I was genuinely torn on how to rate The Third Daughter.

On the one hand, I loved the religion that Adrienne Tooley created, it felt realistic and all the details seemed to have been thoroughly worked out. And that finale!  I raced through it in nearly ninety minutes, it was exceptionally well-paced and gripping.

On the other hand, I took long breaks in my reading of Daughter to finish other books, and therefore it didn't give me as strong an impression of it as I would have liked. Especially in terms of the characters, plot and themes. Which was a shame.

I'll leave this review here for now.

I picked this one up because Adrienne Tooley is honestly a pro at writing sapphic standalone YA fantasy, and then I find out this one isn't standalone. So yes, it ends with a cliffhanger! I don't know if it needed to be more than one book, but I will reserve that judgement for when I read the second one. Which I will probably do.

But! The slow burn romance in this one is great, with a morally gray protagonist as one of the narrators. The world Tooley created was really interesting, peppered with a fantastic cast of characters. I don't think this is my favorite of her books, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it! I didn't want to put it down last night until I finished it. And now I need the second book.

I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review!

I listened to the audiobook format that is narrated by Rebecca Lee. I loved her narration so much! Her voice was very soothing to listen to and added to the whimsical atmosphere of the story. I'd definitely recommend the audiobook for this book!

The Third Daugther was fun and a perfect for hot summer days when you want to listen to something fun, engaging but not completely complex. It reminded me of old Barbie princess movies.

I enjoyed the characters a lot, mainly Sabinne. She was so sweet to anyone and even though she carried sadness in her heart, she was so nice to anyone. I also liked the idea of the chosen third daugther as their saviour with a great power. The story is definitely on the political side of story types and I think it was done well. It ended with a somewhat clifghanger, too, so I'll definitely pick up the second book of this duology.

The only reason I'm giving it 3* is that it took too much time for something interesting to happen. I believe I got invested into the story around 60-70% mark, so I needed to get through the detailed and less exciting beginning. After that, I enjoyed it!

Also, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys:
✨ whimsical, fairytale-like vibes
💞 slow-burn romance subplot
🏰 politics between royalty and church
👸🏻 princesses and the chosen one

This book was one of the easiest reads of the year for me, which in a fantasy is really saying something! I love the author's style and the dynamic characters. Before you keep reading- beware of SPOILERS! Sabine's character really feels like Tooley said "she has depression, and it's magic". The story tackled some really intense emotions, and I think that was done really well. However, I do feel a little eh about the way depression was used throughout the story and then became yet another victim of the 'magical cure'. It was done better than most, a mix of acceptance of oneself and the problem having a magical solution. I do think a lot of people will have issue with the depression rep, and it could have been done differently.

It was also really odd for Elodie to be attracted *to* Sabine's sadness. In the way most love interests would describe a character's beauty or strength, she romanticized Sabine's depression.

A depression so bad she couldn't get out of bed, it changed her personality, etc. I also cringe a bit at the way side characters were used to advance a narrative without being truly crafted, to the point where family members are horrid until the plot needs them to not be, or they're wonderful and supportive, until the plot needs them to be horrid. It definitely took something away from the story and I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at it. All of that being said, it was an enjoyable read with some good world building and a compelling plot. I am hopeful in the next book that the supporting cast will get a bit more page time so we cab really connect with them and understand why they are the way they are, outside of the perception of the two POVs. 

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Adrienne Tooley for the advanced copy of The Third Daughter via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel. 

I enjoyed The Third Daughter, it was a well written fantasy genre book and the beginning of an exciting series. 

Tooley writes emotion and feelings very well in this book and I found myself immersed in the story, imagining the characters and the magic with the associated emotion swirling around. It’s a battle of ‘sides’, perceived ‘good’ vs ‘evil’, ‘light’ vs ‘dark’, ‘her’ vs ‘him’. 

Labelled as an LGBTQ+ book, the sapphic nature of the feelings and relationships aren’t a ‘big deal’. There is no coming out, no admission of ‘abnormal’ feelings, no tip toeing around. It’s treated the same as if the feelings and attraction were in a heteronormative novel. 

The book really spoke to me on an emotional level, with an underlying story of breaking through mental barriers of depression. 

I will definitely be reading the subsequent book(s) and really look forward to it! 

Tropes: mistaken identity, peril 

Spice: 2.5/5 

Trigger warnings: Death, Death of a family member, Grief, Violence