I'm going to continue shouting for joy, since there's another book birthday to announce! This time, I have a young adult, fantasy novel, which was pitched to me as being inspired by Shadow and Bone. That was enough to grab my curiosity,
So, let's see if this is another novel to get lost in...or to lay to the side.
(Note: I'm adding this one to my possible favorites of the year list)
THORN SEASON
THORN SEASON, #1
by Kiera Azar
YA Fantasy
496 pages
With the irresistibly compulsive quality of Fourth Wing and the rich world-building of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Thorn Season is sharp, funny, sexy and dangerous, and packed full of irresistible twists – an unforgettable novel that marks the introduction of a major new YA voice and will be the romantasy debut of 2025.
In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders – able to exert a physical power that extends beyond her visible a shimmering tendril that can pick a lock, a gentle coil that reaches out to give a loving caress, or an inexorable rope that will kill a man before he knows it is around his neck. Feared and mistrusted for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.
Alissa Paine – heiress of a noble lineage, daughter of a Hunter family – is also a Wielder. And as she approaches her eighteenth Season, Alissa knows she has escaped execution so far only through painful self-control, and the fragile efforts of her beloved father.
Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself trapped in a web of hidden intentions – and caught between two equally dangerous men. One is a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairytale prince, who would see her destroyed in an instant if the truth were known – and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.
It’s Rose Season at the palace, but Alissa knows that survival will depend on being the most vicious of the thorns…
In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders – able to exert a physical power that extends beyond her visible a shimmering tendril that can pick a lock, a gentle coil that reaches out to give a loving caress, or an inexorable rope that will kill a man before he knows it is around his neck. Feared and mistrusted for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.
Alissa Paine – heiress of a noble lineage, daughter of a Hunter family – is also a Wielder. And as she approaches her eighteenth Season, Alissa knows she has escaped execution so far only through painful self-control, and the fragile efforts of her beloved father.
Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself trapped in a web of hidden intentions – and caught between two equally dangerous men. One is a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairytale prince, who would see her destroyed in an instant if the truth were known – and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.
It’s Rose Season at the palace, but Alissa knows that survival will depend on being the most vicious of the thorns…
MY TIDBITS
Intrigue and manipulation hold a dangerous balance in world where half the population is wished dead.
Alissa is a noble, heir to the district, and related to the most dangerous arm of the King's forces, the Hunters. This deadly group slaughters Wielders, those who hold the ability to perform a type of 'magic'. And she hates the Hunters and everything they stand for, especially since she is a Wielder herself. Her father and a handful of friends have managed to help her hide her secret, but the killings of those like her are escalating. When she learns about a device, which has the ability to locate Wielders, she knows her days are numbered. Determined to save as many lives as she can, she does the unthinkable; she enters the Court and draws the attention of the evil King. His obsession with her is as cruel as the rest of him, and he'll kill her brutally if he learns her secret. Add a deadly ambassador with hidden motives, a princess with a secret, and the head of the Hunters' desire to destroy anyone who gets in her way, and Alissa's chances of success are almost non-existent. But if she fails, the last shred of goodness in the kingdom will die with her.
If you're missing those young adult novels, which swallow you up into a fantasy world of dark secrets, deadly agendas, and hints of dangerous romance, this tale will probably fill your appetite. The author has created a rich world, where intrigue seeps from every nook and cranny. Everyone has secrets, and almost no one is what they seem. That also means that there's quite a few surprises and sudden twists, which turn each situation on its head the moment Alissa seems to have, finally, made a step forward. Of course, there are characters who are golden and loyal, and not all surprises turn negative. But it's a lethal game, which grabs and keeps the pacing tense and high the entire way through.
The world is rich and easy to sink into. The descriptions never overwhelm, but add just enough to make the scene sit with the needed atmosphere. A little more would have helped, at times, but the tightly woven plot and multiple strings of intrigue already add enough to fill these pages. The magic is explained deep enough to drive the plot forward, and the history of, at least, the cruelty holds enough to support the entire situation. There are gaps in the logic here and there, but the author has knit everything tight enough to keep it from bothering. There is violence, but it doesn't tiptoe into graphic or gore. The psychological game is just as cruel as the physical.
Romance is there, too, but it doesn't drive the tale. Alissa has her target in constant focus; she has to. While there are moments to start taking her in this direction, she's well aware of the dangerous game she's playing and leaves this as a promise of more to come. Possibly. With the crazy weave of agendas, nothing is sure in these pages and it's impossible to guess what is still to come.
And here she is...
Kiera Azar was born in Surrey, where she grew up acting, singing, and songwriting. She studied biomedical science before she wrote her first book and decided to pursue her love of storytelling. Kiera is forever excited by all the books she hasn’t yet read, the music she hasn’t yet discovered, and the story ideas she hasn’t yet had.
Extra news....
There's an extra, special edition of this book out, and fans will not want to miss out on it. Right now, it's on sale (I noticed that when I did some digging)! So, you might want to keep that in mind.
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