Greythorne by Crystal Smith

Last year, Bloodleaf broke me out of a reading funk and made me fall in love again with YA fantasy. This year’s sequel, Greythorne by Crystal Smith, has done it to me again.

Princess Aurelia’s life is turned upside down when the kingdom she thought she saved turns to ruin, a loved one is tragically killed in a shipwreck, and her home country refuses to respect her brother’s legitimate claim to the throne. With no place left to call her own, Aurelia returns to Greythorne Manor—her best friend’s family mansion—only to get swept up in a coup d’état on the night of her brother’s coronation.

With everyone turned against her and enemies closing in on all sides, Aurelia has nothing left to lose in a mad fight to protect the only people she has left—her family. But in her darkest moments when all seems grim, will Aurelia find a spark of hope from a love she thought long lost?

One of the things I appreciated so much about Bloodleaf was that it ended without any painful cliffhangers; though it left plenty of plot threads loose to continue in a sequel, it could have easily stood alone if need be. But I remember when the synopsis for Greythorne came out, and I felt like that satisfying ending was destroyed. So I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book ever since.

Friends, it did not disappoint.

I was once again swept up in Aurelia’s world and her story. I was anxious to see where life had taken her, and what plot twists lay ahead as the drama surrounding her kingdoms, her magic, and her world collided. The book actually picks up some months after the events of Bloodleaf, and I was hooked easily from the beginning, wanting to know how Aurelia had gotten to such a different place, considering how the first book had ended.

Greythorne brings back some of my favorite characters from Bloodleaf, while giving us new insight into their quirks, personalities, motivations, and more — and also introduces some new key players, who bring new twists and conflict to the saga of their world.

I could not have predicted how this book would go, but my god, the twists and turns of the magical plot kept me on my toes and eagerly turning the pages. It was a thrill ride, and I can’t wait to see how all of this madness wraps up in the third book.

Get sucked into another fairy tale-inspired fantasy world, rich with romance, intrigue, and magic when Greythorne hits stores (and online) September 1st.