Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Book Review: CROWN OF OBLIVION by Julie Eshbaugh



Crown of Oblivion
Julie Eshbaugh
November 12, 2019
HarperTeen
eBook, Hardcover, 480 pages

BLURB
Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.

But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family. With a dying father to think of, Astrid is desperate to prevail.

From the beginning, the race is filled with twists and turns. One of them is Darius, a fellow racer Astrid meets but isn’t sure she can trust. Though they team up in the race, as Astrid’s memories begin to resurface, she remembers just who he was to her—a scorned foe who may want revenge. Astrid also starts to notice she has powers no Outsider should—which could help her win the race, but also make her a target if anyone finds out. With stakes that couldn’t be higher, Astrid must decide what is more important: risking her life to remember the mysteries of the past, or playing a cutthroat game in order to win her—and her family’s—freedom.
My Review:
Four years ago Astrid's brother Jayden ran away, escaping his indenture as the prince's surrogate. Astrid, Princess Renya's surrogate nearly died from the beating she took that night.

Now, with her father sick and needing medical attention and her younger brother depending on her, Astrid is thisclose to getting the King's decree allowing her father to get the treatment he needs.

But when tragedy strikes, Astrid is pushed to enter the Race of Oblivion, a life-or-death dangerous race/scavenger-like-hunt across the kingdom where the entrants are given a memory-erasing drug and the final outcome is death, a longer indenture to the king, or - for one lucky winner - citizenship for the winner's whole family.

When Astrid awakens in the race amid competitors who would kill her as soon as look at her, the unexpected help of a young man who seems so familiar to her, and a power she shouldn't have giving her an advantage the stakes are about to get a whole lot higher. 

Crown of Oblivion was so easy to get caught up in. I loved Astrid right from the start and was rooting for her all the way.

I thought the Race of Oblivion, it's memory-erasing drug administered by masked people, and the terrain the race spread across were really interesting and inventive.

There's nervous tension, danger, intrigue, magic, and adventure in these pages that will keep you riveted from start to finish. 

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Crown of Oblivion and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a strong female lead and a unique life-or-death adventure.

My Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
5 of 5 Stars!

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