Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Wednesday #Review - Buried Heart by Kate Elliott #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Court of Fives # 3
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

The explosive finale to World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's captivating, New York Times bestselling young adult series

In this third book in the epic Court of Fives series, Jessamy is the crux of a revolution forged by the Commoner class hoping to overthrow their longtime Patron overlords. But enemies from foreign lands have attacked the kingdom, and Jes must find a way to unite the Commoners and Patrons to defend their home and all the people she loves. Will her status as a prominent champion athlete be enough to bring together those who have despised one another since long before her birth? Will she be able to keep her family out of the clutches of the evil Lord Gargaron? And will her relationship with Prince Kalliarkos remain strong when they find themselves on opposite sides of a war? Find all the answers in this beautifully written and exciting conclusion to World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's debut New York Times bestselling young adult trilogy!




Choose between your parents.
Choose between your friends.
Choose between your lovers.
Choose who you are.

Buried Heart, by author Kate Elliott, is the third and final installment in the author's Court of Fives trilogy. For those who may be new to this series, the series is a high-fantasy adventure with a heroine who captures the imagination of fans from Sarah J. Maas, Rae Carson, and Victoria Aveyard. Set in the very Greek like setting of Efea, Half Saroese, half Efean Jessamy aka Spider has come a long way from the first installment. She's gone from being a nobody with the dream of becoming one of the finest Court of Fives contestants ever, to being a guiding light in a dark world that has been divided into Commoners, and Patrons.

Now she must choose a side and her destiny. As the story continues from Poisoned Blade, Jessamy has escaped from Saryenia and is on the run from King Nikonos who seized power in the most brutal way possible, and allied with enemies from East Soro. The only possibility left for Jessamy is to find a way to make Prince Kalliarkos the king of Efea, and hope that he can end the oppression that has long gripped his country while not losing what made him so appealing to her. But, will becoming the King, change who Kalliarkos is? Kal's actions in this book are really twisted, and that's saying a lot without actually saying anything spoiler-y.

Jessamy faces tough choices; does she become the face of the rebellion, or does she encourage others, like her father General Eslada, to fight alongside her and a surprising group of rebels led by an even more surprising leader? Jes's journey has been anything but easy. She is still being hounded by Lord Gorgaron who really did a number on her family. Jessamy knows that no matter what she does, her family is in harms way. She's already lost one sister who choose a different path, she doesn't want to lose anyone else. Except for the fact that misguided racists call her a mule, she speaks several languages fluidly, and is daring, and isn't afraid to jump in and get her hands dirty. 

Jessamy is a curious sort of character who has learned so much from her father who taught her how to survive in the brutal world where she is supposed to be seen, but not heard from. There are some current day issues with racism, sexism, and how it affects how Jessamy. It affects who she is, and who her parents are. It affects how she plans her future out, and whether or not she's make the right choices. I haven't talked much about Jessamy's parents, but I have to say that I really liked her father this time around. I respected him so much because he tried hard to make up for his mistakes. Even though he made a terrible choice, his love for his family is unmistakable.

I was blown away by Jessamy's mother, and how powerful she becomes in a very short manner. I knew she was feisty, and determined, but you really understand where her daughters get their strength from. I haven't talked much about the forbidden romance all that much. It has hanged over this series from the first time that Jessamy met Efean Royalty Kalliarkos while competing against each other in the Court of Fives competition. There are similarities, in a way, from living in this society, to living in the south in the early 20th century. It is definitely not something that is encouraged in this world. In fact, it could end up with Jessamy being killed if she is caught. 

The ending of this series didn't surprise or shock me. It was pretty much how I had hoped it would end with some twists, shocks, surprises, and plenty of awesome action scenes to bring the series to a beautiful ending. I do, however, wish that we would get an explanation as to what happened to one of Jessamy's sisters. I won't spoil who I am talking about. You will just have to read Poisoned Blade to find out more.





No comments:

Post a Comment