Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Review - The Beholder (The Beholder, #1) by Anna Bright






Title: The Beholder (The Beholder, #1)
Author: Anna Bright
Pages: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 4th June 2019


Blurb from Goodreads:


Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.


But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.


From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.











My Review:


*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to FFBC and HarperTeen*





 



Selah is the only child of the leader of Potomac. She must find a partner to ensure the future of Potomac is secure.

When Selah is rejected in public by her closest friend, Selah’s stepmother gives her a chance to find a fiancĂ© abroad. So Selah finds herself on the Beholder, crossing the Atlantic and on her way to meet several potential suitors. However, Selah’s stepmother has made it clear that Selah should only come back home if she is engaged.

Determined to return home to her ill father and her people, Selah must choose her future husband from her stepmother’s list. But her stepmother hasn’t made things easy for Selah.

Can Selah beat her stepmother at her own game?

Will she fall in love?




The premise for The Beholder really intrigued me, especially as it’s inspired by The Odyssey.

The cover is gorgeous, but, unfortunately, I don’t feel the same about the rest of the book.

I had mixed feelings about Selah. There were times when I liked her and felt sorry for her, but there were others when she annoyed me.

None of the characters particularly stood out for me.

The mix of fairytales, myths/legends and the real world (albeit a historical one with little technology) was interesting but there were times when I found it a bit jarring.

The plot was okay. Given the length of the novel not much happened, and I found what did happen pretty predictable. I know that Selah was under time constraints, but I would have liked her to have met more of her suitors.

I wasn’t a big fan of the romance.

The writing style wasn’t one of my favourites, and I found some of the conversations odd. There were also some actions that were repeated a lot, like running hands through hair.

I feel like The Beholder had a lot of potential, but, for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark.

I am disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this more.




Overall this was an okay, but disappointing read.

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