The Courtyard Series: Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun - Review and Giveaway

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Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun
Young Adult Fantasy
275 pages
4 Stars

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the empire. But beneath her empire’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.

But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn To Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria Snyder.

My Review:

Ciardia, an orphan and laundress, win the figurative lottery. She is spotted by one of the Companions and chosen to join the ranks of the Companion's Guild. Her sponsor, Serena, has a feeling that there is more to Ciardia than meets the eye and, boy, is she ever right.

I enjoyed this book--and I really like the character of Ciardia. I only wish there had been more character development and a fuller view of the friendships that Ciardia makes within the guild (as well as a little more depth as to why the rest of the people at the guild dislike her so much). With a little more depth to the story, this could have easily been a 5 star book.

Even with that, the book is very interesting. I like the relationship that is developing between Ciardia and Sebastian. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what else is in store for these characters.

Read an excerpt:

She stared at the longbow arrow jutting from the animal’s ribs. However, it wasn't enough to bring him down. Only a blade or magical blast to the heart could do that. In pain and fury, the white hart elk whirled around to face his tormentor. He saw the general a dozen feet away and charged. Ciardis watched as the elk raced toward the general, who now clutched a sword in his hands. The elk lowered his rack to spear the invader.

The general knew that he would have one chance to slay the beast. He just needed to get underneath its jaw and pierce straight through to the heart. Ciardis scrambled up and dashed toward the two combatants. She couldn't do anything from here; the elk's magical protection was already going down, thanks to the verbane-laced arrow, and there was no way she'd get a heart-shot in from behind.

Barnaren glanced at her. His concentration had been broken by Ciardis's movement, and he quickly looked away. The elk reached him in that moment and Barnaren had to dodge to the side and under its angry hooves. It wasn't quite enough. His sword stroke missed, but as the stag raced past, it managed to spear the general's thigh with a tine. The tine snapped off in a clean break, but another immediately grew in its place.

The blood poison of the tines did its work within seconds. General Barnaren collapsed, unable to move his leg. His sword lay a few feet to one side.

About the Author: Terah Edun is a young adult fantasy writer born and raised in the Atlanta metropolitan area, who transplanted to the Northeast region for college, and has spent years living abroad in South Sudan and Morocco. She writes the stories that she always loved to read as a young girl.

Connect with Terah:

Author Site: http://teedun.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerahEdunAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tedunwrites
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6517970

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