This book was a fast and fun read. Was it the best book ever written no but I was hooked from the first chapter. The characters were mostly likable with a good amount of character development that I was rooting for them all. I'm unsure how I felt about the love triangle (I'm not opposed to a love triangle) but I'm on the fence with this one. Because the love interests weren't fully developed and we didn't get to know them that well. But I enjoyed Arden's character overall, I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this book through NetGalley.

I loved this story so much!! The writing style was amazing and the characters were phenomenal!! Will definitely be buying a physical edition!

A heartbreaking and brilliantly written adult fantasy novel. Kind of reminded me of a much darker, better written version of Kiera Case’s The Selection trilogy. I wish this came with trigger warnings, as the book itself does start with a rape scene which threw me off and made it hard to read, but this didn’t take away much from the book itself. It was really interesting and I am excited to read the sequel !

I LOVED this book!! Seriously, (and I know this has been done) but anyone needing a more grown-up, Selection fix should definitely pick this book up. I'm in love with the characters, and if you're looking for a book where the characters follow you even after you've put it down then this is the book for you. While it starts out with the same premise as the Selection, it does not stick to the same structure throughout the book. A great story of love and overcoming trauma.

Really enjoyed this book, the story was very unique and hard hitting at times. The characters were well thought out and I really felt I knew them from how well the writing was.
Really great book!

4.5 stars!

This book surprised me in a good way. It's a YA Fantasy with a typical premise: a bunch of young adults, women in this case, are embroiled in a competition with dire stakes. In a world where sexism is encoded deeply into every aspect of life, certain women are chosen by Benefactors for a competition to better themselves and secure higher positions in life. Unsurprisingly, much of this has to do with the prospects of each individual woman for marriage. It also has to do with their political cunning.

The difference between But For The Mountains and other books in this genre, however, was the main character. Arden Thatcher is a ward of a Benefactor, and definitely not one of the chosen few who get to attend the competition. She has spent many years of her life being systematically sexually abused by the Benefactor's son. She lives in fear of him. She has been made small by him. So one day, when in a twist of fate she winds up attending the competition, she feels horribly out of place and inadequate. (Please note that obviously this book includes quite graphic and scary sexual content at times, and should not be read lightly if you have any concerns about this content.)

I was very impressed by the way in which the author dealt with Arden's history of sexual abuse and its impact on her character and the character of others around her. It informed her choices, but did not encapsulate her entire story. Her story was about generally bettering herself, and realising what she actually wants in life, as well as wrestling with her past and her ongoing fears.

Also, I am normally unimpressed by love triangles, but the nuances of the love triangle in this book, given Arden's character, were very interesting. I found myself fully invested in one of the pairs by the end of the book, and intrigued as to how the other one might develop.

This is the start of an interesting, unique, and relevant story, in a well-fleshed-out fantasy world, with a protagonist who keeps me reading. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because at times some of the complications felt a bit too generic. But by the end of it, I forgave all of its more stereotypical moments in favour of enjoying these characters so much. Here's hoping the next book will be five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and REUTS publications for providing me with a free eARC of this book! Unfortunately I didn't get to it in time for publication - in fact, I was so late that the next book is now out. The one benefit of this is that I get to jump right into the sequel, and you do too if you decide to read this book! I would highly recommend it.

But For the Mountains was an extremely quick and easy read. I found the concept comparable to The Selection, but with Pirates and on the higher end of YA.

BFTM is the first in a series, and the world building flows smoothly with the storyline. I would suggest checking the trigger warnings for this title, as there’s explicit references to/scenes describing sexual assault, rape, and suicide.

I found the writing to run smoothly, and I flew through this book. I enjoyed Arden’s journey finding her voice and strength- it was empowering to see her rise above her hardships. However, I found it difficult to connect to the characters overall. Although I’m interested to see where Arden’s journey with Beck goes, I am not sure if I’ll continue the series as I don’t feel the usual “pull” to do so.

Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this book to readers on the higher end of the YA spectrum who are looking for a quick YA political/distopian read, given that you’re ok with the themes discussed above.

3.5

Trigger Warnings: Rape; abuse; violence; physical abuse; sexual abuse; depression; self harm; PTSD/panic attacks

So I loved this book. It was dark and gritty but it definitely is worth the read if you have no triggers. When I was younger I loved the Selection and, yes this book has a similar premise. I don't like to compare other books to books that I review but I had to give a baseline for this review and that series is it. But this book is the adult, dark, gritty version of the Selection. That being said this story takes its own turn in a little less than halfway through.

One thing I really enjoyed was how all the characters were so drastically different. They didn't have similar backstories and they were all very unique and that always seems to get lost in books like these with of characters but that isn't a worry here. The characters are also very complex and not very tropey which was a nice surprise.

I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to see where this story goes next.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I liked this more than I thought I would! It definitely feels like a darker version of The Selection in several ways (it should have some trigger warnings that should NOT be ignored- didn't get too graphic but way more than I was expecting). However, it is a good story on its own. I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle but wasn't surprised. I did enjoy Arden learning to defend herself! I will definitely be getting my hands on the next one in this series.

I couldn't read this book after finding out about the major, multiple rape and sexual abuse warnings that came via Good Reads. This really should have been in the synopsis. Disappointing that the author - and NetGalley - aren't thinking about the safety of their readers. Why are women and girls being abused in every other book on our shelves?

This wasn't a book for me. I didn't enjoy the writing style and there should be a long list of content warnings

Trigger warnings: Rape, sexual assault, physical assault, drinking, PTSD, self-harm.

Thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Girls all over Nordania have been handpicked by their benefactors to go to the National Women’s Institute to represent Nordania. Those who aren’t picked are labelled the “Unchosen.”

In reality, the Institute is a parade for young women to try to win Declan’s favour/First Families favour in order to cut deals with their respective countries.

The girls live with their benefactors, preparing them for the Institute. Well, that’s what they’re meant to be doing. Arden’s benefactor, Conrad only prepared his candidates.

Arden (our protagonist) wasn’t even a choice. CJ, Conrad’s son, put her name up for candidacy as a joke. Thinking she’ll never get picked and will be one of the “unchosen.” Cj doesn’t actually want Arden to go. He wants to keep her as his “plaything.”

Arden is a strong character who is willing to stand up for herself who only wishes to improve and make the most of her life. Even though she has been through so much trauma, she still pushes on. Arden is a pretty inspirational character.

Declan sees something different with Arden and tries to win her favour at every turn. Even though he whispers sweet-nothings into other girls ears. I don’t know how to feel about Declan. I like him but don’t? He seems to be a confused Prince who hasn’t had much life experience. He doesn’t seem to know what the “right” thing to do is. He is always clashing with Arden, who has been through a lot emotionally and physically. They are polar opposites.

We are introduced to Beck, a pirate. Honestly, I didn’t really like Beck’s character. I found him quite boring. He uses a lot of made up swears, such as “fartknuckles.” I found them quite childish which seemed to counter how the rest of the character was written. I couldn’t take him seriously.

I enjoyed that you couldn’t tell who she’ll end up with (Declan or Beck) she seemed to have good chemistry with both.

I found the ending satisfying and am excited to dive into the sequel.

If you liked The Beholder, you might like this.

I want to preface this with the fact that I DNF'd it, and I wouldn't rate it for that reason, if it was possible.
The romantic interests and writing style really did nothing for me. It felt juvenile and overdone. This is perhaps just because I wasn't in the mood, or it was a bad match between reader and writer. It is VERY YA.
I disliked such a strong and not particularly well-done focus on the characters past trauma.
It's like The Selection, but it didn't have the guilty pleasure vibes.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I enjoyed this book despite the dark themes and the trigger warnings associated with the book. When reading the book you can feel the character's desperation to survive and we see her begin to work on her trauma to move past this.
It reminded me of The Selection series with the competition elements to win the hand of a love interest whilst coping with her past.

I went into this book knowing little to nothing about it and I’m glad I did because I was blown away. This was such a fun read

I like it, but not that much.
A ver, habia momentos en los que decía "SI, me encanta lo que está pasando" o mismo que todo era predecible y no me molestaba. But... the relationship with Declan zas a little bit too off, no había suficiente romance y creo que la escritora tiene que mejorar con eso. Con el otro interes amoroso, Beck, fue más marcado y un poquito más interesante de leer.
THE PLOT i was speechless, but again, the resolution was off too. No me gustó porque se resolvió en el momento.

But for the Mountains is Erin Riha's first book in the Embers in Wait series. This was a dark and often upsetting story, so be please take all trigger warnings seriously. But for the Mountains is hard to read, and, as many others have said, is very similar to the Selection series. This novel is about overcoming trauma while learning and focusing on the importance of a support system made of family and friends. I think this story will be compelling with many readers and will resonate with survivors, too.

The title of this story comes from a story retold late on in the book but which is central to the theme at the heart of this novel...that of survival. But for the Mountains focuses on the story of Arden, a young girl who has endured horrific abuse at the hands of those who should be protecting her, and how she learns to find ways to accept this element of her past and move into a new future.
While the story of survival and the character of Arden herself were engaging, I don't feel this worked as effectively as it might have because of some of the other plot elements.
Our story is set in the fictional world of Nordania. There are many places within the country mentioned, but I never felt I really was given much to picture the world or how it came to be. We are, however, told that each year there is a group of young women who are sent to the National Institute in order to learn how to rise to their potential role within society - and, though this is never explicitly encouraged, the main aim is to secure a potential match for the Prime Minister's son.
As a number of reviewers have commented, the competition between a group of young women to secure the hand in marriage of someone important has been done before. It is very reminiscent of The Selection - even down to the backstabbing and machinations to beat their rivals - but it was only once I got to the end of the book that I started to feel this was merely a device to allow the author to convey her message about the society, what these girls endure and how all who 'look the other way' are complicit in the abuse.
Arden herself is a character I found intriguing. She is broken, but by the end she is fighting and I definitely liked the way she ended the book. Her relationship with Beck was a curious one, and I'm convinced there is more to this man than meets the eye - how else could he get away with so much?
While there are elements of this book I found did not engage me, it certainly showed us a character determined not to give up, someone you want to succeed and a very real suggestion that she might do okay - in spite of the barriers placed in her way.

Honest Review in exchange for an ARC copy of this book thanks to Netgalley! All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Erin Riha is certainly a writer of skill. I enjoyed this book once I was able to throw myself in, I found the opening slightly confusing and too vague to be of interest, but once I pursued, I enjoyed it a lot more. People compare this a lot to The Selection... I have to admit, The Selection is definitely one of my biggest guilty pleasures; as such I know it well enough to easily see the commonalities between the two books (and their eventual series). And I agree. This is very similar in concept, but I knew that going in, what I didn't know is how quickly it would attempt (fairly successfully at points) to turn this into a redemption of self-worth for our MC.

Arden. I love love love that name, and in a way it totally suits her. Arden, to my knowledge, comes from a meaning of "High" and sometimes "High Beauty", or "High Value". Which to me, is a compliment to our MC's virtue. Here we have an MC that is no damn damsel in distress, but a young woman who's had stuff chucked her way since she was a kid, and still stood strong, finding a way through and on, not just collapsing in a heap or onto a mans shoulders as they do for disney. She's not the most relateable MC, but I still enjoyed her as a character immensely. It's a shame side characters like Zerah weren't given more of a relationship with our MC as I would have found that deeply intriguing and interesting for their perspectives to grow. I love that the 'sidekick' or closest to that, was written in a strong woman who has a mask to the world but still has an obvious archilles heel. No more of those powderpuff girls who act like they've never had brains, here we see an array of DIFFERENT women, each with their own personalities. Now, I have to follow that up with the disappointment that for so many of those characters there was a bitter rivalry that felt secondary to the goings on of the book. Mainly because it would have been ever more so interesting for their to be some woman/woman power instead of just more of the misogynistic world we are so familiar with. Though that leads me to the positive point; that this writer addresses the misogyny at multiple times within our MC's narration, and gives Arden the "hell naw" energy we've been missing in the books of authors prior. My biggest disappointment? The Pirate man. He was a freaking asshole, and his crew weren't life changing just different. AND I am so, so so so so done with bloody love triangles. And it felt so over done and over played with the whole "oh it felt different with him" vibes and "oh but i dont know what that means"... just ENOUGH. Please. In regards to the sensitive matters dealt within of rape/assault and violence etc, I think they were covered and dealt with with grace. I find many authors struggle with this sensitive material and make it too fantastical, or horror story like and unrealistic, and I struggle to read the graphic depictions attempted by other writers. Here, it feels realistic and repulsive, and CJ... CJ is the man we all want to punch in the face, and the two personas shown within society are crafted well, cleverly, and believable. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it an interesting read, but the forced love triangle (with a toxic member, a sensitive wanting to learn member who is basically an aside story, and a member recovering from something as drastic as Arden), lack of interesting connections between characters, and fairly standard and basic world building, leads me to a score of 2.5/5 stars. I'm not sure I'll read the sequel or continuing books unless I find myself bored.

Every year, the National Women’s Institute of Nordania select a few lucky candidates to study with them and become the future leaders of the world - a life away from being the unchosen, and a life Arden could never imagine. But when her name is announced and she is finally whisked away to her new life of freedom away from her abusive life at home, it's not what she'd dreamed of at all. Rather than learning, Arden seems to just be wearing gowns and competing for attention - it seems like she's traded one cage for another and she's going to need all the strength in the world to break out.

Now, this book featured some of the YA tropes you either love or hate - vaguely evil elite club, love triangles, fighting for the love of the prince, all that song and dance - and while for me it made this feel somewhat lacklustre it definitely gave a pleasant familiarity to the story. The world building however, was stunning and I loved the lore and history created within this story. Arden was brilliantly written and a wonderful heroin, I really enjoyed seeing her overcome and grow throughout the story.

This was a lot darker than expected, and dealt with a lot of abuse from assault and rape, self harm and bullying. And while it wasn't particularly graphic, the emotional and lasting impact was portrayed vividly and took me by surpise, a lot of readers might find this uncomfortable to read.

As the first in a series, I'm definitely interested to see where this goes next.