I couldn't really get into it.
I think this is a hit and miss one.
The amount of characters and different locations got really confusing for me - i feel like they could have been explained better.
I really wanted to love this one!

The Waking Land is a wonderful debut novel. The world building is magnificent and the overall storyline is enchanting. My only issue is that it could be quite difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind at times, but other than that I loved it. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series!

Seeing that Robin Hobb gave a glowing 5* review for The Waking Land, I was very intrigued to check it out. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it a lot. There were a lot of characters and places to keep track of and I did get a tad confused sometimes but overall it is a well crafted fantasy novel.

Where to begin? Many who read this blog will know that I am currently, though not deliberately, in a year of reading all the retellings. This is of course not a retelling but there are some key fairytale elements in this story which definitely brought old English folklore to mind  - perhaps brought into relief by the fact that I just watched Disney's Brave again...

But you do have those elements, the idea of the land having its own identity and it's own power, the notion of a captured powerful woman (in some cases that might be a princess, in this it's Elanna) and the handsome prince who may or may not get the girl (no spoilers friends, no spoilers).

Conceptually I loved this book, I like a lot of the ideas that it discusses, in particular, the way in which Elanna was raised (one could argue) on the wrong side of the revolution and how she deals with the prejudices and the preconceptions she has gained as a result of that upbringing. That's something that has been done well in other books but is often ignored, the lines of right and wrong often being pretty clearly drawn, especially in YA fantasy.

I also enjoyed the development of Elanna's connection with the land, though of course the 'I just developed/discovered powers that put me in danger' is certainly a YA trope that many criticise.

I think a lot of my issues with the book came from the fact that a lot of things are set up that never come to fruition. For example, the Queen is set up to be a villain but barely features as a character, the villainy being performed by various male characters (not a bad thing, but an interesting use of a big bad?). Since the sequel (The Memory of Fire) seems to be more of a companion novel than a direct sequel I don't know that a lot of the worldbuilding that is set up will be used. 

I was also interested in the way the author tackled romance. I wasn't really sure where the story was going, at first I thought it would be a straightforward 'tall dark and handsome' affair and then it seemed as though Elanna was going to throw all of that away and instead be independant...and then it went back to the former again...it was a little confused. Personally, I think this story would have been more powerful without such a reliance on the romantic narrative, but that's my preference and not necessarily a critique of the book as a whole.

That being said, the descriptive writing in this book was gorgeous without being too wishy-washy. You really got the sense of the landscape these characters were inhabiting, in particular, I thought the elements of weather and atmosphere were well handled, as a reader you get well and truly immersed in this world alongside the characters.

I think this book is a good example of YA fantasy, with some interesting ideas, for me it didn't get a five-star rating because I didn't feel it did anything particularly groundbreaking (if you'll pardon the pun). If you're someone who doesn't read a lot of YA fantasy this might be a good book for you, if you're as much of an addict as I am I wouldn't say it's a must-have. I would suggest getting a copy from your library, as it is a fun read. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The first thing that caught my eye, was the stunningly cover. A girl stepping into a fairyland. I did that thing wher you judge a book by its cover. And this cover was telling me to READ THE BOOK.

So I did, and it is one of my best decision. This is the first book that I have read, after being on a book reading ban due to having exams at the beginning of the month.  And, let me tell you, it reaffirmed why I love to read.

The Waking Lands is an enchanting tale set in a world where loyalty is easily lost, politics is blurred and there’s an on going war. There’s also magic, love and Elanna’s journey to reach her potential. So you know straight away that this is going to be an epic tale.

This is a captivating read, one that I know I will want to reread again again. I’m so excited that this is a series because I honestly do not know what I would do if it was a standalone. If you are after an epic, romantic fantasy adventure then I promise that’s this is the book for you.

3 stars for this debut fantasy novel.

The main character In The Waking Land is Elanna Valtai, a young woman who was held hostage, albeit in a gilded cage, for fourteen years from the age of five until the king of Eren is murdered and she is falsely accused of poisoning him. This opening section of the book is interesting in its examination of the Ereni court, and for the writer’s portrayal of El’s treatment by different characters, which ranges from affection to sheer nastiness. The reader is also given mysterious glimpses of El’s magic, something that seems rooted in the earth, plant and stone.

Forced to flee to her native Caeris, Elanna must re-examine all she was taught in Eren about her family and mostly-forgotten homeland. This could have been a fascinating look at Stockholm syndrome but, for me, the novel fails to address this well. I imagine that Elanna’s vacillation and self-contradictions may be intended to be read as signs of how her childhood has damaged her and caused her to question everything she thought she knew, fatally undermining her faith in herself to make good decisions. However, a huge portion of the book is given over to Elanna’s inner monologues – very much to the detriment of the novel’s pacing – and I got to the point where, if I read that she would never go to place x or trust person y then I knew that, actually, within a few pages she would set off for place x or decide to trust person y (at least for a few more pages). Cumulatively, this made for very frustrating reading. Elanna’s inability to listen to others or ask them questions was also irritating, as was her keenness to talk over others just as they were about to say something helpful!

Other characters, although they were only lightly sketched, were more likable, such as Finn, Jahan and especially Rhia. Other characters such as Sophy and Victoire I found rather interchangeable.

The world-building also left me rather confused, I felt at times as though I was having too much information flung at me that I couldn’t absorb. I would like to have known a little more about El’s magic, perhaps the next book in the series will address this.

Despite my criticisms of the way in which some aspects of The Waking Land have been written, overall I enjoyed this book with its magic, war, love, family dynamics and political intrigue. I think there is great potential here, the book bursts with ideas and there are interesting echoes of historical conflicts and tyrannies, from the Jacobite cause to the treatment of indigenous people. I hope that the next book in this series, The Memory of Fire, will live up to the promise Callie Bates shows here, as I certainly intend to read that book too.

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A world where magic is forbidden, revered in secret by some, but feared by others.
Elanna was abducted by the king when she was only 5 years old. Brought up by him as a daughter and taught that her real father was a traitor. But is everything she has been taught all these years actually all false?
When she is forced to flee after the death of the King, she learns many truths that were hidden from her until now. Including how much magic she has running through her.
I enjoyed this book so much and can't wait for the next one.

There's a lot to like in this book. The level of Stockholm Syndrome brainwashing that Elanna has gone through during her time away as hostage feels scarily accurate, and it was fantastic watching her character evolve as she realised that so much of what she had been told about her homeland were lies. Also I loved how the book explored the issues of a conquered land struggling to hold onto their culture: can't help but wonder how much of the situation was inspired by Jacobite Scotland, the "king across the water" situation felt a bit too familiar.

I'm a sucker for a good magic origins story too, and Elanna's magic connected to the land had some really unusual elements to it which I liked a lot.

The main thing that stops me scoring the book higher, though, is pacing. A lot of the opening of the book felt like scene-setting as Elanna would run away from danger, nearly get captured, then run away again. I was fairly surprised to notice I was about 70% through the book when the real business of rebellion began in earnest. That being said, it was still a fantastic read and I'd wholeheartedly recommend.