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Rada
Welcome to the Zaragarian Empire.
Rada's newborn sister is disfigured and her father has decreed that her fate lies at the Seat of the Gods. Rada knows what that means - he wants her sister dead.
To save both her sister and her mother, Rada must find the Emperor and beseech him for help.
Rada is six. The Emperor terrifies her, but there is no one else.
In a world of intricate politics, rivalries, dissent and revolt; where old gods lay in wait, the fate of two little girls will change the course of an empire.
Everything depends on a six-year-old with a slingshot
*Rada is set approx 16 years before "Altaica."
Rada's newborn sister is disfigured and her father has decreed that her fate lies at the Seat of the Gods. Rada knows what that means - he wants her sister dead.
To save both her sister and her mother, Rada must find the Emperor and beseech him for help.
Rada is six. The Emperor terrifies her, but there is no one else.
In a world of intricate politics, rivalries, dissent and revolt; where old gods lay in wait, the fate of two little girls will change the course of an empire.
Everything depends on a six-year-old with a slingshot
*Rada is set approx 16 years before "Altaica."
- GenresFantasy
ebook
Published January 20, 2023
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Tracy M. Joyce
5 books514 followersTracy writes epic fantasy for teens through to adults. Her stories are gritty, a little dark and morality is like quicksand. You won’t find any unicorns or fairies here…
Although her stories include romantic elements, they are not romance driven novels. Do not buy these books if you’re after a fairytale….
Consider this a warning: Expect kickass heroines, battles (big ones, small ones - let’s face it, if she’d put gunpowder in this world then there’d be explosions too!) gore, political scheming, horses, archery and a touch of magic, but NO fairies, elves, pixies, orcs and definitely NO unicorns. (Unless, of course, its a combat trained unicorn with stealth capabilities …. then…maybe…)
She grew up on a farm in rural Victoria, in a picturesque dot on the map known as Glenburn. She spent half of her childhood riding horses and the other half trying to stay out of trouble - the only way she did that was by reading books and writing stories. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband, one cat and one (very) lazy greyhound and a manic puppy.
Tracy loves to hear from her readers.
Although her stories include romantic elements, they are not romance driven novels. Do not buy these books if you’re after a fairytale….
Consider this a warning: Expect kickass heroines, battles (big ones, small ones - let’s face it, if she’d put gunpowder in this world then there’d be explosions too!) gore, political scheming, horses, archery and a touch of magic, but NO fairies, elves, pixies, orcs and definitely NO unicorns. (Unless, of course, its a combat trained unicorn with stealth capabilities …. then…maybe…)
She grew up on a farm in rural Victoria, in a picturesque dot on the map known as Glenburn. She spent half of her childhood riding horses and the other half trying to stay out of trouble - the only way she did that was by reading books and writing stories. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband, one cat and one (very) lazy greyhound and a manic puppy.
Tracy loves to hear from her readers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 27, 2024
3.5 rounded up!
Rada is one of those dark fantasy tales that stays with you. With a six year old protagonist, complicated family dynamics pinning political parties against one another and dark undertones, this book really took me by surprise.
Rada is a fiercely independent young girl, but she is in no way shape or form, little. Never call her little. Caught in the political tensions of her parents, the emperor and everyone in between, this 6 year old wants nothing more than to save her baby sister that everyone is set out to destroy.
A tale of the insurmountable love a mother holds for her daughter, and an undertone of letting kids be kids it was hard to close this book without a warm heart. No matter how dark it got.
A huge thank you to the author for providing a review copy!
Watch out for a full review over on BWGB!
Rada is one of those dark fantasy tales that stays with you. With a six year old protagonist, complicated family dynamics pinning political parties against one another and dark undertones, this book really took me by surprise.
Rada is a fiercely independent young girl, but she is in no way shape or form, little. Never call her little. Caught in the political tensions of her parents, the emperor and everyone in between, this 6 year old wants nothing more than to save her baby sister that everyone is set out to destroy.
A tale of the insurmountable love a mother holds for her daughter, and an undertone of letting kids be kids it was hard to close this book without a warm heart. No matter how dark it got.
A huge thank you to the author for providing a review copy!
Watch out for a full review over on BWGB!
July 19, 2023
Bottom line (before I colour this in with detail): 'Rada' is five-star writing and a superb fantasy novel. Why? ...
1) The writing and editing (and proofreading) are highly polished, making reading this a genuinely enjoyable experience.
2)The balance of action and 'relationships'. The action in this book was often brutal and always felt credible (as in this IS the way people and armies behaved throughout history). The relationships? This is NOT a romance novel (which I was grateful for haha). One of the things I appreciated most about the author's approach to this was her obvious understanding of the way history is created. 'Rada' is an account of a (fictional) period of history told through networks of relationships (political, family, monetary, etc) - which is how history actually works. This was a strength of this book.
3) The place of religion and mysticism in 'Rada.' Great fantasy delves deep into the religions of its culture...it's one of the things that makes Fantasy such a rich, engaging genre. 'Rada' does it well. The various sects and 'gods' feel credible and are absolutely fascinating.
4) The idea that there's two sides to every story. For example, when it comes to gods like "The Weaver", we get to see one culture's loving, worshipful view of her but we also equally see the distrust of her from another.
5) The title character. I'll be honest. I was concerned I wouldn't enjoy a long book about a child [who I thought would spend 500+ pages doing childish things with a childish perspective]. Within the first few pages, this fear was shown to be completely ungrounded.
Rada as a little girl is a kickass heroine. Her character has clear and respectable motivations, does things we cheer for, and has a beautiful if poignant story arc.
Plus, she's by far not the only character whose eyes we see through and who we follow across the pages.
Final thoughts: this book appears to be marketed as YA. It would certainly suit YA readers who love darker novels such as Hunger Games, no problems. But as an adult, I found this story wonderfully complex, dark, sometimes funny or sad or brutal or exciting, and always compelling.
Superb stuff! Five stars out of five.
1) The writing and editing (and proofreading) are highly polished, making reading this a genuinely enjoyable experience.
2)The balance of action and 'relationships'. The action in this book was often brutal and always felt credible (as in this IS the way people and armies behaved throughout history). The relationships? This is NOT a romance novel (which I was grateful for haha). One of the things I appreciated most about the author's approach to this was her obvious understanding of the way history is created. 'Rada' is an account of a (fictional) period of history told through networks of relationships (political, family, monetary, etc) - which is how history actually works. This was a strength of this book.
3) The place of religion and mysticism in 'Rada.' Great fantasy delves deep into the religions of its culture...it's one of the things that makes Fantasy such a rich, engaging genre. 'Rada' does it well. The various sects and 'gods' feel credible and are absolutely fascinating.
4) The idea that there's two sides to every story. For example, when it comes to gods like "The Weaver", we get to see one culture's loving, worshipful view of her but we also equally see the distrust of her from another.
5) The title character. I'll be honest. I was concerned I wouldn't enjoy a long book about a child [who I thought would spend 500+ pages doing childish things with a childish perspective]. Within the first few pages, this fear was shown to be completely ungrounded.
Rada as a little girl is a kickass heroine. Her character has clear and respectable motivations, does things we cheer for, and has a beautiful if poignant story arc.
Plus, she's by far not the only character whose eyes we see through and who we follow across the pages.
Final thoughts: this book appears to be marketed as YA. It would certainly suit YA readers who love darker novels such as Hunger Games, no problems. But as an adult, I found this story wonderfully complex, dark, sometimes funny or sad or brutal or exciting, and always compelling.
Superb stuff! Five stars out of five.
Read
June 9, 2023SPFBO9 rating and review, coming soon.
May 20, 2023
Rada is six years old, but she acts and thinks older than her age. Rada carries a huge responsibility on her shoulders and seeks out help to save her newborn sister and mother. This is a gritty fantasy story with underlying sensitive topics, with various characters introduced along the way.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Booksprout, StoryOrigin, and author.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Booksprout, StoryOrigin, and author.
Want to read
March 11, 2024This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.
In a guarded chamber, the lady of a high house has given birth to a daughter with birth defects who she must protect from superstition if the girl is to live.
This opening comes in two parts: one focuses on the rambunctiousness of our high lady’s older daughter Rada, the other on the lady post-labor, which introduces the conflicts that propel this story forward.
I don’t have much to say about the older daughter. Her section of the opening feels like it goes on too long. It is energetic, and I enjoyed her playfulness to a point, but her voice was a bit much. If this were half-as long, I would have enjoyed it twice as much.
Once the narrative turns to our high lady, however, the story quickly grabs hold of me. The narration grows up. It is clear and pointed. There is high drama. The dialogue is strong, and revealing of character.
The midwife is not attending the birth on behalf of our mother. She is doing someone else’s bidding (the father, I presume). Our lady, exhausted from birth, cannot rest. The life of her new daughter depends on what she does now.
Her servant women are as strong-willed as she is, and ready with their daggers. This feels like a story rich with intrigue, familial and political complications, and high stakes. Once it properly starts, it’s gripping stuff.
Despite my criticism, now that this is underway, it’s moving fast and has won my confidence. I want to learn more about who all these characters are and about their dangerously complicated relationships. I read this all morning. I’m in!
In a guarded chamber, the lady of a high house has given birth to a daughter with birth defects who she must protect from superstition if the girl is to live.
This opening comes in two parts: one focuses on the rambunctiousness of our high lady’s older daughter Rada, the other on the lady post-labor, which introduces the conflicts that propel this story forward.
I don’t have much to say about the older daughter. Her section of the opening feels like it goes on too long. It is energetic, and I enjoyed her playfulness to a point, but her voice was a bit much. If this were half-as long, I would have enjoyed it twice as much.
Once the narrative turns to our high lady, however, the story quickly grabs hold of me. The narration grows up. It is clear and pointed. There is high drama. The dialogue is strong, and revealing of character.
The midwife is not attending the birth on behalf of our mother. She is doing someone else’s bidding (the father, I presume). Our lady, exhausted from birth, cannot rest. The life of her new daughter depends on what she does now.
Her servant women are as strong-willed as she is, and ready with their daggers. This feels like a story rich with intrigue, familial and political complications, and high stakes. Once it properly starts, it’s gripping stuff.
Despite my criticism, now that this is underway, it’s moving fast and has won my confidence. I want to learn more about who all these characters are and about their dangerously complicated relationships. I read this all morning. I’m in!
May 26, 2023
The epic adventure of Rada, a 6yo slingshot whiz who has her entire world flipped upside down with the birth of her baby sister.
I don’t do spoilers as you know, so I will say this book is quick and easy to follow and your 100% team Rada!
I love the way her and her sisters bond only gets stronger and stronger even though her sister is so young. ♥️♥️♥️
This story is full of all the right elements to have you powering through it.
I don’t do spoilers as you know, so I will say this book is quick and easy to follow and your 100% team Rada!
I love the way her and her sisters bond only gets stronger and stronger even though her sister is so young. ♥️♥️♥️
This story is full of all the right elements to have you powering through it.
April 13, 2023
this was a great start to the Tales of Altaica series, it had a great story within and the characters worked well with the world. I enjoyed what was going on and getting to go on this journey. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from Tracy M. Joyce.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews