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realmsofmymind's review against another edition
3.0
Note: Review originally written in 2018.
THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates is a pleasant fantasy romance. Although the plotting can be a bit rough at times, the author’s deftness with capturing the richness of the heroine’s magic helps carry the story to a worthy conclusion.
Lady Elanna is a child of five years in the opening pages, seized from her parents by the king of Eren as a hostage to prevent them from leading any more attempts at open rebellion in the subject kingdom of Caeris. Raised with Eren’s customs, culture and view of history, Elanna has nothing but disdain for her homeland. But Elanna also has a secret: she has a magical connection to the land, one that causes plants to grow in her presence and the magical rings of stone scattered around the land to sing when given a drop of her blood. Elanna has done her best to suppress this connection, as using magic in Eren is punishable by death.
All of Elanna’s plans for living an unremarkable life are thrown out the window when the king is murdered, and new queen plans on pinning the crime on Elanna. Framed for treason, Elanna has no choice but to accept the help of dashing sorcerer Jahan and a cadre of rebels from Caeris, who whisk her away to her father’s home. Her father has a plan to reinstate the old ways of life, and it all hinges on his daughter assuming the mystical mantle of steward of the land. Elanna must decide if her loyalties lie with her homeland or the kingdom that raised her, while contending with a magic that will lie dormant no longer.
It is in the writing of this bond Elanna has as steward of the land that the author really shines. As Elanna’s power deepens, she can feel the trees growing in the forest, the creatures walking through it. Ms. Bates conveys Elanna’s connection beautifully, so that the reader feels like the kingdom of Caeris is a giant blanket you can snuggle into. Elanna’s moments of rage and passion are equally well written, as her magic takes the flames of emotion and causes nature to act in defense of its guardian, a sensation that is wholly satisfying.
While the descriptive prose soars, the plot of THE WAKING LAND gets along in fits and starts. There are some truly thrilling set pieces, and large chunks where I found myself reading much longer than I intended, so enthralled was I with events in the book. The story, takes a while to build to that point, however, and at times I was frustrated with the almost capricious nature of the narrative. Characters reversed course on their decisions or events were derailed without the moments feeling earned. While I fully believed in Elanna’s growing bond with the land, I didn’t feel nearly as invested in the characters around her, particularly the long lost family members she is reunited with early on. Some moments late in the book only truly had an impact because of the author’s skill at infusing the scenes with tension and painting Elanna’s raw reaction to events, rather than any feeling I had for the side characters themselves.
THE WAKING LAND is tale carried by the strength of emotions it conveys. It makes you want to curl up in a quiet meadow or let a storm rage through you. While the overall plot isn’t the strongest, I’m glad of the time I spent with Elanna and the world of Caeris.
Note: I was given a free ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.
THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates is a pleasant fantasy romance. Although the plotting can be a bit rough at times, the author’s deftness with capturing the richness of the heroine’s magic helps carry the story to a worthy conclusion.
Lady Elanna is a child of five years in the opening pages, seized from her parents by the king of Eren as a hostage to prevent them from leading any more attempts at open rebellion in the subject kingdom of Caeris. Raised with Eren’s customs, culture and view of history, Elanna has nothing but disdain for her homeland. But Elanna also has a secret: she has a magical connection to the land, one that causes plants to grow in her presence and the magical rings of stone scattered around the land to sing when given a drop of her blood. Elanna has done her best to suppress this connection, as using magic in Eren is punishable by death.
All of Elanna’s plans for living an unremarkable life are thrown out the window when the king is murdered, and new queen plans on pinning the crime on Elanna. Framed for treason, Elanna has no choice but to accept the help of dashing sorcerer Jahan and a cadre of rebels from Caeris, who whisk her away to her father’s home. Her father has a plan to reinstate the old ways of life, and it all hinges on his daughter assuming the mystical mantle of steward of the land. Elanna must decide if her loyalties lie with her homeland or the kingdom that raised her, while contending with a magic that will lie dormant no longer.
It is in the writing of this bond Elanna has as steward of the land that the author really shines. As Elanna’s power deepens, she can feel the trees growing in the forest, the creatures walking through it. Ms. Bates conveys Elanna’s connection beautifully, so that the reader feels like the kingdom of Caeris is a giant blanket you can snuggle into. Elanna’s moments of rage and passion are equally well written, as her magic takes the flames of emotion and causes nature to act in defense of its guardian, a sensation that is wholly satisfying.
While the descriptive prose soars, the plot of THE WAKING LAND gets along in fits and starts. There are some truly thrilling set pieces, and large chunks where I found myself reading much longer than I intended, so enthralled was I with events in the book. The story, takes a while to build to that point, however, and at times I was frustrated with the almost capricious nature of the narrative. Characters reversed course on their decisions or events were derailed without the moments feeling earned. While I fully believed in Elanna’s growing bond with the land, I didn’t feel nearly as invested in the characters around her, particularly the long lost family members she is reunited with early on. Some moments late in the book only truly had an impact because of the author’s skill at infusing the scenes with tension and painting Elanna’s raw reaction to events, rather than any feeling I had for the side characters themselves.
THE WAKING LAND is tale carried by the strength of emotions it conveys. It makes you want to curl up in a quiet meadow or let a storm rage through you. While the overall plot isn’t the strongest, I’m glad of the time I spent with Elanna and the world of Caeris.
Note: I was given a free ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.
disabledbookdragon's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fablesandwren's review against another edition
2.0
ARC in exchange for an honest review
I was skeptical about this book when I read the synopsis. There’s a girl who has it all and then all of a sudden she doesn’t and then she has to lead the rebellion. To me, it kind of seems done, but I also kind of love a broken person rising above it all and becoming the reason the world changes. So I requested, I got, and... I didn’t love it.
Don’t get me wrong, it was unique in some of its concepts and it was written with beautiful lyrical words. But some of it was... I’m not sure; I just wasn’t on board for it. And some I never quite grasped the concept on what in the world was going on.
Half the time I was retracting because there were just a lot of things to remember. There were a ton of kingdoms and characters and I didn’t fall in love with any of them. There’s a line between giving a ton of information to grow the world you want the reader to explore and just information explosion.
And, as I said, I just didn’t fall in love with any of the characters. Actually, the main character kind of annoyed me with her bipolar feelings (and I read that a lot of other people felt the same way so I know I am not just crazy). And her, like “super power” was never really explained and it was kind of weird.
The author has a way with words, but I feel this world could have been explained better. I will read other books by this author as she grows as a writer because I can feel the potential in her words.
I was skeptical about this book when I read the synopsis. There’s a girl who has it all and then all of a sudden she doesn’t and then she has to lead the rebellion. To me, it kind of seems done, but I also kind of love a broken person rising above it all and becoming the reason the world changes. So I requested, I got, and... I didn’t love it.
Don’t get me wrong, it was unique in some of its concepts and it was written with beautiful lyrical words. But some of it was... I’m not sure; I just wasn’t on board for it. And some I never quite grasped the concept on what in the world was going on.
Half the time I was retracting because there were just a lot of things to remember. There were a ton of kingdoms and characters and I didn’t fall in love with any of them. There’s a line between giving a ton of information to grow the world you want the reader to explore and just information explosion.
And, as I said, I just didn’t fall in love with any of the characters. Actually, the main character kind of annoyed me with her bipolar feelings (and I read that a lot of other people felt the same way so I know I am not just crazy). And her, like “super power” was never really explained and it was kind of weird.
The author has a way with words, but I feel this world could have been explained better. I will read other books by this author as she grows as a writer because I can feel the potential in her words.
quesara's review against another edition
4.0
I’m still very new to reading Adult Fantasy so I thought this was a really good step into this genre. The book’s writing at times was sort of underwhelming and there were moments that seemed to happen so fast that I didn’t have time to really process what was happening.
But overall I thought it was a nice read and it had my attention from the beginning. I would recommend reading it if you’re new to fantasy for sure!
But overall I thought it was a nice read and it had my attention from the beginning. I would recommend reading it if you’re new to fantasy for sure!
anthropologue's review against another edition
5.0
A Druidic Outlander! I loved Elanna's adventure, the witchcraft, and the love story. I couldn't tear myself away from this fast paced revolution, and Elanna's inward journey to unearth her magic. This world is rich and creative with an in depth history. I can't wait for more!
katealane's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who loves to get her hands in the dirt, I was enthralled by the premise of this book. The main character, Elanna, is very connected to the land and can use her magic to make trees move and even see through the eyes of animals. I really enjoyed the way Callie Bates has built this world. Unfortunately I was also frustrated that I didn't feel more connected to her characters. I wanted to really like Elanna and Jahan but I found myself getting annoyed at them. There were a few points in the story where I thought the story could be veering into something very interesting but it didn't. For example I thought, "wow, if he really is a spy that would make this story so much more interesting." This debut novel has a lot of potential and I'll definitely be watching for future books by Callie Bates. Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the ARC!
kaisermatthias's review
4.0
An enjoyable beginning in this premise of a fictional England and pan-Celtic society where instead of waiting for Bonnie Prince Charlie to return, a few devoted citizens take it upon themselves to start a revolution. With the help of ancient magics and the iron will of the woman born with the power to wake the land itself, perhaps they will even succeed.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
Elanna is from a noble house, but when she was a child her father was accused of treachery, and she has remained a hostage in the royal court ever since. She grew up in a strange state of combined privilege and suspicion, being treated as a noble one moment and a despised outsider the next. All she wants is to be left alone to study botany, but unfortunately the world has other plans for her. She is accused of murdering her only ally in the palace and flees into the arms of the one group she distrusts even more than her courtly captors: the Caerisian rebellion.
Elanna has to re-orient her world view several times during the course of this book. It's natural that she should be so confused, but also a little frustrating. On the other hand, I liked the problematic components of the rebellion. It's not fully a situation of "good rebels against an evil empire"--the rebels are fighting for freedom, yes, but also to install a king, and their chosen king has never even been to Caeris, nor seems to have much to recommend him as a person. And I really liked the magic types in this world, particularly Elanna's earth and place-based magic.
Elanna has to re-orient her world view several times during the course of this book. It's natural that she should be so confused, but also a little frustrating. On the other hand, I liked the problematic components of the rebellion. It's not fully a situation of "good rebels against an evil empire"--the rebels are fighting for freedom, yes, but also to install a king, and their chosen king has never even been to Caeris, nor seems to have much to recommend him as a person. And I really liked the magic types in this world, particularly Elanna's earth and place-based magic.
devinthebookdragon's review
1.0
This was an absolute dumpster fire. I can't believe this ever was published to be honest. The writing was so elementary and cheesey that I had to skim the rest of the book that I forced myself to read. The plot is equally cliche. A girl discovers her hidden power and is forced to lead a rebellion. But dont worry, there are two equally charming and handsome men she seems to fall for within seconds of meeting. I hated everything about this book, so do yourself a favor and skip it.