Blog Tour + #Review: DARK OF THE WEST by Joanna Hathaway (w/ #Giveaway)! #FFBC
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the incredible debut fantasy from Joanna Hathaway, Dark of the West! I absolutely love this book and look forward to sharing my thoughts with you. Below is all the information on the book and author, my review, and a great giveaway, so stick around to the end!
About the Book
title: Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1)
author: Joanna Hathaway
publisher: Tor Teen
release date: 5 February 2019
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.
Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.
Add to Goodreads: Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1)
Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks | Kobo
About the Author
Joanna was born in Montréal and is an avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be found reading, traveling, or riding horses.
Her debut novel, DARK OF THE WEST (Tor Teen, February 5th, 2019), is the first in a WWII-infused fantasy series of forbidden love and deadly revenge.
Connect with Joanna: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
My 4.5 Star Review
I thought I would like this book, but I really didn’t expect to *love* it as much as I ended up doing. I’m a sucker for fantasy novels, especially this sort of historical/realistic fantasy (if that makes sense), and I was drawn into this one from the get-go. I’m also a sucker for big, meaty books, as this one certainly qualifies, coming in at almost 500 pages. I love getting deep into a story, bonding with characters, and becoming absorbed in the world, and that definitely happened here! I am amazed that this is Joanna’s debut novel, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next in series. (I had honestly forgotten that this was first in a series when I started, and man I am so sad that I have to wait to read more….) I love both Athan and Aurelia, and I’m so glad that Joanna told the story from both of their perspectives (one of my favorite methods of storytelling). I found myself getting more attached with each page, and by the end…phew! I went back and re-read the prologue after I finished the story itself and I have to say, it slayed me the second time around. Slayed!!! I was so emotional and invested by the end of the book, I felt almost drained when it was over–and I mean that in a good way! I actually love that feeling when reading, as for me it means the author has told a spectacular story, and that couldn’t be more true with this book!
I will say that the only reason I’m giving this 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that there were a few things that were confusing to me. Now, I haven’t seen a finished copy, so this may be a problem only with the e-ARC, but I would’ve definitely found a character list at the beginning helpful. A map of the world would’ve also been *extremely* helpful, as I admit to being very confused by how the war seemed to be between North and South but we kept talking about east and west too. Further, at first I thought Safire was the last name of the General (and Athan), until I realized their last name was Dakar; then I thought it was the name of the country they were from, only to find out that the country was Savient–so what exactly does Safire refer to? Again, some of these issues may be handled in the finished copy with a map and/or cast of characters, but there was just enough to keep me a bit confused throughout the story. However, I must reiterate that I LOVE THIS BOOK–the world, the characters, the story–and these bits of confusion were minor compared to my enjoyment!
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys sweeping tales involving a world at war, (forbidden) romance, political intrigue, and complicated family relationships. I will profess my love for Dark of the West far and wide, and I hope it convinces you to give it a try. It’s definitely a must-read for 2019. I hope you love it too!
Rating: 4.5 bright, shining stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.
About the Giveaway
Ten (10) lucky winners will each receive a finished copy of Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway! This one is US only and ends 18 February 2019. Enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck!
Let’s close with one of my favorite quotes from the book!
