stacyroth's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
2.5
Twenty years ago, King Eoghan’s father forced marriages between the Kingdom’s four reaches to forge alliances and secure his place at the head of the kingdom. Now, the cruel King Eoghan has his own brutal request: each of the four couples at the head of the reaches must give their eldest daughters to him. None want to, but not to do so would be treason. However, before they are to be presented, all four daughters disappear. This throws the already fraught land into even more chaos, as the children cross the kingdom on their own quests while those left behind must determine how to play their hand.
The premise of the book was intriguing, and I was really looking forward to it. However, the story itself seemed to drag on. There are so many characters and perspectives that it was difficult to follow along and keep them separate. There was only one narrator for the audiobook, and I feel that having a cast of narrators, one per perspective, would have helped keep that separate. Apparently if you have the print version of the book, there is a guide at the beginning to tell you who’s who in the story, but the audiobook doesn’t have that available. I think the plot would have been better served to cut out a few storylines.
I see a lot of people comparing this book to Game of Thrones. I haven’t read that series yet, and after having read this book, I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Child death, and Domestic abuse
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