This was hard to read as a stand alone. I did enjoy the story. And look forward for more novels from this author.
Thank you for the advance copy

i really enjoyed reading this book, I liked Violet and her family. They were a really interesting family, and I enjoyed the fantasy elements and hope there is more to Violet's story.

When I requested this copy of Beneath a Crimson Willow on NetGalley I did not know it was part of a series and I am glad I did not because the reviews for the other books where not that great but I found this book really interesting.

The world was so different and interesting. I kept wondering about certain details but it is because I did not read the first 2 books.

I loved the characters and the flow of the story.

I will definitely be picking up the first two books and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.

When I requested this title, I didn’t realize that it was the third book in a series. I don’t think it works well as a stand alone because it builds heavily on past events and the prior world building is just not in this book. Violet Noone and her family have been on the run and have had a difficult time avoiding the authorities and The Marked, a secret organization bent on revenge. Leonard, a stranger blackmails Violet into helping him solve his wife’s murder or he’ll expose her family and collect the reward money. If she helps him, he promises to help her family escape the realm they are on and get to safety. Leonard and his wife Georgina are thieves and Violet must discover whether the murderer is taking revenge or wanted an object they have stolen. Because I didn’t read the previous books, I didn’t understand why a grown man would rely on a 17 year old girl to help him solve his wife’s murder. I also didn’t really understand the world in which this takes place so I didn’t really get invested in the story or with the characters. People who have read the series might enjoy this but I didn’t really care for it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

When I requested this copy of Beneath a Crimson Willow on NetGalley I did not know it was part of a series and I am glad I did not because the reviews for the other books where not that great but I found this book really interesting.

The world was so different and interesting. I kept wondering about certain details but it is because I did not read the first 2 books.

I loved the characters and the flow of the story.

I will definitely be picking up the first two books and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.

I wasn't aware that this one is part of a series when I picked up a copy. Unfortunately, it can't be read as a stand-alone and does build on the other books (as it would seem). That aside, this is a tale with all sorts of exciting directions. There's mystery, thrilling moments, science fiction, fantasy, a type of mobster mentality and action.

The main character is a girl with spunk, whose trying her best to correct an earlier mistake, which has placed her entire family and closer friends in extreme danger. They are in hiding but are never safe. In this book, she's approached by a stranger, who knows her secret, and offers to help her family escape if she finds his wife's murderer. If she refuses his offer, he'll turn her and her family over to be executed. Feeling she can't turn him down, she accepts and soon finds herself enveloped not only in a difficult search for a murderer but is soon caught between a theft/smuggling ring and a very powerful corporation as well. There's danger from all sides, and each one means death.

Tension fills these pages, and it's impossible to guess who she can trust and who not. If anyone. It's easy to feel for her as she tries to save the family she's doomed...even if her personality sometimes could use a bit more warmth. I'm not sure why I had trouble warming up to her, but I did. She isn't overly snarky or horribly raw, but sharp around the edges in the caring area...although she is doing everything for her family. As said, I'm not sure why she didn't 'speak' to me as much as I'd hoped.

There is romance, but it's not super sweet and does fit the situation pretty well. Her interest is, obviously, not concentrated on that end as much thanks to everything she has on her plate. So that actually works out fine and would have had deeper meaning, I'm sure, if I'd read the first two books.

The book builds on tension and action, and it does do a nice job of keeping the reader guessing. The main character has very little time for pause and every time she believes to have taken a step forward, unexpected barriers appear. It's a woven web with secrets and plots, and does keep one guessing until the end.

Anyone who loves high-stakes with woven plots, mystery, a touch of science fiction, and even a dash of magic will enjoy this one.

I received a copy through Netgalley and did enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Beneath the Crimson Willow in exchange for an honest review.

So I'm probably not the best person to review this because I didn't realize that it was part of a series until finishing reading (although I'm still not 100% sure if they're all supposed to be read in tandem) but honestly, a lot of my issues with it would probably be heightened were I reading this as the second/third(?) book in a series. There is so much exposition right off the bat which I'm assuming is there to catch you up with events from another book but I found it over the top as someone who hadn't already read all that and if I had, I'd probably be a lot more annoyed with how much time we spend recapping. This book is pretty much all exposition and everything is told instead of shown. I just really couldn't get into it because of the narrative structure and I doubt reading these in the right order (if there is one, I've been google and I still can't quite tell) would have fixed that.