Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Random House Children's Books on October 29th 2019
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Royalty, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 416
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.
Gravemaidens is the first book in a duology by Kelly Coon and when I read this summary I knew I needed to check it out.
Kammani is the main character and things haven’t been easy for her and her family lately. When she is cast out of their privileged life with her father and sister, her only real desire is to become an accomplished healer. Unfortunately when Alu’s ruler becomes deathly ill, Kammani’s little sister is chosen as one of the three sacred maidens who will accompany him into the afterlife. While this is considered a great honor, Kammani doesn’t see it that way. In an effort to save her sister, Kammani decides she will go heal the ruler herself and what she finds is something so much more than their dying ruler.
I enjoyed the story but didn’t connect with all of the characters. I thought the relationship between Kammani and her sister, Nanaea was challenging. Nanaea came across as ungrateful and a bit spoiled and while the end revealed a bit more around her motivations, I think I would have liked her more had I known sooner.
I also wanted more Dagan. I really liked him but he didn’t have a big role. I also wanted Kammani to be less wishy washy about him and her feelings for him. Also, Iltani was a fantastic BFF for Kammani and she challenged and pushed Kammani in so many different ways.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and thought Coon did a good job with the pacing and the character development. Add this one to your TBR list if you’re looking for a fantasy story that has a different feel.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
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