I thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me this ARC.

I'm very very sorry to say that I didn't like this book, and I had a few big problems with it.
The premise was interesting: a peasant girl who was invited to the big city to be blessed by the Lord, but then he kidnaps her brother and one thing after another she ends up saving the day. And that's what this book left me: a series of events. The biggest problem of this book is the execution: the idea of the plot is there, but the method to narrate it was messy and almost incomprehensible. This novel felt like one of those "Previously, on..." at the start of an tv show episode: you can see what the plot is supposed to be, but you don't see the connection between the framments of the scenes or any explanation for the setting of the story. The worldbuilding could have been intriguing, but the total lack of explanation made it look like as if its elements were randomly dumped in the middle of the story. And the lack of explanation contaminated the narration and the characters too: I had absolutely no idea of why a character was doing a thing, or how they did it, they just did it and the story moved on.
In conclusion I think this book seemed like a very early first draft, when an author is just figuring out the outlines of the story but still has to link its elements to each other. I believe that this book should have just been worked on more before it was ready to be released.

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<p>Shelley Wilson has created an engaging, fast-paced, medieval-inspired fantasy novel that artfully and vividly encapsulates the inner struggles of a hero in the making, while skillfully plunging the reader into violent situations. Both are written with empathetic, lyrical language and evokes a storm of emotions within the reader.</p>
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<p>Marianne or "Maz" sets out with her younger brother Newt to celebrate her 16th birthday in the City. They're from the Link, the lower towns protected by the City of Obanac, and must meet the Lord of Obanac, a young fellow who's succeeded his father, as part of the tradition. Maz is determined to return home after meeting the Lord in the city, with her younger brother, and continue her role as a healer in the lower towns. </p>
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<p>As usual, things don't go according to plan. Her younger brother Newt is accused of stealing from the Lord of Obanac and arrested, leaving Maz to return alone. However, she's not willing to take this lying down and gather allies to rescue her brother. Through her journey, she will discover a wealth of secrets, a curse that must be broken, and hidden identities. </p>
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<p>At the beginning of this book, I thought this would be a typical boy meets girl kind of novel, albeit with a rich/poor pairing. The two would battle the evil sorcerer, prevail against the odds, therefore breaking some pesky little curse, and rule their country in peace. Not quite how it went. </p>
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<p>Don't get me wrong, the originality of the premise was enticing and the deviation from the standard plot was intriguing and what drew me into the novel. As soon as boy meets girl, we get a hint that things aren't what they seem. Instead of some classic romance between the young Lord Obanac and Maz, we get something else. A suspicion builds from the unease our heroine experiences during the encounter. The revulsion and urge to escape the situation clue us in to the fact that something is not right with the young Lord. And we pine for the recklessly endearing Robbie that Maz left behind. Our concerns are finally solidified when Newt is accused of stealing and arrested. </p>
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<p>Shelley Wilson's dynamic, complex and highly relatable characters are the high point of the novel. Ever since her parents were exiled by the previous Lord, Davis Reign, without any warning, she has had to care for her brother. She was forced to grow up early so she could raise Newt, taking on the role of both mother and father. This is something that she struggles with, especially once Newt is imprisoned for a crime he never committed. She then struggles with the choice she must make: her life or her brother's. No matter what her choice is, the decision she makes and the actions she takes are ones that she will have to live with forever. This is a test like no other and she knows she won't come out of it unscathed. </p>
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<p>At first, she decides to save herself and her brother, but it soon dawns on her that it's not just their lives at stake. Everyone's lives might be in her hands, and that's a heavy responsibility. She gathers many allies in her fight to save her brother and her people, and in their quest she uncovers a wealth of secrets, some of which change the very foundation of all she knew. </p>
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<p>While the plot and the characters are carefully and lovingly crafted, the book seems more suited for a younger than intended audience. The novel could use some fine-tuning in terms of pacing, and grammar, but these are just minor tweaks to a fantastic novel. Overall, Shelley Wilson has created an incredibly enjoyable novel perfect for middle-readers that acts as a true testament to the power of friendship and family. </p>
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I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The main issue for me was that I felt like there was so much more that could have been done with this story, but instead it ended up feeling rushed. Right off the bat we get a lot of background information in the prologue that was really intriguing and I felt like could have been an entire book in itself. So going into chapter 1, I kind of felt like I was picking up a book in the middle of a series instead of at the beginning. I felt the same at the end and really would have liked to know more in depth what happened to the characters. My favorite thing about the book was the main character, Marianne, or “Maz.” She was very relatable and I enjoyed the banter between her and Robbie. I also liked Theo and the friendship he and Maz built. Overall, I am glad I read this book and IF the author were to write another book with these characters, I would definitely read it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a beautiful premise and overall plot. I think this is not exactly meant for YA readers but for a slightly younger audience.

Marianne is a girl who live say in the outskirts of the Obnac city. Which was built several years ago when Davis Reign and his sorcerer friend Cassias defeat the dark phantom curse from the princess. Davis Reign is basically crowned king, marries and has a son. Cassias becomes jealous of all the attention given to Davis and plots to resurrect the phantom. David's wife dies and he becomes weak and depressed. When caasias takes advantage of young Crawford the heir and begins ruling the kingdom.
Marianne is targeted by Crawford to be the host/vessel of the phantom by putting her brother in prison under false charges. She is helped on her way by many allies.

Many secrets are revealed and Marriane comes into her own power.

This entire books feels incredibly rushed. Events unfolding at an unnatural pace. Problems getting solved very quickly. It feels as if the characters have everything handed to them in a silver platter. I was never attached to any of the characters they felt as if they didnt have enough significance even though they did. Which brings me to the character development which was barely visible or unbelievable because of how fast it was.

The description and world building though rich was again very rushed. And the journeys which feel like wouldve taken days feel like it was done in mere minutes. It took me a lot of time to read this book and I was constantly tempted with distractions.

I wish the book was bit longer. And I wish so many familiar YA plot twists weren't then together.

The adventure Maz undertakes had potential to be captivating, but was just ok. I ended up disengaged from the book so much that I was able to walk in the middle of the chapters without caring about the interruptions.

The characters were dynamic, but the world lacked depth. Wilson's story and characters are present, but need a stronger foundation in their world.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the author's engaging style of writing. Even though it slowed down a bit, it kept my attention and I genuinely cared about the characters. A well written and engaging YA book that fans of the fantasy genre will no doubt enjoy. Give this one a try. It's worth your time.

2.5 out of 5, rounded up to 3 because I enjoyed the intro.

We follow Maz around, her only living family is her little brother Newt. When the Lord of the lands castle takes in interest in her, he will do anything to get her even if that means imprisoning her little brother. But what the lord doesn’t know is Maz will also do anything to protect those she loves.

𒊹︎ 𒊹︎ 𒊹︎ 𒊹︎ 𒊹︎ 𒊹︎

This was a simple book to read, more on the juvenile side. I would say this would be better enjoyed from someone of the ☞︎12-15 year old range☜︎. There was some killing and very light romance, much more innocent than what is seen on TV.

𑁍I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review 𑁍

Enjoyed this story, beautifully written and pretty fast paced. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ecopy in exchange of my honest review

With a compelling story line and interesting characters this was a quick, entertaining read. The story itself you could use a little tweaking to flesh it out a bit as it is rushed. If I had to nit-pick the problems are solved too conveniently and our main heroine comes to use her newfound abilities with little to no difficulty making this feel like its geared towards middle grade as opposed to YA. Still a solid little read otherwise.


**Copy kindly provided by BHC Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half
This YA fantasy book certainly had an interesting and original storyline. Young Maz is all set to be presented at court to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and takes Newt her younger brother with her. Yet she’s almost immediately singled out by the young Lord of Obanac but things get far worse when Newt is accused of stealing and arrested ! Fortunately Maz has friends outside and decides to take matters with their help into her own hands and rescue Newt. What they find when they sneak in though is that sacrifices are being made to bring darkness into the world and strangely enough Maz is at the heart of dastardly plans .
There’s a lot going on here and the author poured so many ideas into the end that sadly it made it feel like overkill. I think my problem is that I just didn’t really connect with these characters and as I’ve read a lot of excellent YA fantasy I cannot help but compare. Perhaps if it been slightly longer the pacing could have felt more even. I will say nevertheless that it is an enjoyable story and I’m sure will be very popular with many younger readers.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Let me start off by saying that this is probably not the kind of book I would normally choose to read. I think it was probably intended for a slightly younger audience than myself. However, despite the fact that this book is not a book I would normally read, I still enjoyed it. The author truly did a great job in delivering her story. A young girl, Maz, from the lower towns heads off into the city for the first time in order to celebrate turning sixteen. She is accompanied by her younger brother who she has cared for ever since her parents were taken from her. What she doesn't expect is that she'll leave the city alone. A bumpy road full of obstacles has opened up before her. At first she just intends to save herself and her brother, but it soon becomes apparent that everyone's lives might be in Maz's hands. Many allies join her in her quest to retrieve her brother and save her people. Many secrets come to light during this journey that will change everything Maz knows to be true.

My only problem with this book is that it seems to be more intended for middle-school to high-school age audiences which I unfortunately am not in. I was still able to enjoy it, but a younger reader would probably enjoy it much more than I could. However, this does not change the fact that the author did a great job with the plot, characters, and writing itself. All in all, this book is a short, fun adventure about the power of friendship and family in a world where darkness is trying to destroy everything.

A young girl is targeted by evil to bring back the phantom curse. She must save her brother and avoid being captured to be used as the gateway for evil being unleashed.

I enjoyed this story. It had some twists to the plot that held my attention. The main character is like able, and who doesn’t like a little romance in their fantasies.

I do feel the story could have had more to it. It almost felt rushed through. I wanted to know more background.

Overall an enjoyable read