When Chalice sets off for Branbury in the middle of the night with her grandfather’s instructions, she has no idea of the dangers that await her. The King’s men have destroyed her home village of Canton and she is suddenly thrown into a Terravailian world that she does not know. Lost and alone, she is hard pressed to evade the iron grasp of the madman who rules the land. With the help of a friendly Chinuk, an old man, and a book that she discovers along the way, not only does she find true friends and true love, but she also finds her true self and what it means to be the Raie’Chaelia.
What I Expected: I thought this would be a fantasy book, but as I read on, I realized that this book doesn’t really have one fixed genre, and that’s what I really liked about it.
My Thoughts
The main character, Chalice, was very likeable. I felt like I really knew her, which is always a good thing. The plot, if broken down to the bare bones of it, was rather like Graceling, and Chalice, I thought, was like Katsa when she fought. I found this a good thing, since I loved Graceling and ended up enjoying this book as well.
I loved Jeremiah, too, because although he made me roll my eyes sometimes, I loved how he seemed to be a great match for Chalice. He was my favourite character in the book, hands down.
There were a few things I did dislike about the novel. Firstly, it was just so LONG. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if it were a print book, or most likely if I had a Kindle, but reading all those pages from a computer- my eyes still hurt. Well, I think that’s more my problem than anything, but it did detract a little from my enjoyment of the book.
Also, the descriptions were rather long, and there were so many unique terms that I had a hard time remembering the who/what/where of the story. However, the setting, the Terravailian world, was very unique, and this is a very good fantasy for those who enjoyed Graceling.
Parting Thoughts: I enjoyed this novel, though at times the descriptions were rather long, but it was all necessary in order to ground the reader in the story’s world.
Rating: 4/5. Readers of fantasy will love this story.
Note: I received this book for review from Teddy Rose and the author, Melissa Douthit.