Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the city of Eldra, the high council have held the power because they hold the prophecies of the seers. The people of Eldra are ruled by these prophecies, they rely on them and they revere them. Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council. The high council govern behind the walls of the citadel. Cassa struggles to carry the burden that her parents left her – the legacy of their rebellion. Can Cassa uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy and can she do it in time to say the city, and themselves.

Beneath the Citadel has been high on my list of 2018 anticipated reads, largely due to the fact that I absolutely adored her other book Iron Cast. Destiny Soria has definitely honed her writing skills since Iron Cast and made Beneath the Citadel a much more pleasant surprise. So yeah, I absolutely adored Beneath the Citadel and it gripped me from the very first page – what a fabulous introduction to our protagonists – our leader Cassa, the easygoing Evander, the no-nonsense Alys, and the unassuming Newt.

I loved the magic system in this Beneath the Citadel, it was incredibly unique and intricate. There were people who could read the future, people who can steal memories, people who can read minds. There was also some fabulous world-building and some really great development of the religion of the world, it was really complex.

The group’s dynamics were also great and they had some incredibly banter together. I also really loved Cassa – reckless, brash, arrogant, and morally grey. I loved how their friendships were so complex and realistic – it was really the highlight of the book. There was also a m/m romance between Evander (who is bi), and Newt (who is gay). Beneath the Citadel also features a fat ace girl too, Alys!

Beneath the Citadel also had a very strong plot- A failed rebellion, a fight for revenge, a scheming chancellor, a mysterious prisoner under the citadel, and an emotional ending. It is a book that makes you ask the question, who do you trust? It was very well done and kept me reading till the very last page!

Overall, Beneath the Citadel is a brilliant, engaging and fun read and I do highly recommend, especially if you are a fan of Destiny Soria’s other work, and especially if you are looking for a fantastically written fantasy full of intrigue and magic.

This story is told from 6 POVs which can be a little daunting. It is a rag tag bunch of rebel teens trying to save their city. It deals with diverse characters from the lgbtqia community. This was a little dark for my taste especially since I prefer HEA.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC for an unbiased review!

In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. After the last infallible prophecy came to pass, growing unrest led to murders and an eventual rebellion that raged for more than a decade.  In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council, which governs Eldra from behind the walls of the citadel. Her only allies are no-nonsense Alys, easygoing Evander, and perpetually underestimated Newt. Cassa struggles to come to terms with the legacy of rebellion her dead parents have left her, and the fear that she may be inadequate to shoulder the burden. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city—or themselves.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley. I picked this book because of the eerie cover and intriguing title. As my first review for October, I figured a creepy and omnious book would be the perfect way to start.

The book alternates perspective with six different characters. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that I really struggle with multiple POV stories, as I end up preferring one character over the other and wanting to skim through the other parts. However, all of these characters were so different and interesting in their own way, even in the way that they interpret the events happening through the book, that I enjoyed getting to know each character. Some characters, like Cassa, were not necessarily likable characters, as she was arrogant and not always useful, but I still enjoyed reading from her perspective.

The world of Beneath the Citadel is dystopian-esque, in that there’s an overarching government and dark conspiracies. But there’s also some exciting magical features, including unique specialties, like divination and elemental-style magic. I enjoyed the combination of fantasy and dystopia in the book. It led me to some interesting obstacles for the characters and unique backdrop for the plot.

The opening of the book, which features each of the characters on trail for treason, immediately pulled me into the story. It immediately raised the stakes for the story and the action and excitement did not let up from then on. For that reason, this book was a pretty quick read, which I love. However, I did feel as if I was literally dropped into the middle of the story. Many people and events are referenced early on that the reader isn’t familiar with. It left me wondering sometimes if I had accidentally picked up a sequel to another book. Eventually, everything is explained through flashbacks, but I was certainly confused for a while.

Beneath the Citadel is an exciting book, that will intrigue you from the first page. The alternating point of views, while usually frustrating for me, were interesting as all the characters were unique and fun to get to know. The plot drops you in the middle of the story and explains through flashbacks and dialogue, which could be confusing at the beginning of the novel.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I struggled a little bit with how to rate this one. I think this is a case of a story and world with lots of potential and an execution that is good, but not great. Beneath the Citadel is a YA fantasy set in a world where prophecies rule everything via a self-interested council. It follows a group of teenagers whose parents were involved in or adjacent to the (now crushed) rebellion, as they seek to take down the council and become embroiled in political intrigue and dark secrets. I very much liked the premise and thought that the world and the magic system were interesting. The main plot was pretty solid too and I enjoyed the twists and turns. There has been buzz about this partly because of its LGBTQ representation, but I have mixed feelings about how that element of it was handled. By no means was this a bad book, but lets chat about the things that I thought could have been better.

* On LGBTQ Elements: Among the teen characters are an asexual girl, a bisexual boy, and a gay boy. There is a kind of love triangle where the bisexual boy used to date one of the girls in the group, but is now developing feelings for the other boy. All of which would be fine, except that it feels awkwardly pushed into the rest of the story rather than feeling natural to it. Part of it might be that the author has set up this fantasy world and then interjects the use of the modern-feeling terms "he knew he was bisexual" or "she was asexual" rather than just saying that the characters liked boys and girls or weren't interested in anyone romantically. I just found the use of modern terminology to be jarring and feel heavy-handed, given the otherworldly setting. Similarly, while there were a couple of genuinely sweet romantic scenes, a lot the scenes touching on character romance and sexuality just felt forced and out of place given the life or death scenarios they are being faced by. All that to say, it's a pet peeve of mine when it feels like the focus is on this heavy-handed diversity than on the characters or the story. I've read fantasy novels with LGBTQ romances that were absolutely fantastic, but this one fell flat for me.

*POV's: I thought there were too many POV characters in this book, especially considering that none of them are in first person. We get the perspective of FIVE teens which I think detracted from deeper development of the characters. This definitely could have been told with fewer perspectives and would have packed more of an emotional punch. ****SPOILER WARNING***** The fact that I was not all that bothered by a character death at the end of the book probably says something. I feel like reading this book I was always wanting more in terms of depth and less in terms of unnecessary material.

*And that's the other thing- I just don't think we get enough to justify this being nearly 500 pages long. And considering the length, I think it's a problem that I'm left wanting so much more from the characters and the world.

So overall, I didn't think this was a bad book, but it was a disappointing one for me. It had the potential to do so much more and become a favorite, but instead I just thought it was fine. Worth reading? I would say yes if you're into the genre, but just don't go in with super high expectations.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this book to fans of young adult fantasy. I've read a lot of YA fantasy and really enjoyed this one!

9 Show more
Review Beneath the Citadel is such a good book. It's very fast paced, but I did and up reading it slower than I usually read a book because so much is going on and I didn't want to miss anything.

The cast of characters is amazing and I loved that the story went back and forth from the point of views of the various characters.

Absolutely a five star read for me! Will definitely be rereading.

Oh my gosh, do you see? A standalone YA fantasy! Plus, the cover was giving me serious dark, Halloween vibes so I absolutely had to request it.

Beneath the Citadel has a sort of heist feel to it. We have a plucky gang of misfit characters sneaking their way into a seemingly impenetrable building and you're never entirely sure who's side anyone is on or what they really want. Add to that a corrupt, all-knowing, all-seeing government and and the last dying embers of a previously failed rebellion and Beneath the Citadel has an awful lot going on.

The plot was really unique, and I like the idea that this wasn't the kind of Hunger Games, epic rebellion: overturning the system and saving the day. It was a kind of ground-level thing. The rebellion has already failed and now the characters are just doing what little they can to make the world a tiny bit better under the system that exists. The magic system that Soria has created is clever and unique. It's all to do with seeing the future and playing with other people's memories. It’s interesting and definitely adds another layer or darkness to the story with ideas of manipulation and deception that it leads to.

The characters were my favourite part of the book. There are four (possibly five) protagonists and each of them had very distinct personality. There's some good representation going on: Evander is bisexual, his sister Alys is asexual and suffers from panic attacks and Newt is queer. There's also a very nice slow burn m / m relationship going on. I loved how different all the characters where and how imperfect and flawed they were. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone’s struggling. Even Cassa, who irritated me with her “arrogant badass” thing at first, really grew on me as she developed over the course of the story.

Overall, I thought Beneath the Citadel was a really good read. Not really the creepy, Halloween thing I was expecting, but definitely a strong, dark fantasy novel. I'd recommend this one for anyone that likes complicated politics or heist stories like Six of Crows.

This book explores some interesting themes, many of which are themes that tend to resonate with me, as someone with Alzheimer's in the family, any story that plays with the idea of memory tends to hit me right in the feelings. In this case, there are people who can take memories, and also give them to others, this leads to some interesting plot twists and reveals throughout the story. I'm not sure the metaphysics of how this worked were laid out in enough detail for me to feel like I truly understood it, which meant that those moments of revelation didn't pack quite so much of a punch. Nonetheless, it was an interesting idea, and when tied in with the notion of prophecy was certainly powerful.

This book is in multiple POV, the majority of the action focussing on Cassa, unsurprising really, but the other characters do get a look in. I particularly enjoyed the chapters that had time jumps, scattered throughout the book. They added another dimension and helped to fill in the backstory without feeling too much of a 'tell' rather than a 'show'. One of the reasons I don't think this book worked as well as it could have done is that the characters didn't really have distinct enough voices. They had separate backstories and characteristics, but the writing didn't shift enough within each chapter to feel like you were reading a different person. This may have been in part because I had just read Light Years which does multiple POV very well, but I would have liked more differentiation between characters.

The main reason I don't think this book resonated with me particularly was that it didn't feel like a new story. While there were some interesting ideas and elements of worldbuilding in there, such as the idea of blood bonds or the reliance on prophecy, the description isn't quite rich enough for you to fully immerse yourself in that world and I was left feeling that something was a little lacking.

That isn't to say that this is not an entertaining book. It has some great moments of action and I liked the story for the most part. It also has a bisexual character which is just wonderful and an example of two characters who break up amicably and remain friends. Both of these things are great things to have in a story, especially in YA fantasy as opposed to contemporary. I also think this would make a very good film or tv series or something, but I think that's because it was the visual that I was missing out on and a film would allow me to have that. I very rarely feel that a book should be longer than it is, but in this case, a little more space for description and worldbuilding would have been wonderful.

As I say, this is by no means a bad book, but it is a book that could have done more with the ideas it contained. If you enjoy YA fantasy and you'd like to read something that toys with memory and also has a lot of fun prison break moments (I do like a good prison break) then I think you would enjoy Beneath the Citadel.

My rating: 3/5 stars

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

CW: panic attacks/panic disorder, anxiety, PTSD, domestic abuse, death of parents.

I had high hopes for this book but it sadly fell a bit flat. The main characters were likable enough and the concept of rooks who can control memories was an imaginative one, but there were so many plot holes that the story lost a lot of cohesion. The flashback chapters weren't integrated well either, and the narrative had far too much telling and not enough showing. One of the book's redeeming features was its diversity: there are black and POC characters, a character who's bisexual, a plus-size character, a gay romance, and a character with anxiety who has panic attacks.

But despite being wonderfully diverse, Beneath the Citadel ended up being a little drab. The plot was very linear, meaning the flashback chapters felt 'thrown in'. Their purpose was obviously to to create depth of character, giving each protagonist a backstory, but they weren't weaved into the story seamlessly. As a result, they felt forced and ended up interrupting the plot's fluidity. The dialogue was also stilted in places and the villain came across as too much of a caricature. Having said that, I enjoyed the growing romance, and definitely started to root for Newt and Evander. The idea of being able to bloodbond with metals had fun Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes, and the idea of being able to take and give memories was well imagined. What the book lacked in narrative and plot prowess it made up in imagination, but it was quite enough to make this a tour-de-force.

Beneath the Citadel was so good!  This book is fast paced and hard to put down.  I read it slowly, but only because there was so much to take in and pay attention to.  I apologize now for my mess of a review.  It's kind of hard to talk about much without giving things away. 



The book is narrated by multiple characters.  We mostly hear from Cassa, Evander, Alys, and Newt.  But also from Vesper at times.  The world building happens throughout the book.  We find out some things early on, but other things come out later in the book.



Cassa is sort of the leader.  She and Evander dated for awhile, but they're no longer together.  Cassa's parents were killed during the rebellion and she wants revenge on the people that killed them.  



Evander has a blood bond with silver.  He can control silver without even touching it.  While he was with Cassa before, he has feelings for Newt.



Alys is Evander's sister.  She's super smart, but insecure.  Especially with her ability to see and predict things in the future.



Newt might have been my favorite.  He's small and uses contortion and dislocation to get into and out of small spaces.  He is very sweet and obviously in love with Evander.



Vesper was Cassa's best friend, but she betrays the group on their mission.  She decided to stay behind and when things go wrong, Cassa realizes it's Vesper who betrayed them.



Cassa, Evander, Alys, and Newt break into the Citadel.  They want to know why people are dying for no reason.  They are just dropping dead.  They know there is an executioner, but they don't know much about him.  This all changes when they come face to face with him.  The executioner tells the council prophecies.  They use they prophecies to control their people.  



There are diviners, sentients, and rooks that are all part of the political system.  We find out more about all of these types of people throughout the book.  The executioner ends up being the one who is taking the memories of people.  They just drop where they are.  Solan, the executioner, tells the group about a plan he has.  He has been kept prisoner and he wants out.  They decide to try to help him because the plan fits in a bit with Cassa's revenge.   Vesper is helping her uncle in a different way and tries to get Cassa on her side.  



There is so much more that happens, but I don't want to give anything away.  I really loved everything about this book and gave it 5 stars.  



Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my copy for review.

[Review will be posted on Reader Voracious Blog on 9/23/18.]

"We are not foretold."

Beneath the Citadel is a standalone young adult fantasy which at its heart challenges the notion of destiny and predetermination. The city of Eldra has been ruled for centuries by the High Council, which maintains its power through prophecy. It's been four years since the rebellion was quelled, but there's a ragtag group of friends determined to fight back against the council so that the all the lives lost meant something.

This is a difficult review for me to write. While I enjoyed the overall plot and found it to be unique, the writing style didn't really work for me and I personally found the execution to be lacking. It is worth it to note that I buddy read this with Melanie, who loved it, and at the time of writing there is an average rating of 4.05 on Goodreads. While this book didn't hit the spot for me, I do recommend this book! So without further adieu, let's hop into the review!

Opening Lines: "Four people were supposed to die at sunrise. The four members of the council sat in the Judgement Hall, prepared to declare the prisoners' fate. The high chancellor himself oversaw the proceedings, as was customary in trials for treason. Deep beneath the citadel, the executioner was waiting."

I was blown away by the opening chapter and Soria managed to draw me in immediately with the first paragraph. In four lines she was able to set the stage: the political ceremony, who the players were, and the foreboding future. Who are these four traitors and what is their crime? To answer the latter question let's use the words of Cassa herself: "Why would I deny successfully infiltrating the Central Keep with nothing but some barrels and a pry bar? I'm really quite proud of myself."

I love ragtag groups out to right a wrong, and this group of characters is precious. I really appreciated learning about their pasts as well as their histories with one another and what side their parents landed on during the rebellion. There are a lot of levels to each of these relationships and Soria did a good job creating and developing these characters.

There are a total of six perspectives in this book . SIX. While I actually enjoyed each of the characters a lot and found each of them to be complex, the crux of my struggles with the narrative is the juggling of these perspectives. The constant shifting of perspective, often times creating mini-cliffhangers at chapter breaks, made it difficult for me to stay engaged in the overall plot and I actually found myself caring less as the story progressed. Coupled with the narrative choice of telling rather than showing, reading the book felt repetitious because the same information was constantly being revisited in each of the six POVs. I found myself bored and wanting to skip ahead to see what new things would happen next. The POVs were actually all written in a third person voice, and I wonder if we had an omniscient narrator would have been more successful.

We all know that I adore worldbuilding, especially religion, and I am happy to say that this is truly where Soria shines! The world is vast and I really feel like I understood the way religion and prophecy was used in this world to exert and maintain power (and how that power corrupted over time). I also really loved the magic system(s) and found it so interesting! I did find the plot to be a bit predictable and frustrating at times, Cassa's singular goal of revenge really bothered me, and it is like reading the naivete of teenagers that know better and then are shocked when what they suspected winds up being true.

Overall, while I didn't enjoy the writing style and execution, Beneath the Citadel is a creative standalone fantasy with excellent LGBTQIAP+, overweight, and anxiety rep. This just wasn't the book for me but I definitely recommend it to readers that love multiple POV stories that shed light on the truth/past bit by bit through varying perspectives and memories. There's amazing worldbuilding and character development, and the cover is gorgeous!

cw: loss of a loved one, torture, abuse, panic and anxiety attacks (really good rep), death

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me an electronic advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Quotations taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon final publication. Beneath the Citadel will be released on October 9, 2018.

I wanted to love this so badly. Beneath the Citadel is fast-paced, full of action, and has a great cast of diverse characters, but ultimately it just felt flat. Other people seem to be loving it, so I really think this is a case of "it's not the book, it's me."

The story starts out right in the middle of action, which was good in that the book jumps into the action and continues at a fast pace from there. However because of the way it's written, there are moments when a lot of information is dumped on you, other times when I felt like I was missing something, and some parts where the book seemed to jump around. At times it felt like I was reading the sequel to a book I hadn't read. And since there was so much information being thrown at the readers right off the back, I kept getting confused with the different terms, such as the rooks and sentients, seers and diviners. 

There are four protagonists - and five POVS - which can be overwhelming, but I think the author did a great job of giving each character a distinct voice. There was a diverse cast of characters, and each of them had their own flaws and unmistakable personalities. And while I appreciated them all, I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and I think that also had an effect on my enjoyment.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

This was so much fun! Heist-y, ensemble YAs are super popular lately but it's easy to fall into tropes and cliches. BENEATH THE CITADEL was a refreshing take with relatable characters, little to no romance (but I loved Evander and Newt!), and clever world building. I had never heard of Destiny Soria before and now I'm definitely going to check out her first book.

Thank you for letting me read.

This character driven standalone is pure YA Fantasy magic!! The writing is excellent. It is told in 6 varying POVs, each exceedingly unique and magnificent in their own rights. The characters are crisp, witty and incredibly beautiful in their diversity. Yes there is a motely crew of character tropes including a plus sized, anxiety stricken, female ace genius, a bisexual rogue and a m/m relationship so sweet it will surely tug at those heartstrings. I love how the topic of sexuality is broached so casually, not being the energy that fuels the plot, it is simply a noted fact and then the plot moves on. There are twists and turns aplenty that will not only amaze and keep you guessing into the wee hours BUT they might even break your heart... who's that sniffling? Not me!!

Overall, I highly recommend this extremely satisfying read!!

*** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

Beneath the Citadel follows 4 teens who are trying to bring down the empire that enslaved them. With quick thinking, they manage to escape only to find themselves forced to choose whether its better the devil you know or the one you don’t. Narrated by 6 different characters, all keeping secrets, readers slowly learn of the history of the Citadel, its religious leadership, and the connections between these characters.

Beneath the Citadel is set in a word where power is derived from prophecy, these prophecies have kept the powerful council in their positions for centuries and led to rebellions for equality, the notion of fate dictates everything about the city of Eldra and how it moves forward in the world. The main conflict is an age-old tale where those with power have no problem committing acts of violence or even orchestrating mass murder in order to keep those dynamics in play and to keep in control. I love that the pace never really let up and the characters were constantly on their toes, racing against fate to change their lives for good.

This YA fantasy acknowledges character sexuality without making it a central focus point it is mentioned just as casually as their height or hair colour. One character is bisexual! Another is gay! And a third is aromantic asexual These characters are who they are, and there are no angsty plot points that revolve around them suffering because they're queer Even When discussing intimate relationships, the non-heterosexual pairing felt natural rather than placed in the book for the “shock factor”.

I felt that Soria really hit the mark in her vision of the city of Eldra. Although there was no map, I could identify each character’s journey through the world. I was fascinated by the world Destiny created and revealed the plot little by little. This book has almost a fairy tale type feel to it where everything you want comes with a price with the details murky at best up until it’s time to pay up. Destiny’s approach to ‘magic’ and abilities not just, prophecies but the kind of magic that can alter memory, unmasks intent, and bonds blood to pure elements at a cost. It is such a wonderful concept.

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria is a young adult fantasy read. This one has been compared a bit to Six of Crows and I can see that comparison in the somewhat rag tag group of teens coming together and going against their society.

The story takes place in the city of Eldra where a group of teens have come together as a last effort in a rebellion against the council. Told from their different points of view the book starts as each have been captured after an attempt to sneak into the citadel and are about to be sentenced to their deaths.

Obviously the story is not going to end in the opening chapters so there’s a plan of escape on the horizon for readers as the story gets going rather quickly. With this there is also the beginnings of the different types of magic brought in with each of the group having different abilities and personalities.

Now, for me I debated quite a while on my rating for this one as it jumps right in and took off at a fast pace which I loved. However then the world and character building seemed to start being dumped in after the bang of an opening and it slowed the story down somewhat. Once going again I did like the story until the end which I won’t go into but it just seemed a bit off the way some things were dealt with. So overall I’m going with 3 stars but it’s falling around 3-3.5 to me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

“Deep beneath the citadel, the executioner was waiting.”

Beneath the Citadel really impressed me throughout. Not only is this a really solid and satisfying standalone, and not only does it have some pretty amazing rep, but the story is also so unique. Every time I opened this book up, I never wanted to put it down.

The book starts out with four of our main characters being thrown into the dungeons, after being sentenced to death. Yet, this was completely their intention. From the opening scene, throughout the rest of the book, these group of five ragtag teens come together to try to pull off a quest that will completely change everything they’ve ever known.

➽ Cassa - PoC, and the leader whose parents left behind a huge rebellion legacy for her to try to live up to. Cassa is brave, and strong, and willing to do anything to erase the pain she feels inside, while also attempting to make the world a better place.

➽ Vesper - Cassa’s old best friend, who has betrayed them and who is put in a dangerous predicament because of her past with Cassa. I don’t want to say much else, but Vesper is a really cool character, who I loved learning more and more about.

➽ Alys - Plus sized, PoC, ace spectrum, has severe anxiety, and the genius of the group! Alys also is a bit if a prophetess, even though it has lead her astray in the past. Also, her parents are apothecary rebels.

➽ Evander - Bisexual, PoC, the charmer of the group, and is Alys’ brother! Also, he has a bit of magical power with manipulating silver that he received for a cost.

➽ Newt - Gay, a contortionist, and the sneaky rogue-like one of the group! Also, living with past trauma of an abusive parent. (And probably my favorite of the entire group!)

“He learned how to hold a world of hatred inside of him without a single crack in his exterior calm. Sometimes he felt like that was his greatest accomplishment. And sometimes he wished the Valeras hadn’t done him the favor of letting his father live.”

But beneath the citadel, something else lurks deep below. Cassa and her friends are offered two bargains, both of which they are unsure of taking. But time is ticking, and they have to make a choice; to help what everyone thinks is a monster down below, or to help what Cassa knows is a true monster above. And this story is told in the span of five days, so decisions happen rather quickly.

Yet, I do think that this is a book about friendship, found family, and how important it is to surround yourself with people who will accept you and unconditionally love you. These five teens have all been dealt very different hands in life, but they’ve all come together and truly try to make this world a better place. I honestly loved this entire cast.

“I’ll tell you the story,” he said. “I can’t promise you’ll believe me, but I promise it’s all true.”

I’ll be honest, this book reminded me a bit of Six of Crows and Senlin Ascends, which I’m not sure there is a more desirable combination on this planet. The characters all won me over so quickly. The story had me constantly questioning, while unable to put the book down, because I had to find out what the truth was. And this book had some pretty amazing (and heartbreaking) twists and turns along the way.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and would completely recommend. Not only is it unique, but Destiny Soria really took the time to put in some amazing diversity and representation in this book. I personally loved the bisexual representation, and the m/m romance was so pure and completely stole my heart. And I’m so impressed with what this author was able to deliver, both character and world building wise, in a standalone. This was a wonderful ride that I hope you all pick up come October 9th!

The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Content and trigger warnings for loss of a loved one, torture, abuse, murder, death, captivity, medical experimentation, panic and anxiety attacks, depictions of blood, and heavy depictions of grief and trauma.

With the failed rebellion nothing more than a memory, the people of Eldra are content to be lead by the Council. But what the people don’t know is that the power the Council has wielded with such devastation is slipping out of their control. As the Council’s power wanes and their desperation grows, Cassa is ready to set the city on fire and free it from the Council’s corrupt grasp.

Soria brings a wonderfully unique take on magic to the table. In Eldra there are sentients, seers, rooks and diviners. Rooks can devour people’s memories, sentients can read peoples thoughts, diviners can see the future and seers deliver the prophecies that the Council’s power is built on. Then there are those who are bloodbonded, able to wield the metal they are bonded to.

Beneath the Citadel has some absolutely great characters. Cassa is headstrong and burning with the desire to finish what her parents started. Evander, easygoing and quick to bring some humour, and Alys, who sees the world in equations and logic. Newt who is quiet and seemingly harmless but has a tough core and is resilient. Distant Vesper who betrayed the group for reasons that aren’t clear at first but we slowly get to know.

Though I loved all of these characters it was Cassa’s fire that I connected to most, even why you wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.

Something that I particularly loved about the main cast is the rep. Cassa, Evander and Alys, the latter two who are siblings, are POC. Evander is bi and Alys is asexual, both which were mentioned on page. Newt is gay. Alys also struggles with panic attacks and is fat, neither of which are ever presented like a character flaw.

I did feel like the pace dropped off a little towards the middle and it wasn’t holding my attention as much as it did at first but by the last third the action ramps up and nothing is what is seems as Soria through twist after twist at us.

Beneath the Citadel is a wonderful standalone fantasy with a fierce bunch of leads that leave you in awe of their humanity and an ending that will leave you reeling. Seriously I am not over that ending.

The summary for Beneath the Citadel was really the thing that caught my eye. Rebels, prophecies, and a ragtag group of misfits? Sounds like my kind of thing. Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I thought I would, although I did find it an enjoyable read.

I liked the world building, with its four subsets of magical (idk the word tbh) beings: seers, rooks, diviners, and sentients. It was interesting reading about a land that ran on prophecies. However, other than that, there wasn't much world building. Why do the people depend on prophecies? That was never really explained; we just had to go with it.

There were five different main points of view, which I liked. Each character had distinctive voices, which is always a good thing in my book. Also! Two of the characters had on-the-page representation using the words, which is so rare in fantasy. Alys is asexual, and her brother Evander is bisexual; Newt is never explicitly said, I don't think, but he has a thing with Evander so. Also! Alys has anxiety and is fat.

A lot of what I didn't care for was the writing and the pacing. The four of them would plan something, and then literally in the next chapter, their plan would be wrecked. I mean, that's fine and all, but that happened like three or four different times, and I got tired of all the changes they had to make.

The pacing was weird because we literally jump right into the plot. The first four chapters are each of the four being sentenced to death. And then? I thought we would flash back to why and how they started their plan, but we just kept going with a sentence or two to explain what happened before they were caught. It threw me off a little because it made it feel like the whole book had a middle and an end, with no beginning.

If you know me at all, you probably know I'm a sucker for romances, even in books where they're not really centered in the plot. However, I thought the romance in this book was a bit superfluous. Like, I did not care at all. I just wanted to move through the plot but we would get scenes of **spoilers** Newt pining for Evander and vice versa. And then after a major thing happens at the end, and you'd think we'd get chapters with them dealing with it? Barely any of that but we do get two full chapters of Newt and Evander getting together. Honestly, at that point I didn't even care anymore and just skimmed those two chapters.

And this is going to be a really random complaint but . . . I felt like this book was trying too hard to be like Six of Crows? It could just be me, unable to read anything with a band of misfits without comparing them to the SoC gang, but honestly there are so many comparisons you could make. Cassa is the leader who the rest of the gang follows and loves but also kinda hates. Newt and Wylan are basically the same character, right down to the daddy issues and crushing on another guy in the gang. The random flashbacks (the only time we would get any real backstory!) felt like it was imitating the pacing in SoC, except the flashbacks here were 4, maybe 5 pages of one-scene backstory while SoC actually built up over time. Yeah, again maybe all of this is just me reading too much into it idk.

Beneath the Citadel is definitely a book you should pick up if you want a dead rebellion, a world built around prophecies, a lovable cast of characters, or all three. It's fast paced and the cast's interactions are nice to read. Check it out October 9!