Title: Seven Crowns

Author: E.V. Everest

Pub. Date: July 31, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

An unclaimed crown. Six deadly rivals. A world she never knew existed.

Sixteen-year-old Ana is a waitress, foster kid, and liar. She might also be the sole heir to a crown on another planet. A crown she never asked for or even wanted.

One year after her mom’s death, Ana discovers her mom’s biggest secret– she was a political refugee from a planet called Bellaton. Ana’s family was one of seven that ruled before they were picked off one by one.

Now, with assassins after her, Ana could be next. With the help of a dazzling array of friends and enemies, Ana must discover her magical “gift”… or risk being named an imposter.

In this world of breathtaking beauty, charm, and magic, will Ana be able to tell friend from foe, reveal her would-be assassin, and take the crown?

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been super stressed and super busy lately, so I can’t tell you how nice it was to just get swept up in a book where expectations didn’t plague me. I’d read the synopsis and it sounded like something I would enjoy. So, imagine my surprise when the author reached out, and offered me a copy of her book to review.

I was immediately invested in Ana’s journey. I’m all for long lost princess and when you set them in space – I’m 100% here for it. This book actually kind of gave me Our Dark Stars vibes and I’m not mad about it. I liked the cast of characters and Samuel kind of reminded me of Haymitch from THG – another thing I’m 100% here for.

I enjoyed Ana, and her arc through this book. I really felt nothing for her brothers – and I didn’t quite understand why none of them could take her in after their mother’s death. Tbh, that kind of bothered me. They weren’t really in the book long enough for me to form a connection with them, though I wish they had been. Then you have Adam and Holden and I liked both of them as well. I mean, who doesn’t like cute boys? lol

I liked that the characters kind of fell into stereotypical high school character archetypes, without feeling like contrived stereotypes. They felt unique but familiar. Though, with that being said, I wish the whole school aspect had been a little more “out of this world”. For an SFF book, the middle read more like your average high school age contemporary. This isn’t a bad thing, but for the action pack epicness that was the start of this book, I felt a bit bored. It’s relatable, sure, but I wanted more.

As for the world…or worlds – I’m here for it! I’m such a sucker for SF books, and when you add some magical fantasy elements – I’m sunk. I was caught up and wrapped up in this world the author created. So familiar, but different enough that it feels otherworldly. I loved it. I’m also a sucker for school settings, so this book checks so many boxes.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next book and I’m really looking forward to reading. I’m super appreciative the author sent me a copy, but I think I’m going to have to go buy a physical copy just so I can stare at the stunning cover whenever I want to.

If you’re looking for a fast paced, quick, enjoyable SFF read, look no further!