The Beholder

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.

The Beholder by Anna Bright - release date June 4, 2019

I went into this book having no idea what to expect, but oh my gosh I can't tell you how much I loved the entire thing. This book drew me in. Between the characters and the intriguing plot, I tore through it with ease. My heart was pounding with anticipation throughout all 400 plus pages!

This book follows Selah, Seneschal-elect, during her journey to foreign lands after her "smother" booted her from her homeland. If readers take nothing else from this book its that oh boy can a journey across the world really change a person. Selah went from being a quiet shy girl to a woman who is determined to defend those she loves and stick it out for a cause she believes in. This progression in her character leads her to befriend her English guard on her first stop. Bear is a significant part of the story, but it felt abrupt when the storyline shifted gears and brought Selah to Norge. The author makes up for this, though, by filling the second stop in Selah's journey with authenticity and adventure brought on by her second suiter, Torden. Torden was able to draw out a new side of Selah. With him by her side, she was able to explore a new part of her and it was fascinating to watch this transition. 

As with every ARC, this book would definitely benefit from a map. The only other part that I found difficult to comprehend at first was how the fairytale world coexisted where America should be with old Europe. Along with this, certain aspects of the religious component of the book that felt forced. These were really only minor parts of a much bigger, more spectacular story. Probably my favorite part of this book was how fairytales were vaguely woven into the bigger story and how the author was able to weave so many different cultures into one storyline!

This book was 5/5 star material! I devoured it in 4 days and could read huge chunks of the story in a single sitting. I would have finished it all without ever getting up if I could have put the rest of my life on hold for a few hours. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out because it is a confirmed doulogy, which means so much is going to go down in the next book!

~ Alyse :)

Reviewed on June 3, 2019