I loved this book!!!! The political intrigue was absolutely cool and the very soft sapphic romance was the best 😭

The world building and character journeys were amazing, and the I was freaking out about the twists and turns and betrayals at the end 😭 I had a lot of fun tabbing this book, I started off with light pink tabs and progressively moved to darker colors ending with a dark maroon in accordance with the vibes of the book 🥲

The ending was satisfying and it opened up a huge new plotline for book 2, I can't wait to read it!

-- ty to the author and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy at yallwest and via Netgalley!

I wasn't really paying that much attention to the relationship with the clergy but never the less I did like the part the tension played in the story. The sapphic relationship is VERY slow burn, it was like molasses. But I did very much enjoy the mental health aspect, wonderful depiction to depression and not wanting to be here anymore. I felt for both Elodie and Sabine but emotionally wise I resonated with Sabine more due to her mental issues and her being her family's only way of making money, so much pressure on her shoulders. I did like Elodie's parts in the story, I enjoyed that the aspect that the clergy wasn't just one villain but the church as a whole. I have read other books where it was royalty vs. church: who has more power over the people in the kingdom, those kinds of books while those parts didn't really gather my full attention, I did enjoy how well written they were as well as the planning and the detail of the various storylines including the church and the royal blood. I love Elodie's family dynamic, I wish we got to read more about each of the siblings father's but with the way it ending "maybe" there's a sequel in the works? Who knows.

I want to thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley.

The book is about a prophecy that the New Maiden will be reborn as a third daughter of a third daughter. The New Maiden is the princess of Velle and Elodie the oldest daughter has lost her claim to the throne. On the night of Brianne's coronation, Elodie goes to the market and encounters Sabine who sells her a sleeping potion but what she really gets is a bottle of Sabine's tears which hold powerful magic. Elodie gives the potion to Brianne and the young girl is put into a sleep that she cannot wake from. Elodie goes back to Sabine for help to revive her sister and to save the kingdom.

First off this book is beautifully written. There is so much emotion on every page that a reader cannot help but become immersed in it. One cannot help but be emotionally vulnerable while reading this book. Sabine's darkness is depicted realistically like depression: she doesn't want to get out of bed, she feels helpless and useless to her family. These are things that are not usually found in fantasy novels and it was refreshing to see it done in such a careful manner.

This does go into how dangerous religion can be in the wrong hands as depicted by the Chaplain who also happens to be the father of Brianne the New Maiden. Brianne is a naive young woman who is crowned queen after her mother passes. Instead of making her older sister Elodie her Queen Regent she appoints her father who has been using his daughter for his own gains.

The relationship brewing between Elodie and Sabine is a slow burn but in the good way. There are slow burns which are infuriating and then there are ones like the Third Daughter where the build up progresses the story along.

There are many twist and turns and ending with a cliffhanger! Ugh, it makes me want the next book now. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend if you love a book with good prose, excellent world building, and relatable characters.

I liked this a lot! I find Tooley's writing style to be very readable, which makes her books quicker reads than you would expect of a long YA fantasy. I'll definitely read the sequel!