I just realized that I read this book a day after book one. Devoured these books!

The beginning of this book was a bit slower not due to world building, but because of how much recap it had. Not only do we get a “previously on-“ section, but then we have a prologue scene from a few months earlier that felt unnecessary.

Once you get past that bit and continue with the story though, it was great. There's a lot more political plays, mystery, and plots to discover.

The growth between Lyr and Rhy is again, amazing. The slow-build of their relationship and the politics of both of their positions leads to a lot of complicated scenes that I enjoyed.

Beyond some major discovers, I honestly felt like this book could've just been part of 'DotDE.' So what if the book wouldve been a lot longer? This one felt a bit bloated at times, and the ending also felt a bit dragged out just to reveal that....There's a third book! I'm super excited but not having previously known this was going to be a trilogy was a bit of a let down.

I also want to say that I love the writing. It's a step up from typical YA fantasy books with mature themes, and also has well-thought out magic and politics that I liked.

Still great, still love the characters and the imagery of their world. Can't wait for the third one!

Daughter of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Diane Mallis

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

✅ Finished Aug 23, ‘22

Where to start!? First, there's a lot going on in this book! I think it does a really good job of laying the ground work of the world.

The magic system is very interesting and seeing the politics and characters interact was great and super interesting. I loved all of it. The world-building was great but can get a bit confusing, I had to reread some sections and the glossary at the end really helped. Some sections felt a bit slow but the story overall was very interesting.

Second, all the characters felt fleshed out, each with their own stories and goals. Lyr, Morgana, and Meera are wonderful. Lyr's dedication to her sisters is amazing and I loved all three of them so much! There's a lot of sneaking around, keeping secrets, and angst as well.
Next up, Rhyan was amazing! I loved the dialogue between Lyr and him and his faith in her being able to complete her training. Their relationship was so complicated and I'm soo excited to see more of them in the future!!

The ending did seem like suddenly we hit a brick wall suddenly, like the story just abruptly stopped. But it makes sense when we realize there's another book.

Anyways, one of my favorite books for the year and one I've reread a few times already!

Content Warnings