Beyond the Shadowed Earth Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Beyond the Shadowed Earth (Beneath the Haunting Sea #2)
Author: Joanna Ruth Meyer 
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Page Street Kids

Synopsis:

It has always been Eda’s dream to become empress, no matter the cost. Haunted by her ambition and selfishness, she’s convinced that the only way to achieve her goal is to barter with the gods. But all requests come with a price and Eda bargains away the soul of her best friend in exchange for the crown.

Years later, her hold on the empire begins to crumble and her best friend unexpectedly grows sick and dies. Gnawed by guilt and betrayal, Eda embarks on a harrowing journey to confront the very god who gave her the kingdom in the first place. However, she soon discovers that he’s trapped at the center of an otherworldly labyrinth and that her bargain with him is more complex than she ever could have imagined.

Set in the same universe as Joanna’s debut, Beneath the Haunting Sea, Beyond the Shadowed Earth combines her incredible world building and lush prose with a new, villainous lead.

Beyond the Shadowed Earth is an exciting fantasy adventure that fans of the genre will surely enjoy. Although this is the second book in a series, I don't think you have to read the first book to understand this one. I didn't read the first book and I had no problem with this one. 

I thought that the plot was really interesting and a lot of aspects that I enjoyed. I loved learning about Eda's world - the history, the setting, politics, religion, and everything in between. The author did a fantastic job with the world building and I was able to slip into Eda's world early on in the book. The writing itself was well done with lots of detailed descriptions and vivid imagery to bring the story to life for the reader. Although I enjoyed the plot, it didn't feel very unique to me. I felt like I've read variations of this same story before, only with parts of it changed out to add in the author's own vision and flair. I liked the story as a whole and thought it was an enjoyable book.

Eda is a realistic main character that I could empathize with right from the beginning. She has big plans for herself and her empire, but she made a deal with a god in order to get what she wants. Of course, things are going to go bad - they always do in these types of situations. She definitely has negative character traits - her anger issues, deception, and power hungry. She can hide these things from the other characters, but we get to see her for who she really is. I enjoyed getting to know her during the course of the book and seeing her change and grow. The secondary characters that we get to know a bit better - like Niren and Ileem - are also realistic. I liked watching their relationships with Eda change throughout the book. The other characters are minor and basically stereotypical and flat. Which wasn't a huge issue for me because it wasn't a big part of the story itself. 

The writing style is the one other thing that bothered me. I almost always prefer the first person point of view when reading and this book was no different. However, the author chose to write it in the third person POV. I don't like this style because I feel like we don't get to connect with the main character as deeply as we do with the first person. I can never seem to fully immerse myself into the character's world and story unless it's in the first person. I didn't get to connect with Eda as much as I would've liked to and I didn't lose myself inside the story. It actually felt slow and boring at times and I found my mind wandering. Again, I think this is partially due to the writing style. Please remember that these are my own personal opinion and preferences and other readers won't feel the same way. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to fans of the genre.

Joanna Ruth Meyer hails from Mesa, Arizona, where she lives with her dear family, a rascally feline, and an enormous grand piano. When she’s not writing, she’s trying to convince her students that Bach is actually awesome, or plotting her escape from the desert. She loves good music, thick books, looseleaf tea, rainstorms, and staring out of windows. One day, she aspires to own an old Victorian house with creaky wooden floors and a tower (for writing in, of course!).

Win finished copy of BEYOND THE SHADOWED EARTH by Joanna Ruth Meyer (US/CAN Only)

Starts: January 8, 2020

Ends: January 22, 2020

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