Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’ll be bringing you another blog tour post. Because, honestly, I just can’t say no to Dave @ The Write Reads! It’s his fault that he keeps pulling in some incredible books for tours. It’s just too tempting! The book I’ll be highlighting today is one that I knew nothing about before getting the sign up email, but after reading the synopsis, I had to say yes! It sounded like it would be right up my alley.

Before we get into the post, though, I want to make sure to thank Dave @ The Write Reads, the publisher, and the author for providing me a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for participating in this tour and sharing my honest review! It is, as always, much appreciated. Now, let’s jump in!

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“Some secrets are worth killing for

The ancient city of Kepos sits in an isolated valley, cut off from the outside world by a towering wall. Behind it, the souls of the dead clamour for release. Or so the priesthood says.

Kala has never had any reason to doubt their word – until her father dies in suspicious circumstances that implicate the city’s high priest. She’s determined to investigate, but she has a more immediate problem: the laws of the city require her mother to remarry straight away.

Kala’s new stepfather is a monster, but his son Leon is something altogether more dangerous: kind.

With her family fractured and the investigation putting her life in danger, the last thing Kala needs is romance. She would rather ignore Leon entirely, however difficult he makes it. But when she learns the truth of what really clamours behind the wall at the end of the valley, she faces a choice: share what she knows and jeopardise her escape, or abandon him to his fate along with the rest of the city.

If she doesn’t move fast, then no one will make it out of the valley alive.”

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Book Links

Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

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If you’ve been following me for awhile, you’ll know that I am nothing if not a cover hoe. I will buy books or want to read books solely because they have a pretty cover oftentimes without ever reading the synopsis. So when I saw this cover pop up in my inbox, I was instantly intrigued. Seeming as I was reading this book for a tour, I decided to be a little more informed than usual and went to read the synopsis. Then I was officially hooked!

We’re following the story of a young woman named Kala. Kala is the only child to the Glauks, one of the prominent families in the land of Kepos. She spends her days trying to conform to her duties, though after a sickness left her with a disability that has marked her as undesirable, most people have written her off. She is comfortable, if not happy, in her life… until her father dies under mysterious circumstances. His death leads Kala to a secret that could put her in the land of Shadows right alongside him.

This book is a unique blend of mythos that I found incredibly compelling! It has a distinctly Greek mythology feel, what with the various Greek sounds names and the world creation myths, and I adored that aspect. It pulled me in quickly and kept me interested throughout the book. It helps that the plot gets rolling right at the beginning, too! There are some lulls in the action but, for the most part, the pacing of this story made it so I didn’t get bored.

I think my favorite aspect of this story has to be the characters, especially Kala. She is such an amazing protagonist! She’s bold, smart, headstrong (which isn’t always a good thing…), and just so relatable. I felt an instant connection to her which, though not necessary for my enjoyment of a book, certainly helped! She is beautifully developed throughout the book as are the other characters. I think Josie Jaffrey does an incredible job of giving us not only a main character that feels like she could jump off the page, but layered and dynamic side characters, as well. For that alone, I can’t wait to continue with this series!

I think the one thing that I just didn’t jive with was that there was a bit of insta-love. It felt forced to me which made it seem unbelievable. But I’m also not a fan of the insta-love trope in general, so this is very much a personal preference thing for me. Though it was my least favorite aspect of the book, it wasn’t so jarring that it kept me from enjoying the story overall.

Final thoughts: This was a fun and compelling story that put in my mind of a Greek tragedy. The plot is gripping and will have you tearing through the pages. The characters are definitely the stars of the show! They are richly developed and layered, which makes all that is happening to them that much more intriguing! There is a bit of insta-love, so that might throw you off if that particular trope is not your jam. But, if you enjoy Greek mythology and dark secrets, I think you’d like The Wolf and the Water!

Star rating: