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Goddess Crown
In this thrilling Afro-fantasy, the first set in the lush, opulent kingdom of Galla, a girl raised in secret must leave her sheltered rural home for the subtle dangers of the royal court, where she becomes caught up in deadly power struggles and romantic intrigue.
Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia can hunt and fish and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee to the king’s court in the West—a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy. Guided by the Goddess herself, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role? What if she must choose between her country and her heart? Excitement, romance, and a charismatic heroine shine in this first book set in the unforgettable kingdom of Galla.
Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia can hunt and fish and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee to the king’s court in the West—a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy. Guided by the Goddess herself, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role? What if she must choose between her country and her heart? Excitement, romance, and a charismatic heroine shine in this first book set in the unforgettable kingdom of Galla.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2023
17 people are currently reading
3834 people want to read
About the author
Shade Lapite
2 books34 followersShade Lapite is British-Nigerian and has drawn on her heritage to create the world of her debut novel. She spent a significant slice of her childhood nestled in the library, inhaling books by Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, Lois Duncan, and Mildred D. Taylor. Her love for the arts led her to a degree in media arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. She now lives in Toronto and juggles writing with her career in digital marketing. Her blog, Coffee Bookshelves, celebrates writing and promotes titles by authors of color. You can find her fangirling over Korean dramas on Twitter @TheShadyFiles or sharing her favorite books on Instagram @shadelapite.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
January 19, 2024
You know a book is good when you have to keep pausing while you’re reading to audibly say “This book is so good”
I knew going into this that Goddess Crown was going to be fantastic but I was actually pleasantly surprised how fantastic it truly was.
The world-building was beautiful and so immersive. I really found myself getting so lost in the writing that I would read four chapters without even realising it. I can’t stress enough how great this was.
I loved that it also touched on the challenges that women face in male-dominated spaces and how often, they need to work ten times harder to be respected or seen as even close to equals.
The romance subplot also took me by surprise but I loved it so much.
I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
I knew going into this that Goddess Crown was going to be fantastic but I was actually pleasantly surprised how fantastic it truly was.
The world-building was beautiful and so immersive. I really found myself getting so lost in the writing that I would read four chapters without even realising it. I can’t stress enough how great this was.
I loved that it also touched on the challenges that women face in male-dominated spaces and how often, they need to work ten times harder to be respected or seen as even close to equals.
The romance subplot also took me by surprise but I loved it so much.
I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
February 11, 2024
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this despite being initially very excited. It began at a very slow pace and then hurtled at break-neck speed at the end. There was minimal world building beyond letting us know that they worship a Goddess and yet function as a patriarchal society. Kalothia, the main character, rarely has anything to say/is left speechless when she encounters sexist/misogynistic behaviour and comments. In fairness, as a coddled 16yr old that maybe isn’t surprising. Overall this felt very disappointing and not as exciting and engaging as I would have liked. The fantasy and romance aspects were lacking and not as well developed as they could have been, and the plot was predictable.
February 16, 2024
This fits The Diverse Baseline February Prompt A: A book by a Black author.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This started out really strong with the FMC escaping an assassination. That scene really gripped me and was definitely 5 stars.
But after that, it was typical royal court politics. If you're into that, then this might be your thing. But I was mostly bored tbh and was hoping for more action.
Kalothia is a great FMC though. Very resilient and highly adaptable to new situations. She's one of those young characters who are old souls.
Anyway, despite feeling meh about this book, I'd still love to read more from this author.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This started out really strong with the FMC escaping an assassination. That scene really gripped me and was definitely 5 stars.
But after that, it was typical royal court politics. If you're into that, then this might be your thing. But I was mostly bored tbh and was hoping for more action.
Kalothia is a great FMC though. Very resilient and highly adaptable to new situations. She's one of those young characters who are old souls.
Anyway, despite feeling meh about this book, I'd still love to read more from this author.
February 10, 2025
It was fine but ultimately forgettable.
January 3, 2025
Outstanding read,really discriptive and intense with the action and emotions. a fantastic African story set in a fictional African world
September 16, 2023
This book was okay. There wasn’t enough world building and this novel is pretty forgettable.
March 21, 2024
This felt like a rough draft.
September 9, 2023
Wow. Such a beautiful face paced read with some black girl magic action thrown in story. In Goddess Crown we are introduced to Kalothia she’s 16 & we go on this journey with her. She’s brought up by guardians in a rural area basically living away from her birth parents who are King & Queen to keep her out of harms way. Kalothia is kind & smart from the very beginning. But we also get to see her use other skills & strengths when she has to prove herself in front of the Kings Court.
I follow the author on social media & she explained how the setting is Africa-inspired. And I love that ! Well done.
Thank you so much Hear Our Voices for my ARC. #GoddessCrown #HearOurVoices #HOV
I follow the author on social media & she explained how the setting is Africa-inspired. And I love that ! Well done.
Thank you so much Hear Our Voices for my ARC. #GoddessCrown #HearOurVoices #HOV
September 6, 2023
Goddess Crown is the kind of story that grabs your attention and won't let it go until you reach that final page. There is so much action that your riveted to see what happens next, so your flipping pages and waiting on pins and needles to see how Kalothia can escape capture and even navigate her way through the palace to avoid danger. Such a wonderful escapism read, and I was certainly in the mood for the palace intrigue. At 288 pages, Lapite really pacts in the action, and even leaves some room for a little romance, yep looking at you Nahir. Overall, I quite enjoyed the world building of the story, but I kept wanting to know more about this fantasy inspired country. Also wanting to know more about Padma, Galla's enemies whose territory borders them, and more about King Osura. There are also quite a few lords and occasionally I had difficulty keeping them straight. Going in I was expecting something along the lines of Children of Blood and Bone, part fantasy and mythology. And this isn't quite that, although there is a Goddess who comes to help Kalothia from time to time. But oh, how I did love Kalothia. Her determination, strength, willingness to break through any barrier placed in front of her. Also, her desire to help her country to begin to recognize women for their potential and all the skills that they bring. To finally allow them to have a voice. Such a wonderful story that has me eagerly awaiting a sequel. ** A huge thank you to Walker Books US for the paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
September 23, 2023
Thank you to Walker Books Australia for sending me a copy of this book for review and book club purposes.
**spoilers ahead**
Although the premise of this story is solid (think movie-Anastasia lost princess, but inspired by the author's British-Nigerian heritage and nestled in the throws of feminism), it was poorly executed.
Unfortunately I couldn't find anything more to enjoy about this debut novel. There was limited world-building, leaving me confused and/or unaffected emotionally by major events within the plot, and uncaring for character deaths. The number of cliffhangers at the end of chapters very quickly wore into annoyance and eye rolling. Not to mention the plot armour of "oh isn't it lucky that the exact thing that would have stopped me, the protagonist, from achieving this mini-goal, didn't happen" - which cropped up on at least 5 very clear occasions.
And why on earth was there a monkey companion throughout, other than to finish the major action of the book within 3 chapters????
And why does my edition have a gold head wrap on the cover when the text says it's silver? So many questions.
2 stars because it wasn't harmful or problematic, but it also wasn't enjoyable.
**spoilers ahead**
Although the premise of this story is solid (think movie-Anastasia lost princess, but inspired by the author's British-Nigerian heritage and nestled in the throws of feminism), it was poorly executed.
Unfortunately I couldn't find anything more to enjoy about this debut novel. There was limited world-building, leaving me confused and/or unaffected emotionally by major events within the plot, and uncaring for character deaths. The number of cliffhangers at the end of chapters very quickly wore into annoyance and eye rolling. Not to mention the plot armour of "oh isn't it lucky that the exact thing that would have stopped me, the protagonist, from achieving this mini-goal, didn't happen" - which cropped up on at least 5 very clear occasions.
And why on earth was there a monkey companion throughout, other than to finish the major action of the book within 3 chapters????
And why does my edition have a gold head wrap on the cover when the text says it's silver? So many questions.
2 stars because it wasn't harmful or problematic, but it also wasn't enjoyable.
September 10, 2023
This book was a breath of fresh air. This book will literally keep you on your toes because there is always something happening from either a huge reveal to finding out the someone is trying to wipe out your entire family which also includes you. In this book we introduced to Zalothia who is under the care of Teacher and Aunty. As she is being cared for in the forrest and is protected by Clarit and Nahor it is Zalothia's 16th birthday and her life immediately begins to change. Everything that she was told was a complete lie. Literally as she was being raised in a forrest in the Kingdom of Galla she was told that her parents had to go into hiding from the king because their lives were in danger, but the truth was that the king that was supposedly trying to kill her parents was actually her father and he had executed her mother based on rumors of infidelity. Honestly I highly recommend this book because as the story progresses it keeps getting better and better.
September 4, 2023
booktour
When I tell you to have a novel in your fingers that allows you to see a female character that looks like you and uplifts herself through her power, strength, courage, and tenaciousness even though a patriarchal society driven by oppression of women tried to stand in her way, it’s phenomenal!!
These characters stories spoke to me with each turn of the page, and discovering how many of the characters were falsely accused because they were woman struck emotional cords that made me want to go into battle to fight for Justice in this Kingdom!!
I absolutely love an Afro fantasy and spending time in the opulent kingdom of Galla, I feel I too grew to be the Goddess Crown!!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwyDlp...
When I tell you to have a novel in your fingers that allows you to see a female character that looks like you and uplifts herself through her power, strength, courage, and tenaciousness even though a patriarchal society driven by oppression of women tried to stand in her way, it’s phenomenal!!
These characters stories spoke to me with each turn of the page, and discovering how many of the characters were falsely accused because they were woman struck emotional cords that made me want to go into battle to fight for Justice in this Kingdom!!
I absolutely love an Afro fantasy and spending time in the opulent kingdom of Galla, I feel I too grew to be the Goddess Crown!!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwyDlp...
December 11, 2025
Started and finished date – 06.12.25 to 10.12.25.
My rating – Three and Half Stars.
This book was enjoyable and then was parts of book at I really liked but I didn't love it, and I think it could have be better if it was flash out a bit more. I think people who like the queen's assassin by Melissa de la Cruz or ash princess by Laura Sebastian may like is book. The cover of book was simple, but stunning and I think the colour palette at was used on the cover of book was pretty good. The writing was fine, and the writing was easy to follow also the ending of book was okay, but it could be better.
I think both the setting of the book and the atmosphere was great. The world building was pretty good, but I want more and I really enjoyed the court politics but like with the world building I want more. I think the author did a good at describing the different culture in the book and the twists in the book was okay but way too predictable. I think both the friendships and relationships between all of the characters was okay also the romances was fine but it could be better. I found the paced in the book was well structured and steady paced. The characters were okay, but they needed to be flash out bit more.
My rating – Three and Half Stars.
This book was enjoyable and then was parts of book at I really liked but I didn't love it, and I think it could have be better if it was flash out a bit more. I think people who like the queen's assassin by Melissa de la Cruz or ash princess by Laura Sebastian may like is book. The cover of book was simple, but stunning and I think the colour palette at was used on the cover of book was pretty good. The writing was fine, and the writing was easy to follow also the ending of book was okay, but it could be better.
I think both the setting of the book and the atmosphere was great. The world building was pretty good, but I want more and I really enjoyed the court politics but like with the world building I want more. I think the author did a good at describing the different culture in the book and the twists in the book was okay but way too predictable. I think both the friendships and relationships between all of the characters was okay also the romances was fine but it could be better. I found the paced in the book was well structured and steady paced. The characters were okay, but they needed to be flash out bit more.
September 9, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story follows Kalothia. On her 16th birthday her home is attacked. She loses Aunty and Teacher in the aftermath and flees with Nahir just to lose him too. She deals with the fact that the place where she flees doesn’t accept her for who she really is and the position that she will hold. I love that Kalothia is the one to shut down the old ways of forced marriage to have a man in charge. Some of my favorite quotes from the book come from the discussions between Nahir and Kalothia as they explore new feelings.
“Your skin makes me think of midnight. Dark and clear and serene.” He chuckled. “Which is funny because you are the furthest point from serene.”
“Your hair is exactly like your personality. Curls, twists, strong, unpredictable, beautiful . . .”
Thank you Walker Books, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Overall 3.5/5 stars
This story follows Kalothia. On her 16th birthday her home is attacked. She loses Aunty and Teacher in the aftermath and flees with Nahir just to lose him too. She deals with the fact that the place where she flees doesn’t accept her for who she really is and the position that she will hold. I love that Kalothia is the one to shut down the old ways of forced marriage to have a man in charge. Some of my favorite quotes from the book come from the discussions between Nahir and Kalothia as they explore new feelings.
“Your skin makes me think of midnight. Dark and clear and serene.” He chuckled. “Which is funny because you are the furthest point from serene.”
“Your hair is exactly like your personality. Curls, twists, strong, unpredictable, beautiful . . .”
Thank you Walker Books, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Overall 3.5/5 stars
December 31, 2024
Thank you to Pan MacMillan South Africa for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite is a dazzling blend of romance and fantasy that will sweep you off into a world of gods, magic, and intrigue. While the book started off a bit slow for me, I soon found myself enamoured with the story and its rich world-building.
Kalothia has grown up hidden in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll, she can hunt, fish, and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. On her sixteenth birthday, assassins attack her home, forcing her to flee to the king's court in the West – a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy.
Kalothia is no damsel in distress. She’s fierce, determined, and has a sharp wit that had me chuckling more than once. Watching her navigate the treacherous court politics while uncovering her own hidden powers is exhilarating. Lapite’s world-building is so vivid you’ll feel like you’re right there alongside Kalothia, battling mythical beasts and dodging deadly plots.
Enter Nahir, the brooding warrior who becomes Kalothia’s reluctant ally. Their chemistry is off the charts. The banter, the tension, the slow-burn romance – it’s all there. But beware – Nahir might have secrets that could lead him to do something unforgivable, adding a layer of tension that will keep you guessing.
However, about two-thirds of the way in, the story lost some momentum for me. The pacing slowed, and the plot twists that initially kept me on the edge of my seat started to feel less engaging. It was a bit of a struggle to maintain my interest through to the end.
Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite is a dazzling blend of romance and fantasy that will sweep you off into a world of gods, magic, and intrigue. While the book started off a bit slow for me, I soon found myself enamoured with the story and its rich world-building.
Kalothia has grown up hidden in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll, she can hunt, fish, and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. On her sixteenth birthday, assassins attack her home, forcing her to flee to the king's court in the West – a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy.
Kalothia is no damsel in distress. She’s fierce, determined, and has a sharp wit that had me chuckling more than once. Watching her navigate the treacherous court politics while uncovering her own hidden powers is exhilarating. Lapite’s world-building is so vivid you’ll feel like you’re right there alongside Kalothia, battling mythical beasts and dodging deadly plots.
Enter Nahir, the brooding warrior who becomes Kalothia’s reluctant ally. Their chemistry is off the charts. The banter, the tension, the slow-burn romance – it’s all there. But beware – Nahir might have secrets that could lead him to do something unforgivable, adding a layer of tension that will keep you guessing.
However, about two-thirds of the way in, the story lost some momentum for me. The pacing slowed, and the plot twists that initially kept me on the edge of my seat started to feel less engaging. It was a bit of a struggle to maintain my interest through to the end.
December 3, 2023
3.5⭐️
Thank you to Walker books for the arc!
This was a fun read! The main character, Kalothia, was fierce and strong despite the heartache she has endured. I loved the setting of the book and of the different cultures described. A feminist fantasy book that was well written, with lots of action as Kalothia tries to navigate her new life and the enemies that come with it. Full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
However, I did want a little more interaction with our love interest. I didn’t feel as connected to their friendship and feelings because it felt like not much happened between them. It would be nice if he was more involved but again, I can understand why he wasn’t as I was getting the “women don’t always need men” vibe.
I did enjoy the ending and felt like it fit really well with the feminist narrative— Kalothia doesn’t need a man to rule well. It was refreshing to read!
Thank you to Walker books for the arc!
This was a fun read! The main character, Kalothia, was fierce and strong despite the heartache she has endured. I loved the setting of the book and of the different cultures described. A feminist fantasy book that was well written, with lots of action as Kalothia tries to navigate her new life and the enemies that come with it. Full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
However, I did want a little more interaction with our love interest. I didn’t feel as connected to their friendship and feelings because it felt like not much happened between them. It would be nice if he was more involved but again, I can understand why he wasn’t as I was getting the “women don’t always need men” vibe.
I did enjoy the ending and felt like it fit really well with the feminist narrative— Kalothia doesn’t need a man to rule well. It was refreshing to read!
July 18, 2023
4.4 🌟 I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!! I can’t even express how much this book has me filled with emotion. I can’t even speak. I adore the MC, she’s excellent. I loved the world building, Ye-Ye is a cherub, I loved all the side characters. I can’t wait for more with the romance, such a good build up. I usually don’t care about court intrigue but this story had me flicking the pages for more!! I just adored everything about this book. Such an amazing story and one of the best YA debut’s I’ve read in a very long time!!
June 29, 2024
When the action in this book started at page 25 I knew I was in for a ride! Yes I figured out who the perpetrator was early on but still enjoyed how it played out. The massage of this book was clear strong black women and I ate up!
June 24, 2023
enjoyed this a lot. Great MC with lots of burdens and challenges.
September 27, 2023
Now we all know that this is not the genre I normally read, so my knowledge of YA Afro Fantasy is limited… but all hail Shade Lapite because this was absolutely incredible.
This one was fast-paced while still maintaining amazing and understandable world building. I was never once confused about who was who, where they were, and what was going on. It is also sooo beautifully written, it’s hard not to get lost in the rhythm on the pages.
The setting (Galla) gave me all the amazing pre-technology-but-not-medieval vibes I could dream of.
This book really illustrates a time of women living in a strictly male-run world: where tradition & faith run deep and are never questioned. I love that the book has a main themed of women trying to break free of their given “norms” and show their true powers to become equals. The FMC, Kalothia, is such a shining star of a heroine. I love her character!
Goddess Crown is also action pact and I was zooming through the pages, wondering how the FMC was going to get out of all the situations that feel upon her!
This story sprinkled in a bit of romance and I’m all here for it! It was done wonderfully and wasn’t at all overpowering the true tale being told!
The ending of the book wrapped up so quickly (almost too quickly 😢) that I’m HOPING there is a sequel because I need to further get lost in the Gallan world. My deep need to know about Kalothia’s next adventures & how she handles the weight of the world her shoulders, is taking over!
Thank you so much @penguinrandomhouseca for the Review copy, I highly recommend!
This one was fast-paced while still maintaining amazing and understandable world building. I was never once confused about who was who, where they were, and what was going on. It is also sooo beautifully written, it’s hard not to get lost in the rhythm on the pages.
The setting (Galla) gave me all the amazing pre-technology-but-not-medieval vibes I could dream of.
This book really illustrates a time of women living in a strictly male-run world: where tradition & faith run deep and are never questioned. I love that the book has a main themed of women trying to break free of their given “norms” and show their true powers to become equals. The FMC, Kalothia, is such a shining star of a heroine. I love her character!
Goddess Crown is also action pact and I was zooming through the pages, wondering how the FMC was going to get out of all the situations that feel upon her!
This story sprinkled in a bit of romance and I’m all here for it! It was done wonderfully and wasn’t at all overpowering the true tale being told!
The ending of the book wrapped up so quickly (almost too quickly 😢) that I’m HOPING there is a sequel because I need to further get lost in the Gallan world. My deep need to know about Kalothia’s next adventures & how she handles the weight of the world her shoulders, is taking over!
Thank you so much @penguinrandomhouseca for the Review copy, I highly recommend!
December 1, 2023
I wish I had a book like this growing up. I would’ve eaten it up.
February 27, 2026
I would give this 0 stars if I could
Just like the other reviews of this book, the story is forgettable but they don’t say why. So I will.
To start, the story follows a stereotypical adventure story so unoriginal it blurs the line between mythology and modern dystopia. Girl lives in woods. Girl is Good at Woods and Bow. Girl is Royalty. Girl experiences Challenges and Love to Stake Her Claim to Throne. Girl Becomes Ruler. And when there isn’t something mildly occurring as a disjointed form of plot, it’s just noise. What’s most disappointing is there is so much fat that can be trimmed from the story to fit in something less stale than a day old glass of water. But while it can be trimmed, I don’t think the author would. The entire plot is formulaic, forgettable and foreseeable. I called every single story beat about 20-50 pages before the Big Reveal. I’m all for having foreshadowing within books to have a fulfilling and interesting twist that you can put the pieces together to once you know the picture, but I was relying on my knowledge of tropes and common story beats to predict what would happen. I even told my friend if I guessed the ending correctly I would rate this book 0 stars.
The writing and exposition was extremely repetitive, repeating the same pieces of information over and over, to the point where it felt like the author was trying to fill pages like a highschooler trying to reach the word count minimum. This was especially terrible in the first fifty pages when it came to the politics of the world. After that it would be Kalothia talking about her guardians and their murders but we never get to learn anything new about them and she doesn’t recall anything new that would make us feel her loss. She just kinda states general things that we already knew about them from the beginning of the story and broods with a hand on her necklace.
Kalothia herself is so passive she may as well be a ghost in her own story. She is established as headstrong but is only rebellious when the plot calls for it. She never falters or makes a mistake the entire book. Everything she does is 100% the right thing to do in any given situation, especially for someone who grew up in a forest away from court life. She is only headstrong and rebellious when its convenient for the author but in the interim of those moments she just sits patiently like the men around her tell her to. She is 100% infallible to any moral error or judgement except for being unreasonably petty towards her love interest. Of which, they only have maybe two moments together towards the END of the book. The moment she turns sixteen she magically has a crush on him and spends a good while between bouts of holding her petty grudges to talk about how handsome he is compared to when he was 13 and lanky. But we never get a word about how he feels about her, or even a heartfelt conversation between him and her. He’s always been protective but never makes a move until the author realizes its almost the end of the story and we need something to root for. And when he does it’s an immediate fade to black sex scene and they’re totally in love and nothing can tear them apart, he is the loyal guard that will follow her anywhere etc etc. They never reminisce about anything in the past despite their (apparently) long history as semi-childhood friends. As I write this I cannot recall a single happy interaction between the two of them this entire book that makes me root for them in any way. Even at the end of the book I found myself being bored by them. At least in most other books there is banter or *something* that tells me who the characters are. In this one all I can recall is Kalothia being pettily angry at him and Nasir (Male love interest) kinda just lingering about. Even in the end I felt nothing when it was all tied in a neat little bow. Because Girlie you are announcing all these changes and you aren’t even coronated yet with plenty of people to be pissed off at you because most of the men in there hate women a lot still. For a book with plenty of political intrigue I read that ending and I was like ‘ALL that political intrigue and you have learned NOTHING. Kalothia HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING.’. Especially since for more than half the book it was extremely stressed how she needed to secure her position and bid for the throne and SHE ISN’T EVEN CORONATED BY THE END OF IT WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE????
Don’t even get me started on the ‘subtext’, it evolved and became so strong it is now called ‘domtext’ and has a heavy-handed finishing move that is more powerful than the might of the Steel Chair. Especially when it comes to misogyny in this book. It brought me back to reading reposts from Tumblr on Pinterest when I was thirteen and believing that was how the entire world worked. Every man that has a speaking role other than three characters has a disdain for women so strong that they loudly voice it at every turn. They may as well all have ‘I hate women’ tattooed on their foreheads in their character description. There is no trying to sabotage Kalothia for being a woman in quiet ways or even talk about her behind her back. There is no nuance in the story about religion and misogyny and how they can intertwine into something ugly and vitriolic. There is no subtle observations about how men and women perpetuate these ideals even if it is to their own loss. All of the men in the book try punch Kalothia down and all of the women are trying to lift her up. There is even a passage where the palace maid friend is explaining to Kalothia why women can’t travel alone and instead of saying ‘rape’ she says ‘molested’. I know they are synonyms. But avoiding the word rape in a story where you are trying to detail how sexism and misogyny can affect women in very real ways is something that feels very deliberate and quite honestly, sanitized. It is incredibly disappointing to read something that promised to uplift you and give you hope only to come out of it feeling like you got slapped with the same bandaid this book uses like ‘I fixed them ^^. All the problems.’ . It makes me feel angry, betrayed and disappointed by the author after the ideas she set up only to execute them in a way that is so cut and dry it may as well be day-old deli meat left to bake in the sun. But at least the deli meat still has flavor and potential to breed something new to the world.
The only good thing I have to say about this book is that the world building was definitely strong, but not delved into enough. There was a clear power system for the politics, clear enemies and allies for Galla as well as well-described daily life all the way from the villages to the Palace itself. However, we didn’t have time to delve into much of it at all. We didn’t get to learn real history (why the Goddess is worshipped, how Galla came to be, why are Padmans(?) the enemy etc etc), we only learned recent history as far back as about 20 years before Kalothia or so. Also, there was no map which I found very disappointing. Especially how politics and the Lords and their territories were so heavily stressed upon in the first 50 pages. The Goddess also barely plays a role in the story and has no name. She alludes to others and the powers that be but she only really shows up to help Kalothia here or there and then leaves. She maybe appears three times in the story total to help Kalothia but she never shows up randomly or suddenly, she doesn’t seem to have much emotion or any at all, she doesn’t give Kalothia any verbal guidance except to ‘make things equal between the genders’. This book barely counts as a fantasy as there is literally nothing except a few granules of fantasy element so that it can be called an ‘afro-fantasy’ in marketing and so the Goddess could Deus-Ex-Machina in the very rare moments Kalothia needs divine intervention. Calling years ‘harvests’ also got on my nerves, like an insane amount. It was actually taking me out of the story when Kalothia is like ‘he looks forty harvests old’. I was also frustrated with how 2 out of three Kalothia’s guardians don’t have names other than Titles, we never learn of any of their ties to the Palace or people who may have known them.
In short, the bar for modern publishing is in hell if this was considered great by anyone over the age of sixteen. The pulse of this book is the same as a 120 year old billionaire, barely there and ready to give out any minute. I hope the author learns from her experience with this book and can inch the bar out of the lowest level of hell. However, considering how we received no answers nor a crumb of information until the last 40 pages I would suggest the author break into murder mystery, as she knows how to paint with a broad enough brush to make everyone and no one a suspect until the very end.
Just like the other reviews of this book, the story is forgettable but they don’t say why. So I will.
To start, the story follows a stereotypical adventure story so unoriginal it blurs the line between mythology and modern dystopia. Girl lives in woods. Girl is Good at Woods and Bow. Girl is Royalty. Girl experiences Challenges and Love to Stake Her Claim to Throne. Girl Becomes Ruler. And when there isn’t something mildly occurring as a disjointed form of plot, it’s just noise. What’s most disappointing is there is so much fat that can be trimmed from the story to fit in something less stale than a day old glass of water. But while it can be trimmed, I don’t think the author would. The entire plot is formulaic, forgettable and foreseeable. I called every single story beat about 20-50 pages before the Big Reveal. I’m all for having foreshadowing within books to have a fulfilling and interesting twist that you can put the pieces together to once you know the picture, but I was relying on my knowledge of tropes and common story beats to predict what would happen. I even told my friend if I guessed the ending correctly I would rate this book 0 stars.
The writing and exposition was extremely repetitive, repeating the same pieces of information over and over, to the point where it felt like the author was trying to fill pages like a highschooler trying to reach the word count minimum. This was especially terrible in the first fifty pages when it came to the politics of the world. After that it would be Kalothia talking about her guardians and their murders but we never get to learn anything new about them and she doesn’t recall anything new that would make us feel her loss. She just kinda states general things that we already knew about them from the beginning of the story and broods with a hand on her necklace.
Kalothia herself is so passive she may as well be a ghost in her own story. She is established as headstrong but is only rebellious when the plot calls for it. She never falters or makes a mistake the entire book. Everything she does is 100% the right thing to do in any given situation, especially for someone who grew up in a forest away from court life. She is only headstrong and rebellious when its convenient for the author but in the interim of those moments she just sits patiently like the men around her tell her to. She is 100% infallible to any moral error or judgement except for being unreasonably petty towards her love interest. Of which, they only have maybe two moments together towards the END of the book. The moment she turns sixteen she magically has a crush on him and spends a good while between bouts of holding her petty grudges to talk about how handsome he is compared to when he was 13 and lanky. But we never get a word about how he feels about her, or even a heartfelt conversation between him and her. He’s always been protective but never makes a move until the author realizes its almost the end of the story and we need something to root for. And when he does it’s an immediate fade to black sex scene and they’re totally in love and nothing can tear them apart, he is the loyal guard that will follow her anywhere etc etc. They never reminisce about anything in the past despite their (apparently) long history as semi-childhood friends. As I write this I cannot recall a single happy interaction between the two of them this entire book that makes me root for them in any way. Even at the end of the book I found myself being bored by them. At least in most other books there is banter or *something* that tells me who the characters are. In this one all I can recall is Kalothia being pettily angry at him and Nasir (Male love interest) kinda just lingering about. Even in the end I felt nothing when it was all tied in a neat little bow. Because Girlie you are announcing all these changes and you aren’t even coronated yet with plenty of people to be pissed off at you because most of the men in there hate women a lot still. For a book with plenty of political intrigue I read that ending and I was like ‘ALL that political intrigue and you have learned NOTHING. Kalothia HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING.’. Especially since for more than half the book it was extremely stressed how she needed to secure her position and bid for the throne and SHE ISN’T EVEN CORONATED BY THE END OF IT WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE????
Don’t even get me started on the ‘subtext’, it evolved and became so strong it is now called ‘domtext’ and has a heavy-handed finishing move that is more powerful than the might of the Steel Chair. Especially when it comes to misogyny in this book. It brought me back to reading reposts from Tumblr on Pinterest when I was thirteen and believing that was how the entire world worked. Every man that has a speaking role other than three characters has a disdain for women so strong that they loudly voice it at every turn. They may as well all have ‘I hate women’ tattooed on their foreheads in their character description. There is no trying to sabotage Kalothia for being a woman in quiet ways or even talk about her behind her back. There is no nuance in the story about religion and misogyny and how they can intertwine into something ugly and vitriolic. There is no subtle observations about how men and women perpetuate these ideals even if it is to their own loss. All of the men in the book try punch Kalothia down and all of the women are trying to lift her up. There is even a passage where the palace maid friend is explaining to Kalothia why women can’t travel alone and instead of saying ‘rape’ she says ‘molested’. I know they are synonyms. But avoiding the word rape in a story where you are trying to detail how sexism and misogyny can affect women in very real ways is something that feels very deliberate and quite honestly, sanitized. It is incredibly disappointing to read something that promised to uplift you and give you hope only to come out of it feeling like you got slapped with the same bandaid this book uses like ‘I fixed them ^^. All the problems.’ . It makes me feel angry, betrayed and disappointed by the author after the ideas she set up only to execute them in a way that is so cut and dry it may as well be day-old deli meat left to bake in the sun. But at least the deli meat still has flavor and potential to breed something new to the world.
The only good thing I have to say about this book is that the world building was definitely strong, but not delved into enough. There was a clear power system for the politics, clear enemies and allies for Galla as well as well-described daily life all the way from the villages to the Palace itself. However, we didn’t have time to delve into much of it at all. We didn’t get to learn real history (why the Goddess is worshipped, how Galla came to be, why are Padmans(?) the enemy etc etc), we only learned recent history as far back as about 20 years before Kalothia or so. Also, there was no map which I found very disappointing. Especially how politics and the Lords and their territories were so heavily stressed upon in the first 50 pages. The Goddess also barely plays a role in the story and has no name. She alludes to others and the powers that be but she only really shows up to help Kalothia here or there and then leaves. She maybe appears three times in the story total to help Kalothia but she never shows up randomly or suddenly, she doesn’t seem to have much emotion or any at all, she doesn’t give Kalothia any verbal guidance except to ‘make things equal between the genders’. This book barely counts as a fantasy as there is literally nothing except a few granules of fantasy element so that it can be called an ‘afro-fantasy’ in marketing and so the Goddess could Deus-Ex-Machina in the very rare moments Kalothia needs divine intervention. Calling years ‘harvests’ also got on my nerves, like an insane amount. It was actually taking me out of the story when Kalothia is like ‘he looks forty harvests old’. I was also frustrated with how 2 out of three Kalothia’s guardians don’t have names other than Titles, we never learn of any of their ties to the Palace or people who may have known them.
In short, the bar for modern publishing is in hell if this was considered great by anyone over the age of sixteen. The pulse of this book is the same as a 120 year old billionaire, barely there and ready to give out any minute. I hope the author learns from her experience with this book and can inch the bar out of the lowest level of hell. However, considering how we received no answers nor a crumb of information until the last 40 pages I would suggest the author break into murder mystery, as she knows how to paint with a broad enough brush to make everyone and no one a suspect until the very end.
Read
October 5, 2023The cover of this book is absolutely stunning! It made it an easy decision to want to read this book, but the content is equally good! The female MC Kalothia is headstrong, courageous, and an easy character to love. However, the side characters are just as enthralling. I loved that there were some twists along the way, and how Kalothia continues to push forward even in the face of adversity; especially when dealing with a patriarchal society. Even as a teen, she’s a force to be reckoned with!
This Afro-fantasy is definitely worth the read! I devoured it in a couple of hours. I loved reading about a character I could see myself in.
I’m excited to see what is next from this author! Be sure to add this one to your TBR! 📚
This Afro-fantasy is definitely worth the read! I devoured it in a couple of hours. I loved reading about a character I could see myself in.
I’m excited to see what is next from this author! Be sure to add this one to your TBR! 📚
May 3, 2024
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
Filled with lush imagery and gorgeous prose, Goddess Crown is a fast-paced Afro-fantasy that follows Kalothia who grew up believing that her parents were on the run from the King which meant that she had to be hidden in the forest with caretakers all her life. It’s not until her 16th birthday that she finds herself having to flee her home and ends up at the royal court where she learns that contrary to her beliefs, she is actually the King’s daughter and now that he’s dead, she must ascend the throne. But, of course, this is not an easy task because this strictly patriarchal society is against women leading, plus there are snakes abound in the court. So, what can Kalothia do in this situation?
Why, she goes with the flow! She goes with the flow despite her many reservations and feelings of indignation. She goes with the flow even when she can take matters into her own hands and stop things because why put her smarts and training into more practice when she can have others solving things for her? Why be the main, active protagonist of her life when so many others are willing to guide her, placing her here and there so it suits them and sometimes, indirectly suits her as well?
As you can probably tell by now, Kalothia has lesser spine than desired. She’s not the charismatic rebel I’d imagined her to be, which is really disappointing because she has so much potential. Although naive and sheltered, she’s educated, can fight and has a lot of room for growth. Moreover, she’s chosen by the Goddess herself to challenge and change the system! So, why is she in the backseat for most of the story? Why isn’t she the driver, the leader — the one who makes her own choices and tries hard to fight against the flow??
This inaction of hers takes away the tension and excitement of the story, making the action-packed moments forgettable. Everything is conveniently solved and more often than not, what should be life-or-death trials feel no more grave than a little stumble on flat ground. Also, what happened to the court politics and intrigue? I had expected something more complicated and with more gravity than everything that was presented here. Instead, it was all child’s play.
Furthermore, there’s no character growth and though I enjoyed the characters, they’re all archetypal. Other aspects that are also lacking are the worldbuilding which contrasts poorly with the lush imagery, and the romance which feels too rushed by the final quarter of the book.
Overall, Goddess Crown has so much promise but ultimately, it didn’t deliver. Many aspects lack depth and layers, leaving us with this surface-level story when it could’ve been a wholly gorgeous and complex tale.
Filled with lush imagery and gorgeous prose, Goddess Crown is a fast-paced Afro-fantasy that follows Kalothia who grew up believing that her parents were on the run from the King which meant that she had to be hidden in the forest with caretakers all her life. It’s not until her 16th birthday that she finds herself having to flee her home and ends up at the royal court where she learns that contrary to her beliefs, she is actually the King’s daughter and now that he’s dead, she must ascend the throne. But, of course, this is not an easy task because this strictly patriarchal society is against women leading, plus there are snakes abound in the court. So, what can Kalothia do in this situation?
Why, she goes with the flow! She goes with the flow despite her many reservations and feelings of indignation. She goes with the flow even when she can take matters into her own hands and stop things because why put her smarts and training into more practice when she can have others solving things for her? Why be the main, active protagonist of her life when so many others are willing to guide her, placing her here and there so it suits them and sometimes, indirectly suits her as well?
As you can probably tell by now, Kalothia has lesser spine than desired. She’s not the charismatic rebel I’d imagined her to be, which is really disappointing because she has so much potential. Although naive and sheltered, she’s educated, can fight and has a lot of room for growth. Moreover, she’s chosen by the Goddess herself to challenge and change the system! So, why is she in the backseat for most of the story? Why isn’t she the driver, the leader — the one who makes her own choices and tries hard to fight against the flow??
This inaction of hers takes away the tension and excitement of the story, making the action-packed moments forgettable. Everything is conveniently solved and more often than not, what should be life-or-death trials feel no more grave than a little stumble on flat ground. Also, what happened to the court politics and intrigue? I had expected something more complicated and with more gravity than everything that was presented here. Instead, it was all child’s play.
Furthermore, there’s no character growth and though I enjoyed the characters, they’re all archetypal. Other aspects that are also lacking are the worldbuilding which contrasts poorly with the lush imagery, and the romance which feels too rushed by the final quarter of the book.
Overall, Goddess Crown has so much promise but ultimately, it didn’t deliver. Many aspects lack depth and layers, leaving us with this surface-level story when it could’ve been a wholly gorgeous and complex tale.
Thank you so much Pansing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite is available at all good bookstores.
April 4, 2024
i was promised court politics and intrigue, not a monologuing villain and a resolution where everything conveniently & quickly works out for her, and that even though nobody's respected her or listened to her thus far, suddenly her decisions are taken seriously and followed, even though one of the biggest decisions she makes is a blatantly terrible one if you stop to think about it for more than a few seconds.
perhaps the key issue here is that the story is significantly more simplistic than other ya fantasy court politics books i've read and enjoyed before.
there are other things about this book that didn't work for me, some being preference-based (and thus haven't negatively affected my rating) and some being this-is-an-actual-issue-based (and thus, have) but i don't actually enjoy being negative all that much, so i'm gonna tap out here! but, all this being said, i wouldn't necessarily rule out reading more books from lapite and/or more books set in the world of galla. despite my frustration with the court politics aspect of this court politics book, there's still a lot of potential here, and a lot of strengths, so i do genuinely look forward to seeing what lapite does going forwards
perhaps the key issue here is that the story is significantly more simplistic than other ya fantasy court politics books i've read and enjoyed before.
there are other things about this book that didn't work for me, some being preference-based (and thus haven't negatively affected my rating) and some being this-is-an-actual-issue-based (and thus, have) but i don't actually enjoy being negative all that much, so i'm gonna tap out here! but, all this being said, i wouldn't necessarily rule out reading more books from lapite and/or more books set in the world of galla. despite my frustration with the court politics aspect of this court politics book, there's still a lot of potential here, and a lot of strengths, so i do genuinely look forward to seeing what lapite does going forwards
January 26, 2024
I'm going to round up to 3 because this is a first novel and it's not bad but there are some....things.
Let's just take this bit from the blurb: A fast-paced, romantic and feminist YA fantasy full of danger and courtly intrigue.
Fast-paced is not wrong. The whole thing seems to happen in the course of about three weeks I think? The pacing just felt off. This girl was raised for 16-years in a forest but is ousted dramatically by assassins, who kill everyone that has looked after her, and means she has to flee to the capital. (That's not a spoiler, it's literally in the blurb.) My issue is, for an extremely sheltered young woman, she recovers from this pretty fast. Sure, she cracks a few times but once she's in the royal court, she's so focused on finding the killers that it feels just unrealistic in terms of pacing and character development. Obviously I don't expect pages and pages of grieving but it just sort of became like a footnote in her motivations in the court.
I'll add to that, this sudden "I have to do this to make things better for every woman in Galla." Admirable but again just not well presented. We're beaten over the head with the whole 'women are inferior' thing, which is wild since they worship a goddess but at least that's kind of addressed to a point, so it's like you can't forget that 'Oh btw, women don't have it good in this world but our 16-year-old MC has it covered. Don't worry.'
And she's just good at everything. Suddenly scaling palace walls? Well she climbed trees in the forest. I'm not an architect or engineer but those don't seem to be indistinguishable structures.
The big reveal wasn't particularly dramatic but that's fine. Not everything has to be jaw dropping revelations. But it was fairly telegraphed. There was definitely a minute in everything where I said to myself, "I don't entirely know why but he did it." And sure enough there we were. My big complaint with it was it happened quickly with the confrontation and resolution. This goes back to the pacing issue.
It's not a bad book by any means, it is just very simplistic. I'd argue it's more suited to younger readers in the MG area if we're using traditional publishing labels for this, or even really, really early YA readers.
(As a side tangent: Vervet monkeys do not mewl. They don't headbutt nuzzle and given their size, the MC would need very large shoulders to hold up an adult vervet monkey that are 3-5kg and 40-60cm.)
Let's just take this bit from the blurb: A fast-paced, romantic and feminist YA fantasy full of danger and courtly intrigue.
Fast-paced is not wrong. The whole thing seems to happen in the course of about three weeks I think? The pacing just felt off. This girl was raised for 16-years in a forest but is ousted dramatically by assassins, who kill everyone that has looked after her, and means she has to flee to the capital. (That's not a spoiler, it's literally in the blurb.) My issue is, for an extremely sheltered young woman, she recovers from this pretty fast. Sure, she cracks a few times but once she's in the royal court, she's so focused on finding the killers that it feels just unrealistic in terms of pacing and character development. Obviously I don't expect pages and pages of grieving but it just sort of became like a footnote in her motivations in the court.
I'll add to that, this sudden "I have to do this to make things better for every woman in Galla." Admirable but again just not well presented. We're beaten over the head with the whole 'women are inferior' thing, which is wild since they worship a goddess but at least that's kind of addressed to a point, so it's like you can't forget that 'Oh btw, women don't have it good in this world but our 16-year-old MC has it covered. Don't worry.'
And she's just good at everything. Suddenly scaling palace walls? Well she climbed trees in the forest. I'm not an architect or engineer but those don't seem to be indistinguishable structures.
The big reveal wasn't particularly dramatic but that's fine. Not everything has to be jaw dropping revelations. But it was fairly telegraphed. There was definitely a minute in everything where I said to myself, "I don't entirely know why but he did it." And sure enough there we were. My big complaint with it was it happened quickly with the confrontation and resolution. This goes back to the pacing issue.
It's not a bad book by any means, it is just very simplistic. I'd argue it's more suited to younger readers in the MG area if we're using traditional publishing labels for this, or even really, really early YA readers.
(As a side tangent: Vervet monkeys do not mewl. They don't headbutt nuzzle and given their size, the MC would need very large shoulders to hold up an adult vervet monkey that are 3-5kg and 40-60cm.)
January 26, 2026
I REALLY wanted to love this. The premise of the book seemed really interesting, but the book itself fell flat for me. I felt like the characters were really boring, the monkey had more personality than the people. I also thought the pacing of this book was off, there wasn’t much build up to the ‘big event’, then it happened and everyone moved on like it hadn’t.
June 15, 2024
Not great, not bad. This is a YA fantasy debut novel. The plot and idea for this book was good, but the writing felt slightly immature. Looking forward to this author growing and her writing improving to support her plot ideas
July 10, 2023
"What did you come here to say?" "That I'm yours."
This book was a wild ride. We start with a girl named Kalothia who lives in the forest with her two caretakers, Aunty and Teacher as well as a guard to keep her safe. She's spent her whole life in the forest, unable to go into the cities because the King would kill her. Her life turns upside down when her home is attacked, and everyone shes ever known and loved is killed. She flees her home, desperate to find safety.
This book is just wow. When I started reading I could not put it down. This world is so easy to get lost in! I adored everything about this book, how fast paced it was and all the different kinds of trouble our heroine got into. When the Goddess appeared to help guide Kalothia, I was shocked. I loved the whole reasoning behind the goddess showing up and what she wanted Kaolthia's help with, I to would be mad if men took what I said and twisted my words so horribly to make sure they would forever be in power.
Overall this was an incredible read, I absolutely adored all the characters (espeically Nahir) and I fell head over heels in love with the plot. I am clawing for another book I NEED a second book set in this world (even though this one hasn't come out yet crying) please please please read it!!
Thank you so much to penguin random house for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review :)
This book was a wild ride. We start with a girl named Kalothia who lives in the forest with her two caretakers, Aunty and Teacher as well as a guard to keep her safe. She's spent her whole life in the forest, unable to go into the cities because the King would kill her. Her life turns upside down when her home is attacked, and everyone shes ever known and loved is killed. She flees her home, desperate to find safety.
This book is just wow. When I started reading I could not put it down. This world is so easy to get lost in! I adored everything about this book, how fast paced it was and all the different kinds of trouble our heroine got into. When the Goddess appeared to help guide Kalothia, I was shocked. I loved the whole reasoning behind the goddess showing up and what she wanted Kaolthia's help with, I to would be mad if men took what I said and twisted my words so horribly to make sure they would forever be in power.
Overall this was an incredible read, I absolutely adored all the characters (espeically Nahir) and I fell head over heels in love with the plot. I am clawing for another book I NEED a second book set in this world (even though this one hasn't come out yet crying) please please please read it!!
Thank you so much to penguin random house for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review :)
February 12, 2026
Shade Lapite, pat yourself on the back as what an adventure! Thank you for defying my expectations.
The first chapter was deceptive, as I honestly thought we were going to have a slow introduction into this world. That maybe we would get more details of Galla and Padma, or even about Osura and Slyvia, something that really consolidated the world they were in.
But second chapter rips everything away from you. Clarit being slaughtered before Kalothia's eyes had me pause for a moment, as I really did not expect this story to pick up so fast. Other books would have allowed us at least fifty pages to learn about Clarit, Teacher and Aunty before ripping them away but Shade Lapite doesn't give us that. Which usually would irritate me, but in this story it is done so well. I think that is because these characters continuously live in everything Kalothia does. They weren't killed for no reason, but they forcibly made Kalothia consider their teachings and really sit on how much they did for her.
At the end when she discovers the reason why she was hidden in the forest, she is angry and hurt at Nahir's secrecy but she does not hold the same anger to those who are dead. My interpretation for this, is that the hurt of losing them outweighs any of the frustration and betrayal she could have held for them. The reveal doesn't change her thoughts regarding them and at no point does she think that she was fully lied to by everyone she knew, because these people died to protect her. They loved her enough that it was worth living in that forest for months on end.
Kalothia is a great main character. In no way did she feel unrealistic to me. Other authors would have made their protagonists immediately bare the weight of a crown and would have had them fight back against the blatant misogynist behaviour of the other kings; as though they aren't a 16 year old who is fighting a whole system alone. I like the fact she was hesitant and embarrassed at parts, and that she would just take the abuse in some ways as that was what was expected of her in this role.
When Nahir attacked the Masque of Padma and he goes off sulking, Kalothia says the line "When he's ready to be an adult, he can come and tell me what demon jumped into his body and making him act as a fool. I have other problems to solve" it really showed the priorities. Nahir is a guard, he shouldn't be attacking nobles but he does out of jealously. He can afford to be jealous at this time.
In Galla, women are treated as second class citizens. They are objects that men possess, they aren't allowed in positions of power. Nahir can attack the Masque, and that is still seen as less sinful as allowing the rightful female heir on the throne.
For me, this moment was a really nice touch as Nahir is very different from the other men in this book. He treats her as an equal all the way throughout, but he can never truly know the struggles that women face as he isn't subjected to it. He thought he was fighting in her honour, but it made things worse for her. He acts with emotion but only when his romantic interest is threatened, not when she is being belittled at every interaction with other people.
He can afford to be emotional. She cannot.
I like the fact that she allowed moments to have time to herself. A lot of the book she actually spends alone, accomplishing things by herself, which just shows us how competent she is. Kalothia knows the caves are a death wish, so she goes alone, she gets kidnapped and doesn't wait for Nahir, she fights back and then makes the decision where to go.
For me, I feel like this book actually allows you to know Kalothia instead of only knowing her through her dynamics with other people.
Speaking of, the best dynamic in this book is Kalothia and Bukki's. This friendship had me so excited. I was nervous for a period that maybe Bukki was going to be evil, just because I feel like that is a trend in YA books - not allowing two girls to be friends without consequence. But no! They were remarkable together and honestly I bumped this book up in star rating just because Bukki was given the title of Prime Minister. That made me squeal out loud.
Kalothia is going to fight the system, to make a better change for women under her rule. And that is a heavy burden to bare, but the two of them decide that she doesn't have to do it alone. This book could have allowed Nahir a more prominent position and declared that they would fight together, But it didn't, and I think this choice was so the right one.
Nahir was interesting to me, as he didn't feel like a male lead in a way. He did come across as her guard more than her love interest, which I feel like it was intended. However, I do wish we did get some more of Nahir and Kalothia together, just so that I could have seen their romance bloom more.
The friendship they have is top tier, and I personally would have preferred them to only be friends in this book. However, when Nahir whipped out the "I'm yours" line, I did fold and decide that I would have wanted a bigger build on their romantic feelings for one another.
Do not misunderstand me, I really like the interactions we got of them and the book does both characters justice in the roles they play. But I would have just liked an additional 50 pages of them together, either before or after just to fully be obsessed with them.
The plot twists in this book are so much fun as well! King Osura and Queen Slyvia being her parents was in hindsight obvious, but I have never admitted to being smart as I kept thinking "well she has to become queen somehow" and then it was revealed of her lineage and I went OOOOOOOH. And not only that, Prime Minister Hadley being her Uncle made me reel.
I was suspicious of everyone in this book, as any of the characters could have been the ones plotting to kill her. Hadley was up on my list quite early on just because he juxtaposed all of the other characters reactions to her, but it was Ye-Ye playing around in the room that my red flags were flying.
But I think Shade Lapite knew that people could have been on his trail and instead made her plot twist have another plot twist. The fact that they were related and he was behind the murder of her mother, and her new family, also potentially her brother was just insane. Like the motive makes complete sense at that point and that whole chapter of him having an almost melt down at her revealing his plans was so great to read.
But just to let you know, this review would be far less positive if Ye-Ye died or there was more description of him being hurt. That monkey owns my heart and I love the fact he felt like an actual companion. Like Shade Lapite mentioned his whereabouts every chapter or what he was doing, which was great and sometimes I read something and I go "where did the animal go" and then I'm thoroughly surprised it had been there the whole time. So thank you!
The first chapter was deceptive, as I honestly thought we were going to have a slow introduction into this world. That maybe we would get more details of Galla and Padma, or even about Osura and Slyvia, something that really consolidated the world they were in.
But second chapter rips everything away from you. Clarit being slaughtered before Kalothia's eyes had me pause for a moment, as I really did not expect this story to pick up so fast. Other books would have allowed us at least fifty pages to learn about Clarit, Teacher and Aunty before ripping them away but Shade Lapite doesn't give us that. Which usually would irritate me, but in this story it is done so well. I think that is because these characters continuously live in everything Kalothia does. They weren't killed for no reason, but they forcibly made Kalothia consider their teachings and really sit on how much they did for her.
At the end when she discovers the reason why she was hidden in the forest, she is angry and hurt at Nahir's secrecy but she does not hold the same anger to those who are dead. My interpretation for this, is that the hurt of losing them outweighs any of the frustration and betrayal she could have held for them. The reveal doesn't change her thoughts regarding them and at no point does she think that she was fully lied to by everyone she knew, because these people died to protect her. They loved her enough that it was worth living in that forest for months on end.
Kalothia is a great main character. In no way did she feel unrealistic to me. Other authors would have made their protagonists immediately bare the weight of a crown and would have had them fight back against the blatant misogynist behaviour of the other kings; as though they aren't a 16 year old who is fighting a whole system alone. I like the fact she was hesitant and embarrassed at parts, and that she would just take the abuse in some ways as that was what was expected of her in this role.
When Nahir attacked the Masque of Padma and he goes off sulking, Kalothia says the line "When he's ready to be an adult, he can come and tell me what demon jumped into his body and making him act as a fool. I have other problems to solve" it really showed the priorities. Nahir is a guard, he shouldn't be attacking nobles but he does out of jealously. He can afford to be jealous at this time.
In Galla, women are treated as second class citizens. They are objects that men possess, they aren't allowed in positions of power. Nahir can attack the Masque, and that is still seen as less sinful as allowing the rightful female heir on the throne.
For me, this moment was a really nice touch as Nahir is very different from the other men in this book. He treats her as an equal all the way throughout, but he can never truly know the struggles that women face as he isn't subjected to it. He thought he was fighting in her honour, but it made things worse for her. He acts with emotion but only when his romantic interest is threatened, not when she is being belittled at every interaction with other people.
He can afford to be emotional. She cannot.
I like the fact that she allowed moments to have time to herself. A lot of the book she actually spends alone, accomplishing things by herself, which just shows us how competent she is. Kalothia knows the caves are a death wish, so she goes alone, she gets kidnapped and doesn't wait for Nahir, she fights back and then makes the decision where to go.
For me, I feel like this book actually allows you to know Kalothia instead of only knowing her through her dynamics with other people.
Speaking of, the best dynamic in this book is Kalothia and Bukki's. This friendship had me so excited. I was nervous for a period that maybe Bukki was going to be evil, just because I feel like that is a trend in YA books - not allowing two girls to be friends without consequence. But no! They were remarkable together and honestly I bumped this book up in star rating just because Bukki was given the title of Prime Minister. That made me squeal out loud.
Kalothia is going to fight the system, to make a better change for women under her rule. And that is a heavy burden to bare, but the two of them decide that she doesn't have to do it alone. This book could have allowed Nahir a more prominent position and declared that they would fight together, But it didn't, and I think this choice was so the right one.
Nahir was interesting to me, as he didn't feel like a male lead in a way. He did come across as her guard more than her love interest, which I feel like it was intended. However, I do wish we did get some more of Nahir and Kalothia together, just so that I could have seen their romance bloom more.
The friendship they have is top tier, and I personally would have preferred them to only be friends in this book. However, when Nahir whipped out the "I'm yours" line, I did fold and decide that I would have wanted a bigger build on their romantic feelings for one another.
Do not misunderstand me, I really like the interactions we got of them and the book does both characters justice in the roles they play. But I would have just liked an additional 50 pages of them together, either before or after just to fully be obsessed with them.
The plot twists in this book are so much fun as well! King Osura and Queen Slyvia being her parents was in hindsight obvious, but I have never admitted to being smart as I kept thinking "well she has to become queen somehow" and then it was revealed of her lineage and I went OOOOOOOH. And not only that, Prime Minister Hadley being her Uncle made me reel.
I was suspicious of everyone in this book, as any of the characters could have been the ones plotting to kill her. Hadley was up on my list quite early on just because he juxtaposed all of the other characters reactions to her, but it was Ye-Ye playing around in the room that my red flags were flying.
But I think Shade Lapite knew that people could have been on his trail and instead made her plot twist have another plot twist. The fact that they were related and he was behind the murder of her mother, and her new family, also potentially her brother was just insane. Like the motive makes complete sense at that point and that whole chapter of him having an almost melt down at her revealing his plans was so great to read.
But just to let you know, this review would be far less positive if Ye-Ye died or there was more description of him being hurt. That monkey owns my heart and I love the fact he felt like an actual companion. Like Shade Lapite mentioned his whereabouts every chapter or what he was doing, which was great and sometimes I read something and I go "where did the animal go" and then I'm thoroughly surprised it had been there the whole time. So thank you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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