Welp My bad! I had a hard time with this book. Not that is was bad I just didn't connect with the world or characters like I usually do when reading a favorite book. Now to the my bad part, I did pay attention like a dope and didn't know this was a companion book, so that could be one of the main reasons it didn't resonate with me. 

If you are looking for a resilient and feisty lead with room for lots of development in her trials and tribulations this is a book for you. I didn't hate Eda but she definitely made it hard to love at certain points through out the story. 

The world building, plot and twists aren't too predictable and fairly easy to follow and enjoy. I have to admit though it wasn't my top read of the year, I didn't hate it and would read more by the author for sure. 

This ARC was given to me by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review. Thank you!

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Im not sure what I was expecting when I started this, but I certainly enjoyed it! The book is almost 2 distinct parts, and they each had a different vibe to them - both well done! Eda is a VERY interesting character, although she is the sort of character that is almost hard to like. Her temper is volatile and she is definitely very self-centered. Somehow, despite this, she grew on me as the story progressed. All in all, a good read with an interesting plot.

I didnt realize this was a companion novel, but I may just need to go check out the previous book now.

When I first read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I would be hooked. Girl wants to be empress so bad that she will sacrifice legit anything? Okay. I'm a sucker for wanting to know the worst that could happen. At first, I had a really difficult time staying engaged with Eda. Her voice was whiny and I understood why no one would take her seriously. Even I, someone she didn't rule, didn't take her seriously. As the novel went on, I became more engaged in the story and Eda's transformation over the course of the text. I will recommend this for a classroom library, but not for curriculum choices.

This is set in the same universe as the author’s previous book, Beneath the Haunting Sea, and is a companion novel of sorts which fleshes out the worldbuilding and characters previously introduced. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this any more compelling than the first novel, and I struggled to connect with the new protagonist Eda, and I just felt dissatisfied in the end after skipping through much of the book.

I am far too late in reviewing this book, as the e-copy I downloaded from NetGalley was poorly formatted and difficult to read. But I persevered nonetheless, because it's beautifully written. Eda is such an angry, ruthless heroine that it would be easy to dislike her, but from the beginning Joanna Meyer draws the reader in with a tragic backstory that makes Eda's harshness understandable and her zeal to appease her gods compelling -- as well as hinting at the possibility of redemption. There's a mythic resonance to the story and its setting that's reminiscent of Megan Whalen Turner's books, but in a good, not derivative way. I plan to buy a hard copy soon, so I can re-read it and properly enjoy it this time!

I read and reviewed this book to review for the School Library Journal, which can be found here https://www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=beyond-the-shadowed-earth

I should start by saying that I was attracted to this book by the idea of a villain protagonist who thinks she's doing good, and the promise of twisty court politics. However, I felt that the execution was a little lacking - the writing flows well, and is nice to read, but I never felt like I was connected to the heart of the story or to any of the characters. The first part of the book, where the politics are, happened so fast that we never got to really root for Eda, or know what was going on with her empire, so when things started going wrong for her it was hard to know why it mattered, really. I would have liked this whole first section to be slowed down a lot more - it could have been the first book of a duology, building up Eda's personality and backstory (rather than throwing us in at the deep end) and letting the romance breathe so that the first huge turning point really felt like one. After that point, Eda is on the run, but the whole book becomes a lot more about her personal relationship with the gods, which felt a lot slower in terms of the actual development of the story, but the plot events still come thick and fast without much depth between. Overall, it was just hard to connect to this book, but I would be interested in trying the author's other writing, as I liked the style of the prose.

When I requested this I somehow missed that this was the second book in a trilogy. While I missed a little bit of backstory/world-building I didn't really feel that this had a negative impact. There was nothing wrong with this book, but there was nothing to make it stand out from many similar YA Fantasy series for me either.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series and so I didn’t understand the backstory. It was very well written though and I will look into finding the first one.

After reading Echo North and falling in love with it, I knew I had to read Beyond the Shadowed Earth. Even though I haven't read the first in this universe, I'm definitely going back for it now. This was dark and twisty and I ADORE main characters who aren't particularly likable. I need more from Meyer!

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but it does not influence my opinion of the book nor this review in any way.

That description sounds really great doesn’t it? This read should check a lot of boxes for me: rags-to-riches, mythology, lush high fantasy setting, and a villainous lead! Not to mention a promising romance… *waggles eyebrows* Unfortunately… it fell a bit short of expectations. I’m going to address each of those in turn… 

Let’s start with the rag’s to riches story: is it? I literally had no idea what was happening with Eda this whole time. According to the story (and the blurb), she killed the previous Emperor to become Empress. The book made it sound like she came from royalty. But then she’d talk about going home, and it seemed like she was – pardon my language here – a commoner before that? But then lines came up like “He expected her to wash her own clothes??” (paraphrased) and didn’t know how to start a fire. Soo… backstory didn’t start out real well, as I knew almost nothing about Eda prior to the events of the book. 

Set as lush high fantasy with mythological elements: hmmm, I suppose. The world was interesting enough, although I never felt like I grasped it. Things were explained as necessary, and the mythology might have been cool, but it also felt like a giant pile of spaghetti for all the explanation we got. The characters didn’t even understand it wholly – which could have been interesting, but I just didn’t feel that it was handled well. 

But we got a really cool villainous lead, right?? Well… I really, really, really tried to like this one! I love villainous leads and well-written villains in general! But Eda just read like a petulant child, and everything was one big temper-tantrum. Everyone hated her, no one understood what she was going through, but really she just didn’t pay attention to anything 2 cm from her forehead. She sacrificed the life of her friend for a favor from a God, for heavens’ sake! She had the hands cut off of someone who opposed her – Queen of Hearts, indeed! But never did she do anything to make me feel bad or sorry for her. I guess she made it up in the end with her “chosen one” antics, but good lord, I did not like this one. 

But we got a really cool villainous lead, right?? Well… I really, really, really tried to like this one! I love villainous leads and well-written villains in general! But Eda just read like a petulant child, and everything was one big temper-tantrum. Everyone hated her, no one understood what she was going through, but really she just didn’t pay attention to anything 2 cm from her forehead. She sacrificed the life of her friend for a favor from a God, for heavens’ sake! She had the hands cut off of someone who opposed her – Queen of Hearts, indeed! But never did she do anything to make me feel bad or sorry for her. I guess she made it up in the end with her “chosen one” antics, but good lord, I did not like this one. 

But… the romance…? I am really sad to report that the romance was as more of a thorn in my side than any source of enjoyment. (Spoilers ahead, skip to next paragraph unless you want to be mildly spoiled.) Eda threw her heart at the first person who was nice to her, and then had the gal to be surprised when he betrayed her? They’d known each other a week, she said “I love you” and never got a reply. So she married him and made him Emperor, of equal power to her. The whole time I was reading this, I wanted to throw the book against the wall! Then in the second half of the book… there was another blooming of romance! This one would have been more understandable, except I simply don’t understand how anyone could have fallen in love with her, and it seemed more of convenience for the plot than any real connection the two characters had. Which seems to be a theme throughout the book. 

It was the beginning that ruined this book for me. Eda was just so catty, cruel, nasty and self-absorbed, I couldn’t see past it. Wasn’t rooting for her and made multiple notes in my book like “Why would anyone be nice to her?” I simply didn’t understand what this character had going for her.  The second half of the book did get a lot better, but since I was already prejudiced against her from the very slow first half, by the time the pace picked up and I saw a glimmer of something worth rallying behind in Eda, I was long gone. 

At times, it just felt like the story was throwing *new elements* into the mix, and by the end I had no idea what was going on. Instead of being a “fresh, lush prose,” it felt more of a confused eye-roll.  As for the Chosen One trope… Eda did one thing. Made one choice that made her able to save the world. Otherwise, it was her getting passed from hands-to-hands as other people helped her, dragged her along and did all the work for her. “Chosen One” who? I simply couldn’t see why she was so special. I’m disappointed because not only do I not like writing negative reviews, I tried really hard to like this one, but eventually I was just forcing myself to get to the end. Reviews indicated that it would get better, and it did, but just not enough.

I absolutely adored the first book  in this world, Beneath the Haunting Sea, and was ecstatic when I received an ARC for this!

Unlike Talia though, I wasn't as keen on Eda. She was ruthless and vicious, willing to destroy anyone who got in her way to get what she wanted...making her rather difficult to love. I also got a bit frustrated with her because she was constantly making mistakes that resulted in dire consequences. 

The book begins with her working to fulfil her end of the bargain she made with the gods to overthrow Talia from her rightful throne and become Empress herself. The game becomes even more deadly and political when the Barons start making deals with other rulers, which threaten her reign. 

Like Beneath the Haunting Sea, this book shines in terms of its mythology. It really laid the groundwork for the story because the gods set forth the events that move the plot along. Without them, Eda would never have gained her throne and she has to live up to her bargains with them when they come calling later. 

All in all, I've always loved Joanna Ruth's Meyer's books, so I expected to enjoy this and was definitely not disappointed. I can't wait to read her next one!

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.