Read with Fern

Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.

Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema seeks: the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I have never said no to a Wednesday-published YA romantasy duology. And truthfully, I never not loved a Wednesday-published YA romantasy duology. And thankfully, The River She Became was no exception.

The first book in the series, The River She Became follows Yaseema, a human living in a kingdom that has been severed from the fae and their magic. The kingdom itself has been colonized by a neighboring kingdom, and Yaseema works for the Empire to unearth fae relics that could unleash fae magic once again. But Yaseema’s goal is to find one specific relic and follow her mother into the fae world to try and save her people.

When Yaseema succeeds, she finds herself in a fae kingdom with the exact same issue. A ruling empire has taken over, while the kingdom’s people fight for their independence. And unfortunately, this kingdom is also searching for a specific fae relic to free themselves. Yaseema finds herself working for the ruling Empire again, only this time she’s being closely watched by Kiyan, the captain of the guard. 

I really enjoyed Yaseema’s job as an archaeologist, and loved her dedication to saving her kingdom. Her grit and determination are exactly what I’m looking for in a main character, especially when she stands up for herself and doesn’t just blindly follow a male character around. Yaseema is dedicated to getting answers, no matter her personal cost, and that creates an addictingly heart-breaking story to follow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was obsessed with the worldbuilding and characters. The cliffhanger had me drafting an email to Varga begging for the second book immediately, and I’m still considering sending it right now. I would’ve loved a little more character development from Yaseema and Kiyan, as well as from some of the secondary characters, but I’m confident I’ll get that in the next book!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!