It's been awhile since I found something this hard to put down! Royal coups and inner turmoil abound in this novel, without unnecessary fluff and padding just to make it longer and, therefore, seem more epic. In just over 300 pages, this book manages to dish out all the politics and scheming it promises. Let's get right into it.
Carys and Andreus, twin brother and sister of the King of Eden, were never supposed to inherit the throne. But when their father and brother show up dead and their mother is driven mad, an empty throne needs to be filled. While a plot begins to eliminate them both from the line of succession altogether, the seeress of Eden discovers another method: a series of trials set up by the Council and the winner of these trials takes the throne. Carys and Andreus, both of whom possess deadly secrets, undertake a series of obstacles (some of which have nothing to do with the trials) and their love for each other is pushed to the breaking point by those who would see them both eliminated.
Just the set up of this story is very good. While trials themselves almost take a backseat in the story, the real good stuff comes from the political intrigue that runs deep through this story. It's set up like a game of chess, where the pieces think for themselves and everyone has their own motive. The wide array of characters pulls you into this world of discord and lets you see just how far the corruption in this kingdom runs, and it's all handled beautifully. There's also very little mercy in this book. Things can get pretty dark as the plots come together and how it affects our protagonists. The perspective jumps between the two siblings and you see how this affects each of them differently. It's like a perfect mash-up between Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games. The Hunger Game of Thrones, if you will.
What I liked best in this story is that both main characters are likable and relatable, while at the same time being deeply flawed. Carys is an addict and can come off a bit snappish, but she's also fiercely protective of her brother and willing to help people, even if it costs her. Andreus is active, friendly, and shows deep kindness and caring towards his ward, Max. However, he's also a playboy, easily corrupted and more than a bit jealous. Such a brilliant balance of character allows you to see, in detail, how this corrupt world starts to weigh on them. When they are pitted against each other, you can understand how both of them feels and why they react the way they do. Andreus, in particular, goes down a very dark path in this book, but you can understand why and still hope that he can see the err of his ways, rather than wishing anything bad would happen to him. You aren't rooting for one or the other, you want them both to come out of this okay, and that's the beauty of this book.
As I said before, the trials aren't really the focus of the story, even thought they were a pretty big selling point of the book to begin with. They are also supposed to correlate with these virtues that the kingdom values but...I don't really get what shooting a bow and arrow has to do with any of these virtues. They also go by really quickly but, then again, that's also a bit of an advantage. If we took three days for each of these trials to get over with, this book would be needlessly drawn out. It gets to the point, and while I didn't always see what they had to do with virtue, it didn't waste our time with needless padding and I appreciated that. It knew where the real meat of the story was and stuck to it.
Finally, you can't have a story where the kingdom is called "Eden" without it being pretty heavy on the symbolism. They live in Garden City, Carys drinks from a red bottle (symbolizing an apple, perhaps?), antagonistic characters described as looking like "a serpent" and "the devil", a woman leading the man astray, etc are all little details I noticed throughout the book. There's probably more and noticing little details like that adds to the rich yet subtle storytelling that this book gives us and I really enjoyed it.
Final Verdict
I've missed finding books that have me this pumped for the next installment. It's to-the-point, yet rich in plot. It's heartbreaking yet intriguing. Throw in some Bible references for flavor and we have a welcome addition to the Shelf of Recommendation!
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Next Time: You won't find any brotherly love among these guys....
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