Book Tour Review: Third Daughter - Susan Kaye Quinn

Third Daughter
Susan Kaye Quinn
Series: The Dharian Affairs Trilogy, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Steampunk
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: ALL OF THE STARS
On Goodreads

About the book:

Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue... and, of course, kissing.

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.

Review:

It's kind of an understatement to say that I liked Third Daughter - I absolutely loved it. It's no secret that I am a fan of Susan Kaye Quinn's work and this book is no exception. Susan Kaye Quinn always does a beautiful job of balancing description with smooth character development, world building, and plot development. Once again, Susan Kaye Quinn delivers on a beautifully written and original story that brings you to a new world and makes you feel all the feels.

The world of Third Daughter is unlike any I have read before. The world is, just as advertised, a mix of Indian culture and steampunk culture. The greatest thing about this world is that even though it combines two things you might not traditionally mix together, it doesn't feel forced. The mix between Indian culture and steampunk seems very natural and is described vividly throughout the entire book.

Just like the world, the characters are masterfully developed. I found that the characters were very easy to love and empathize with. The Third Daughter, Aniri, is a perfect balance between tough girl, reckless teen, scared child, and noble royal. Aniri is a character that feels so believable and real. Like most book heroines, Aniri wants to fight for herself, but she has no problem accepting help when she needs it (although she often thinks she doesn't need it).

While Third Daughter is clearly a romance, I definitely would not say that the romance is in your face. Susan Kaye Quinn mixes the romance into the plot in a way that the romance has plenty of time to grow in a life-like way. It's not insta-love, it's not the stereotypical love triangle - it is a beautiful telling of a girl torn between her heart and her country and how her relationships grow and change as she learns more and more about what's really going on.

In Third Daughter, Susan Kaye Quinn brings a totally original and well developed world to life. Third Daughter has a perfect balance between the romantic element as well as the action and intrigue. As a fan of the Mindjack series, I can say that this is definitely a must read for fans of Mindjack, but also for everyone else. READ THIS BOOK! IT'S AMAZING! Especially if you haven't read any of Susan Kaye Quinn's work before. Susan Kaye Quinn has such a different approach to the young adult genre that I think all readers of YA can appreciate.

- Kiersten

Purchase links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Book Depository

About the author:

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. The Dharian Affairs trilogy is her excuse to dress up in corsets and fight with swords. She also has a dark-and-gritty SF serial called The Debt Collector and a middle grade fantasy called Faery Swap. It's possible she's easily distracted. She always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can find out what she's up to by subscribing to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!).

Author links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway:

PRIZES:
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

RULES AND RESTRICTIONS: Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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