Review: The Beholder (The Beholder #1) by Anna Bright
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Series: The Beholder #1
Author: Anna Bright
Published June 4th 2019 by HarperTeen
Goodreads Synopsis
Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.
But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.
From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.
Goodreads
Review
I bought this book as soon as it came out, but never got around to reading it until earlier this month, and am sort of glad I waited as now I don't have to wait as long for book 2, The Boundless, because this one ended on a cliffhanger.
In The Beholder, Selah is the Seneschal-elect, daughter of the Seneschal of Potomac. She is expecting to get engaged to childhood friend, and crush, Peter, but when his family refuses the engagement, Selah is devastated. Her father is ill, and it seems as if she will need to take on more responsibility soon, but her stepmother, Alessandra, wants her out of the way. Being pregnant, and perhaps the cause of the Seneschal's illness, Alessandra has organised for Selah to leave, the next day, and travel to Europe to find a husband, and not to come back without one. Selah, understandably distraught, doesn't know how to cope on her week long journey on The Beholder, and is suspicious of the protocol officer, Perrault, who seems to know her stepmother. Her first few stops on the tour of Europe are to England and Norge, and she hopes beyond all hope that she finds a partner there, because then she will be moving onto the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, where the tsarytsya has her claws on each and every one.
This book was strange, if I'm being honest. I enjoyed it, but there were times I was shaking my head in disbelief and sometimes down right confused. The world building is one of the strangest I've ever seen. There's no map - and I can't find one online - and we really need it. Some of the countries are basically the same as they are in real life, i.e. England, but others are different, or with different names - Cymru, Alba, Norge, Pafos, etc. And then there's how America is split up - after the English left alone, rather than winning a war. We have Potomac, Savannah, and New York that were named, and I'm sure loads more that weren't mentioned, but they weren't really explained very well. Again, a map would have been useful. Also, I'm not sure what time period this is set in? Everything lacks technology, but Selah has a radio receiver (a very rare one) hidden in a book. Boats, horses, and carts are used rather than cars, and a lot of candles too.
After I managed to get over all of that, I did like the plot line. Selah is shy, and reserved, and very kind. She basically gets walked all over by her stepmother, and is blindsided by the whole marriage expectation and trip across the Atlantic. Some people might have some issues with the romance in the book, but I felt it worked because of how sheltered Selah was. She liked Peter at the start of the book, because he was one of the only boys to care about her in Potomac, and she was very sheltered. When she gets to England, it's revealed that her suitor is in his forties, so of course she doesn't want to spend time with him, and prefers the company of her guard, Bear, and starts to fall for him. Then, when she's about to leave England, it's revealed that she's been tricked, and she leaves in pieces, feeling like the trip can't get any worse.
When she got to Norge, she feels like this is the only place she can really find a partner, especially as Torden, her suitor, is fifth in line to his throne, and all the rest of her suitors are the heir apparent. She is apprehensive, after having her heart toyed with in England, but really comes into her own while in Norge. However, the sexist attitudes of the king, and the twisting and conniving attitude of Aleksei somewhat ruins the experience, though she does fall for Torden, and he for her. The ending though, like I already said, was on a cliffhanger, with the king refusing to offer an engagement, though Torden had already told Selah it was coming, and kicking out the crew of the Beholder for being spies. I'm glad The Boundless is released next month, because I need to know if Selah has to go into Imperiya Yotne, manages to be with Torden, and gets back to her dad before it's too late.
Dates Read:
April 25-28, 2020Rating
4 Stars
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