After falling in love with She is Wrath, I knew I had to read Varga’s next. And this treasure hunting magical world is something you can fall into. And that ending? That was SOMETHING. Keep reading this book review of The River She Became for my full thoughts.
Summary
I’m going across the River. And I’m going to save us all.
Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.
Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.
With magic that is a mystery even to her, Yaseema can help him find the crown and save his family from a fate worse than death. Unless she steals it first to help her own.
To survive, they must work together to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect their worlds. But as secrets unravel and loyalties blur, they face the greatest danger of losing their heart to each other.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The River She Became asks us what we will do when we become a weapon not of our own making or wielding. What happens when we become honed, when our edges are sharpened to points, and everyday is a battle of survival? This dual POV fantasy series starter introduces us to fae, relic hunting, and secrets. Varga’s second book is dedicated to examining the dominant narrative, the lies of the majority, and the ‘truths’ we are fed. To look gift horses in the mouth and be suspicious of our saviors. When saving looks like stealing. The River She Became packs a punch. I loved Yaseema’s fiery spirit as they swirl around each other’s plans.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
The River She Became examines how we create rebels. There are secrets among the weeds as we ask ourselves what makes someone irredeemable. When we see ourselves as the monster within the night. With tons of puzzles, it’s easy to fall into this book. A journey where we are weapon for someone until we decide to wield ourselves? That gets me every time. But that ending locked me fully in. I was enjoying it but the last 10%? That got me. Find The River She Became on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.