting herself grieve, and pushing away all the help she needed. Her relationship with her sister was strained and frustrating but it developed near climax and I loved how it grew by the end of the book.

Message behind the story was nice. It was about giving yourself time to grieve, not push others away who meant well for you specially your loved ones. How loss and grief affects differently and how one can turn evil if they let their grief fester in them.

Pace was bumpy, first 30% was steady, middle part was bit slow, but after 60% story pick up the speed. Twist and turns were simply amazing. Climax was surprising, shocking, and tense. I absolutely loved the end and I’m curious to see where Kammani’s journey will take her and what they will decide to do in next book.

Why 4 Stars-

Half of the story was predictable. I guessed most of the turns. As I said I was bit annoyed with main character.

Overall, it enjoyable, enthralling, and fascinating fantasy with interesting ancient world and characters.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

An overall interesting read, but it did fall a little bit flat for me.