Name: Paige Leitner's review of In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
Item: In a Garden Burning Gold
Rating: 5
Author: Paige Leitner

Rory Power

Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe—even if it tears the siblings apart—in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls. Rhea and her twin brother, Lexos, have spent an eternity helping their father rule their small, unstable country, using their control over the seasons, tides, and stars to keep the people in line. For a hundred years, they've been each other's only ally, defending each other and their younger siblings against their father's increasingly unpredictable anger. Now, with an independence movement gaining ground and their father's rule weakening, the twins must take matters into their own hands to keep their family—and their entire world—from crashing down around them. But other nations are jockeying for power, ready to cross and double cross, and if Rhea and Lexos aren't careful, they'll end up facing each other across the battlefield.

In a Garden Burning Gold

Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe--even if it tears the siblings apart--in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls. Rhea and her twin brother, Lexos, have spent an eternity helping their father rule their small, unstable country, using their control over the seasons, tides, and stars to keep the people in line. For a hundred years, they've been each other's only ally, defending each other and their younger siblings against their father's increasingly unpredictable anger. Now, with an independence movement gaining ground and their father's rule weakening, the twins must take matters into their own hands to keep their family--and their entire world--from crashing down around them. But other nations are jockeying for power, ready to cross and double cross, and if Rhea and Lexos aren't careful, they'll end up facing each other across the battlefield.

Paige Leitner

"And there are still," he went on, "things about you I can't sort out. But what I do know is enough." He shrugged. "I suppose it's selfish. To want better from someone so you might love more of them." 

"I hope I am allowed to be proud of you," he said softly once she'd pulled away and rested her forehead against his chest. She nodded, couldn't help smiling into his coat as she traced the symbol of their shared mark on his shoulder.

He smiled. "I think that's a luxury nobody can afford anymore. Back then they could argue over the right way to worship. Now we barely have the breath to do it at all."

"You told me you weren't a believer, but you sound like one." 

"Perhaps," he said, tilting his head to one side, "I was only waiting for the right sort of saint."

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Wow wow wow. This book, while a slow moving and tension-building in the first two thirds of the novel, is utterly transfixing by the end. There were many points that I felt unsure of where the story was going to go or felt that there were too many loose threads, but by the end, all of those were tied into a perfect little bow. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of unanswered questions open for interpretation, paving the way for the sequel, however, the way this book concluded has me feeling satisfied with the way things played out. There's so much history and elemental points of this book that are immersive into this fantasy realm, the concepts of power and family lines is fascinating to me. I can't wait to read the sequel and see how it compares! 

i don’t have much to say about this book. i think the plot was pretty decent but I was SO confused the entire time. i liked the ending/ the forming of a real love and what you’d do for it but I found myself very confused on who most the characters were and what roles they played besides the two main characters. 

Kassidy May Leaver

Laura Kehoe

I love mythology, and have always been fascinated by different culture's myths and legends. So when I read the description for this book, I knew I had to read it. And let me tell you it did not disappoint! The rich history, political intrigue, and magic all blended together so well.

Each character was so unique and well developed. I feel like I understood each so well and felt connected to them all. Which made parts of the story when said characters faced hardships that much more devastating. 

One reason this wasn't a five star read for me was that the plot seemed to drag a little. I loved all of the world building and character development, but at times I feel like there was so much that I couldn't keep track of the plot. And when I did figure it out, things went a little too slow at times. But I loved the characters enough that I always wanted to keep going!

I'm so glad I had the chance to read this book! If you like high fantasy with lots of world building and a unique magic system, I would highly recommend checking this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

l.h.

plot twists slapped, wish i liked the main characters more

caly

i don’t care what anyone says this book was absolutely beautiful

Elizabeth Hagenlocher

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

In a Garden Burning Gold is the beginning of a fantasy Duology that feels incredibly fresh and unlike anything I’ve read. The story follows a set of twins on their parallel journeys to save their family and its legacy. Lexos and Rhea are children of a Stratagiosi, the leader of their nation, who has power over death and imbues powers to his own children. But, his rule is threatened by his seeming instability. So, Rhea and Lexos embark on their own journeys to do what they feel must be done.

I teetered between giving this book four and five stars, but I decided to round up because of how this book ultimately drew me in and left me wanting more. In fact, I almost want to reread the book immediately. 

This book was hard to get into: Thyzakos is clearly inspired by Greece in many ways, and so I found myself wanting to draw precise connections between all of the countries/territories and real life cultures. However, I think this kept me from really enjoying the book as a fantasy world. Making that mental shift (and letting go of “maybe this is Russia,” etc) helped me immerse myself into the story’s world more fully. It was like trying to conflate Middle Earth with our world—the cultural influences are there, but ultimately it’s a unique place of it’s own. Note: there’s no map in the ARC, but I would love for a map to make its way into the official book. 

It’s also clear that the beginning of the novel does a lot of heavy lifting with the world building, which makes the first 10-20% a bit heavy to move through. But by the time the twins separated, I was fully invested. 

There’s political intrigue, a unique magic system, and a beautifully woven story of two siblings who process a century’s worth of trauma in completely different ways. Near the end of the book I was at the edge of my seat, so to speak, watching these two twins on a collision course, their actions having unknown, wide-scale impact on the world.

I honestly could have had 100 more pages just to enjoy some of the relationships a little more deeply, and learn more about the magic system. But the epilogue gives me really high hopes that the sequel will fulfill all of that for me. I’m super excited about this world, and what’s going to happen next.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power