Title: Zoysana’s Choice
Author: Gordon A. Long
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Discovered as a child living alone in the forest and growing up an orphan of mixed parentage, but under the protection of the king’s youngest son, Zoe is appreciated for her own merit by everyone, from the royal family to the lowest kitchen wench. But her secure nest is shattered by conflict in the king’s family, and soon she will have to decide where her loyalties lie.
She flees to her former home in the mountains, where she finds many answers, but not to the questions she is asking.
Then she is offered the chance to visit Kyabra, the home of her grandfather, to learn about that ancient culture.
But all of these travels come to naught when she hears of war at home, and she returns to Petrella to be faced with a decision that could stop a war and change the lives of thousands, but only at the greatest personal cost.
This is the first published work of a 7-book saga of standalone novels tied together by characters and setting. Books 4 to 7 are sequential, and Books 1 to 3 happen 400 years earlier.
Zoysana’s Choice is an interesting coming-of-age fantasy novel in the style of Robin Hobb and Raymond E. Feist, with unforgettable characters and a plot that draws you in completely.
Zoe was found as a child living alone in the forest. She grew up in the castle, where she’s appreciated by everyone for her own merit. Her peaceful life is threatened when conflict arises in the king’s family, and she’ll have to decide where her loyalties lie.
Zoe goes back to her homeland, Kyabra, where she learns more about the ancient culture she is part of, and the hidden talents she has. Civil unrest brings her back to the castle she grew up in, but the cost for stopping a war is enormous, and Zoe is faced wih a dreadful choice.
I really liked Zoe. She was independent, resourceful, clever and caring, and she had tremendous strength. The story was strong, the writing solid, and the worldbuilding top-notch. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
Thanks for the great review, Majanka. I’m glad you liked Zoe. I put a lot of my own heart into her.