Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1)Author: Joanna Hathaway
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Description:
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their
love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna
Hathaway's Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised
in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step
up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest
son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away
from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father
is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of
Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he
devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan
undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.
Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for
the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same
attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war
threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern
kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to
play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two
teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they
learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to
believe.
Dark of the West is a new and exciting young adult fantasy that fans of the genre will surely enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of books about war, unless there's an overarching plot that makes it the story about more than just that. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that wasn't the case with this novel. Don't get me wrong, all the other aspects of the story were good - the complex characters, the world building, the "Romeo and Juliet" type love that happens - it was all great. It just seemed like the war loomed over top of everything else in the entire novel and didn't leave enough for the rest of the story. It takes several chapters for the two main characters to even meet, which honestly had me bored due to all the war and politics happening instead. I did like that the author tells the story from the first person point of view, in alternating chapters between the two main characters. That was a definitely plus for me and had a big hand it saving the book for me. I loved the forbidden romance aspect, which is what drew me to the book in the first place. Overall, it was a well written fantasy that fans will enjoy.
Joanna was born in Montréal and is an
avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her
great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history
buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical
accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be
found reading, traveling, or riding horses.
Win (1) of (10) physical copies of DARK OF THE WEST by Joanna Hathaway (US Only)
Giveaway Starts: February 5, 2019
Giveaway Ends: February 18, 2019
Giveaway Starts: February 5, 2019
Giveaway Ends: February 18, 2019
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