The Eldritch Heart
Matthew S. Cox
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: August 1st 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Princess Oona Talomir enjoys the little things that come with her station: a handmaiden, her lavish bedchamber, and scores of fancy dresses―the duty to win a decades’ long war, not so much.
Oh, did I mention assassins?
Seers foretold the conflict would end by her hand. From the moment she drew her first breath, the neighboring kingdom has been trying to kill her so she could not grow powerful enough to destroy them. The king, fearing for his daughter’s life, has kept her confined to the castle grounds for most of her sixteen years. With the tide of war turning against them, the burden of her crown becomes too much to bear, yet one thing lifts her spirits amid the gloom.
Her servant girl, Kitlyn.
Alas, in a kingdom obsessed with the god of purity, she is terrified to confess her forbidden love. When her father makes a demand she cannot abide―marry a prince to forge a military alliance―Oona panics. He is handsome and honorable, but he’s not Kitlyn. Unable to admit why she cannot obey, Oona does the only thing she can think of, and runs away.
Alone and unprepared in the wilderness, she prays the gods will let Kitlyn find her—before the assassins do.
I received a copy of The Eldritch Heart from Xpresso Book Tours and the author for an honest review. There was no compensation given or received for the review.
I am a fan of Matthew S. Cox. I love how he writes his female leads and puts them in situations that seem so dangerous that they are fighting the impossible. What is even better is that these female leads use their wit, emotions, and personal strengths to fight past their conflicts. The female leads of The Eldritch Heart are no different.
Oona is a sweet and compassionate young woman who wants nothing but to be with the person she loves, Kitlyn. She fears what everyone seems to believe is going to happen, that she will destroy a whole nation to end a war. Sure, there are times that she may seem spoiled, but I found her to be endearing and good.
Kitlyn was my personal favorite of the two. She is passionate, quick witted, and has the same goodness that Oona has. Despite being looked down upon and treated poorly, Kit is able to see past the prejudices and assert herself when she can.
In case you haven’t noticed, this book is an LGBT book. This is probably why I instantly asked to be a part of the tour. Cox hasn’t written an LGBT book before, but he has written fantasy and does a great job with his female leads. Adding the relationship between Kit and Oona only strengthened this book. Their love was pure, real, and I didn’t feel like it was misplaced or put together to join in on a movement.
These two girls were meant to be together.
The story is quick to start and hard to put down read. I probably read for a few hours straight and there are no regrets. This is very close to my favorite Cox book so far. I would definitely recommend this and I encourage Cox to write another YA LGBT in the future. Dare I say it, I even would love to see these ladies kicking ass in a sequel (not sure what the story would be, but I like to think it).
Author Bio:
Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Casia's Corner 
I already love these characters! Def easy to root for. And the book sounds overall very well written and fun! Great review! 🙂