Forsworn

Title: Forsworn (The Last Oracle #2)
Author: Emily Wibberley
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Cover: 7/10

I'd like to thank Emily Wibberley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"It’s been a year since Clio made her sacrifice to the Deities and embraced her destiny as the Oracle to save her people.

The only family she has left is a brother who wants her dead.

The prince, her oldest friend, is a king with his own agenda.

And the man who once loved her, now hates her.

All she can do is try to forget about Riece, the enemy commander whose heart she broke to save his life, as she serves the Deities. Her days are filled with Visions and bloodshed in a never-ending war against the Untouched. To add to her problems, she must pose as King Derik’s mistress to conceal her forbidden powers from the Emperor’s spies.

When Riece unexpectedly returns to Sheehan with a new and beautiful ally, Clio knows she must put him out of her mind once and for all, but first, they are thrust together into battle against a mysterious Untouched warrior with otherworldly power. To reclaim her city, she must team up with the man she hurt, the man she still loves but can never be with, and finally confront the questions about her origin—questions with answers that Clio may not be prepared to face."

***

You can read my review of the first book of the trilogy, Sacrificed, here.

Forsworn was a delight to read. As someone who's been struggling to find a plot that captivates me long enough recently, Wibberley provided me with the perfect place to dive back into books.

Clio, continuing from Sacrificed, is still the strong, spitfire, headstrong girl she was. I loved seeing how accepting the mantle of the Oracle changed her, and it was great to see her relationship with Derik evolve and change.
Most important to me, though, was see Clio flourish on her own. Yes, she is pining after Riece (and, really, who can blame her, right?), and yes, she still loves him. That doesn't stop her from carrying on with her life without him, and kicking some serious butt. It also doesn't stop her from running into his arms the second the opportunity arises. I love that, that we were able to see Clio act on her own, that she was perfectly capable - if reluctant and saddened - to live without Riece, before we got thrown back into the romance.
And I absolutely loved her relationship with Ashira. The speech at the end, about how being strong doesn't mean being hard and unfeeling was truly beautiful, and a message young girls should be told more often. You can still be feminine and be strong and independent (part of the reason why I'm absolutely in raptures over Zarae, I think haha).

Diazon was a surprise, and, while I'm glad that was sorted, I also love the can of worms he managed to overturn while he was still kicking; I'm looking forward to what this will all mean to Clio going forward.

ps: in case you were wondering, I'm in denial over Lireen. And I will never not be.

Sacrificed

Title: Sacrificed (The Last Oracle #1)
Author: Emily Wibberley
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 10/10
Release Date: February 13th

I was given an egalley of this novel by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Fifteen-year-old Clio should have never been the Oracle of Sheehan. That power is passed from mother to eldest daughter, and Clio is the youngest of four sisters. But when her entire family is murdered by Mannix, the king's adviser, Clio is left all alone and heir to a power she never wanted and doesn't understand.

Hunted by Mannix, Clio seeks refuge in a foreign city where oracles are absolutely forbidden. If she's found out, she will be sacrificed atop its great pyramid.  

Clio has no choice but to win the trust of Riece, an enemy warrior. Despite the growing feelings between them, Clio knows that if he finds out who she really is, he won't hesitate to kill her.

Clio tries to hide her budding powers, but the visions she has of Mannix bringing a barbarian army into Sheehan torture her conscience. She alone has the strength and foresight to stop him, but only if she can embrace her destiny and sacrifice everything."

**

Not going to lie, it took me a while to get into this. I think the main problem was that it's told in third person, when the narrative (at least, so far - it might change in book 2) so clearly, desperately pleaded for a first person narrative. I even started playing a game while reading, seeing if I could substitute all the 'her's and 'she's by 'I's, and it went perfectly. It's a delicate balance, choosing the narrative perspective of a novel, and sometimes the wrong one can take so much away from the story.

Luckily, even though it seemed like this might happen here, the characters and plot pulled through in the end, and thank the deities, too. Because if I had stopped back then, I never would have met my new husband, Riece.
He'll get a section all his own, but later.

For now, let me say that the world built here is really quite something. It's intricate and planned, and with all the pyramids and different gods speaking through people, and emperors, I just kept picturing ancient Egypt in my mind; not sure if that was the point or not, but it was quite a cool image to have.
Clio was a delight. I think at some point around 15% my mind just accepted that it was a first person narration told via the third person, and just automatically substituted all the pronouns, which is why I can say that being in her head was loads of fun. She's one spunky girl, and her compassion and overwhelming love for people - even complete strangers - really made her a brilliant narrator (??).
I was quite puzzled by the first mention of Derik, he seemed to just pop up out of the woodwork, but in the end he was quite a nice addition. I can't even begin to fathom a marriage there, though.

And now, on to the new apple of my eye (I wish I could say this was uncommon, for me to leave a book with a new beloved, but alas... well, as my profile says, I'm a bit of a fictional character slut. I've honestly given up even trying), Riece. Nothing adds that extra something to a story like the kind of banter between him and Clio; I swear, that kind of dialogue and relationship is my real drug. It also explains why, after he's introduced, I barely put the book down at all.
And no, that ending was not fun. Please can I have #2 now? I promise to start reading it as soon as I've stopped sobbing.

All in all, definitely worth a read for any fantasy nuts out there! This series is not to be missed.