Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I felt it read a little younger than Young Adult readers at times. I will admit I skimmed some parts of the story as well, mostly about the sky boarding, but we'll talk about that later. I also found some parts of this book confusing and couldn’t quite figure out how we got there.
I enjoyed the authors writing style, I found it to be a very quick and easy read. I think the storyline flowed well, there was a good sequence of events leading up to the finale in the last few chapters. I also found the idea of the world (a high tech Indian inspired kingdom) to be very unique and interesting. I feel like the author had a clear vision of what she wanted to create, but I kind of wanted more. I wanted more descriptions of the palace, the clothing, and the landscapes. I think the reason I found this story to felt younger than Young Adult was the characters. I found that even though they were 16-17 years old they often acted more like 12-13-years old. Our main character Kira would be serious, independent, and strong-willed one second and then the next page has a complete change in demeanor, I found that to be confusing at times. In the end, I wish the story didn't focus so much on the school sports aspect of the storyline. I wish it paid more attention to politics both of the country and the school. It did end on a high note, I will keep my eye out for the second book and may give it a try.

I read other books by this author and always found them engrossing and entertaining.
This one was no exception: good world building, interesting characters and a good plot.
I recommend it
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was gifted this e-book ARC by Netgalley and Vulcan Ink in exchange for an honest review.

Girl with Three Eyes is the first ARC I’ve been approved for through Netgalley and I was super excited when the email landed! I had no idea what to expect, other than what was in the synopsis. With a reading slump in my rear-view mirror I dove into this on the evening of June 28th and wrapped up the last 13% on June 30th!

From reading the book, I’m pretty confident this is for the younger end of YA, I felt a sort of innocence within it. If it were a film, it would be rated a 12 in my mind. That being said, just because it is more suited to a younger audience doesn’t mean an older reader couldn’t get the same enjoyment out of it. I’m still clinging on to my 20’s and I genuinely really enjoyed reading this, I whizzed through it. If I was actually timed from when I started reading on Sunday to when I finished Tuesday, I’d say I was within the 48 hour mark. It also relit a little of the reading passion I struggled to find earlier in the month.

The story is super easy to read, the plot had a solid pace and plenty going on to keep a reader engaged. From early on in the book we are looking for a saboteur, and I ran through a number of the characters on who the bad guy(s) could be but ultimately didn’t guess right. Which is great, who wants to already know the villain before it’s announced?! Not me, I like to be kept on my toes in that area and felt Priya did a really good job.

I didn’t have any problems connecting with the characters, the majority were 16/17 years of age. I liked that the main character Kira was represented essentially as a normal girl, ignoring the third eye obviously. Thrust into a world completely different from the one she’s used to, we see her adapt and subsequently thrive. Her mission to keep her classmates safe weighs on her in a way you would expect and based on her background the maturity makes sense. I enjoyed her relationship with Trace which remained love/hate throughout, I say love but not the romance love. More a friendship love, which was different. Usually you’d expect them to be each other’s love interest which isn’t the case here. I’m not entirely sure what footing they ended up on. We do have a cliché-esque love interest but at no point is this acted on which I liked, as again normally a large chunk of the plot revolves around the romance. There was just suggestion of interest.

The story is set in what feels like a slightly more futuristic world to the one we are in now but with a class system where poverty is definitely a thing. I enjoyed the idea of a Highborn and Lowborn society but there wasn’t a great deal of background in the book on how this came to be, was it always like this or did something happen in the past or how it affects society or the economics of the realm. It would have been great to have just a bit more world building in places to explain the political and social climate, and about the two sports mentioned “Skyboarding” and “Jousting”. I feel that added detail would have given a bit more depth to the plot.

The ending… a cliff-hanger… I can’t cope! I specifically stopped reading ToG because I needed to know what was going to happen next and waited until they were all released before reading them beginning to end. I have a hefty love/hate relationship with cliff-hangers, cause now I need to know what’s going to happen in the next book (and there better be a next book!). Which on one side, means I enjoyed the book and care what happens next. On the other side, I don’t know when I’m going to find out what happens next because I don’t know when or if (Wilder Girls did me with a cliff-hanger and there is no sequel) there will be a second book! Oh, the Bookish Horrors!

This is an early copy of the book that I’ve been gifted the opportunity to read before release, with that in mind I did expect some issues within the writing. There were some grammar and continuity issues throughout and if I included that in my rating I would give the book a 3.5 stars out of 5.

Ignoring those issues this book for me was a solid 4 star book and did the unexpected by giving me some of my reading passion back. It’s lost a star because although I loved reading it I just needed a bit more ground work to set up the realm and I’d have adored a bit more time with the characters to get a better grasp of them. Trace, for example, it would have been nice to see a bit more of him as a person rather than just a highborn. There was a section near the end where I felt he was finally being represented as a person and not just a rich kid with attitude.

Overall, I super enjoyed reading this, I need the second one please! It is likely better suited for a younger YA, but I think as an easy YA Fantasy novel most could get some enjoyment from it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Maybe this is something for younger readers but as it's categorised under Young Adult, I will review it to the standard of other YA books I have read.
There were a lot of aspects in this book that I found jarring or confusing and some parts did not make sense to me. I will touch on them briefly to give you an idea.

But first, what I did like:

The world:
The story is set against a high-tech Indian-inspired kingdom which I thought was so refreshing and different. The skyboarding and jousting were interesting sports that felt new and well-crafted and it was clear that a lot of care went into crafting this world.

The writing:
I found Priya Ardis’ writing very readable. She described the world beautifully and made it easy to imagine. It seems that she had a very specific vision of the world she wanted to create and succeeded in doing so.

What I didn’t like:

The characters:
I think the fundamental problem I had with the characters was that they were so inconsistent. Sometimes they acted like they were 13, then like they were adults (they are actually 16 and 17). And adults around them would treat them inconsistently, too. Our main character Kira regularly did a 180 on her thoughts and motivations and it was confusing to keep up with her. Some of the decisions Kira and other characters make just didn’t make sense to me or felt out of proportion to the stakes in the story (like putting so much of everyone’s focus on try outs for the school’s sports team). I wish the story would have either focused much more on the school internal politics or just on the larger national politics but this balance of the two sadly didn’t work for me.

The plot:
The plot was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the “murder mystery” vibe that we got from some parts of the story but coming out of it, there were aspects that didn’t add up for me, that felt too easily resolved or overlooked. I also wished we had focused more on the mystery and less on the skyboarding. I honestly didn’t expect the sport to take up so much of the story.

I loved this story. It was quick paced with just enough world building and other details to be easy to follow. I hate when books end on cliffhangers, so I was glad to find that this book is the first in a series. The story was by far one of the most unique stories I've read concept wise. I would recommend this to anyone that loves fantasy with politics and intrigue mixed in!

Kira, hiding a third eye, pretends to be a Mind-pain healer, until she actually wakes a boy up from a coma. His father, Sir Lyon, takes her to be a undercover bodyguard and to use her gift. She must keep her abilities a secret or risk the danger of being 'enslaved' by the Queen.

Wide-eyed you absorb this futuristic tale in an academy setting, that mixes cool gadgets, kingdoms and Hindu lore with dashes of the mystical and mystery. I really appreciate the conspiracy feel to it. Plus the competitive side to the story.

Kira is instantly likeable and you root for her from the start. Her POV makes you feel what she is feeling, her awe of being thrust into a new world. How she reacts to her evolving powers. She is bold, sassy and I love her dry humor and inner strength.

The uncomplicated but full of rich details narrative is so inviting and enjoyable you gobble it up, as Ardis's writing is full of charm. The author, through her main character, has an endearing and captivating way of expressing herself.

Stories of 'underdogs' and their fight to be their best, have always been a favorite of mine. I do wish there was a little less competition and a little more of evolving abilities and the mystery. But I do love the descriptions.

Emphasizing on the problems of class inequality, this book is full of bravery, belief in yourself and faith in others. Also you never know what fate has in store for you.

And then we have that jaw dropping twist, where the narrative switches gears, to become more intense and bring surprise upon surprise. I actually guessed on of the revelations, but still enjoyed it and was shocked by how it was done. The ending is almost too exciting to bear! Bring on the sequel Pronto!

This is a book I would reread.
Okay,so there are not many books which have Indian mythology references in the plotline and hence this struck me as different and intriguing at the same time.
The main character is a solid person with special abilities that help her to heal people.This later puts her in some dangerous situations.(Other than that,I'm not going to spoil the plot line for you.)
There are some discontinuities in the plot but...it was not exactly a hindrance.
3.5/5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an e-ARC of this book.
👍

This book was okay. I found the storyline unique: a girl with a 3rd eye that can sense people when she touches them, I believe. So she knows when someone is good or bad. I think she can read people's mind too but i can't remember. She is sent to a school to spy on people because there is someone who is trying to kill Trace, a side character. This book focuses on a skyboard sport and this important competition that was going to take place. The whole thing was confusing though. Like was it happening on air or was it happening on land? Also the sport was talked about alot and i just didn't care enough for it.

I kinda suspected the people that ended up being bad so the reveals were not that shocking to me.

Girl With Tree Eyes follows Kira Shine’s story, a young girl with a third eye who doesn’t know it’s real power until she’s recruited as a “bodyguard” by a powerful man, who will change her life completely.

Okay, so I wasn’t expecting much of this book when I started reading it, but oh wow was I wrong. This book is anything but boring. It was so addictive I would start reading it and wouldn’t even notice I’d been reading for an hour.

So first of all, I thought this book would be a bit like Red Queen, and in essence it kinda was, but it ended up being more of a Harry Potter-ish high school kind of drama. And I loved it. There’s intrigue, and drama, and friendship and magic. Everything I can ask for.

If this book isn’t a 5 star for me is because there are certain situations where I couldn’t picture what was happening. As an example, I didn’t fully understand the sport, therefore I just couldn’t imagine how it worked.

It was a completely unexpected story and the cliffhanger at the end made me scream. I need the second book ASAP.

Thanks to Netgalley and Vulcan Ink for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - 40%

I had a lot of trouble getting into the book. I didn’t connect with the MC at all. I had trouble wrapping my mind around the world and concepts. I just couldn’t imagine it in my head and couldn’t get into it.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, but I ended up enjoying it a lot! It was a fun story with a good cast of characters and an interesting plot line. I was a little confused throughout about the world itself, and I would have liked a little more information about it.
Kira is the girl with three eyes, and she always thought that her third eye didn’t really do anything. Until she finds out that she’s wrong, and her third eye gives powers like reading and sensing emotions. I wish Kira would have done more of her own research about her eye instead of relying on other people to do it, but I liked her character overall. She was a strong and fierce character who was really loyal to her friends, even if those friendships started out of a blackmail situation.
I liked the different character dynamics and relationships. Trace really grew on me as a character, and I thought Soria and Ajay were interesting characters.
I really liked the ending, and I’m kinda kicking myself for not seeing who was behind everything sooner! The ending set up nicely for the next book, but not in a horrible cliffhanger type of way. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book!

Look out for my review also on my Instagram account (alli_the_bookaholic13) in the next couple of weeks :)

Girl with Three Eyes was a perfectly entertaining book, that I enjoyed and finished pretty quickly ! Set in a close-ish future, the story follows Kira, a teen who has a Third Eye, and can read people's emotions and decode their thoughts. After an encounter with nobles from the City, Kira gets involved in a mystery including the noble's son, a gorgeous prince, and an old rebellion against the royal family. All she has to do is protect Trace, the noble's son, but it soon becomes bigger than that.

First of all, I must mention how much I loved the world building. The setting is somewhat contemporary so I had no difficulty picturing myself in the City, and I especially loved imagining how the Academy where Kira goes to follow Trace. Following an adventure in such a setting is delightful !

Kira's talent is great, and even though it's not really explained what brings it to life after years of not being active, it is interesting to read about. How cool is it to be able to read people's feelings with just a touch ? I'll tell you : very cool.
The plot uses her power perfectly, and we get inside Kira's head, here and there, without it being too much. The mystery unravels at a perfect pace, and we get frequent changes of scenery, such that the reader never grows too bored. You just never knows what's about to happen and what secrets people hold. I'm giving the plot a bonus point because I didn't see the final plot twist coming !

I'm very sensitive when it comes to characters, so I was thrilled to find my favorite kind of character trope in this book : teenagers that band together, become friends and work together to solve a mystery. Yeah, that's pretty specific, but I love it. Trace gets a nice development, and he grows a lot during the story. I also liked Prince Ajay a lot. He's super sassy, smart and caring; a perfect teenage prince. My favorite character was Sarita. She's Kira's first friend at the Academy, after she's moved to the City, and OMG that girl is precious. She is always looking out for her group of friends, has an adorable crush on Trace, and is constantly trying to be the best person possible. I love her so much ! Overall, Kira's whole group of friends is adorable and sticks together, no matter how much they can bicker. I'm all in for this kind of friendship ! Yay !

I'm not rating this book 5 stars because sometimes, the writing style was a little cliché and repetitive. I don't know how many times the author expressed that Kira had "big eyes" when she first arrived in the city, but it was enough to bother me a little. We also get some psychic clichés from time to time that I felt were unnecessary and made me roll my eyes a little. Other than that, I can only tell you Girl with Three Eyes reads really easily, fast, and keeps you entertained for its whole duration. That's definitely a good read to get you 15 y.o cousin/sister, whatever, and young adults !

First Impressions:

The Cover:
Bloody eye looking through a crown? Need I say more?! When I saw it, I was left in total wonderment and awe… there was no way I could live with myself without knowing what was going on underneath this captivating yet gory exterior.

The fact that the eye there is supposed to represent a “third eye”, does not elude me as well. The other side of my blog is about all things witchy in nature, and I often talk about how activating your third eye is a necessary task when practicing the Craft. When I saw that eye on the cover, I knew that this would be a match made in heaven.


The Synopsis:

A girl with unrealized magical powers accidentally heals a boy, unveiling an incredible gift that propels her into a new life that she always dreamed of having… but obviously, it comes with a price.

The synopsis gave me just enough where I knew that, if done correctly, the story will unfurl beautifully into one where this girl will awaken this untapped power she never knew she had and totally kick ass.

Who doesn’t love that type of story?! I’ll wait…



See! You got nothing… because EVERYONE loves this type of coming of age story.


At the same time, the synopsis was still vague enough that it left me wondering what this power would be, and how much danger she will be in because of this power. I was more than intrigued by the possibilities of where this story may head, and it made me want to read it that much more.



It’s Ethnic:

In the NetGalley description, this book was described as Hindu-lore…



My Brain, “Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner folks!! Step on down Priya, your book is next on the list for Bri’s June TBR.”



I love reading books from different ethnic backgrounds. There is no better way to get engrossed in someone else’s culture than reading about it in great detail; sensing the authors’ great admiration and pride in representing their ancestry.

You basically receive a free language course while enjoying a good read. There are in-depth descriptions of the colors, sights, and smells. You can almost taste the popular foods of their lands. You can see the people walking around in the local fashions. You can feel the sands of their beaches beneath your feet or the bone-chilling coldness of the snowy mountainous air that surrounds their little snowy villages.

I will always reach for a book that’s written by an author who’s ethnicity is sensed strongly throughout the story-line. Girl with Three Eyes definitely didn’t disappoint culturally.

Overall Impression:

As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’ve never been a huge fan of eBooks, but when I decided to venture into the world of “Blog Tours” I realized that there was no way I could get involved without reading digitally. Soon after this realization, I signed up for NetGalley, and that day I ran across Girl with Three Eyes. The cover made me stop in my tracks and the synopsis sealed the deal.

I had to read this book…


So I requested, got approved, and let me tell ya, I’m so glad I did. I really fell in love with the characters and the story-line had me hooked.



I don’t read middle-grade books, but from my impressions of what they are, I feel that GWTE border-lined between young adult and middle-grade. The students at the school had adorable crushes on each other, embarrassing and overbearing parents, and cliche and not so cliche “teenage problems”, so it was easy to perceive the middle-grade aesthetic more than the young adult. However, there was a seriousness such as addiction, the separation of people due to birthright, suicide, death, and murder that reminded you that the YA still thrived between the lines.



The story flowed very well, and the dialogue didn’t seem forced. Great descriptiveness was felt throughout the entire story-line, and it ended on a cliffhanger that left my mouth hanging wide open and my hand slapped on my forehead. Overall… I would say that this book is a winner in the B+S Archives.

If I had to find one gripe about the book, it would be that the big “climax” almost seemed to fall flat because it felt a bit rushed. The entire time, the story developed steadily and thoroughly, something I quite enjoyed. However, when you get to the “big reveal” and the intense action scene, everything got thrown together. I wasn’t able to process all that happened in the end as well as I was able to process all that happened earlier in the book.

And there were so many big moments in those last pages, a bit of dramatic pause and scene stretching would’ve done the book some good during those times.



The gripe was but a minor one though, and it wasn’t something that caused me to hate it. .. just want a little bit more.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I loved Kira and that she ended up being a strong female lead. It was full of adventure and action. I was into the book and loved the skyboarding. I appreciated that for a teen book , it was age appropriate. There were a couple parts that I think could have been left out but nothing crazy. As a mom of teenagers it was a nice surprise.

Okay, so based on the cliffhanger at the end, this is clearly not a standalone book. I really like the main character. Trace took a while to grown on me and I LOVE Sarita. The twist towards the end, yeah, did not see that one coming. Also, the skyboarding thing. I just kept picturing it as snowboarding. Very curious about a sequel.

I am so sorry to say that I was unable to finish this book before the archive date, however I was able to read the first few chapters and I was loving it, I will definitely buy it just to finish it.

I thought this story has a very good promise, but then the execution lacked something... I did really like the writing style. It got me hooked, even in moments the story itself wasn't that exciting. It was just so easy to read! I liked that. I did also enjoy the idea of the girl with the three eyes and the story behind it. I could tell the author really thought everything through. What I did not like was the story line. There were so many random, impulsive actions that didn't seem to fit at all... At one point I was like REALLY? WHY is this happening? What motive could this person possibly have to act like this? That was also another flaw: character development. I did like some characters, but mostly the minor ones. The major characters were just... children? It felt like a children's book to me. Not just because of their ages, but also of the way they handled things or in their reactions. They didn't grow in my opinion and in the end they were still as almost annoying as they were at the beginning. I think a younger audience would love this book, it could be best presented as a middle grade!
The cover is absolutely stunning, I really love it and it appeals to me so much! Thank you NetGalley and author/publisher for this e-ARC!

The book pulled me in primarily with its eye-catching cover and intriguing title. The book follows through with an interesting mystery better executed than most. With world-building that is done well for what is a relatively short book, we are introduced to a world not too far away in regards to technology with fantastical elements woven throughout. Let's not forget the Indian representation laced throughout!

Though, while the futuristic elements and story are quite good, character development, as well as the fantastical aspects of the story, tend to fall short. Character's personalities, allegiances, and opinions are continually inconsistent as they seem to change to benefit the story rather than a result of organic growth. For reader's who prefer plot-driven stories, this may not affect the reading experience. Additionally, the story tends to read more middle-grade rather than YA, which leads me to recommend this book for a slightly younger audience (middle school age readers).

(Full review will be available on website June 25, 2020)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me just say, absolutely charming. I adored this book from start to finish. The characters were so lovable and engaging. It was written very well and I flew threw the book, not even realizing where I was how much time I had spent. It was so easy to pick up again when I had to put it down. The story had equal parts of charm and adventure. I am looking forward to the sequel of this book... there MUST be a sequel! Young and old will enjoy this read. I highly advise to pick it up and give it a shot. I dont think you will be disappointed.

I must admit I didn’t know the author before reading GIRL WITH THREE EYES, but what a pleasant find.
Priya Ardis (@priya_ardis) managed to build such an interesting universe and colorful characters,
Kira Shine was born with the gift of a third eyes, gift she misuses to scammer people with the help of her father, but her life changes the day she helped a highborn.
Forced to hide her third eye, she has to use it with care in order to unveil some court secrets and find the people who want to kill the prince and future ruler but in doing so, she'll also uncover the origin of her third eye...
This book is the first installment of a new series and I can’t wait to read the sequel and what the future holds for the Blessed and the Five Kingdoms.

Thank you @netgalley and @Vulkanink for sending me this advanced reader copy.

GIRL WITH THREE EYES will be released on July 1st 2020.

A similar review has been posted of my Goodreads and my bookstagram pages, and I'm waiting the release to put a review on Amazon.