Reave

Reave Series, Book 1

By: C. Miller

Narrated by: Dana Allen

How far would you go to be free—to make your own choices without being subjected to punishment for doing what you felt was right? Could you kill for it?

After being abandoned by her father as a child, Aster spent ten years of her life as a servant for the leader’s House in the broken city of New Bethel. She’d known, even as a child, that the cities of her world were corrupt places with human monsters—assassins—running rampant between their high walls. Thinking everything will remain the same as it always has there, Aster is startled to discover that one day . . . the cycle breaks. As a young new leader takes a strange and—at times—horrifying interest in her, will she be capable of discovering the reasons behind his actions and orders?

In a world where nothing is as it seems and all things are never anywhere near as simple as they appear at first glance, will she be capable of making the distinction between what is real and what is not? Will she find anyone at all she can trust? More importantly . . .Does she have the strength to do what is necessary to survive in a world filled with evil?

©2013, 2023 C. Miller (P)2024 C. Miller

An Absorbing Tale

I was entertained by this first book in the series. This was my first experience with this author, and the story was riveting. I thought the worldbuilding was creative. I liked Aster and her quiet spirit which wanted to be invisible to the monsters in her world, but also yearned to be free of them. I enjoyed the dance as Aster's path intertwined with those of the human monsters. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought Dana Allen's narration was fine, and her performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to leave this review which included my honest opinions regarding this story.

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did!

*I received a free audiobook copy from StoryOrigin in exchange for my honest review*

This book thoroughly surprised me. From what I was given as the general premise, I was unsure how much I would enjoy it. Miller weaves an interesting a unique world, but one that is altogether too familiar at the same time. Aster is an interesting an unique protagonist, and you're never quite sure who to trust and if you can even trust her. I loved having an unreliable narrator and learning things along with her.

The reapers are a fascinating breed of people and I found myself wanting to better understand them throughout. Aster's resilience in the face of all that she had been through and her willingness to stand up for what she wanted were admirable. The romance was initially believable and then became a little confusing as time went on, but her blindness to what was truly happening makes sense and it added complexity to the storyline. I also really appreciated that unlike other stories where a girl who has never had much physical exertion starts training for an important task suddenly becomes really strong in a fascinatingly short amount of time just because she can (or because it suddenly dawns on her that she's internally stronger than she thinks she is), Aster struggles. And she struggles HARD. It's believable and it makes her frustration and internal battling feel genuine.

My only major complaint is that it felt like the story was building to something (and it obviously is - I would know, given that finishing this led to me immediately tearing through the rest of the series on my kindle) at a steady clip and then abruptly ends without what I would consider a true climax. It felt like the story deflated slightly when you meet a critical character much earlier than you expect to. I did, however, love the way that led to the suspense required to complete the series. I'm not sure where else would have made sense for a break given the way the story continues in the rest of the series, but it's hard to understand that until you have the hindsight the rest of the series provides.

Dana Allen was an incredible narrator and I believe her reading of the story is really what sold me. It made it easier for me to differentiate between characters, dialogue, and the internal musings of Aster that I think helped tremendously even when I read the rest of the series on my own.

Bravo, Ms. Miller! You've created a cast of characters I couldn't help but love and hate at the same time and a world I would never want to visit but find myself drawn back to.

Captivating

This was a very captivating story with a couple of bombshells dropped at the end that had me saying ‘what!?!’ The ending is a cliffhanger that makes me what to get the next in the series. The narrator did a great job differentiating between the different characters and putting emotion into the reading. I would recommend this book to those who like light romance with assassins and surprises.

Reave!

This is a story about Aster, a young lady who lives a life of servitude. She is lives on the estate of the Leader, who is a part time resident. She is severely punished if speaks out or does something that is not liked. Things change when a new leader comes to reside at the estate. This is an incredible journey she takes in self discovery and growth. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to the nest in the series. The narration is nicely done and brings the story and characters to life.

A complex world and characters

Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Brought to life by narrator Dana Allen, the gritty world that Aster inhabits is both harrowingly beautiful and completely eerie to become immersed into. After he childhood changed as an eight year old after he father vanished and Aster becomes a servant to a prominent wealthy household. Despite her fate, Aster's love of being curious gets into plenty of trouble for doing so with the current man that's the leader of the house; it's after serving a punishment as being a Server for the leader's party... Master's world changes. Reapers as suppose to be a monster you want to keep your distance of; not to fall in love with, let alone get involved with the kindle of dark world they belong to. With Chase and even the leader himself help Aster discover the real monsters of the world are far more subtle than a person could believe.


Highly recommended.

Loved this book!!!!!

Reave tells the story of a woman who spent most of her life as a servant on an estate where the leader of the house lives only briefly. If a servant speaks out or does anything wrong, they face punishment. Aster is no different, she has received quite a few beatings in her lifetime. Everything changes when the new Leader comes to the house. Chase is a reaper and a very good one at that.

Aster

This is a dystopian story. Aster lives in a different society than we know. Her father dies. Ultimately, she ends up becoming a servant on a large estate. Every day is the same. She knows her place, and the rules she is expected to follow. However, she has a bit of spirit that just cannot be squashed. She accepts the beatings as the cost to be herself, dream, and visit the library. One day things unexpectedly change. The Leader notices her. She is ordered to look after a Reaver, a murdering assassins who most see as monsters. The story is well written. The characters are well developed and interesting. There is a twist at the end. I received a free copy of this audiobook from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review.

dark

Reave plunges listeners into a dark, gritty world with intense moral dilemmas, and C. Miller delivers an engaging narrative that challenges the limits of trust, power, and survival. Following Aster, a servant in the corrupt city of New Bethel, we experience her struggle for freedom and self-discovery as she navigates a web of hidden motives, violence, and dangerous power plays.

Aster’s character is both resilient and relatable, and her journey is filled with twists that kept me hooked from beginning to end. When a mysterious new leader takes an unsettling interest in her, Aster is forced to question her understanding of loyalty, morality, and her own strength. The audiobook's narration brings Aster’s inner turmoil and the world’s dark tones to life, enhancing the suspense and making the corrupt, dystopian setting even more vivid. The narrator captures Aster’s vulnerability and determination, making her voice resonate and adding an emotional layer to the story.

For fans of dystopian worlds where survival demands both courage and sacrifice, Reave delivers a powerful start to the series. Miller combines suspense with rich character development, and I’m eager to see where Aster’s path leads next.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Reave

Reave by C. Miller is a good, and enjoyable young adult slow burn fantasy romantic suspense read. The story has a great entertaining world building story line that is well written. The characters are great, well developed, interesting, and they have great chemistry. This story is a very entertaining read. Dana Allen's narration was great, and her performance kept my attention. I received a free copy of this audiobook from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review.