ARC Review: The Boundless (The Beholder #2) by Anna Bright
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The BoundlessSeries: The Beholder #2
Author: Anna Bright
Published June 9th 2020 by HarperTeen
Goodreads Synopsis
This breathtaking sequel to The Beholder will take you on a journey into a darkly sparkling fairy tale, perfect for fans of The Selection and Caraval.
When Selah found true love with Prince Torden of Norway, she never imagined she’d have to leave him behind. All because the Beholder’s true mission was a secret Selah’s crew didn’t trust her to keep: transporting weapons to the rebels fighting against the brutal tsarytsya, whose shadow looms over their next port of Shvartsval’d. A place Selah hoped she’d never go.
But gone is the girl who departed Potomac filled with fear. With a stockpile of weapons belowdecks and her heart hanging in the balance, Selah is determined to see the Beholder’s quest to its end.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss. This in no way impacted on my view.
I sped through the first book in this series, The Beholder, and when the opportunity came up to be a part of the blog tour for it's sequel, The Boundless, I was overjoyed. The Boundless starts immediately after the ending of book 1, with Selah being separated from her fiancee, Torden, and furious with the secrets the crew of The Beholder had been keeping. As much as she wanted to stay away from the tsarytsya's control, she is sent into Shvartsval’d to court another prince. While there, she is involved in plotting and rebellion, and gets captured by the tsarytsya's army, and along with Cobie and Anya, is taken to the capital, and into servitude. Can they escape, or will they become another cautionary tale?
I just loved this book! As much as I had enjoyed The Beholder, this was was a whole new being. Selah had grown so much since we first met her, and was no longer the shy and retiring girl, but rather was fierce and ready to take what she wanted in order to survive. This book is all about rebellion, from all sides, and it was fantastic how it was done. There were a few spanners thrown that I hadn't seen coming, but all of them were done in a way that was necessary, and needed to help tie up all loose ends before we ended. The tsarytsya was the perfect villain, and the banter, I guess, between her and Selah really made this book feel whole.
Considering how big a role romance played in the previous book, it definitely took a seat this time around. Selah was missing Torden, understandably, so we had a bit of pining. There was a sub plot and sort of love triangle I was keen on, but it wasn't too big a deal - and probably could've been cut from the story and wouldn't have made much of a difference. I'm really impressed in how much more I loved this book to book 1 - and I liked that one a lot. Anna's storytelling have grown, and I can't wait to see her next foray!
Dates Read:
May 18, 2020Rating
4 Stars
Anna Bright is an indie bookseller by day and an author by night who still gets in trouble for reading when she's supposed to be doing other things. When not hiding out among books, she loves concerts, roller coasters, and adventures at home and abroad. Anna lives with her husband and cat in a charming cobblestoned neighborhood in Washington, DC, but you can find her online at www.annabrightbooks.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @brightlyanna.
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