shannonmiz's Review of Gravemaidens (Gravemaidens, #1)

by Kelly Coon

“A dark, delectable, and utterly unique series that readers will want to drown in.” —Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess series

The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land's greatest honor...and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave.

In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame.

When Alu's ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honor. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her.

But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is—a death sentence.

Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There she discovers more danger lurking in the sand-stone corridors than she could have ever imagined and that her own life—and heart—are at stake. But Kammani will stop at nothing to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if it means sacrificing everything…including herself.

"A dark and utterly enthralling journey to an ancient land, Gravemaidens grabs you by your beating heart and refuses to let go until the bitter, breathtaking end."—Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

Gravemaidens was quite the dark, entertaining story! I kind of fell in love with it, honestly. Look, I am going to go ahead and get my one negative out of the way first so we can get to the good stuff: It's kind of predictable. I wasn't ever really shocked by what happened next, but the story and the characters and the world were so engrossing that it really didn't make it any less enjoyable.

The characters are certainly for me the best part of the story. We have strong-willed Kammani willing to do whatever it takes to not have her sister's fate become "corpse bride". Because who wants that?! Oh right, the aforementioned sister does! It's bananas, but it also perfectly represents so many things in our society; things we've become numb to because they are just the norm. She thinks it's an honor because for generations, it's been drilled into the heads of all the people.

Anyway, I loved that part, because it's a great metaphor but also because it's dark as hell. I mean can you even imagine not only having that happen to you, but being excited about it? Oh, and Kammani is also an incredible healer, and is there anything better than a strong STEM commoner-girl in a crappy classist patriarchy? Methinks not.

It's a quick moving book, one filled with high stakes and an incredible cast of characters. There's of course a strong family bond, which is apparent from the very start. But there are also a lot of people outside her family who care for Kammani as well! The whole gang works together, and I love it. You'll fall in love with them too, of that I'm sure. And even though I was sometimes pretty sure I knew what was coming next, I still didn't want to put the book down like, ever. And now, I really need the sequel immediately, if not sooner.

Bottom Line: Strong characters, an immersive world, and a fast-past story that will leave you excited for the next installment makes this a must-read!

Gravemaidens (Gravemaidens, #1)

by Kelly Coon

Reviewed by shannonmiz on Sep 16, 2019

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