Natalie Mae
YA Fantasy
Perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black, this enthralling fantasy adventure follows a teenage girl chosen to be the human sacrifice in a deadly game between three heirs who will do anything for the crown.
Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories. But as a lowly Whisperer, her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry.
All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert, in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities.
With all of the kingdom abuzz, Zahru leaps at the chance to change her fate if just for a night by sneaking into the palace for a taste of the revelry. But the minor indiscretion turns into a deadly mistake when she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice. Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(4 / 5) Zahru is an animal whisperer which means she will always been in the lower class. When an opportunity presents itself for her to get a taste of royal life, she jumps on it and finds herself in a life-threatening situation.
She finds herself as the human sacrifice for the Crossing. It is a race for the royal heirs to prove their worth by winning the race and killing the sacrifice. Zahru is stolen back and forth between each group of royals and is held captive. Being the human sacrifice makes her valuable so each royal fights for her favor but also her physical presence so she is available to them at the end. This made for a lot of drama, some ridiculous but still entertaining.
It was a fun ending and was low on offensive content so it’s great for younger and older readers alike!
AUDIO REVIEW: Jessie Vilinsky had a voice that sounded too young and immature at the beginning but it grew on me and I enjoyed the narration.
General content summary:
Little to no language
Physical violence (grabbing hair, punching, knife threats and cut, swords, attempting killing spell, arrows, creature attacks, stabbing, multiple)
Talk of human sacrifices
Alcohol (underage, drunk)
Captivity (tied up, kidnapped)
Killing (magic, arrows, slit throat, stabbing, few details)
Shifter creature attack (bite, claw injuries, blood, 2x)
Tongue cut out as punishment (previous)
Intimacy (m/f kisses)
Poison given (sedative)
References to cannibalism
Many corpses
**Any quotes have been taken from the advance readers copy and may or may not be in the final, published copy.
Thank you to PRH Audio for the copy!
**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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