• Author: Victoria Strauss
• ISBN: 9781497697560
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Genre: Fantasy

I was invited by the publisher to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Open Road Media.  With only one exception (which I gave three stars), the books I’ve read have been four or five star reads.  The Burning Land is one of them.

When I read the synopsis and then began reading the book itself, I was reminded of the kinds of stories that N.K. Jemisin is known for.  That made me a little skeptical as to whether or not I would enjoy the book, since the two N.K. Jemisin books I’ve read were a bit boring to me.  I don’t know how Victoria Strauss did it, but, with the exception of a couple slow points, her writing, story craft, and world building kept me engaged throughout the book.  Also, towards the beginning of the book there were some details that led me to make a few predictions for how the story would turn out.  However, every single one of them was wrong.  Perhaps my research paper addled brain missed some signs and foreshadowing, but I can’t even remember the last time a book wasn’t at least a little predictable.  Despite the unpredictability, the plot still made perfect sense.  There was never anything that was confusing or made me turn back a page to reread and see if I missed something.

I recommend this book to everyone who loves Fantasy, especially if you happen to be a fan of N.K. Jemisin, or if you enjoyed her stories but found the telling to be lackluster.  Though it didn’t bother me, I feel obligated to mention that The Burning Land does contain a rape scene.  It’s towards the end of the book and, though it’s necessary to the story and not too graphic, may be an issue for some readers.  In that case, I would still give the book a chance, since there’s enough “warning” before the scene, and it only takes up about a paragraph, so it’s easily skippable.  Normally, I’d recommend otherwise, but this book is truly great and shouldn’t be missed.