As a fan of Tooley’s previous releases, The Third Daughter is a gorgeous story about sadness and love. It’s an emotional and stunning fantasy release which ought to be on your list! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
For centuries, the citizens of Velle have waited for their New Maiden to return. The prophecy states she will appear as the third daughter of a third daughter. When the fabled child is finally born to Velle’s reigning queen all rejoice except for Elodie, the queen’s eldest child, who has lost her claim to the crown. The only way for Elodie to protect Velle is to retake the throne. To do so, she must debilitate the Third Daughter—her youngest sister, Brianne.
Desperate, Elodie purchases a sleeping potion from Sabine, who sells sadness. But the apothecary mistakenly sends the princess away with a vial of tears instead of a harmless sleeping brew. Sabine’s sadness is dangerously powerful, and Brianne slips into a slumber from which she will not wake. With the fates of their families and country hanging in the balance, Sabine and Elodie hurry to revive the Third Daughter while a slow-burning attraction between the two girls erupts in full force.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Third Daughter is captivating. I breezed through it because of how emotionally moved I was. The ways that Tooley talks about sadness and the embracing of our emotions? Done for. This is a book which celebrates the importance of our feelings as well as knowing it’s never too late to right history. Elodie and Sabine live in different worlds. Where her privilege has not allowed her to see the struggles that people like Sabine face. It was great to watch Elodie and Sabine get to know each other, to see the glimpses of each other’s worlds.
The Third Daughter also examines this line of magic versus science and the church versus the government. The ways that power can corrupt and magic can be misunderstood. It asks us whether or not the people we expect will lead ought to lead. All in all, The Third Daugter is rich with themes. With looking at the ways that society treats our emotions and depression. It reinforces the importance of believing in ourselves, to not listen to the voices of our deepest fears and critics. It’s moving and magical all at once.
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The Third Daughter is one of those books which will transport you and leave you with this feeling of emotional contentment. A story about those who are committed to the truth, to dispelling the ways rhetoric is twisted, can survive in this world. Find The Third Daughter on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.