Captive Hope
—Rachael Ritchey
Genre: magical realism / speculative fiction / fairytale
Story contains: some violence, action.
After the events of The Beauty Thief (book 1 in the Chronicles of The Twelve Realms series), Captive Hope follows the journey of Idra, the Lady-in-waiting to the princess, as she is kidnapped and taken far from her country by a powerful man with a grudge. I also wrote a review for The Beauty Thief, which you can read HERE.
Idra is an interesting character. She has a lot of doubts about herself and those around her, and inner struggles. It becomes such a problem that she doesn’t even realize Ahmad has feelings for her until it’s too late and she’s kidnapped. I liked her inner conflict, and how it reflected real life struggles that you and I can easily fall into. She’s relatable, and throughout her ordeal she must come to terms with these flaws in herself.
There was a bit of a love triangle, though not in the way you’d expect. It felt more realistic than triangles in other stories I’ve read, and it made sense. Another good thing is that it’s resolved by the end of the book!
Although Captive Hope has a classic fairytale feel to it, there are events that take you be surprise, tragedy, and perhaps best of all: the knight in shining armor is not the main hero. That role goes to a mysterious pirate Idra comes across—but I won’t say more or risk spoiling the story for you. 😉
The climax took a twist I wasn’t expecting! Who doesn’t like a good twist? And there wasn’t a “happily ever after” end, but a satisfying end that took on a more realistic approach, if heartbreaking. We are shown the new person that Idra has become and how she plans to move forward with her life, which was a nice final touch. The story is left with room for a sequel, and I’ve heard Rachael is already working on it: The Treasonous!
Intrigued yet? If you enjoy fairytales, classical tales with a Jane Austen feel, a touch of tragedy, and true-to-life romance, then I recommend you pick up Captive Hope and The Beauty Thief!
(I received a copy in exchange for my honest review)
I give Captive Hope 4/5 stars
Amazon / Goodreads / Createspace / B&N / Smashwords
Be sure and check out Rachael Ritchey’s website and the first book in the series: The Beauty Thief!
~~~
Be back this Friday for more Fishing For Answers! Don’t forget to click the “Follow” button to be notified of future blog posts.
Subscribe to E. E. Rawls’s author newsletter and receive updates and exclusives first!
Goodreads / Facebook / Tumblr / Google+ / Twitter
Thanks for this review, E. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂 And it’s good you were not put off by the appearance of a possible love triangle. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did! I hope that came across in this review (I’m still getting the hang of writing book reviews, haha). 🙂 I don’t mind subtle love triangles, sometimes they can make things interesting. I like how you handle romance in your books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, E. I’m a romantic at heart, but I want to balance it out like real life looks, not like the romance is the whole of life. You know? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A good balance is what I like, both in reading and writing. I think you do that well with your writing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, I’m always looking to improve, so that’s super encouraging! ❤ 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am intrigued after your review–I have been captivated by the tidbits shared. Once I tackle and befriend Time, I shall whip through the story in no time. Sigh. Thanks. 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for reading the review, Tess! You’re one in a million. I hope Tim can be mastered . . . I mean time. Where did THAT come from? LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Tim? LOL j/k. Gotta love typos sometimes! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it was more a slip of the mind that typo, I think. haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, it’s crazy how our minds can do that. Especially splitting words and meshing them with others, like “Happy Friday” becomes “Frappy Hiday” lol. I’ve done things like that so many times. XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha, exactly. That’s always fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Befriend Time, yes, that is no easy thing. 🙂 I’m glad you liked the review. I look forward to your thoughts on the book when you read it. ❤
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Fiction by Rachael Ritchey and commented:
A new review of Captive Hope! Please enjoy. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, this looks like a good series! I’ll have to check it out! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Madeline!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Beauty Thief is still my favorite, I must say. I think you’d like it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person