So many books come out each week that it makes it hard to decide what to read. We want to make that a little bit easier on you by sharing our favorite releases from the week and telling you our top 3 reasons why we think you’ll love them too!
This week our selection is Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway. Are you ready to hear more about this book and its author? Here we go…
Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway
Series: Glass Alliance #1
Published by Tor Teen on 2/5/2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 480
Goodreads Buy the Book
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna Hathaway's Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.
Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.
3 Reasons You Should Read…
Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway
- This debut was like nothing we’ve read recently, and we are VERY on board with that. It’s a mix of traditional fantasy and some WWII historical fiction elements. It’s romantic, dramatic, and just the kind of story that becomes very easy to become obsessed with.
- It was very easy to get swept away in Athan and Aurelia’s stories. Their story is filled with forbidden love, battles royalty, friendships, bromance, family issues and so much more! They grabbed a hold of us from the very first page and never let go.
- This was an absolutely beautiful YA Fantasy from a debut author. It was an unique and memorable novel with duel perspectives that we loved equally. We can’t wait to see what Joanna Hathaway puts out next.
About Joanna Hathaway
Joanna was born in Montréal and is an avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be found reading, traveling, or riding horses.Her debut novel, DARK OF THE WEST (Tor Teen, February 5th, 2019), is the first in a WWII-infused fantasy series of forbidden love and deadly revenge.
