Digital Reads Reviews

Many thanks to Patricia and FFBC Tours for my spot on this Blog Tour.

A very, very different tale which gave me an extremely unlikable heroine set in a political world of greed and gods, yet had the power to incite my curiosity to know if she got what she deserved.

Eda wanted the throne, she wanted to be an Empress. At. Any. Cost. She poisoned the old Emperor, killed the legal heir, made a deal with the God Tuer and bargained her nest friend’s life. Mid story a twist occurred, she lost everything, blamed the god and wanted to kill him. So she went searching out into the world instead of searching within herself.

My first book by Joanna Ruth Meyer, I was quite shocked by the main character’s attitude. She bargained with a tricky God and blamed him without realizing the pain and destruction she had caused. The story took quite some dips with Eda being thrown into different situations and adventures. Barring her attitude, I quite liked the author’s writing.

The world as we live now, I have met quite a few Edas who would never take responsibility of their actions. Eda was the same until the end. There were a few dialogues in the book as spoken by the gods which enamored me. The plot changed with those, and a new light was shown. I quite liked the initial politics which quite intrigued me the way the winds blew in that land.

This book was Eda’s spotlight, and with her attitude, it was difficult to like her. The ending felt apt, could have been more dramatic. The story and plot lines were good, if the change in the main character had come sooner, I would have liked it more.

Overall, it was the general story which enamored me, a different plot line which made it interesting.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

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!).

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.

Publication Date: January 2020