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Review

Sowing

by Angie Grigaliunas

A Demon's Game

Sowing surpassed my expectations in just about every imaginable regard. Complete with a cast of compelling characters, a rich story world, and marvelously unpredictable plot, this novel hooked me from page one and only proved itself to be more worthy of attention as the story progressed.

Utterly captivating.

★★★★★

Elements

Magnificent, magical, and medieval.

Characters

Two words: Strength and Spirit.

If I have anything to say about these characters it is that I truly cared for them throughout the whole of the story. Grigaliunas created a cast of wonderfully flawed and life-like characters whose strength and spirit where evident on ever page. 

Writing Style

Beautifully written and excellently crafted, Sowing truly is brought to life by Grigaliunas’s talent as a writer. Perfectly pairing exposition, action, and dialogue with several brilliantly worded quotable moments Grigaliunas has created a work that is not just enjoyable from a story standpoint but from rhetorical perspective as well.

Plot

When I began this story, I thought that I had a pretty good idea of the way that events would unfold. I am more than happy to report that I was wrong.

The plot of Sowing was wonderfully unpredictable and kept me turning the pages, truly uncertain as to what might happen next.

World Building

I’ll be honest, I always get a little nervous when reading novels with high fantasy settings because they can so easily become a confusing blur if the story world is not fully explained or developed.

Though it took a chapter or two to become comfortably acquainted with Sowing‘s world, everything was so clearly and richly developed that I did not mind in the slightest. Grigaliunus has truly done a masterful job with the world building, creating a vibrant and unique setting.

Thoughts

First Impression

I’ll admit was a bit unsure about this cover at first, but the further I got into Sowing the more it began to grow on me. I always love when elements of the cover art tie into the work itself and this book definitely delivered in that regard.

Bonus points for the Hulcondan symbol featured on the cover which is both artistically creative and aesthetically pleasing.

Criticism

Okay, before we get to far into this review I want to start with a huge massively important disclaimer: Sowing deals with some pretty difficult and heavy topics of discussion including attempted rape/sexual assault and physical and psychological abuse. If any of those topics might be triggering for you in any way, please be aware that this novel does involve such topics.

Though I personally would have enjoyed this novel a bit more without any of the aforementioned topics, I have to admit that addressing such issues added a much greater level of depth to this story. It was truly inspiring to watch the way these characters worked to heal from past experiences and  trauma. Overall, I found there to be an encouraging spirit of resilience within the work as a whole.

Appreciation

You probably know the story by now: dystopian world, evil and oppressive government, a group of underdog rebels fighting for freedom and justice and liberty and equality and … well, you get the idea. 

I have read my fair share of “rebellion” stories – the YA market is particularity saturated with them at the moment – so when I started reading Sowing I thought I had a pretty good idea of the way this story would unfold.

I could not have been more wrong or more pleasantly surprised.

The plot of Sowing was wonderfully unpredictable, spliced with several twists and turns that left me questioning what I thought I knew the second I began to feel too comfortable. The characters and their relationship dynamics were perfectly imperfect and honestly one of my favorite aspects of Sowing, surpassed only by the captivating setting. This was not just a formulaic YA dystopian rebellion story, but a rich and magical medieval adventure where rebellion brews dangerously close to the surface.

The last word

Though dealing with a fair share of heavy topics, Sowing is not a story of defeat or loss but of the spirit of human resilience.

Magnificent …

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Group: YA and Adult

Recommendation: Yes

Related Cause: Women’s Rights

Summary: To rebel or not to rebel.

Series: #1 The Purification Era Series

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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