#BookReview: But for the Mountains by Erin Riha

Synopsis: 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 honor, 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?



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 💫
My Review: Sadly this one just didnt mesh with me at all. The book starts out with a character being raped and it just didn't get better after that at all.  This book was full of clueless people that just didn't want to know what was happening.  And although that does feel like real life. I just couldn't get into it.  Which was sad since this was sold to me from a friend saying its a dark Selection story.  Which I would have totally loved.  

Review

"A truly exquisite coming-of-age novel . . . achingly gripping. A perfect balance of anxiety, hope, and complex relationships." 

--Heather S. Ransom, author of the Going Green Trilogy

"In Arden Thatcher, we have a heroine for our times--smart, strong, complex, and determined to defy the odds. Her story is the story of every young woman who refuses to let societal strictures and patriarchal conventions define them."

--Deborah E. Kennedy, author of Tornado Weather

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

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Posted in: 1 Star, Netgalley, Review, Young Adult