Alysha Everwood’s Bound at the Root (The Sevenfold Series #1)
Description
For generations the Royals have ruled through fear, oppression, and a strict caste system, but now there are whispers of rebellion and of a secret village that lives in peace.
Emelyne grew up in a village of Ordinaries – magicless people avoided by society. With her father gone since birth and her mother having passed, she helps where she can to support the destitute village that helped support her and her mother for so long.
When soldiers storm in, doling out punishment for the village not supplying the palace with its quota of crops, Emelyne stands between them and her people. This one act of defiance irrevocably alters her life and, quite possibly, the whole world.
Disclosure
I received this ARC for free from the author, my reviewing it was encouraged but not required. This does not affect my opinion of the book, or the content of my review; the following review is unbiased, and all opinions are my own.
Note: this review is based on my reading of an Advance Reader Copy (ARC), therefore some content of the book may change between my reading it and its publication. Any quotes taken from an ARC may not match publication.
Note: I personally know the author of this book, this does not affect my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
Review – Spoiler Free
With short chapters that clip along, Alysha Everwood’s Bound at the Root is a quick read. Everwood has done a great job of packing a lot of story in, addressing tough topics like torture and its resulting PTSD while also highlighting perseverance and the support of found family. As the first in The Sevenfold Series, it does a good job of setting the reader up for the next book with developing the main character’s push into adventure, a complex world, and open story lines.
Bound at the Root is a story of trauma and healing, of overcoming hardships and holding on to hope, of seeing the worst the world has to offer and fighting for change. Having both dark fantasy aspects as well as cozy fantasy aspects, Bound at the Root can be hard to fit into one story category. With most of the darker aspects and scenes in the beginning half of the book and the cozy scenes in the second, it sets up a solid opening to the overarching story of the series.
However, this also means it has a strong duality that could deter some readers. Those looking for a cozy fantasy may be bothered by its dark, descriptive scenes, while those looking for an gritty fantasy tale may be put off by the slow, cozy scenes. For readers concerned about the intense parts – think of this as Emelyne’s origin story, she goes through some darkness to become who she is later. For readers concerned about this being only fluff – this reads as the beginning of a larger, complicated story.
Everwood’s writing style in Bound at the Root lends itself well to a New Adult or mature Young Adult reader. While this is a sprawling fantasy world, the story isn’t bogged down by heavy worldbuilding or hard to follow politics, and the character driven scenes move quickly. The characters themselves may come across as childish or impulsive, but this lends itself well to the age range, the witty banter throughout the book, the found family fun of cozy scenes, and the intense extremes of the darker scenes.
Everwood has added so many little extras to Bound at the Root, some very thoughtful, some obviously practical, and some fun ones revealing her own love and enjoyment of the world she has created. These extras include: a content warning, pronunciation guides, in-story illustrations, and some story specific recipes at the back.
Overall, I liked Alysha Everwood’s Bound at the Root. It is a story about fighting for change and holding onto hope. I would recommend it to NA readers who enjoy slower cozy fantasy but don’t shy away from darker fantasy, but I would caution readers who are looking for only cozy vibes and encourage them to check out the content warning in the beginning pages for an exhaustive list of what to expect. Everwood’s Bound at the Root has a lot going for it and, as the beginning to a series, I’m interested to see where it goes.
Quote
“You are more than your scars.”
Emelyne (Bound at the Root, Alysha Everwood)
Ratings
- Quality of Writing – 3
- Plot – 4
- World Building – 4
- Characters – 3
- Ease of Reading – 4
- Pictures/ Illustrations – 4
- Overall Enjoyment – 3
- Final Rating – 3.5 (Actual: 3.57) – Liked it/ Really Liked It
Want to learn more about the numbers I use for rating, and the qualities I’m thinking about when writing a book review? Check out my post How I Rate and Review.