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A review by nonsensicaljourney
But For The Mountains by Erin Riha
4.0
4.5 stars!
This book surprised me in a good way. It's a YA Fantasy with a typical premise: a bunch of young adults, women in this case, are embroiled in a competition with dire stakes. In a world where sexism is encoded deeply into every aspect of life, certain women are chosen by Benefactors for a competition to better themselves and secure higher positions in life. Unsurprisingly, much of this has to do with the prospects of each individual woman for marriage. It also has to do with their political cunning.
The difference between But For The Mountains and other books in this genre, however, was the main character. Arden Thatcher is a ward of a Benefactor, and definitely not one of the chosen few who get to attend the competition. She has spent many years of her life being systematically sexually abused by the Benefactor's son. She lives in fear of him. She has been made small by him. So one day, when in a twist of fate she winds up attending the competition, she feels horribly out of place and inadequate. (Please note that obviously this book includes quite graphic and scary sexual content at times, and should not be read lightly if you have any concerns about this content.)
I was very impressed by the way in which the author dealt with Arden's history of sexual abuse and its impact on her character and the character of others around her. It informed her choices, but did not encapsulate her entire story. Her story was about generally bettering herself, and realising what she actually wants in life, as well as wrestling with her past and her ongoing fears.
Also, I am normally unimpressed by love triangles, but the nuances of the love triangle in this book, given Arden's character, were very interesting. I found myself fully invested in one of the pairs by the end of the book, and intrigued as to how the other one might develop.
This is the start of an interesting, unique, and relevant story, in a well-fleshed-out fantasy world, with a protagonist who keeps me reading. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because at times some of the complications felt a bit too generic. But by the end of it, I forgave all of its more stereotypical moments in favour of enjoying these characters so much. Here's hoping the next book will be five stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and REUTS publications for providing me with a free eARC of this book! Unfortunately I didn't get to it in time for publication - in fact, I was so late that the next book is now out. The one benefit of this is that I get to jump right into the sequel, and you do too if you decide to read this book! I would highly recommend it.
This book surprised me in a good way. It's a YA Fantasy with a typical premise: a bunch of young adults, women in this case, are embroiled in a competition with dire stakes. In a world where sexism is encoded deeply into every aspect of life, certain women are chosen by Benefactors for a competition to better themselves and secure higher positions in life. Unsurprisingly, much of this has to do with the prospects of each individual woman for marriage. It also has to do with their political cunning.
The difference between But For The Mountains and other books in this genre, however, was the main character. Arden Thatcher is a ward of a Benefactor, and definitely not one of the chosen few who get to attend the competition. She has spent many years of her life being systematically sexually abused by the Benefactor's son. She lives in fear of him. She has been made small by him. So one day, when in a twist of fate she winds up attending the competition, she feels horribly out of place and inadequate. (Please note that obviously this book includes quite graphic and scary sexual content at times, and should not be read lightly if you have any concerns about this content.)
I was very impressed by the way in which the author dealt with Arden's history of sexual abuse and its impact on her character and the character of others around her. It informed her choices, but did not encapsulate her entire story. Her story was about generally bettering herself, and realising what she actually wants in life, as well as wrestling with her past and her ongoing fears.
Also, I am normally unimpressed by love triangles, but the nuances of the love triangle in this book, given Arden's character, were very interesting. I found myself fully invested in one of the pairs by the end of the book, and intrigued as to how the other one might develop.
This is the start of an interesting, unique, and relevant story, in a well-fleshed-out fantasy world, with a protagonist who keeps me reading. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because at times some of the complications felt a bit too generic. But by the end of it, I forgave all of its more stereotypical moments in favour of enjoying these characters so much. Here's hoping the next book will be five stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and REUTS publications for providing me with a free eARC of this book! Unfortunately I didn't get to it in time for publication - in fact, I was so late that the next book is now out. The one benefit of this is that I get to jump right into the sequel, and you do too if you decide to read this book! I would highly recommend it.