The Beholder

By: Anna Bright

Narrated by: Emily Rankin

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

“Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance.” (Kiera Cass, number-one New York Times best-selling author of the Selection series)

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic to visit a series of potential suitors - and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From the gardens of England to the fjords of Norge, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks...and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

Lush landscapes, dazzling romance, and captivating intrigue await in this stunning alternate-history YA debut - perfect for fans of The Selection or Caraval.

©2019 Anna Bright (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

great book overall, slightly predictable

The premise and setting of the book is great, and it's an interesting version of events. However, it's not really an original idea, and the tropes may lead to knowing where the story is going before finishing the first chapter. That said, it is an interesting version of older classics.

Cute but could have been much better.

This book is HEAVILY based on romance and I wasn’t expecting it to be. I wanted more from it, for it to be more mature and political but it was much more of a lighthearted read than I expected.

The actress reading could have been more enthusiastic and emotional with her performance but her girlish soft spoken tone made the whole book seem younger. Also her southern accents were awful and very fake sounding.

So good!

I never wrote reviews and the only bad thing I can say is I should have waited to read the book closer to the book 2 release. The story was well-written and it wasn’t obvious what would happen next. The romance is the perfect amount and as a character the heroine is relatable. Love it! I was disappointed the author didn’t have more books I could download and listen to!

unexpected story

I didn't expect to fall in love with three boys and one is not even an intended. He's also the one I like the most. I hope it's not a long wait for the next book. This is the first book I've read in a long time that I can say I have no idea what's going to happen next.

Ready for more

Really liked the twist on history where Native Americans rule what is North America. Then all the other characters from different stories pop up as our main character becomes more confident.
<A BIT OF SPOILAGE>
The characters from a known mythos are presented in their natural setting. I filled in my minds eye how through the years a storyteller might turn the Allfather's two human advisors Huginn and Muninn into something else entirely because they wear black , flap their cloaks, and are described as being able to "see all".
Plus having real ravens as advisors makes the story more interesting!

In this story the humans worked.
<<SPOILAGE OVER!>>


I enjoyed it immensely and the narrator Emily Rankin is great.
This is just my kind of tale. Twists on history, known myth, and fairytales but not depending on those stories too much. Just great!

overall a good read!

lovely narrator. The story took a bit to get into but in the end I really liked it

unexpected story

I didn't expect to fall in love with three boys and one is not even an intended. He's also the one I like the most. I hope it's not a long wait for the next book. This is the first book I've read in a long time that I can say I have no idea what's going to happen next. (After reading a second time I've changed my mind on who I love the most.)

Really fascinating take on fairytales & history

Great theory, really enjoyed the overall story arc. Loved the evil step-mom villain (loved that she was upfront evil and not something we were shocked to find out was evil). I like the concept of falling in love with suitors, but I found the story to be semi predictable. But, I will be reading the second one in the series to find out what happens to Selah!

long and dragged out

It took me a long while to finish this book it dragged on and on. It was disappointing to find out it is only the first part of the series. I'm not even interested in finding out what actually happens further in the story. It so draw out it was a Struggle to listen to.

Why so boring?

I didn't understand the setting at all.
The characters were so drab, despite being tied to several mythos. I don't get how certain anecdotes are so wonderfully detailed, but all other aspects are super drab, and the detailed anecdotes have nothing to do with the actual story at all.
The MC is cool with being dragged through the dirt by people around her, is pretty much a defenseless, hopeless coward. She isn't someone who anyone can see as a leader, and it the story focuses on a vast harem of men after her, or rejecting her, rather than recognizing even one special talent or ability. She is not clever, pretty, strong or capable, just kind, and even so, has no special story arc or anything, only an interest in saving her father, who's illness isn't even detailed. The stepmother is the one with the most depth in the story and, other than her effort to get her son on the throne(?), she has no logical reason to despise the kid. The kingdom (?) is small, but not given any type of detail at all. Its just a weird place were the colonies became a kingdom, and i can't even be sure of that, because there is no history or lore, or detail at all.
I I could feel for a girl pushing against the odds to help save her ailing father, or her kingdom, or even just settling in her fate and being happy, but there was no redemption or anything. Just flat and empty writing, like a period romance novel where every character is the stereotypical evil, and the MC is a hero just because she is our main focus.