Disclaimer: I will start off saying I had no idea this was the second book in a series. I thought for sure I was reading a stand a lone like her book before Echo North. I still liked Beyond the Shadowed Earth and have no idea if reading the first book Beneath the Haunting Sea would have made my experience reading Beyond the Shadowed Earth any better..
The main character Eda is an acquired taste she is selfish, murderer ND pretty much a ruthless MC. And I actually liked that. it was nice to see such a morally ambiguous female MC. Why can we not have more ruthless female MC's we al know plenty of women who would do anything to get to the top. The magic system was again just another generic attempt at originality and became oh so convenient when the MC needed it. I say Eda was honestly what made the book so enjoyable for me. I definitely need to read the first.

Overall this is going to be a book not for everyone. If you don't like, likable MC's especially women you may not like Beyond the Shadowed Earth, but if your looking for a ruthless MC or want to venture out of your comfort zone I think you met your book..

<b>Rating:</b> 3/5 Stars

I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<I>Beyond the Shadowed Earth</i> is about Eda, the girl who sent Talia away in the previous book, <i>Beneath the Haunting Sea</i>. I do recommend reading the first book because some things will be a little confusing if you don’t read it prior to this book. This book follows Eda as she races to fulfill her promise to a god. When she is unable to deliver though she turns seeks vengeance on the god who both gave and took everything away from her. Eda is somewhat of a difficult character… she is selfish, ruthless and has an anti-hero protagonist feel about her. Normally that is my favorite kind of protagonist but I just struggled to connect with her throughout the majority of the book.

What I liked:
-I loved the mythology! I loved how it seemed to tie the first and second book together. I also thought the world building was well done.
-I thought the fast-pace plot worked really well though there were times that it felt a little rushed (the ending).

What I didn’t like:
-The romance. It felt rushed and while I could see why it was written this way, I just couldn’t connect with it.
-It felt I was starting a new book every time there was a new section. I thought the first two sections were pretty good but the last left me feeling a little confused and with a lot of questions.

Overall, I think the book had an interesting premise but I just didn’t connect with it personally. I think ultimately it comes down to not being a huge fan of Eda’s. I just wanted her to be more layered and interesting than she was. While plot and world-building are huge, I love complex characters and just found myself wanting more.

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
I'm going to start off by saying, I did not finish the book. I unfortunately had to DNF it close to halfway through. I just wasn't getting into the book.
The problem I had with this book is that at about the 100 page point, I began to notice that nothing was really happening. That felt like a lot of pages from nothing to really be going on. Yes a treaty was signed and you know Eda's Barons are constantly undermining her authority. But what else is there?? Ileem and his sister come from Denlahn and Eda immediately doesn't trust him and honestly, I didn't either. But somehow, in the course of a few, they're kissing and making plans together. It just seemed too rushed and unrealistic. There really isn't much else I can say. I really wish I would have enjoyed it because it sounded really good, but it just wasn't for me.

It took quite a while to get into this one, and if I'm being entirely honest it didn't really work for me. It's hard for me to get into a book when the main character is just SUCH a drag. Eda was so selfish and was not politically savvy at all, she's dubbed as this heroine that isn't very heroic but I think it actually made me like her even less because it made her seem.. less? I'm not even sure I know how to describe what I'm feeling right now.

Overall I liked the message it sent and it had it's moments but I just don't think this was for me.

I am quite fond of books that leave me pondering upon and characters that give me second thoughts of whether or not I should like or despise them. And that is what exactly happened with BEYOND THE SHADOWED EARTH by Joanna Ruth Meyer. First let me start off with what worked out for me : Eda, I am a Slytherin so coming across a character like Eda, who thrives for power and being selfish at times always makes me happy. I kind of feel such characters are really RARE and its forever an honor to see such badass ladies at WORK. As the story emerges we see Eda, who previously strikes a deal with the Gods, trying to fulfil her end of the demand and kind of losing her grip on her empire with the Barons in tow.

The elements of mythology is beautifully incorporated with peeks of fantasy and that worked for me quite well. However a major chunk of the book had too much talk/ politics and I kind of found myself dragging through them. As the story proceeds I wanted Eda’s character to grow but rather it detoriated in my opinion and she only got on my nerves with every page I turned. The story however started getting interesting with a plot twist that caught me offguard. The turns the plot took and the author’s gripping writing and my love-hate relationship with Eda was what kept me going. And I am so glad I did, because the ending was fantastic and I couldn’t have felt more empathetic for Eda.

All in all, pick Beyond the Shadowed Earth up if you are looking for shady unreliable main character, a whole lot of mythological elements and OH EXQUISITE WORLD BUILDING.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately Beyond the Shadowed Earth wasn't for me. Even though the story started off strong and the world-building was interesting, I couldn't connect to Eda, the main character, at all. That made it a lot harder for me to continue. I felt like I wasn't rooting for her and her actions didn't always seem natural.

Halfway through the story dragged a bit and the romance felt too quick. All in all, I couldn't get invested in this story and didn't feel satisfied with the ending. I would like to read some of Joanna Ruth Meyer's other works.

Beyond the Shadowed Earth was... okay. It wasn't anything special, but it was still enjoyable, overall. I didn't like the main character all that much, either. I felt like it was a lot longer than it probably needed to be, and it wasn't a particularly memorable read.

I didn't really like Eda. She's hard to relate to and equally hard to like. And while I can enjoy reading about a morally grey main character - in fact, villainous characters can be quite interesting to read about - in this case, Eda just wasn't very well-written. And I hated how she became a whole different person when she fell in love. Eda just felt kind of washed out and uninteresting to me.

The romance was really hurried. I prefer slow-building romance. I hate love-at-first-sight. And while it wasn't insta-love, it didn't take long before Eda proclaimed herself in love and ready to marry (after being completely against it, too). And while I can see why it was written this way (it was part of the plot), I just couldn't enjoy the romance.

The plot was fast-paced. And while I love fast-paced fantasy book, this one felt a little hurried at parts. For the most part, it was good, but there were some things I felt were rushed through, especially the ending. It took a long time to get to the ending, but once we got there, it was very hurried.

The world-building was great, though. It's an interesting world, and the premise was really great. The world is clearly very thought-through, and it's really interesting. Honestly, it had a great premise, which is why I was so excited to read this book, but since I had such a hard time relating to and even liking the main character, it was hard to really enjoy it.

Overall, this book had a great premise, but poor execution. The main character wasn't particularly interesting or layered, which is necessary if you want people to be interested in a villainous main character. Unfortunately, I just didn't care about Eda, and for me that's absolutely necessary in order to enjoy a book. But if you care more about the plot and world-building than characters, I think it's worth a try.

The cover itself is very intricate and alluring. The illustration of the mountain and space/nature imagery gives off a sense of adventure that the novel itself contains. The mythology and setting in a world of politics and power exist in a fragile balance lays out an epic and fulfilling journey.

The plot of the story I found was driven, but I’m going to be honest. I had a hard time with this book. Yes, the plot was intriguing, and yes, the world building at its core was put together very well. I enjoyed both elements but I personally sound there to be flavorless dialogue, bland characterization. That is always something I look for when reading a novel.

It's one of those books that drops breadcrumbs along the way, while you're fully engrossed in the beauty and mystery of the story. They are there to piece together or you can let the answers come to you, while the story sweeps you off your feet.

Overall, this book connects the boundaries of fantasy to reality, tells the tale with extensive character development and the power one truly holds.

I received an electronic ARC from NetHalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Honestly this book, though better than its predecessor, Beneath the Haunting Sea, still had some of the same problems.

Beyond the Shadowed Earth is about Eda, the girl who sent Talia away in the novel’s earlier companion book, Beneath the Haunting Sea (which I recommend reading before this one because something happens that just won’t make sense unless you do). Eda now has the Empire, but what will she do with it? Can she do anything with it now with her Barons trying to wrest control away from her at every step? And then someone who Eda thought was her enemy comes proposing marriage, and she can’t help but think he shines like the moon and the stars. All of this on top of trying to hold up her deal with the most powerful god, who is said to be missing, puts Eda and those around her in danger. She just doesn’t know how much danger yet, or who the danger is.

Joanna Ruth Meyer is a great writer. Sometimes though, I feel that her pursuit of being literarily beautiful, her sentence flow becomes a little clumsy and detached. She creates beautiful imagery in exchange of breaking her line of story. This only really happens when all the mythical type events are happening though, so luckily it’s only for a bit of the novel. Which takes me to my next point: because this story is much of creating a myth/legend in the world, there’s a lot of details just looked over and not fleshed out enough in my opinion. Things would just happen and work out for seemingly no reason and then we’d move on to other things.

I do have to say though that Meyer’s creation of the world and all the past myths surrounding it was great. I loved the continuation of the base myth and the connectedness from the first novel.

I shall also say that I enjoyed Eda’s character a tremendous amount more than Talia’s. Where Talia was water, Eda was flame. Eda was feisty, and angry, and selfish, which in my books makes for a great heroine. She had a backbone and a fierceness and fought for what she deserved. She’s not exactly an anti-heroine but she is up there with the greats.

I’m not quite sure if I liked the ending? It was short and cute, but after aaallllll that, is that really how the book is going to end? BtHS definitely had a fuller ending, but then again, it might not be a bad thing to have such an open, sweet ending. Like, I was mad, but not entirely mad. So the verdict is still out.

Overall, it did take a bit of my willpower to read this book. It had its lulls and exciting times, its good and its bad. I think I’ll try reading Echo North in the future, but for now I am content with the vast, story-rich world Joanna Ruth Meyer has just laid at my feet.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I loved book 1 in this series so my expectations with the world building and character development were very high. I feel like Joanna is such a fantastically writer and her world building was exceptional. I just did not care for the character development of relationships in this book. Overall I am giving it 3 stars.

***I received an Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

***Contains spoilers!***

When I started this book I was a bit overwhelmed by it. The world seemed to vast, too much to comprehend and I felt like it wasn’t explained enough and like I was just thrown into the story. This is my fault though. I requested this book on the synopsis alone, without knowing that it would be the second in a series, so most likely the world was thoroughly explained in book 1 already.

As soon as I understood the world, I also liked the story. The concept surrounding the goods and the bargain Eda made with Tuer were super interesting and I also liked the connection Eda and Ileem seemed to have. <spoiler>However, I knew…. I simply knew that this could not be a happily ever after. </spoiler> And I must admit that I didn’t really like Eda very much during the first half of the book. She pretended to be an empress. Ruler of all those people, but in fact she was just a little brat that played at being empress. Not more. And with Ileem she was just too trustworthy and naive. I could have slapped her, for her behaviors and for being this brat.

And then all these things happened and they were brilliant and frustrating, because I wished for Eda to finally grow up and seize power for real and to get rid of all these stupid and annoying barons. But…. Well she didn’t. And I was angry for her sake. But after these certain things happened, I liked her SO MUCH MORE than before. <spoiler>It felt like she truly found herself after losing everything and being at her lowest. </spoiler>
The journey that was described was really good. She found herself, her true purpose and she broke out of her shell. She grew. Especially mentally.
<spoiler>The part where she finally did something for others - saving the world - and stopped being selfish. The part where she served Tuer, did what he wanted from her all along and STILL made more out of this. When she drew power from her chains and what was holding her down and used it to her own advantage, to be free, to become more and to become a goddess herself? THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE PART. And I liked that she did not let herself fall in love again. That she did not grow weak and too trustworthy again. I liked that she decided to not let anyone else shoulder her burdens and sorrows for her. That she did it all by herself. Because that is when she really grew strong. That is how she would have been fit to rule. And also in the end, when she went back to her empire. I loved that she chose not to take revenge. Not to rule. Instead she chose a life in solitude. And I just loved this. A LOT!!!</spoiler>

I didn't know that this book was part of a series so I can't currently read this book. Somethings I did like about this one was the book cover. It's very pretty. I'm just dissapointed that they didn't mention it being a book in a series.

Overall, an interesting fantasy read.

However, I felt like I was reading a new book during each new section (there were three). I have to say, the middle is probably my favorite part, and I read that rather quickly. I think I would have with er liked if the first half was interspersed inside the second as flashbacks or something, or if it had been a different book. The third part left me mostly confused and wanting answers. Perhaps if it were multiple books, the author could have dug into the story more and really made the world and its characters come more to life.

I know there is a separate book and this is set in the same world, so perhaps reading the other book might help ease my confusion.

Overall, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It took me a long time to get through it.

Beyond the Shadowed Earth is a companion novel to Beneath the Haunting Sea and I was a little worried that I would struggle to understand some of the storyline having not read the first book. Thankfully however it isn’t a sequel and is simply set in the same world, so it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t read the Beneath the Haunting Sea or not, phew.

This book has a beautifully rich storyline too, it ebbs and flows and twists and turns. The end of the book builds to a cresendo and then peters out to contemplate humanity and life, it’s a stunning piece of narrative writing.

The main character Eda is a bit of an anti-hero in a way. She starts off as a rather selfish and bad tempered ruler, but as her world starts to fall away you warm to her. The lengths that she goes to in order to save her friend shows us that she’s more than just the selfish brat on the surface, underneath there’s much more to her.

The style of writing and the world that Joanna Ruth Meyer has created cannot be understated, it’s Game of Thrones level with the detail and feeling. After reading Beyond the Shadowed Earth I’m now aching to get stuck into Beneath the Haunting Sea and hoping that there will be future books from this amazing writer and her beautiful literary universe.

“It has always been Eda’s dream to become empress, no matter the cost. Haunted by her ambition and selfishness, she’s convinced that the only way to achieve her goal is to barter with the gods. But all requests come with a price and Eda bargains away the soul of her best friend in exchange for the crown.” – Goodreads

With that description I was excited to start this book. I was interested in the story of someone who is so ambitious they would betray their closest companion, and how that would affect her. Eda is very much an anti-hero, and she has a lot to answer for. She is selfish and driven which leads her to manipulation and even murder. The guilt that comes afterward compels her to try to fix some of her errors, but rather than take full responsibility for her actions, she continues to blame others. In an effort to escape her guilt she will make more decisions that have the potential to destroy her kingdom.

Again, more plot points that would seem to be something I would really enjoy! For some reason, I didn’t. Partly I think because some of the developments in the book didn’t feel earned. Her escapes from danger feel like plot cheats, and are a little haphazard. I don’t mind a villain story, but I found it difficult to make an emotional connection with her or to care about her fate. I think that this authors style might fit another reader better than myself, so I don’t want to say it’s a bad book, more that it’s just not for me. I hope you can read it and enjoy it more! The plot really was a promising idea.

I've had a hardback of Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer on my TBR for ages but I haven't picked it up yet. I also haven't read Beneath the Haunting Sea, the companion piece to Beyond the Shadowed Sea. I don't feel like I need to have read the previous book to enjoy and understand this one, but I am now very much looking forward to reading Meyer's other books (especially the one I already own).

Meyer's writing was rich and descriptive while also being really easy and readable. A perfect combination, which had my flying through the first half of the book. I floundered a little during the second half, which might be due to pacing, but just as likely might be the fact that court settings and political scheming are always a particular favourite of mine. It's the slower pacing of the second half, while Eda's explores the wilderness and searches for her god, that just dropped this from a four-star by a tad.

The linchpin of Beyond the Shadowed Sea is the character of Eda. While the world-building is interesting and the supporting characters are entertaining, I think the real factor for how much you enjoy this book is how much you connect to her. She's very much the centre and focus of the story. She's a complicated character and one who makes a whole raft of bad choices. She's in way over her head and makes some terrible mistakes. While I disagreed with a lot of her choices, I found her a really intriguing and relatable character. I love driven, ambitious women, morally grey characters and redemption arcs. If you do too, Eda might be the perfect protagonist for you.

Beyond the Shadowed Sea is an action-packed story with a powerful protagonist. It's great fun, immersive and memorable. I'm really looking forward to picking up more of Meyer's writing.

A worth wild adventure for those who are fans of Wicked Saints and Guilded Wolves.

She must rebuild the temple to appease the gods, or people will lose their lives. Balancing running and Empire and being married off this strong female protagonist must decide what is more important to her.

A clear addition to any library who values a good story of fantasy. Added to the current trend of gods and past religions playing a part in the future.

Having really enjoyed Echo North last year, I was thrilled to get an ARC of Beyond the Shadowed Earth - I'll admit, I requested it just based off the author. As the months went on, however, I just wasn't drawn by the synopsis to pick it up. Feeling guilty, I picked it up during its publication week, to at least get a timely review out. Unfortunately, this was a case of 'this book isn't for me.' The synopsis doesn't really accurately describe this book - for example, the adventure to find the god doesn't start until over halfway through the book.

The book is divided into distinct parts (the beginning, full of political intrigue, the climb up the mountain to get to the god, and the weird fever dream ending of the circles), plus a boat ride in the middle. Each section has its own cast of characters, which are discarded faster than I could keep up with. We were never with side characters long enough to care about them. I felt like too many plots were crammed into one book, creating an odd narrative structure and strange pacing. This might have been better as two shorter novels - one book to develop Eda as an empress who is marrying for a political alliance, who is betrayed at the end, has her life come crumbling down around her, and has to escape, and a second book to show Eda arriving on the shores of a new land, ready to seek vengeance on the god who she feels has betrayed her and claim back her power. It would have given time for relationships to develop and for the reader to care about the characters.

The Eda we are shown at the beginning is strong willed, selfish, and ambitious. She's won the crown, which indicates she is capable of great political guile and maneuvering, yet falls in love with the first dude who bats his eyelashes at her within a week of meeting him, promising marriage and to crown him as an equal ruler. This foolish and out-of-character decision leads to a very predictable outcome, which puts the second half of the book into motion. The first third held such promise to me - an unlikeable protagonist, political wheeling and dealing, and a religion with gods of questionable morality. I positively compared the first part to Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner when talking to my coworkers. The second half was all downhill; by the end, I just didn't care about what happened to Eda, this world, or these gods.

I found the ending to be particularly perplexing. There was a lack of rules for the gods, world, and "magic;" instead, things just seem to conveniently happen to push Eda forward in the plot. New concepts were repeatedly introduced towards the end of the book, but there had been no discussion about how these things were part of the religion or mythology earlier. The journey through the circles of the world made my head spin - I still have no idea what was happening. Eda is increasingly passive as she moves through the circles of the world, relying on random forces to carry her from one part to the next. This isn't the girl with agency who believes she is solely responsible for everything that happens to her - this is a girl who is just drifting along in the eddies of a nonsensical mythology that hasn't been properly explained because some outside force commanded it.

Overall, this was a huge disappointment for me. I can see the right reader enjoying this, but I'm not that reader.

DNFd at about 25%.

It started out interesting, pulled me in and I was enjoying the story building and Eda's history. The plot sounded awesome, and I was excited for another badass female lead to strut her stuff and take whatever the hell she she wanted, because F the consequences. Right?!

But....this went from "Woo!" to "Zzzzz" real quick.

I just have no connection or feeling towards anything in this book. The main character, Eda, is bland and just says things that lack any emotion. When she is supposed to be infuriated or seeping from her pores with anger, she's just yelling mean stuff and stomping her foot. I feel like the author was trying to make her seem like a daunting empress that makes her subjects quake, but she came across as a child pretending to be an adult. I feel nothing towards her, and nothing towards any other character.

They're all kind of existing on these pages and I'm over here sitting awkwardly in the corner watching.

Like a stalker, who lost their love to stalk.

The romance is weird and forced...I mean, I assume it's the romance of this story. The Ileem guy (I think that's his name?) comes in and at first Eda is all suspicious and hates him, but then he says a few nice things in a few situations and

Fa-la-la-la-la

...she just drops all her suspicions and anger, and gets flirty?

Oh honey....noooo. It's 2020. Make him work for it.

I'm sure this would have turned out fine, but my interest was zapped and I was ready to move on.

This was an amazing novel, just like Meyer's last novel. I enjoyed the world-building, and the lush writing was exquisite. I cannot wait to read more by this author.