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cloe_chc 's review for:
The Beholder
by Anna Bright
The world-building was super interesting to read about. Even though it's a fantasy novel, the story is set in a world similar to ours. The names of each country have been changed, but its fun to see the allusions to our current world. And each region has its own monarchy/ruling system with its stringent rules. There are quite a lot of mentions of politics in this book, which is quite interesting because most fantasy novels don't spend that much time on such topics.
I liked how Anna Bright writes the restrictions monarchs face, especially Selah. It's what pushes Selah's development. She spends nearly 80% of the book as a naive and dense girl who doesn't seem like she has any idea what being a ruler is like, then after falling in love with Torden, she realises her self worth and begins to stand up for herself. Which is great and all, but it would've been nice if she reached the realisation by herself. At least by the very last pages, Selahfinally is courageous enough to head straight on into a fight that is bigger than herself. The Imperiya sounds terrifying, and I wonder what role Selah and Potomac will play. And what's more, is Alessandra involved with the Imperiya? I can't wait to find out!
Selah doesn't get a break, does she? What sucks the most is how Selah is so isolated for all of the book. She has no friends, no one she can trust. She doesn't try to establish friendships with her crew (which could have honestly clued her in to all the secrets they've been hiding). Reading from Selah's perspective, we know that there is not a single person you can trust.The one person she can trust during her travels is Torden, but they've been cruelly ripped apart! I don't know if Selah will fall in love again, but the two of them were so cute together. Again, Selah doesn't get a break at all.
We don't get many answers in this book. Just more questions. Honestly, this book feels like a prelude to Selah's real adventures. Selah's still pratically a baby in this book, and I predict she'll be much more resilient and assertive in the next book. That's when her real obstacles and dangers will pop up. Wait - will there be a next book? I hope so!
I liked how Anna Bright writes the restrictions monarchs face, especially Selah. It's what pushes Selah's development. She spends nearly 80% of the book as a naive and dense girl who doesn't seem like she has any idea what being a ruler is like, then after falling in love with Torden, she realises her self worth and begins to stand up for herself. Which is great and all, but it would've been nice if she reached the realisation by herself. At least by the very last pages, Selah
Selah doesn't get a break, does she? What sucks the most is how Selah is so isolated for all of the book. She has no friends, no one she can trust. She doesn't try to establish friendships with her crew (which could have honestly clued her in to all the secrets they've been hiding). Reading from Selah's perspective, we know that there is not a single person you can trust.
We don't get many answers in this book. Just more questions. Honestly, this book feels like a prelude to Selah's real adventures. Selah's still pratically a baby in this book, and I predict she'll be much more resilient and assertive in the next book. That's when her real obstacles and dangers will pop up. Wait - will there be a next book? I hope so!