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A review by wealhtheow
The Waking Land by Callie Bates
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.