From Under The Mountain by Cait Spivey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

 
As the second child of the Aridan imperial family, nineteen-year-old Guerline knows exactly what is expected of her: be unobtrusive, be compliant, and do not fall in love with her low-born companion, Eva. She has succeeded at only two of those.

But before her feelings for Eva can become a point of contention for the royal house, Guerline's calm and narrow life is ripped away from her—in the course of a single night—and she is abruptly cast in the role of empress.

Faced with a council that aggressively fears the four witch clans charged with protecting Arido and believes they are, in fact, waging war against the humans, Guerline struggles to maintain order. As her control over the land crumbles, she learns that the war is rooted in a conflict much older than she realized—one centuries in the making, which is now crawling from under the mountain and into the light. With the fate of Arido hanging in the balance, Guerline must decide who to trust when even her closest councilors seem to have an agenda.

Darkly cinematic, From Under the Mountain pairs the sweeping landscape of epic fantasy with the personal journey of finding one’s voice in the world, posing the question: how do you define evil, when everything society tells you is a lie?


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REVIEW
 
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It was an interesting premise, this book. A high fantasy with elements of an F/F relationship? I'd never seen it again. "From Under the Mountain" takes place in a fantasy empire where the borders are protected by Four clans of Witches. Each one has a role to play vital to the Empire, yet there is fear and hostility against them.

Guerline, Second to the throne and a member too shunned away by her own family finds herself heir to the throne after a turn of the events. Her friend, lover and Second in command Eva stays by her side as the political plots take place and an evil from under the mountain begins to stir. Not even the witches will expect it.

I liked the plot, the descriptions and the intesity of the relationships. Through the third POV we have many characters, many plot turns and the Gods who appeared were a nice add; a mix of pagan and werewolf type of divinity which was amazing and terrifying.

Guerline and Eva were great characters. Even in the end after the loss and the heartache they never stopped to amaze me. Although the ending was something like an open windows to a sequel, I mostly want to see what will happen to Guerline, especially after everything she's been through.

A great story with diversity and memorable characters.





About the author:

Cait Spivey is a speculative fiction writer, author of high fantasy FROM UNDER THE MOUNTAIN and the horror novella series, “The Web“. Her enduring love of fantasy started young, thanks to authors like Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Diane Duane, Tamora Pierce, and many more. 

Now, she explores the rules and ramifications of magic in her own works—and as a panromantic asexual, she’s committed to queering her favorite genres. In her spare time, she plans her next tattoo (there will always be a next tattoo) and watches too much Netflix. Anything left over is devoted to her tireless quest to make America read more. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her darling husband Matt and adorable dog Jay.