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The Chess Raven Chronicles #2
The Girl Who Chose
If anyone ever tells you you're ‘The One’, check the fine print. Being Queen is not all it’s cracked up to be: all pageantry and no power, always lonely but never alone. Chess Raven is starting to realise that perhaps she wasn’t ‘The One’ after all. Maybe she was just the last resort. When an opportunity arises to form an alliance with the royal family in Venice, Chess jumps at the chance to prove herself. But her mission is complicated by the heir to the throne, Prince Victor Grigio, whose heart is set on romance – regardless of what Chess thinks. Meanwhile, the sisterhood of mermaids who swim in the Venetian canals offer Chess a deal: find the scroll containing their lost songs of freedom and power in exchange for her mother’s life. Hunted by enemies both human and Fae, Chess races to uncover the truth about her past and find the scroll that will set her mother free. First, though, she must learn the lesson of love: what it is – and what it isn’t. Brimming with action and mystery and set in the lush magical realm of Venice, The Girl Who Loved is the brilliant second instalment of the Chess Raven Chronicles.
Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2019
5 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Violet Grace
2 books15 followersViolet Grace is the pen name of wife-and-husband writing team Kasey Edwards and Christopher Scanlon. Kasey is an author and columnist and Christopher is an academic and social commentator. They live in Melbourne with their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 30, 2019
★★★½
The follow-up to The Girl Who Fell, The Girl Who Chose is a complusively readble, action-packed, feminist fantasy. I dare you to find a way to put it down!
After defeating her uncle Damius' army of diseased fae, not to mention being crowned Queen, Chess refocuses on her quest to revive her mother, whose life-force has been captured by her uncle. However, court politics demands she travel to Serenissima (the fae counterpart city to Venice), home to House Grigio, to further an alliance between the kingdoms. What unfolds in Serenissima involves epic battles, mermaids, new weapons, a seduction and much questioning of who can or should be trusted.
Chess is such a plausible character - given her rough upbringing and the pressures placed on her as Queen, her insecurities and fears are well-founded and portrayed. Much of her storyline in this book is about recognising and breaking free from manipulation, including identifying when a love interest is unhealthy. These are essential ideas for young women to be exposed to, and Grace has written them sensitively and relatably.
Women are discounted, discredited and mistrusted in multiple ways throughout the story, and Grace turns these assumptions on their head each time. For example (and this is just one of many examples), the perception of mermaids as liars, ultimately proven to be false, reflects the truth of modern prejudices. It is also a strong message that women need to support, believe in and trust one another - a message that can't be emphasised enough.
The Venetian setting makes for some spectacular scenes, both on and off the water, and I enjoyed seeing more of the fae world than in the first novel.
This is an easy read - the writing is all about moving the story forward, and the first person narration shows us how high the stakes are for Chess. But it is also a read with big, important messages beneath it.
I received a copy of The Girl Who Chose from Nero Books on exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The follow-up to The Girl Who Fell, The Girl Who Chose is a complusively readble, action-packed, feminist fantasy. I dare you to find a way to put it down!
After defeating her uncle Damius' army of diseased fae, not to mention being crowned Queen, Chess refocuses on her quest to revive her mother, whose life-force has been captured by her uncle. However, court politics demands she travel to Serenissima (the fae counterpart city to Venice), home to House Grigio, to further an alliance between the kingdoms. What unfolds in Serenissima involves epic battles, mermaids, new weapons, a seduction and much questioning of who can or should be trusted.
Chess is such a plausible character - given her rough upbringing and the pressures placed on her as Queen, her insecurities and fears are well-founded and portrayed. Much of her storyline in this book is about recognising and breaking free from manipulation, including identifying when a love interest is unhealthy. These are essential ideas for young women to be exposed to, and Grace has written them sensitively and relatably.
Women are discounted, discredited and mistrusted in multiple ways throughout the story, and Grace turns these assumptions on their head each time. For example (and this is just one of many examples), the perception of mermaids as liars, ultimately proven to be false, reflects the truth of modern prejudices. It is also a strong message that women need to support, believe in and trust one another - a message that can't be emphasised enough.
The Venetian setting makes for some spectacular scenes, both on and off the water, and I enjoyed seeing more of the fae world than in the first novel.
This is an easy read - the writing is all about moving the story forward, and the first person narration shows us how high the stakes are for Chess. But it is also a read with big, important messages beneath it.
I received a copy of The Girl Who Chose from Nero Books on exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
dnf
August 21, 2022DNF at 44% on August 21st, 2022. (too bad i didn’t do it for the other books). im not gonna rate it bc it breaks my heart i don’t have the motivation to finish it. i love this book duet ive read it twice before but oh well i will again soon enough in the future. rest easy tommy im coming back
October 24, 2019
4.5/5 stars
I really enjoy the audiobook.
I really enjoy the audiobook.
August 14, 2020
I’m not going to say I hated this series, because I stuck through it. But I didn’t love it. It dragged and the story line was too slow for my liking.
August 18, 2021
Enjoyable conclusion to the Chess Raven Chronicles.
Easy listening; ya fantasy.
Easy listening; ya fantasy.
February 10, 2025
This was a great follow on from the first book. The teen section of the library is turning out to be worth perusing for books.
May 6, 2020
Review originally published on my blog here!
I love how this book had strong female characters, that stood up for themselves- such as Chess and Abby!
I also enjoyed the setting of Venice, and the drama the swelled from the realms- it made for an exciting read! The narration made for easy reading, and I felt that I read this one quite fast, showing the high stakes at risk.
I wish I had more of Tom's story though, that would have been a nice touch.
Overall, I give this #loveOzYA novel a rating of 3.5 stars!
I love how this book had strong female characters, that stood up for themselves- such as Chess and Abby!
I also enjoyed the setting of Venice, and the drama the swelled from the realms- it made for an exciting read! The narration made for easy reading, and I felt that I read this one quite fast, showing the high stakes at risk.
I wish I had more of Tom's story though, that would have been a nice touch.
Overall, I give this #loveOzYA novel a rating of 3.5 stars!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews