The Shattered Lands

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At it's core it is a Sword and Sandal narrative inspired by the real world history of the Mediterranean. The Sword and Sorcery elements are there for spice but it does feel very much like an alternate history story.

I just had the privilege to read this extraordinary book. The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation has been a book I have been patiently waiting for since I first saw her tiktok several several months ago. I can say with absolute certainty that this book is 5/5 stars. Sapphire is moments away from her 18th birthday. Despite all the joy that should be surrounding such an important birthday, she cannot help but to feel anxious for her visions to return that night. This time, however, instead of waking up in her bed, she is found in a completely new world. Once dragged to the king and queen, she learns she is their long lost daughter and the heir to the kingdom. Overwhelmed with all the changes and conflicted about the young girls she left behind, Sapphire dove right in to learning as much about this new world as she could. While learning how to be a princess, how to control her new found magic, and faced with doubts around every turn, Sapphire finds a safe haven in the last place she expected. Coming from Penguin on 16 March, The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation is a bewitching tale of a lost princess, forbidden love and a magical country divided.

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I know this was originally written to be spicy and adult (going by Brenna’s prior TikToks) and was edited for a younger audience so this content should have been removed. Dive deep into British Raj politics with 100+ political leaders and 650+ political advisors across six ideologies: Monarchist, Nationalist, Democratic, Communist, Religious (Islamic), and Religious (Dharmic). Ty to penguin books for providing me with a copy. I believe the copy I have is a finished copy which is why I have brought up the grammar/repetition as an issue.

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its treasures plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. At the stroke of midnight on her eighteenth Birthday, Sapphire is transported away from her orphanage home to a kingdom she has never before ventured to and parents she never knew she had. They sit upon the throne and promise her all the love and lavish lifestyle she has ever longed for. But can their intentions be believed? She begins to doubt it when the magical powers and opposing forces also abundant in these lands begin to reveal themselves to her, too. Variations of "like a child" to describe how Sapphire feels she's reacting to something came up at least 14 times. Sometimes it was used twice in a chapter. I get that maybe it's meant to show that she's barely not a child but the author could've done that in a way that shows us such. There's obviously a praise kink going on here, which would be fine if this book were spicier/for NA instead of YA perhaps. But when I discovered that the book was originally meant to be spicier, it made sense. Maybe it should've been removed. I wonder if this is part of the trend where women-identifying authors are pushed to make their fantasy novels YA? A huge thank you to Brenna Nation, Penguin Random House Childrens UK, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The Shattered Lands comes out March 16, 2023So this book did take me Ten days to read which isn't too bad. I don't think this book is a bad book, but I also don't think it's the best. Against the might of a vast empire, he had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and the greatest military mind in the world, set upon a single goal. No matter what the empire musters against him, no matter what man or monster stands in his way, from the empire’s festering capital to its furthest outposts, Hanuvar would find his people, every last one of them. All that being said the couple items below are why for me, though I really liked it, it didn't quite hit that 5 star experience, but I think all these critiques just come down to my particular tastes with genre fiction. A unique take on Sword & Sorcery. Dispensing with the trappings of the medieval Europe standard for the genre, this instead is set in a fantasy take on the Mediterranean and Roman aesthetic.

My biggest issue with this book is that each character motivation seemed very flimsy based on what we knew about them. Many of the motives felt author led, instead of organic. Sapphire is an absolute ray of sunshine (with a darker side) and her character arc throughout this book constantly had me on the edge of my seat. i regularly found myself going “just one more chapter”. she is the perfect character to follow on the journey in this book because much like the reader, she hasn’t got a clue what is going on. this meant that when information was revealed I was having the same reactions as Sapphire. I absolutely adore her and the way she is written means it’s absolutely impossible for you to not fall in love with her. Note: I was sent an ARC copy of this book ahead of its publication by the publisher Baen books in exchange for an honest review. In this story, which on its surface could be considered the most humorous of the tales, Jones deftly tells a tongue-in-cheek caper that entirely entertains and that quite well. But readers should not dismiss this story as just or only that. While Jones has previously shown us Hanuvar's honorable character and refusal to NOT not render aid when he sees it is necessary despite his determined intentions, there is an important nuance here that for me distinctly elevates the character. Hanuvar mentors in this story.Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! On her eighteenth birthday Sapphire is transported to a different world where they tell her that she is the lost princess, who disappeared eighteen years prior. Sapphire is thrown right into the kingdom that seems to be full of secrets that nobody is talking about. While trying to discover more about the kingdom that she will one day inherit, Sapphire keeps running into the alluringly beautiful but dangerous witch Ashes. Sapphire and Ashes are at the centre of a history of secrets, political intrigue and a teetering power balance between the dark witches and elementals. Howard Andrew Jones also breaks convention with his episodic story format. This is not a "fix up" novel but a deliberate attempt to hone and revolutionize this format. I will not be surprised if we suddenly see a proliferation of this as he crafts it to perfection. I see others copying this style in the future. This is an author on top of his game. As for Ashes, where does one start? there’s a tension between the two main characters straight away, but after the initial meeting it takes a while before we see Ashes again. But once her character gets going, wow. It’s hard to talk about her without spoiling the book. But the way she’s written is incredibly. her motivations and her inner workings are phenomenal, and by the time you reach the last chapter your jaw will drop and you will be so overcome with so many conflicting emotions. i cannot wait to talk about Ashes and that ending with people once this book is out. also, i would have killed for an Ashes POV but the fact that this book is only told from one perspective does not detract from how good the book is at all.