[Rise] Ellen Goodlett

This is the second in a duology. The first is Rule. I recommend the series for people who like fantasy, courtly politics, and strong female characters.

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The three sisters are still reeling from the events of the first novel. Akeylah, Zofi, and Ren are a step closer to their dying father’s throne, but so is the blackmailer. It’s getting harder and harder for them to keep their secrets. When King Andros discovers their pasts, the consequences for the three sisters and the kingdom are dire. As the blackmailer turns to increasingly dangerous means to get them to reveal their secrets, the three sisters realize there is only one way forward if they want to live: they must trust each other above all else.

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I listened to this as an audiobook and found the three narrators for Akeylah, Zofi, and Ren very good. I appreciated that there were three separate narrators for them because it gave the book more depth. I’ve been listening to more audiobooks lately and I find that I’m more engaged in ones that have multiple narrators because they raise the stakes so much more.

I feel very so-so about this book, however. I think that if you enjoyed Rule you’ll enjoy this one, but honestly I think the two books could have been one. While the first book introduces the characters and setting incredibly well, there wasn’t a ton of new information introduced in Rise that we didn’t already know as readers. I feel like the stakes were higher, but they were not really changed from the first novel. There were a couple of new stakes, but honestly most of them were a continuation of the previous book’s stakes. And I wanted something different.

I did love how the three characters grew into their roles. Even though they were being tortured by the blackmailer, they became more secure in using their power and their roles as daughters of King Andros.  Their character growth was easily the best part of the book. They became more confident in themselves and each other. I’m always here to read more books that have characters growing and supporting each other, especially when they’re sisters.

Unfortunately, there were some plot choices / twists that I really could not get behind. I won’t spoil them, but if you look at other reviews it will be easy to discover what I’m talking about. I honestly found it unnecessary. Between that and the fact that I was able to predict a few of the things about the book I wasn’t super into this book.

That said, I think this is a decent conclusion to the duology and worth a read if you’ve read the first novel. I really enjoyed the writing itself and I liked that it was a fantasy mystery.

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Have you read this series? What are some tropes you can’t get behind?