A review by refriedbeans
The Waking Land by Callie Bates

3.0

3.5. The writing was enjoyable to read with flowing descriptions that did not get caught up on themselves. The magic system was simplistic but at least easy to follow.

I was looking forward to a fantasy story featuring a strong female lead, and unfortunately Bates did not come through. El had potential, as did the other female characters such as Sophy and the warden of the mountain, but ultimately they either got caught up in boy drama or petty arguments that detracted from their development.