Early Review – The Waking Land by Callie Bates (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: June 27, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0425284025
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Lady Elanna is fiercely devoted to the king who raised her like a daughter. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Elanna is accused of his murder—and must flee for her life.

Returning to the homeland of magical legends she has forsaken, Elanna is forced to reckon with her despised, estranged father, branded a traitor long ago. Feeling a strange, deep connection to the natural world, she also must face the truth about the forces she has always denied or disdained as superstition—powers that suddenly stir within her.

But an all-too-human threat is drawing near, determined to exact vengeance. Now Elanna has no choice but to lead a rebellion against the kingdom to which she once gave her allegiance. Trapped between divided loyalties, she must summon the courage to confront a destiny that could tear her apart.”

I got this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was an absolutely amazing stand alone epic fantasy novel. I was impressed right away with how beautiful the writing was and how well it flowed. I found myself struggling to put this book down each night.

The world-building and characters in here are absolutely amazing. I loved Elanna and the amazing characters that surround her. It was intriguing to watch Elanna struggle with both returning to her homeland and her blossoming powers.

The story wraps up beautifully as well. I was very impressed by how well this worked as a stand alone book and how much story was in here. In fact I think this is the best book I have read so far this year!

My only issue with this book was that throughout the whole thing I kept hoping it was the start to a new series. I want to read so much more about these characters and their world.

Overall this was a fantastic epic fantasy novel. The writing is absolutely beautiful, the world-building is impressive, and the characters are amazing. This is hands down the best book I have read so far this year. I would recommend to fantasy fans!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge