The Beholder (The Beholder #1) by Anna Bright

ARC received from the publisher for a fair review.
Publish date: June 4, 2019

Selah is the daughter of the Potomac, and is set to inherit the duties. She needs a partner to help lead, but when her proposal is publicly shut down she is sent by her step mother on a mission overseas to find a suitor that can lead with her.

On her journey Selah makes new friends and leads new romances that she didn’t expect. But she is on her way to a country she is afraid of entering and is suspicious not only of her hasty trip arranged by her stepmother but also by the actions of the crew. 

The Story

Boys!!! Need I say more? Okay, no really, it wasn’t just about boys, but it’s definitely up there. I didn’t see the comparison with The Selection before reading the book, but I definitely saw the connection. The story follows Selah as she has to journey to new countries and basically court some guys to potentially marry. She obviously is reluctant but sees what needs to be done so she can quickly get home to her father. Little does she know that the boys are actually charming in their own ways and that her heart just may be a little fickle.

So if you’re looking for some deep, meaningful story…maybe pass on this one. If you’re wanting some swoon worthy moments. Then hop onboard the Beholder and let’s go meet some dreamy boys. I just couldn’t get enough of this book. I am eager to know what happens next, because yes, aside from the many heart palpitations and awwwwww moments, there is an actual story developing, with some actual plot.

The World building

Interesting how real countries are warped to fit into this book. Although a little confusing sometimes as it wanted to feel like a historical fiction, it actually turned out to be a pseudo historical fantasy fiction. I am still unsure why there was a similarity to the known countries rather than basing this entirely off of a fantastical world. Like why is she basically crossing the Atlantic from settled America’s over to Europe? On top of all this there is an obscure government that is still yet to be better explained hopefully in later books. I didn’t quite dock my rating because of this

The Characters

The boys are likeable. What I mean is I like them all, although, there is one that I particularly like, and I just don’t know who it’s going to be topped. I think it’s because he reminds me of Jamie Fraser (Outlander), or at least in retrospect he sort of reminds me of him…Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting more boys in the next book. Good luck Selah choosing just one.

Let’s talk about Selah though. I hope she gets a little less…I don’t know the word. But she is going to be in politics soon, and she needs to really prepare herself a little better for that world. I am hoping, that aside from more boys, that the next book provides her a little bit more of a growing character ARC as she comes more into an actual leadership role.

The Soundtrack

Bailey Bryan – Perspective