• About Us
    • Disclaimer and Policies
  • Giveaways
  • Features
    • Pre-Order Deal Incentives!
    • Author Talk Podcasts
    • Flashback Friday
    • Whadda YA Know Wednesday

Fiction Fare

  • Banners
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us

Rule (Rule #1) by Ellen Goodlett

September 14, 2018 by Erin Leave a Comment

Rule (Rule #1) by Ellen GoodlettRule by Ellen Goodlett
(Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 11th 2018
Genres: Family, Fantasy, General, LGBT, Romance, Royalty, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 384
Add This Book to Your Goodreads TBR
four-stars
hree girls with three deadly secrets. Only one can wear the crown.

The king is dying, his heir has just been murdered, and rebellion brews in the east. But the kingdom of Kolonya and the outer Reaches has one last option before it descends into leaderless chaos.

Or rather, three unexpected options.

Zofi has spent her entire life trekking through the outer Reaches with her band of Travelers. She would do anything to protect the band, her family. But no one can ever find out how far she's already gone.

Akeylah was raised in the Eastern Reach, surrounded by whispers of rebellion and abused by her father. Desperate to escape, she makes a decision that threatens the whole kingdom.

Ren grew up in Kolonya, serving as a lady's maid and scheming her way out of the servants' chambers. But one such plot could get her hung for treason if anyone ever discovers what she's done.

When the king summons the girls, they arrive expecting arrest or even execution. Instead they learn the truth: they are his illegitimate daughters, and one must become his new heir. But someone in Kolonya knows their secrets, and that someone will stop at nothing to keep the sisters from their destiny... to rule.

Rule is a new fantasy by debut author Ellen Goodlett and when I read the summary of this book I knew I was going to have to read it.  It has danger, deception, and an intriguing story that will have you flipping the pages to see what happens next.

The story focuses on three girls whose only connection is that their father happens to be the King and because his only other heir is dead, he has decided to bring them all to Kolonya so they can learn what it takes to rule.  It just so happens that none of these girls knows that he is their father and because they all have a dangerous secret that could lead to their execution, they are all thinking they are in danger when his men come to bring them to the city.  As the story unfolds, we learn that there is someone who knows exactly what each girl is hiding, and they begin to threaten them all just to keep them from the throne.

I thought Goodlett did a great job setting up the story for each of the girls.  There is just enough backstory on each one to give the reader an idea of what drove them to do what they did and put themselves as risk.  I am not going to say anything about their secrets only because the way you are introduced to them in the story helps to lay the groundwork for what happens when they meet the King and have to live at court.

These characters are all very different and have different motives for wanting to succeed.  I loved having such different characters with varied motivations as the primary focus of this book as it provided such different perspectives.

Zofi is a part of a Traveler clan and while they are viewed by people in towns across the Reaches as lower class, Zofi loves her family and will do anything for them.  As a practitioner of the Arts, she knows how to use her blood to work magic and give her strength and she relies on this to push herself to become valuable so that she can help her people.

Ren has grown up in the court as a ladies’ maid, so she is fully aware of the politics and backstabbing that can occur.  When she finds out she has been serving the people of the court that she should actually be ruling, she is pretty upset with her mother.  As she comes to understand her mother’s reasoning, she also decides she is going to win the throne.

Akeylah grew up in a family that hated and abused her in the Eastern Reach and when she is summoned, she jumps at the chance to get away even though living at court could put her at bigger risk of her secret getting out.  When she gets to Kolonya, she recognizes just how out of place she is but eventually finds a friendship she never hoped for…with someone she never expected.

At first, these three don’t trust each other and as they are each faced with a threat and warning to leave, they all think it is one of the other girls.  This definitely created some tension amongst them but they all eventually confront each other and form a bit of a partnership.  As they learn more about each other and court, they learn who they can trust…and not.

The secondary characters were well developed too, and I thought they helped to move each of the girls’ stories forward.  Some of them were shady and some of them were genuine but all had a role to play and I thought they added to each of the storylines.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad I picked it up.  I’ve tried to keep this review spoiler free so don’t hate me for being vague, but you will appreciate it when you pick this one up.  If you like a story that has great characters and a page turning story with some twists and turns, consider checking this one out.  If anything, the ending will have you on the edge of your seat.  I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book to see what happens next.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

About Ellen Goodlett

Ellen Goodlett writes science fiction because otherwise she would spend her days plotting to take over the world. She figures that the former would benefit humanity ever so slightly more than the latter (which would be disastrous and involve a lot of cats in government positions). She lives in New York City with two demons masquerading as felines. She is a proud graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a Pittsburgh expat.

Website • Twitter • Goodreads

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • Same Genre
  • 4 Star Books
Fiction Fare
REVIEW: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Fiction Fare
Review: Camp Kiss (Camp Boyfriend .5)
Thumbnail
Review & Interview – When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez
Thumbnail
A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas
Mosaic (Reliquary #3) by Sarah Fine
Blog Tour: Obsidio by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman
The Playboy Bachelor by Rachel Van Dyken Release Blitz
Waiting on Wednesday: If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say by Leila Sales
How To Keep Rolling After A Fall by Karole Cozzo
Every Little Thing by Samantha Young
Thumbnail
Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman
Over Raging Tides (Lady Pirates, #1) by Jennifer Ellision
Thumbnail
Fated by Sarah Fine
Changes In Latitudes by Jen Malone
Thumbnail
Wandering Star by Romina Russell

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Fantasy, Reviewed by Erin, Young Adult

About Erin

In no particular order, I love books, music, and sarcasm. Traveling is one of my most favorite things to do and there are 3 crazy cats that basically run our house. I sometimes talk about all of these things!

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • bloglovin
  • custom1
  • goodreads
  • rss
  • custom2

Get Our Updates!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

E-Book Deals!

E-Book Deals!


Author Talk

 photo author-talk_zpscsw6iy8a.png

Archives

What We’re Currently Reading

Jaime's bookshelf: currently-reading

The Trouble with Destiny
0 of 5 stars
The Trouble with Destiny
by Lauren Morrill
The Beginning of Everything
0 of 5 stars
The Beginning of Everything
by Robyn Schneider
Forget Tomorrow
0 of 5 stars
Forget Tomorrow
by Pintip Dunn

goodreads.com

Erin's bookshelf: currently-reading

Endure
0 of 5 stars
Endure
by Sara B. Larson
The Unquiet
0 of 5 stars
The Unquiet
by Mikaela Everett
Twist
0 of 5 stars
Twist
by Karen Akins

goodreads.com

Upcoming Reviews

None yet!

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Challenge Participant

Recent Comments

  • Lisa Loves Lit on Waiting on Wednesday: The Queens of Innis Lear By Tessa Gratton
  • bookbunny68 on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • Kristy Petree on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • MischaS_ on Cover Reveal: Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha
  • Maggie @ ReadingDiva's Blog on Blog Tour: Tempests & Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Recent Posts

  • People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Flashback Friday: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
  • Our Top Ten Most Anticipated Books to Screen Podcast Episode
  • Flashback Friday: The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
  • Podcast Episode 81: #FicNews–March 2021

Recent Reviews

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) by A.K. Wilder
Courting Trouble (Goode Girls Romance #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Eventide by Sarah Goodman
All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey
Review: Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
A Dark and Stormy Knight (Victorian Rebels #7) by Kerrigan Byrne

Copyright ©2010-2015 Fiction Fare « All Rights Reserved « Site Design by The CreativeB « Login