Skyseeker's Princess: A thrilling epic tale of adventure and courage (Songs of Si'Empra Book 1) by Miriam Verbeek

Skyseeker's Princess: A thrilling epic tale of adventure and courage (Songs of Si'Empra Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Jane(Janelba)

  Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.
  I was not sure what to expect from this book. It is a little outside my normal reading genres but I am always open to experiencing new things. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was well written, well defined characters, and I found it difficult to put it down to continue with normal daily life. Look forward to reading more by this author.
• 
  Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff

  DNF 26%
  The cover was kind fo so and so, and the blurb was kind of interesting.
  But the writing and the story itself was so boring. I ended up not finishing it
  
  
  I got this eARC from Netgalley
• 
  BooksCoffee

  Verbeek’s series opener is lyrically written, deeply emotional, and full of intrigue. Lian Ellen is meant to rule the people of Si’Empra, an intriguing windswept island near Antarctica, after her father’s death but the wealthy skyseekers, the country’s elite, chose her cruel step-brother Redel as the Ülrügh instead. Tired of constant abuse at her brother’s hands, Ellen decides to escape and is rescued and taken to a secret location after a pair of Cryptals, the ancient inhabitants of the island, find her lying injured on the banks of an ice-laden river. As her body heals, and she becomes acquainted with the ways of Crystalmakers and Webcleaners, she realizes the crucial role the two downtrodden populations play in keeping the small island alive. To keep her island floating, she must forget her inner scars and fight for the survival of her people.
  
  The death of Ellen’s father and Redel’s rise to the power provide a contemplative coming-of-age flavor to Ellen’s story. As a fourteen-years-old teenager, Ellen is forced to tolerate Redel’s abuse after her father’s death. Verbeek keeps Ellen’s internal turmoil at the core of the story as the latter struggles with a constant aversion to her own body, her brother’s betrayal, and her desire to do something for her people. The realization that she must put her people’s needs ahead of her own sufferings brings her a slow healing.
  
  Readers will find it easy to connect with Ellen as Verbeek skillfully conveys the traumatic effect of abuse on an adolescent mind and the coming-of-age moments as Ellen realizes her duty as the daughter of the Ülrügh family. Redel as the antagonist is both intimidating and hateful. Rosa is a complete darling. Pet lovers will be delighted with her cute antics and her cheeky personality.
  
  The book’s pace is smooth, the prose crisp, and the characterization dense. Verbeek ends the story on a cliffhanger and skillfully sets the stage for the second installment in the series. Her blend of the contemporary with an imaginary world, the intrigue filled Antarctic island setting, and Crystalmakers and Webcleaners’ intriguing way of living give this page turner fantasy a distinctive flavor and originality.
  
  While the book has a definite YA appeal with young Ellen as the protagonist, her emotional maturity and resilience makes the story appealing to the mature reader as well.
  
  Compelling and raw, Skyseeker’s Princess is a promising series opener. Fantasy lovers will wait eagerly for the next installment.
• 
  Meghan

  This book was received as an ARC from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
  
  I was not sure what I was reading at first but further down into it 10 pages ahead, I really was loving the plot so far, but there were plots that did jump off track and it was a little bit difficult to jump back in and follow along. For the most part, the book was actively intense. Ellen is blessed with a gift and could be the key to survival for groups such as the Crystalmakers. They kidnap her and begged her to help them. The crystalmakers also betrayed Ellen's brother so she is reluctant at first but her training has taught her to help others whenever they need it so she chooses the right path and helps them despite seeking revenge for her brother and the elite. Even though along her quest she fulfills the path and promises them she'll face her brother and the elite but she does not want to and she is far to young but she'll do anything when duty calls. Our teen book club will be interested in a novel such as Skyseeker's Princess but will have some enticing questions that is bound to be quite the discussion.
  
  We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
• 
  thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books)

  Not what I was expecting when I first picked this up, but very pleasantly surprised, I really enjoyed this and thought it was something quite refreshing and different from other books in the genre. Well written, great characters and an addictive plot, you will be hooked. Hoping for more from the author from this in future
  
  Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
• 
  Steven Doyle

  I took Skyseeker's Princes on holiday. At times I had to force myself to put it down to join an activity. The prose submersed me in a magical journey where a familiar modern-day world clashes with a mystical underground society. Confronting themes add depth to this story. I loved the strong female characters. Very enjoyable!
• 
  Lori Holuta

  Set on Si’Empra, a beautiful but harsh Antarctic island in the Southern Sea, Skyseeker’s Princess introduces us to Ellen, a member of the island’s royal family. Ellen’s destiny was to become the next ruler, though she’d much rather be a storyteller and serve her country through song and poetry about this magical land and its people.
  
  If this sounds like a typical princess fantasy story, let me dash those hopes right now. Ellen’s destiny fails her when her horribly evil brother Redel takes the throne. Now that I’ve mentioned Redel, I need to give a trigger warning. Redel makes Ellen’s life intolerable by abusing her in harsh and unspeakable ways. There’s no reasoning with him, as his intents towards her are fueled by madness. Author Miriam Verbeek writes with an unflinching pen about Redel’s abuse of Ellen, but also knows when to stop and move on.
  
  After a particularly unsavory round of Redel’s abuse, Ellen escapes with the help of a ‘glasaur’ named Rosa, a fantastical bird-beast she’s bonded to. But she can’t escape the after effects of Redel’s abuse; she suffers from depression and often indulges in self-harm. Will Ellen choose exile and pursue her storytelling dream, or find a way to fight back and take the throne? Can this broken girl mend herself and her island home?
  
  There are three classes of people on Si’Empra. The Skyseekers, like Ellen, are the upper class. The Crystalmakers are the middle-class, and just like in our reality, they do most of the real work. At the bottom of the heap are the strange Webcleaners who seem to do exactly what their title suggests.
  
  As Ellen explores the villages of Si’Empra, she learns how her island home actually functions. She discovers how the lower classes contribute to society, and what the people must have stockpiled to survive the coming winter. To her dismay, she realizes that under Redel’s corrupt reign, Si’Empra is floundering, with no real hope in sight. She wants to help her people, but how? Finding the answer to that question is the crux of the story.
  
  If this still sounds like classic high fantasy to you, there’s another twist I haven’t mentioned yet. Si’Empra doesn’t exist on a fantasy world or in ancient times. The story takes place on present-day Earth. This means that modern cargo ships regularly come and go, computer and cellphone technology exists, helicopters are used in tracking the escaped princess, and there is even a mention of a car being shipped in to the island. This is our world, as we know it today, but with a special, magical twist somewhere near Antarctica.
  
  Skyseeker’s Princess is the first volume in the “Songs of Si’Empra” three book series. The entire series is available at Amazon. I noticed that the book has had various covers since its first publication. The name of the series and the book number are prominent on each cover though, so you should have no trouble selecting the correct title.
  
  Additional Reading
  A few chapters in, I realized that I had very little knowledge of what life might be like south of the Antarctic Circle. I bookmarked my page and went to do a bit of googling. I found these three articles to be helpful in picturing Ellen’s homeland.
  
  Forget city breaks: Give me life and death on South Georgia
  
  https://adventure.com/life-death-sout...
  
  Do People Live in Antarctica?
  
  https://www.letsroam.com/explorer/do-...
  
  Antarctic Islands
  
  https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Antarc...
  
  This review was originally published at SciFi.Radio
• 
  Liesbeth

  It is a mix of everyday life world mixed with fantasy elements. We find ourselves on this little island of Si'Empra, where you find skyseekers, crystalmakers, webcleaners and cryptals all living together. It seems to be a world of extremes. The believers against the so called heretics. It is a very intriguing world, especially the world of crystalmakers who live underground and are persecuted by the skyseeker people.
  
  But most of the story revolves around Ellen, she is a fugitive and hiding from her own people, especially she wants to hide herself from her brother Redel, who is now the ruler of Si'Empra.
  I was surprised when it mentions that Ellen is suffering from Endometriosis, which I also suffer from. It makes the story so much more intimate to read. The sheer will it takes to overcome it's debilitating symptoms. The book is full of action, betrayal, friendship, romance in the unusual places, there are some triggers too, especially around rape.
  
  In all it is a diverse tale that shows you the high's and the low's. The world of Si'Empra is sometimes hard to follow of the many details but on the other hand so interesting. A worth while book to read and can't wait to read the second book.
• 
  Kaitlin

  Excellent world building, it's technically our world but if our world had fantastic beasts and a continent with magical people.
  
  Ellen is a strong character who still tries her best regarless of what is thrown at her and there's a lot thrown at her. Her half brother is in change and is an abusive terrible leader.
  
  I very much liked following her story and seeing her grow and I can not wait to continue.
  
  I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life.
  
  I received a copy from StoryOrigin. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Jaclyn

  The story had a lot of potential, but in the end it just didn't work. There were far too many characters each telling the story from their point of view, which made it impossible to feel connected to any of them. I was really excited to read this book, and it is totally set up to be perfect for me, but it fell short. Without being connected to the characters I ended up just not caring about what happened.
• 
  BP34

  This is the first book in the the Si'Empra trilogy. The location is on an island near Antarctica and has beautiful landscapes. Ellen had an abusive brother that she was escaping. Lots of fantasy and well developed characters. an interesting book to read I read an advance copy and voluntarily chose to write a review.
• 
  Peg stuff stall

  The Powerful and the Oppressed
  
  This is written in a style that keeps your interest and makes you want to keep reading. It weaves a story about the powerful and the oppressed that existed in the past and the present with a fantasy twist.
• 
  Julie - One Book More

  
  https://onebookmore.com/2020/01/25/267/
  
  This is a unique and interesting story about a young woman who is destined for greatness. Skyseeker’s Princess is the first book in Mariam Verbeek’s Songs of Si’Empra series. This young adult fantasy is a unique and interesting story about a young woman destined for greatness.
  
  Ellen is an orphan and under the control of her cruel half-brother Redel. When Ellen flees for her life, she is saved by an unlikely group of underground people. They believe she is the true heir to the throne, not the evil Redel.
  
  As Ellen physically and mentally heals from the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her brother, her new friends and allies help her.
  
  Will Ellen rise up against Redel and fight for her people? Will she end the tyranny over her land?
  
  This is a creative and unique story with amazing world-building. The author’s skillful use of imagery captivated me from the first page. From the cold and relentless setting to the unusual and delightful animals, this story is well-developed and engrossing.
  
  One aspect of the book that I particularly like is that there is no love story. This is a story about a young woman finding herself – her strength, her resilience, her bravery. She does this with the help of other strong women (and a few men), but her growth is her own.
  
  Favorite Parts:
  - many strong, independent women
  - unique setting
  - strong world-building
  - original fantastical animals
  
  Recommendations:
  Readers who enjoy fantasy, coming-of-age novels will love this book. I also think it will appeal to readers who like dystopian fiction or stories about strength and perseverance.
  
  
• 
  Andre Verbeek-martin

  It’s great to read the final version of Skyseeker’s Princess! The world is fascinating, well developed and original. The mix of modern problems and fantasy is intriguing, and provides insights which I didn’t expect. I’m excited to read the next installments.