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ambeesbookishpages's review
Sigh...I was really excited for this one. DNFed at 15%
Full thoughts to come
Full thoughts to come
atrailofpages's review
4.0
I was not sure what to make of this book at first, until I realized this was such a sad and beautiful story about a girl who always only ever wanted to be loved, to be wanted.
I will admit that I could not stand Eda at first. She was an overly dramatic spoiled brat. However, as the story progressed, I began to truly feel sorry for her and really felt for her. She is one of the most flawed characters I’ve ever read and she is truly relatable. I mean who hasn’t ever blamed others for their own problems? Pretty sure we all have.
This story I felt like had more of a meaning to it than you may think at first. It showed how we cannot blame others for our decisions. It may seem easy, but others do not make our decisions. Eda tried to blame others and the gods for her problems, when it was always her and her decisions. It’s also not always about yourself, which Eda made it always about herself without truly realizing it. It took Eda the whole book, and I mean literally, the ENTIRE book for her to realize and understand that everything bad that has happened to her is because of her decisions, not others. That she can’t blame others, the gods can’t be blamed. The gods may guide her decisions, but they don’t make them for her.
When I reached the last half of the book, I just felt so sorry for Eda and my heart broke for her. She never had anyone to guide her in her life. She literally had to rely on herself, which was not the best person for her to rely on. I appreciate that her decision to let go of her anger and hate was not immediate. It was frustrating, but realistic. It’s never easy to let go of anger, especially when you’ve been hurt by someone you trusted or loved. I loved how her relationship built with the siblings Morin and Taimir. They were finally some people who were kind and could show her that the gods were not to blame for everything and were just so patient with her despite the anger and hatred she had that she would not let go.
I’m not sure if maybe the first book had more about the world (which I have not read yet), but I felt like it lacked a bit in world-building. It was a bit sudden being in one place and then in another all of a sudden, and who was an ally or not an ally. It has potential to have even more world-building, but the story for me was enough to make this book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I love sad, beautiful stories, and this book did not disappoint.
I will admit that I could not stand Eda at first. She was an overly dramatic spoiled brat. However, as the story progressed, I began to truly feel sorry for her and really felt for her. She is one of the most flawed characters I’ve ever read and she is truly relatable. I mean who hasn’t ever blamed others for their own problems? Pretty sure we all have.
This story I felt like had more of a meaning to it than you may think at first. It showed how we cannot blame others for our decisions. It may seem easy, but others do not make our decisions. Eda tried to blame others and the gods for her problems, when it was always her and her decisions. It’s also not always about yourself, which Eda made it always about herself without truly realizing it. It took Eda the whole book, and I mean literally, the ENTIRE book for her to realize and understand that everything bad that has happened to her is because of her decisions, not others. That she can’t blame others, the gods can’t be blamed. The gods may guide her decisions, but they don’t make them for her.
When I reached the last half of the book, I just felt so sorry for Eda and my heart broke for her. She never had anyone to guide her in her life. She literally had to rely on herself, which was not the best person for her to rely on. I appreciate that her decision to let go of her anger and hate was not immediate. It was frustrating, but realistic. It’s never easy to let go of anger, especially when you’ve been hurt by someone you trusted or loved. I loved how her relationship built with the siblings Morin and Taimir. They were finally some people who were kind and could show her that the gods were not to blame for everything and were just so patient with her despite the anger and hatred she had that she would not let go.
I’m not sure if maybe the first book had more about the world (which I have not read yet), but I felt like it lacked a bit in world-building. It was a bit sudden being in one place and then in another all of a sudden, and who was an ally or not an ally. It has potential to have even more world-building, but the story for me was enough to make this book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I love sad, beautiful stories, and this book did not disappoint.
per_fictionist's review
3.0
I am quite fond of books that leave me pondering upon and characters that give me second thoughts of whether or not I should like or despise them. And that is what exactly happened with BEYOND THE SHADOWED EARTH by Joanna Ruth Meyer. First let me start off with what worked out for me : Eda, I am a Slytherin so coming across a character like Eda, who thrives for power and being selfish at times always makes me happy. I kind of feel such characters are really RARE and its forever an honor to see such badass ladies at WORK. As the story emerges we see Eda, who previously strikes a deal with the Gods, trying to fulfil her end of the demand and kind of losing her grip on her empire with the Barons in tow.
The elements of mythology is beautifully incorporated with peeks of fantasy and that worked for me quite well. However a major chunk of the book had too much talk/ politics and I kind of found myself dragging through them. As the story proceeds I wanted Eda’s character to grow but rather it detoriated in my opinion and she only got on my nerves with every page I turned. The story however started getting interesting with a plot twist that caught me offguard. The turns the plot took and the author’s gripping writing and my love-hate relationship with Eda was what kept me going. And I am so glad I did, because the ending was fantastic and I couldn’t have felt more empathetic for Eda.
All in all, pick Beyond the Shadowed Earth up if you are looking for shady unreliable main character, a whole lot of mythological elements and OH EXQUISITE WORLD BUILDING.
The elements of mythology is beautifully incorporated with peeks of fantasy and that worked for me quite well. However a major chunk of the book had too much talk/ politics and I kind of found myself dragging through them. As the story proceeds I wanted Eda’s character to grow but rather it detoriated in my opinion and she only got on my nerves with every page I turned. The story however started getting interesting with a plot twist that caught me offguard. The turns the plot took and the author’s gripping writing and my love-hate relationship with Eda was what kept me going. And I am so glad I did, because the ending was fantastic and I couldn’t have felt more empathetic for Eda.
All in all, pick Beyond the Shadowed Earth up if you are looking for shady unreliable main character, a whole lot of mythological elements and OH EXQUISITE WORLD BUILDING.
livthebooknerd's review
3.0
This ARC was sent to me for an honest review. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was provided for this review.
Hey guys,
If you've been following me for a while, you'd likely know of my deep love for all things Norse mythology and Norse-inspired. In 2019, I had the pleasure of reading Joanna Ruth Meyer's Echo North, a retelling of the Norse tale of "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon." I enjoyed it so much and I instantly started to follow Joanna's writing journey through her Twitter and Instagram. I love her style and she's such a kind human with an adorable family.
In June, I had commented on one of her photos of her ARCs for Earth and she DM'd me and asked for my info so that she could have her publisher send me a copy. I yelled. However, I was so excited that I decided to wait until closer to the publishing date so that I didn't have to wait even longer for her next book. Like a buffoon, I waited too long. School became intense, life was happening, and I had to finish other books for scheduled reviews. Long story short, I didn't finish the book until the beginning of February. What a journey.
Beyond the Shadowed Earth is a beautifully crafted story. It reminds me of my favorite stories from my childhood mixed with the badass women that I encountered as I started reading YA. The story follows Eda, an ambitious and selfish girl who just wants to be the empress of her country. In order to do that, she has to barter everything she loves to the gods. She makes risky deals with the god, Tuer, and begins to lose everything she loves. To reclaim her empire and to recover all that she loses, she has to adventure to the mountain that Tuer is trapped in and kill him.
Joanna has a way of crafting worlds that I could get lost in for the rest of my life. The world that she's created in this novel is just so fantastic and I want to dive deeper into the mythology and the intricacies that follow a large pantheon. She did such a great job when creating spiritual and religious characters. I was completely captivated. However, in this book, I felt like I didn't know as much about the magic system or the processes of conjuring or calling the gods. Maybe that's because I haven't read the companion novel, Beneath the Haunting Sea, but I wish I had been given a bit more to grasp.
Additionally, Joanna creates a fantastic cast of characters. I really loved to be irritated with Eda. She was so completely selfish and made the worst decisions, but it was so fun to yell at her whenever she did something dumb. She was really terrible at being politically savvy. She really didn't know what to do other than bully her way into power. I felt like she didn't really care at all about her country by the middle of the book. She was so focused on fixing her mistakes that she would just up and leave via horse and go to the temple. I really didn't enjoy the political aspects of this book because I felt like they weren't particularly believable. The parts of the novel where Eda was in the palace was where it fell flat for me. It just was a stretch to me. However, once she left to go on her quest, that's when I felt like the book picked up. The first hundred pages were excellent, the second hundred fifty were slow because we were trying to get to the quest and it just got slower and slower for me, and the last 250 were excellent because we were on the quest. I just wish that some of the filler stuff would have been cut down. It just slowed down the pacing. It was an excellent story, but the middle's pacing was just slow.
I really loved the overall vibe of the story; however, I just wish that there had been more of an emphasis on the magic and the gods' influence on the worlds. It was a very character-driven novel, but I would have liked even more of the world. Eda was on my nerves enough that I wanted another perspective or something.
Overall, this book was so much fun. I can't wait to read Joanna's next novel, Of Leaves and Stars. It hits all of the buzz-tropes and buzz-words that I adore in the books I read. I hope that I can get my hands on an ARC or something.
Hey guys,
If you've been following me for a while, you'd likely know of my deep love for all things Norse mythology and Norse-inspired. In 2019, I had the pleasure of reading Joanna Ruth Meyer's Echo North, a retelling of the Norse tale of "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon." I enjoyed it so much and I instantly started to follow Joanna's writing journey through her Twitter and Instagram. I love her style and she's such a kind human with an adorable family.
In June, I had commented on one of her photos of her ARCs for Earth and she DM'd me and asked for my info so that she could have her publisher send me a copy. I yelled. However, I was so excited that I decided to wait until closer to the publishing date so that I didn't have to wait even longer for her next book. Like a buffoon, I waited too long. School became intense, life was happening, and I had to finish other books for scheduled reviews. Long story short, I didn't finish the book until the beginning of February. What a journey.
Beyond the Shadowed Earth is a beautifully crafted story. It reminds me of my favorite stories from my childhood mixed with the badass women that I encountered as I started reading YA. The story follows Eda, an ambitious and selfish girl who just wants to be the empress of her country. In order to do that, she has to barter everything she loves to the gods. She makes risky deals with the god, Tuer, and begins to lose everything she loves. To reclaim her empire and to recover all that she loses, she has to adventure to the mountain that Tuer is trapped in and kill him.
Joanna has a way of crafting worlds that I could get lost in for the rest of my life. The world that she's created in this novel is just so fantastic and I want to dive deeper into the mythology and the intricacies that follow a large pantheon. She did such a great job when creating spiritual and religious characters. I was completely captivated. However, in this book, I felt like I didn't know as much about the magic system or the processes of conjuring or calling the gods. Maybe that's because I haven't read the companion novel, Beneath the Haunting Sea, but I wish I had been given a bit more to grasp.
Additionally, Joanna creates a fantastic cast of characters. I really loved to be irritated with Eda. She was so completely selfish and made the worst decisions, but it was so fun to yell at her whenever she did something dumb. She was really terrible at being politically savvy. She really didn't know what to do other than bully her way into power. I felt like she didn't really care at all about her country by the middle of the book. She was so focused on fixing her mistakes that she would just up and leave via horse and go to the temple. I really didn't enjoy the political aspects of this book because I felt like they weren't particularly believable. The parts of the novel where Eda was in the palace was where it fell flat for me. It just was a stretch to me. However, once she left to go on her quest, that's when I felt like the book picked up. The first hundred pages were excellent, the second hundred fifty were slow because we were trying to get to the quest and it just got slower and slower for me, and the last 250 were excellent because we were on the quest. I just wish that some of the filler stuff would have been cut down. It just slowed down the pacing. It was an excellent story, but the middle's pacing was just slow.
I really loved the overall vibe of the story; however, I just wish that there had been more of an emphasis on the magic and the gods' influence on the worlds. It was a very character-driven novel, but I would have liked even more of the world. Eda was on my nerves enough that I wanted another perspective or something.
Overall, this book was so much fun. I can't wait to read Joanna's next novel, Of Leaves and Stars. It hits all of the buzz-tropes and buzz-words that I adore in the books I read. I hope that I can get my hands on an ARC or something.
jenacidebybibliophile's review
DNFd at about 25%.
It started out interesting, pulled me in and I was enjoying the story building and Eda's history. The plot sounded awesome, and I was excited for another badass female lead to strut her stuff and take whatever the hell she she wanted, because F the consequences. Right?!
But....this went from "Woo!" to "Zzzzz" real quick.
I just have no connection or feeling towards anything in this book. The main character, Eda, is bland and just says things that lack any emotion. When she is supposed to be infuriated or seeping from her pores with anger, she's just yelling mean stuff and stomping her foot. I feel like the author was trying to make her seem like a daunting empress that makes her subjects quake, but she came across as a child pretending to be an adult. I feel nothing towards her, and nothing towards any other character.
They're all kind of existing on these pages and I'm over here sitting awkwardly in the corner watching.
Like a stalker, who lost their love to stalk.
The romance is weird and forced...I mean, I assume it's the romance of this story. The Ileem guy (I think that's his name?) comes in and at first Eda is all suspicious and hates him, but then he says a few nice things in a few situations and
...she just drops all her suspicions and anger, and gets flirty?
Oh honey....noooo. It's 2020. Make him work for it.
I'm sure this would have turned out fine, but my interest was zapped and I was ready to move on.
It started out interesting, pulled me in and I was enjoying the story building and Eda's history. The plot sounded awesome, and I was excited for another badass female lead to strut her stuff and take whatever the hell she she wanted, because F the consequences. Right?!
But....this went from "Woo!" to "Zzzzz" real quick.
I just have no connection or feeling towards anything in this book. The main character, Eda, is bland and just says things that lack any emotion. When she is supposed to be infuriated or seeping from her pores with anger, she's just yelling mean stuff and stomping her foot. I feel like the author was trying to make her seem like a daunting empress that makes her subjects quake, but she came across as a child pretending to be an adult. I feel nothing towards her, and nothing towards any other character.
They're all kind of existing on these pages and I'm over here sitting awkwardly in the corner watching.
Like a stalker, who lost their love to stalk.
The romance is weird and forced...I mean, I assume it's the romance of this story. The Ileem guy (I think that's his name?) comes in and at first Eda is all suspicious and hates him, but then he says a few nice things in a few situations and
...she just drops all her suspicions and anger, and gets flirty?
Oh honey....noooo. It's 2020. Make him work for it.
I'm sure this would have turned out fine, but my interest was zapped and I was ready to move on.
tialyr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half of this book was adventurous and tense and had me strongly on Eda’s side. I felt like what was happening to her, in her life was unfair and my heart hurt for her. Really, all you want is for her to have a happy ending and get what she wants. Your feelings for her get more and more complex as the book goes on, and there is so much more to unpack in the world. The author does a really great job at crafting an all-encompassing world. There were definitely times I felt like I was a little behind on what the purpose was supposed to be, but got there eventually. Overall, the story was well-crafted and my heart was entangled with Eda and the other characters.
jmbq_reads's review
3.0
I don't know, maybe more of a 2.5 stars. Just didn't care for the main character, and it took a loooooong time for her to redeem herself.
modalexandra's review
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
sammiecrodgers's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
trippalli's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
For those who appreciate morally grey characters this is great! The author wrote this story to cover what the 'villain' in the first book was up to, get story, challenges, perspective, motivations and challenges, among with the other characters who were at end to the heroine in the first book. Fascinating and very good.