But for the Mountains - Erin Riha (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 03/10/2020

Author: Erin Riha

Publisher: REUTS

Publication Date: June 3, 2020

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Favourite Pages Book Club)

About the book:

Arden Thatcher wasn’t meant to be chosen.

But when her name is announced, she’s presented with something she never thought she’d have: a future away from her abuser. Shuttled off to attend the prestigious National Women’s Institute, Arden will receive Nordania’s highest honour, studying with other elite candidates to become leaders, diplomats, and ambassadors on the world stage.

Only, the institute’s not quite what she expected. Paraded around in gown after gown, the tests seem less about educating and more about a different competition, with a very specific prize at stake—the Nordanian Prime Minister’s son. Despite the dean’s protestations that angling for an engagement leads to expulsion, Arden sees the truth. There’s a secret bubbling beneath the institute’s refined surface, and those who refuse to play along may well wind up dead.

With the danger escalating, and the return of her abuser on the horizon, Arden’s shiny future becomes a gilded cage. And this time, she’s going to need powerful allies to escape.

Political intrigue, swoon-worthy romance, and a dash of dystopian flare, But for the Mountains begs the question, how do you change the world when you’re not allowed to try?

Review:

      Fans of 'Selection' may find this story somewhat similar, but I can't be the judge of that since I never got to read the series. I might after this, as it looks like I am inclined to like this particular trope. It is not everyday one can find such a strong heroine who fights back even with all the mental and physical abuse she has undergone. Books like these are a necessity.

   Arden Thatcher doesn't have much to look forward to in her life. Her hopes of being selected to the Institute have been demolished long back, she has no way of escaping the clutches of her benefactor's son. Then the unthinkable happens opening an escape route to a better future. But is the life at the Institute is all that is promised? Is she just transferring her bronze chains to golden ones?

    Well, the story had me hooked from the beginning. Lots of intrigues, mishaps and a love triangle -- quite a page turner from start to finish. Romantic part didn't interest me that much (nothing is confirmed yet, by the way) as Arden is a force to be reckoned with. I don't think she even needs a man. Her resilience and strong will to survive is hardly ordinary. I can't wait to know what new adventures destiny plans for you. 

Meet the author:

Erin Riha writes young adult fantasy novels about ambitious girls who don’t know they’re not supposed to exceed expectations. She has an undergraduate degree in Political Science, a Law Degree, and a deep reverence for the power of using exactly the right word in exactly the right moment. She lives in wonderfully weird Portland, Oregon, with her super dreamy husband, where they’re raising a future train engineer and a future chicken whisperer. When not writing, she’s a music director for a teen theater company, traveling the world, or dreaming of traveling the world. But for the Mountains is her debut novel.

Favourite quotes:

"It doesn't matter what I do, I'm always stuck between the person who thinks I'm trash and the person who's drunk - or both".

"You are so damn optimistic," he says.

"Well, that's something I've never been accused of."

"It wasn't until I was older that I truly understood. I wasn't worth a pronoun. I was an "it," a dehumanized nothing"