Spoiler-Free Review: The Lady of Lanaria Book Tour (Author: Michaela Bush)

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A kidnapped princess, a promise, and a kingdom cursed with mysterious plagues.
"Mark my words, Evangeline; if you set foot outside this tower, you will surely die."
Evangeline has spent her entire life hidden in an ancient watchtower, gazing out a window as the world passes her by.  She heeds her mother's warning closely, the truth hidden from her always.
When a young guard stumbles upon the tower, Evangeline's life is changed forever.  As she strikes up a secret friendship with the guard, she learns about the Kingdom of Lanaria and the mysterious plagues that haunt all who live there.  But as she delves into the world she barely knows, not everything her mother says adds up.  Will they find the truth before it's too late?

Content Warning: Mild violence and light romance (Only one or two kisses). A bit of witchcraft and witchhunts are also mentioned in the novel (main villains), but not glorified.

Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as an early review copy, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.  

Spoiler-Free Review: 

This book was such a cute 🥰 fairytale retelling. It’s also the second retelling I’ve read recently which is pretty cool 😎. I’m really starting to get into these which is nice. I was really curious to see how this Rapunzel retelling would be executed. Honestly, I was so pleased with how Bush interpreted the story. It was refreshing and exciting!

I really felt for Evangeline, her storyline was so unique and interesting throughout. It broke my heart and put me back together probably 100 times in this novel, in the BEST way. It had a beautiful, soft romance that I couldn’t help falling for. However, I do want everyone to note that it’s a clean story that features the Christian faith in it. I just wanted to mention it in case people found it offensive or were not interested in reading this kind of content.

The pacing of the story was infuriatingly slow at times. But, I loved the fact that Evangeline was such an unreliable narrator. I feel like not many authors take this route with their characters and it’s always nice to see an author break out of the mold. I also loved the interactions between the characters, they just all warmed my heart. 

The magic/curse elements were a bit cliché but it was expected of a Rapunzel retelling. The storyline was well balanced between dark and light in such a pleasant way. It also blended contemporary and medieval styles together in such a great way! The story was a bit unrealistic in some ways, but I was able to overlook this because I enjoyed the plot and characters so much.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling

Release Date: 11/6/20

BOOK LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon          

 TOUR SCHEDULE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michaela Bush is an independent writer of Christian fiction. She graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with a degree in English and a minor in Psychology. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and when she isn’t writing, freelancing, or building her own editing business, she’s out with her horses or playing violin. Writing has been her calling since the age of six and she hopes to touch lives and inspire readers with clean, thoughtful, and impactful novels. Follow her blog at www.tangledupinwriting.com.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter