The Waking Land by Callie Bates - blog tour

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

It's been fourteen years, since King Antoine took Elanna hostage. Fourteen years since her father's rebellion failed. Fourteen years spent being raised by the man who condemned her people to misery. A man she's come to love as a father. 

Now 20, Elanna is about to be taken prisoner once again... but this time by her father's mysterious righthand man. Her father wants to reignite his rebellion, this time using Elanna as figurehead. He will tell his followers she is the legendary Wildegarde reborn, a sorceress who could make the very earth tremble.

But what no one knows is that magic really does flow through Elanna's veins. Now she must decide which side she's on, and whether she'll use her powers for mercy... or revenge.

I'm thrilled to join the blog tour for the paperback release of The Waking Land. This book has a unique premise and a rich mythology that made it a refreshing fantasy read.

Elenna went on an interesting journey as a character, both in coming to terms with her powers and her identity. I'm a fan of characters who don't have all the answers, and I enjoyed Elenna's developing relationships with the supporting cast of characters.

I really liked the setting of The Waking Land, especially the role of magic in the world's mythology. The politics were also really intriguing to me and I think there's plenty of material for the other books in this series.

I love a good revolution story! Elenna's personal struggle and torn loyalties added an extra level of tension. I really liked the romance in this book and it built to some steamy scenes that I enjoyed a lot. Although I felt like the pace slowed down in a couple of places, the revolution built to an exciting (and sometimes heartbreaking) conclusion.

This is a really promising start to a series and I'll look forward to the next book!

 

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