The Thirteenth Tower (Tree and Tower, #1)

by Sara C Snider

• ISBN10: 918765704X
• ISBN13: 9789187657047
• Publish Date: 18 April 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Double Beast Publishing
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 300
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Emelyn is a servant. She is also an orphan - abandoned at the door of the home she works in, taken in by the cook. She is accustomed to her her life of servitude, only wondering why her parents would abandon her. One day, her life changes when magic comes to town, and she learns that she can be more than she ever dreamed possible.

The Thirteenth Tower is quite a fun read - what I would call a "beach read". Sort of fluffy and interesting, but not really breaking new ground. I could see one of the plot twists coming a mile away - but here's the thing: I *still* enjoyed reading the book and waiting for it. That in itself is fairly unusual and speaks to the character connection that Snider manages to evoke.

The story also takes a darker turn towards the end (no spoilers here), so it's not like your regular pretty fairies live happily ever after kind of fantasy. This harkens back to the *true* fairy tales, where death and bloodshed were common, even expected. I think it's that darker turn that makes this story better than it otherwise might have been.

The book is the start of a series, though I can't seem to determine the planned length of said series. However, the ending - while providing some definite closure to the current book - definitely gives away that another book is coming.

Overall, I would happily read the second book in the series again. It's interesting, the characters are done extremely well, and the darker elements definitely add interest.

[lindsey]

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

The Thirteenth Tower is about Emelyn, an orphan who works as a servant in a small village. A festival is starting the day the story begins, and Emelyn is looking forward to finishing her chores so she can attend. While she's working, she hears music nearby and goes to investigate. What she finds leads her on a long journey to discover herself and her past.

It doesn't take long for the plot to move forward, and I was instantly drawn into the story. It got a bit slow in the middle, as Emelyn and her companions were mostly just walking through the woods, occasionally running into something strange or dangerous. It picked up again near the end, and the final confrontation was well-written and more exciting than the previous few chapters.

Thought I had an inkling of how things would ultimately turn out, I was still interested to find out exactly what would happen. I felt a few things could have been fleshed out a little more, but hopefully this is going to be a series, so maybe those small things will be explored a little more in future books.

There also wasn't much character development, which is a shame. Emelyn, especially, had so much room to grow on the journey, and it was only at the very end that she showed any change at all.

The Thirteenth Tower is a fairly clean (only one very small scene at the beginning), middle-grade fantasy, with creative world building and an interesting plot.