Daughter of the Drowned Empire

5/5 stars! I love this book so much and was very excited to see the new cover design. There is something magical about the combination of lore and world-building in this series. The FMC is strong and resilient and the MMC is everything "friends to enemies to maybe lovers" you need. Rhyan is so broken from his past but will do anything to protect her. Looking forward to continuing the series with the new covers.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wowowowwow what a book! Not my usual novel genre but it’s always fun to step out of your comfort zone and try a new reading genre and you might find up finding something you really love! I absolutely love the storyline and how our main character trains and fights for her powers and finds her own strength and love along the way!

How have I not read this sooner?! World building is fantastic, the characters are complex, the main plot has the potential to be epic!

There is little to no spice, and I don’t miss it as it would not fit in the story at this point. The explanation is sometimes lacking for some terms but as the story continues it’s there between the lines:)

Onward!

I REALLY REALLY loved this book. The world building and characters are so well thought out, very realistic and it sets the ground for an epic series which I can't wait to dive into in the next book (please don't make us wait too long!). Lyr is a brilliant FMC and we witness so much growth and character development, you can't help but love her. The love triangle is brilliant and I am totally invested in finding out how this will all play out.
I don't want to give too much away but concept, plot, characters, dialog, pace, action, character development and growth are all spot on. Massively enjoyed this one and genuinely can't wait for the next book. It will not disappoint fans of the genre!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

Summary

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Spicy rating: 🌶️ 1/5

Fluff rating: 💖💖 2/5

Honestly I don’t know where to begin with this book. Frankie you absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. Your best yet, hands down. I’d read your grocery list at this point if you published it and know it would slap!

The political undercurrent to this story is powerful and had me on edge the whole book. It was basically none stop action. Twist and turns that had me panting and left me unable to put this book down for 3 days. I felt like I could barely take a breath waiting for the next event to unfold.

The character growth and development was beautiful throughout. The angst and pining was never ending and such sweet sweet torture! We love a slow burn.

This is the start of an epic series and not one to be missed!!

Thank you again Frankie for the severe book hangover I’m now suffering. I genuinely feel I may perish waiting to find out what happens next but if your books are in the next life I’ll be happy to continue reading them there!

I absolutely LOVED everything about this book, it had me hooked from the very first chapter.

This is a fantasy with PLOT, it’s interesting and original. I love that Lyr is flawed and slightly naive at times because her character development in this book in phenomenal.

The romance is also perfection, I’m definitely rooting for her partner - goodbye Tristan!

I struggled to put this book down, it’s addictive and magical.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eCopy to review

I loved Daughter of the Drowned Empire and stayed up far to late finishing it. An easy to follow empire and magic system we predominately focus on Lady Lyriana (3rd in line to the throne), but their land is in unrest as they do not like her father being the ruler. At her revelation ceremony Lyr is revealled to be powerless after a horrific test to see if she has dark magic Lyr is going to be banished. Using her quick thinking she asks to become a soldier instead. I loved seeing how Rhyan helps her accept her weaknesses and how she helps her sisters.

It was fast-paced, with a good mix of politics, secrets, mysteries, fights, magic and of course romance. I cannot wait for book 2!

What a wonderful book!! I am so mad it took me this long to finally start this series.

From the very start we are introduced to such an intriguing and engaging plot that is filled with twists and turns and non stop action as well as polictical aspects all set amongst some of the most beautiful and descriptive world building that it’s so easy to get a clear understanding of every little detail. I instantly loved Lyr the fmc and her character growth throughout the book the strength that she portrays from the very beginning as she finds herself keeping a secret oath to protect her two older sisters is just so well written. Every character is complex and filled with so much depth and even some mystery and just so well thought out the character development is really beautiful to see.

Of course my favourite is the potential love story that is slowly developing and as someone who loves a slow burn romance I am so invested in this one, the pining and the angst was torturously never ending but I am so here for it and can’t wait to see what’s to come!

I highly recommend the start of what I’m sure is going to be an epic series and I am so excited to find out what’s to come next!

I love a good forbidden romance and this one was wonderful! I can't wait to read the next book in this series! Mallis' writing is strong and the characters were wonderful!

The first chapters of the book were captivating and got you into the story quite quickly.

Lyr is such an amazing main character. Her personality is everything- kind, considerate, dedicated and more. She was the one that first got me into the story. I always wanted to keep reading to know what would happen to her.

Her relationship with Rhyan was everything. I loved their banter and care for each other.

The world and the magic system was rather easy to understand especially as it’s not explained only once at the beginning.

I will definitely be reading book 2, as I have LOVED this one. I feel like a lot happened in this one but even more will happen in the next book(s).

Daughter of the Drowned Empire is a new adult high fantasy/romantasy by Frankie Diane Mallis; it is book one in the Drowned Empire series. It follows Lady Lyriana, who is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria, but her position is not one of safety. Her cousin is gone, her sisters need protection, and now so does she. With her plans shaken and on the threat of having to leave her home, she has to take the only option available to her: training to be a Soturion warrior in only seven months. But she’s not alone; Lord Rhyan, an outsider in Bamaria, has to prove himself by helping Lyr get through training. However, this isn’t their only trial because Bamaria is under threat, so are Lyr and her family, and Lyr needs to be strong enough to fight for not just herself and her family but for her country—she cannot fail.

The first few pages had me thinking this was going to be another teen romance, but it quickly took a turn, and my mouth was hanging open as my heart rose to my throat. It was a good lead into getting to know the feeling of the world completely tilting on its axis for Lyr. With every chapter, she becomes stronger, but she is running on fumes and completely ragged, and then she has to put on her clothes, don a smile, and pretend everything is fine. She has no time to breathe because she has so much responsibility and is full of so many real fears. My heart was aching for every interaction she had with Tristan but I got why she was doing it, and that added to my pain for her, and that pain never stopped coming. I was so deeply connected to this character at points; she made me smile, and in these moments I felt like I could breathe, so it wasn’t so intense the whole way through the book, but there were plenty of points and twists that I didn’t predict at all. I have a few theories and predictions for the series as a whole, some of which I believe will come to fruition, but I’m looking forward to seeing the progression of it. We didn’t get much of her sisters in this book, but at the points at which we did, I was stuck on my feelings for them. At first, I felt they weren’t taking into account everything Lyr was doing, but later on, I loved them for giving her the truth she needed to hear – even if she wouldn’t take it. I enjoyed the training aspect of this. I don’t often read books with it, and I always enjoy it, but this is gruelling; you feel her struggle, but the support she’s getting from Rhyan makes it easier even if she doesn’t fully realise he is helping her, keeping her strong in a place that would do anything to see her falter. She is such a strong character; she has had to be; she’s had no choice in it, but she is also a fighter in spirit; she has something to prove to those around her and herself. She’s a protector, a fighter, a warrior, and by the end of the book, I think she’s finally realising she can be. This whole book is a growing period for Lyr with so many ups and downs. It was a thorough journey, and I can’t wait to see how much she grows in book two.

I loved Rhyan’s entry to this book; his first line is something that made me smile so much, and at points he became this anchor for Lyr, and she needed that, but I also think he needed that connection because he’s isolated and just as lonely as she is. We don’t get a lot of Rhyan as this book is from Lyr’s POV, so we find out these small pieces of his history as she does, and my heart aches for him. He is a protector also; you can see him battle between wanting to keep her strong and get her through training but also wanting to care for her and protect her from everyone, even the things she can’t tell him about, and there are so many things she can’t confess. Their partnership hints at a bump due to a revelation, and I felt the pain on both sides of this, but even with this, there is a draw between them, and with their oath, it makes what they have all the much harder—hello, forbidden romance. I enjoyed the small amount of flirtatious banter between them, Rhyan’s confession, and also how soft and understanding he could be with Lyr. He was her support system, and at points, he demanded her focus on him in a way that I knew she needed; she needed to know someone was with her, but he also needed her to know in a way that he was struggling not to step in and help her, battling his control and in a way just like her controlling what ‘they’ see. They both have this strong desire to save people, and I think this comes from no one saving them.

It took me a moment to adjust to a completely new world because I hadn’t read a high fantasy book in a while; thankfully, the world-building wasn’t overly complex, but I wished I had read the appendix first because I felt a bit thrown into the deep end. Nevertheless, I was finally hooked about halfway through the first chapter. I was absorbed into the trials Lyr is suffering through, the strength of someone who seems to be a second from falling apart, fully aware of and yet hasn’t got the chance to. When Rhyan entered, I felt like I could breathe; he sometimes became an anchor for her, but I was still totally lost in Lyr. My heart was in my throat many times. I was waiting to see what else would happen to her and wishing nothing more would. I feel so connected to Lyr’s story and the part Rhyan is playing in it. I have so many theories for what will happen in the Drowned Empire series, and I can’t wait to dive back in; therefore, my rating for Daughter of the Drowned Empire is Five out of Five stars.

If you are a fantasy reader and love it when a character has the weight of the world on her shoulders but needs to keep appearances, gruelling training sessions, invading political affairs, a book that is full of tension and has you constantly guessing and thinking of many theories as to what little things mean, then pick this book up. I was impressed with how gripped I was reading this book, as I don’t often venture into the genre. Daughter of the Drowned Empire tackles a lot of topics such as panic attacks, grief, depression, and, at some points, torture, and if you hate vomiting, you might want to skip some paragraphs. I felt for how Lyr was feeling in this book. I had felt some of the emotions and the pressure, so I think it was an easy marriage for me, but it’s not just Lyr that I loved. Rhyan made me grin every time he called her partner, but he showed so much strength in this book as well. They are both such strong protectors, so I look forward to seeing more of him and their interactions and watching their partnership grow throughout the series, and hopefully, my theory for them comes true. Daughter of the Drowned Empire is such a strong debut for Frankie Diane Mallis!

I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me the opportunity to ARC via Netgalley. Daughter of the Drowned Empire releases on 1st August 2024. The quotes I have used may not be in the final released copy of this book.