Riven has an intriguing premise with magic, action, and some political maneuverings. I never did warm up to the book as I had been expecting.

The start of the book is a bit slow and full of world building, my interest only picked up when he finally became enmeshed in his task and had assumed a fake identity and met his target, Fura. The initial banter and antagonistic dialogues were amusing at first.

But I quickly lost interest again when the main plot began to branch off into other subplots. I wanted the narrative on focusing more on the formula instead of the political maneuverings. Also, the romance was pretty meh and tepid to me, in that it's pretty obvious what's going to happen between them so the ending lacked a bit of climatic tension.

Some scenes had me engaged but these weren't often enough for me. Also, wanted to give a trigger warning that the magic is activated by using their own blood for our main character. So if that's not something you want to experience, then just a heads up.

Perhaps someone else would enjoy this more than me.

eArc provided by NetGalley

A slow start and a little jarring world building with a lot of telling. The character development was the saving grace and about 40% I was swept into the world. Overall enjoyable and I look forward to more. 3.5 out of 5 stars

I want to preface my review with saying that I adore Mindee Arnett.
That being said, I struggled with this world building a lot, which caused me to really slow down my reading. I felt confused a lot with the information that you had to learn while the characters were experiencing the plot. I almost felt, for once, there was too much showing and not enough telling? It's hard to explain. I did like the premise of the magic, how the characters interacted with each other, and Mars. What I struggled with as well was the romance, I shipped Mars with someone else haha

All in all, I'd like to give the finished copy another read as this was an ARC. Maybe with some refinement, the world building improved.

**3.5 Stars**
I read the author's previous series and really enjoyed the first book and was super depressed by the sequel but I was really excited to jump into this new story she created (and it doesn't hurt that the cover is super pretty.) There were some great parts and some meh parts to Riven, I really liked the world building so I would like another book set here, and I do love that the main character was morally gray (aka an assassin, which is about as gray as you can get). The romance was a little forced and not really needed, I would have been perfectly fine without it, but as we all know romance is almost always in YA.

The ending felt like an actual ending which I was surprised by since I assumed this was the start of a series, but everything wrapped up fully so this might actually be a standalone YA fantasy read. Also, the ending was a lot confusing, very rushed and a little weird, so there is that too. The pacing in most of the book was very slow, drawing out the world building and the plot, with lots of details and political intrigue details, so then the ending was like a random tornado landing in the middle of the story and ripping everything up and then moving along as if it never happened. I had to reread the last few chapters to make sense of everything so I am not sure I am a big fan.

Riven is the first book in a new Young Adult series by Mindee Arnett and if you don't have this on your TBR yet, definitely go add it now.

Mars is one of the main characters and having grown up an orphan and under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin, he's ready to do whatever he needs to in order to get away and build a new life for himself. Oh - he's also been keeping a pretty big secret - he has magic that if found out, would make him a slave.

Unfortunately for Mars, Una has other plans and if Mars wants out, he needs to complete one final job - protecting Fura Torvald, the heiress of the Torvald kith and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill. Not only does he have to protect her, he also needs to steal the Primer while protecting her but when he finally meets her, he realizes this may not be as simple as he originally thought it would be.

Fura has no interest in Mars being around - not only can she protect herself but she doesn't trust him at all. She's got plenty of secrets herself and she ,can't accomplish what she wants to with someone following her around. Unfortunately for her, the only way her mother will allow her to go to the next Assembly is with Mars at her side.

As these characters get to know each other and figure out who can be trusted...and not, they find themselves in a bigger game than originally expected.

If you're looking for a story with great world building, well-developed characters, and plenty of action, consider picking this one up. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.

Mars Darkvane is a master thief, but he is also a secret adept, and must hide his powers from everyone in order to survive. Riven is a nation where the power to control Rift magic means a life of slavery or worse. He wants to leave, to a place where he doesn't have to hide or worry about being exposed, but in order to do so, he has to take one last job. He has to protect Fura Torvald, and extract a secret formula from her. Easy, right?

I really enjoyed this novel! I loved Mars as a narrator, his assessment of people as a thief was fun to read. The magic system was interesting, I wish we could have learned more about the Consortium and the Rivna Knights, I think that would make for an interesting prequel! The prologue almost made me feel like I was back in Shannara with Alannon at Paranor, it really made this feel like the beginning of an epic fantasy. The creation of a new parasitic magic, Ice, was interesting and unique, and definitely added an element of pressure that helped keep the pace going. The character development of Mars from someone who only looked out for himself and trusted no one to someone who would risk his life at the end of the novel was done really well, I was rooting for him from the beginning.

The twists in the last few chapters were so fun, I couldn't stop reading! I liked the dynamic between Mars, Fura, and Katrin, it was different from a normal trio, which usually has two guys and one girl in a lot of fantasy novels. I don't know if there will be another book, but if so I would love to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The very first chapter, aka prologue, was what had initially drew me in to the entire book. Just the world before the disaster. The beauty that I imagined was amazing. I loved the details. Then when the disaster happening it was a first initial shock.

I do like Mars and Fura as like the main characters. As Mars was first to fall for her. (That is always a different approach to see.) As I do enjoy those tropes. But back to Mars as a character. He started out as a very selfish character and slowly he changed into a more caring and honest person. It was a slow transition but that's a good thing. I hate when they have characters suddenly change in the last 30 pages of a book.

I loved Fura for her stubbornness and anger. Her ability to keep going and to keep wanting to change the world for the better. Plus, her attitude and her swordsmanship make her a formable and favorite character.

I did enjoy the world building but there was a few times I did have to reread paragraphs of information. It came across as confusing and I didn't quite understand it all at first.

The pace of this book is a little iffy as well. As it was kind of fast for the prologue to about chapter 12. After that, it kinda of slowed down for me until like chapter 25. Then it picked up at an incredible speed.

Also, that ending was soooo good. Especially with Fura's mother Elin and Una. Like amazing! Overall, I did enjoy the book and it kept me entertained for parts of it. Good book to pass the time with.

I loved this book. Mindee Arnett creates a vivid world world magic is corrupt, and a group of unlikely Allie’s work together to fix it. I love Mars. This a need to read book.

The prologue really sets this book off, it grabs you and makes you want to know more. Then we set up the story, an assassin who wants out of the game gets roped into one last mission, to guard the daughter of the man he killed. It's a good idea and I thought the magic was pretty interesting, it just got a bit bogged down in court politics and didn't do a good job of showing Mars as a badass assassin.

The romance also wasn't my favorite. I would have preferred Katrin and Fura together, since they had such a close relationship. The chemistry between Mars and Fura just wasn't there and they had little in common to bond over.

The ending is where all the action is and though it felt rushed to me, I did like how things wrapped up. I don't think this needs a sequel, I'd be happy with just this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Balzer and Bray and NetGalley for the copy.

A story about an assassin trying to escape that kind of life always captures my attention. It must be because of my love for morally gray characters.

I immediately liked Mars. As an orphaned child, he was begging on the streets before crime boss Una trained him as an assassin. Mars also carries a secret – he’s an adept, mages enslaved by the upper class to do their bidding. If he’s discovered, it means the end of his freedom. He shoulders a tremendous amount of guilt, knows what he does is wrong, and wants to live an honest life. He has a plan in place before Una calls him back for a final mission. Unfortunately it involves protecting the daughter of the last man Mars killed and stealing a formula.

Fura is the heiress of the Torvald kith (one of several ruling families of Riven). In this world, magic is dependent on Ice, a toxic resource that has to be mined. All citizens are required to spend a couple years of their life mining it, but some of the wealthier people pay proxies to take their place. Although Fura’s mother schemes to keep the power with the rich and maintain the status quo, Fura has ideas of her own. She’s a believer in equality and wants to change the world of Riven when she takes over from her mother.

Mars undergoes a tremendous amount of character growth and is faced with a difficult choice. On his own for most of his life, he has a strong need to find a place he belongs, and he discovers that with Fura. But Una has the power to end his life and promises his freedom if he completes this contract. I enjoyed most of Mars and Fura’s scenes together (especially the way they meet), but I wasn’t feeling the romantic chemistry between them. I think a friendship would have worked just as well.

With political machinations, lack of trust among characters (plenty of backstabbing), and long held secrets, a lot is going on in this complicated world. Pacing is a little uneven, but I’ll be looking for the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I have spent a week and a half trying to put my feelings about this book into words and coming up empty. There was just so much intrigue crammed into this book that trying to sort it out for specific feelings is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and the haystack is my brain that I swear delights in leaving me feeling inadequate.

The beginning had me feeling quite intrigued, although I thought the story was going to go a different way based on it. I was expecting a stronger romantic storyline for one thing, and a different cast of characters for another, and I didn't get either of those things.

There were a lot of aspects of life in Riven that made me quite angry. Poor people being used and taken advantage of while the rich reap all the benefits (so pretty standard fare for a dystopian novel). But the story is told from the perspective of someone in neither of those two groups, who is all too aware that one wrong move or stroke of bad luck would land him worse off than the poor.

This is a world where nobody really trusts anybody, at least they shouldn't because you never know who is going to stab you in the back next. Fura is betrayed by some of the people she thought were closest to her after all.

The relationship between Mars and Fura was interesting and full of fun little quips. There's also definitely potential for it to grow into a romance, but it was not that in this story, and I'm glad it wasn't. I feel like a lot of books with plots similar to this lean heavily on a romantic aspect to make us root for the characters, but I had no problem cheering for their success without their romantic relationship being on the line.

Overall I give this book 4.4 out of 5 stars.

Riven is a story about Mars, a young mercenary who wishes to escape the oppressive island. Although the character and the storyline sounds familiar, the author has done a good job with jumping right into the story and mixing the world building in-between! Its a good start to a series with magic and adventure. If you liked Grishaverse, you’ll enjoy this one too!

Last time I read a Mindee Arnett book it was Onyx and Ivory & I loved it so I was more than sure I would love Riven!

I adore a good fantasy book and this one is more than delivered.

In a world where magical people are prosecuted yet the world lives off that same magic.. a young man is forced into a mission that could very well result in his death if he isn’t careful about not revealing his powers.

This is one book that you seriously do not want to miss!

I loved the world building especially at the beginning. Mindee Arnett has a way of drawing you into her books. I enjoyed the character of Mars. Love that morally grey guy with a heart of gold. This was an enjoyable read and definitely picks up at the end.

This is going to be a hard review to write because I’m kind of ambivalent about it. Riven by Mindee Arnett is the first in her new steampunk/epic fantasy series by the same name. It follows Mars, an assassin and spy master, as he goes on what he hopes is his last mission. What he uncovers will shatter all that he has grown to believe and reshape how he sees the world. Riven promised a lot, but the delivery fell flat for me which is why I’m having a hard time nailing down how I feel about the story.

I really enjoyed Mars, Fura, and Katrín. They make a good team, even if their goals don’t align. Mars is our main character, and the story unfolds from his perspective. This is where I struggled the most. For a master spy, he seemed pretty clueless as to what the girls were up to. Despite that, I enjoyed reading as he discovered more about this complex world and where he fit into it.

Fura and Katrín are a packaged deal. Where one goes the other is sure to follow. Raised as sisters by Fura’s late father, the two have a tight bond. Fura is straight-laced and idealistic where Katrín is more like Mars and sees the world for what it is. The two balance each other well.

The world-building is detailed, and at times I found myself lost in those details instead of invested into the story. This is a massive world, and there are moments where a lot of information is given without enough time digest it. At times, this upset the pace of the plot which started out intriguing. Mars being assigned as a glorified babysitter and guard to a girl whose father’s assassination was his last assignment gives the story a bit of danger as you always wonder when/if Fura will discover the truth.

This is quickly lost as Mars becomes involved in Fura’s day-to-day life and the assembly they will be attending where she will be named as the Torvald heir. The first 10-15% of the book is engaging and exciting, then it drolls on for about 60% before finding that sweet spot at the end to keep the plot moving which is why I struggled with this one so much. If not for that first 10-15%, I most likely would have DNFed the book. I’m glad I didn’t though.

Overall, Riven is a sweeping epic fantasy about one girl’s quest to change the world and the assassin who was sent to stop it all. I loved the world-building, even when it slowed the plot down. The intricate magic system, the way it is portrayed is quite similar to steampunk (there are even airships!), which added a little modernity to an otherwise older fantasy trope. If you are a fan of epic fantasies that don’t follow the standard rules, I recommend you give this one a go.

Rating: 3.5/5 ★ rounded up

Unfortunately, despite my piqued interest in this title, I did not get the chance to read it in time to publish a review before the full release.

Thrown directly into the action, in Riven there's not only fake dating, assassins, and also a girl who's great with a sword. The first thing I enjoyed about Riven was the world building. This explosive beginning, Ice magic, and economy where some are forced to mine the Ice in a world which somewhat relies on this magic? Even days after finishing, I'm still intrigued even if I wish we knew earlier on more about this world and economy. I felt like we found out a bit too late for me to feel like I got a good handle on it.

This book would be a great fit for any upper-level classroom library. It's tale and hero's journey will suck in even the most unlikely young reader. The storyline had a great promise and truly paid off. It definitely will entice younger readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: January 10th, 2023

This is a tricky one for me. It opened really strongly, but then most of the book was more of a 3 star for me, and then the last 40% really picked up with the action. It is labeled as YA but I think the best crowd would be junior high/early high school readers just getting into fantasy (I think I would have loved it at that time in my life). There were so many predictable elements to it and no real surprises. I was frustrated with how many times the MC, the "best" thief/assassin, was surprised/caught off guard (sir, you would be dead by now). I think the idea, world, and premise was really interesting. This was supposed to be a stand-alone so everything wraps up nicely but there will be future books in the series so I am interested to see what direction they take.

Go check out the book! It's a story about a young mercenary magic-user who's trying to escape Riven, which is an oppressive and terrible land, and a young noblewoman trying to change it forever. It's well written, has great characters, and kept me turning the pages! I enjoyed the different characters and with the writing felt like I was there with Mars and Una. Thank you netgalley for letting me read and review this amazing book. I haven't read any of Mindee's books before this, but now I'm definitely going to check out her other books.