Leaving behind all they know, Elisabeth and her brother, Edvard, flee beyond the mountains.
Elisabeth must break the mind-link her stepmother, Olivia, has forged or else the kingdom of Vendale will fall into ruin while the love of her life becomes a puppet to the witches’ coven. In an attempt to force Elisabeth and Edvard to return, Olivia sends her magic after them, pursuing them with all the force of her power and transforming Edvard into a creature of the forest. Elisabeth succumbs to despair and Edvard sets out to find help. He meets an unexpected deliverer, with whose help the siblings embark on a journey of discovery, learning about the forest and a world they hardly knew existed.
Can Elisabeth break the mind-link? Can Edvard overcome his prejudices? For the sake of Vendale and the home they fled, brother and sister must face their demons, rise to the occasion, and discover how to defeat the witches.
This is the second book in The Siblings' Tale duology. If you would like to know why Elisabeth and Edvard had to flee, you can find out in Aspiring, Part 1 of the Siblings' Tale.
This ebook also includes a treasure hunt. Access to "Aliyah goes home" is embedded somewhere in the ebook. This short story is exclusively accessible to buyers of this ebook and will not be formally published, nor made available anywhere else. Good luck hunting.
Oh no, I forgot about this book! I real the entire duology in one weekend and only wrote about the first book!!
This one picked right up where Aspiring left off. We get to see Elisabeth grow into a thoughtful and strong young woman under the Ayori's tutelage. I liked the Earth/Nature magic a lot and how she had to learn a lot of it her own way.
The found family trope is my favorite thing ever, between Elisabeth's adoption and ... Well ... spoilers spoilers spoilers ... Let's just say there's a strong found family aspect.
I found some solutions a little too convenient though, like how easily Elisabeth solved the corruption problem and how easily the mind link seemed to be broken. I was expecting some kind of dramatic showdown that really never occurred. I did like how diplomatic Elisabeth became though, especially with the Queen regent.
And maybe I'm a little silly but I kind of felt like the dead should have stayed dead, it was just what I was expecting having read Gisela first and I love a good heart break 😂
Seriously though this is a great conclusion to the duology, I liked watching the characters grow up and form adult relationships and start to build a new future in Vendale
Totally recommend for cozy fairy tale / fantasy readers
My first book of 2022 and what a wonderful start it is! I finished this book in a matter of hours because I couldn't keep it down for long.
It was an emotional journey for me. Since the end of the first book, I had been worried about Elisabeth and Edvard's fate. The beginning showed me that I had every right to be. But, as the story progressed, I started to relax and felt a sense of satisfaction. There were moments when I had tears in my eyes- of both, sadness and joy.
Elisabeth's character matured well, and it was wonderful to see her become more confident and sure of her actions. The introduction of new characters was smooth, and I loved reading about their traditions and beliefs. The author has given a powerful message about protecting the environment and shown how human greed is destroying everything.
There were a few twists that kept me on edge. I love a little bit of court intrigue, and the scenes in the book were masterfully crafted.
The author's writing style has a lyrical quality, and at times I would forget that I was reading a book. Instead, it felt like I was experiencing the emotions myself. Even though there were time jumps, the pacing was perfect. At no point did I feel like I was missing something.
The ending was great, and I'm happy with the way each character's life turned out. Elisabeth and Richard's story is done here, and I'm excited to see what new characters I'll be meeting in the next one.
I recommend the book to readers who enjoy the fantasy romance genre with strong protagonists and lots of adventure. Also, do check out other books by the author. Her writing is truly amazing!
Astrid did great in weaving the feeling of classic fairytales into her story for the modern reader. Elizabeth is a fun character who is relatable for anyone who has fallen in love, but then has to deal with her new powers and is given more responsibility than she ever thought possible. It definitely weaves in a few different class fairy tales from different areas of Europe, and I really liked that about it. Astrid writes very well and has a beautiful pose, although if you are looking for an action-packed story, this one might not be for you. This one is more lyrical and beautiful, versus other books in the genre.
The second book is great as it follows more of of the siblings' tale. I really liked Edvard and his devotion to his sister, but felt we didn't get enough of him in the last half of the book. Although the evil step-mother troupe is used a lot, it's definitely a classic and is relatable to some people *cough-cough*. She was quite evil, but I found her believable as I have seen some pretty messed up families in my life because of step-parents.
All in all, if you are looking for a beautiful prose that is based on fairy tales, I recommend these two books!
Curious about Elisabeth and Edvard's next steps, I joined them in their new journey. From destruction, pain and hate, Zibby works her way into a path of knowledge, compassion and healing. Becoming is a powerful story that teaches us to embrace every darkness and light of our beings and accept ourselves for what we are and the path we have journeyed so far. The author takes to meet the elves and embrace their culture, stories, and curses. I loved the time they spend with them as much as I enjoyed following Elisabeth back home. No longer a child, she will lead them on the right path. Elisabeth's scars (of her mind and body) may come from the ugliness of an evil act, but they tell us how much she had to suffer for justice. Her ability to chose kindness and understanding above all is more powerful than any magic.
My favorite scene was Zibby's confrontation with the Dowager Queen. It was like thanking your adversaries personally for making you a stronger person in your life.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Curious about Elisabeth and Edvard's next steps, I joined them in their new journey. From destruction, pain and hate, Zibby works her way into a path of knowledge, compassion and healing. Becoming is a powerful story that teaches us to embrace every darkness and light of our beings and accept ourselves for what we are and the path we have journeyed so far. The author takes to meet the elves and embrace their culture, stories, and curses. I loved the time they spend with them as much as I enjoyed following Elisabeth back home. No longer a child, she will lead them on the right path. Elisabeth's scars (of her mind and body) may come from the ugliness of an evil act, but they tell us how much she had to suffer for justice. Her ability to chose kindness and understanding above all is more powerful than any magic.
My favorite scene was Zibby's confrontation with the Dowager Queen. It was like thanking your adversaries personally for making you a stronger person in your life.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I often worry with sequels—will it carry the strength and tenacity of the first installment? Will there be enough meat on the story to hold my interest? I didn’t have to worry with the second book in the Elisabeth and Edvard duet.
The story brings in a new depth to the characters, along with a new cast to fall in love—or hate—with. The plot has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster but don’t worry, Astrid won’t leaving you stranded—she sees up every arc with the precision of an expert tailor.
This is a story I will revisit many times in the future, it’s a new and dear friend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Enchanting retelling of a sweet fairytale. Captivating adventure. Magical romance. Elisabeth & Edvard's tale continues after they flee from the palace together & journey beyond the mountains. They are never free from their evil stepmother's clutches. But they meet the magical elves of the forest & learn to live in secret until a chance encounter with Richard brings them back to the palace. Elizabeth's bravery & perseverance in protecting her loved ones & defeating evil makes up the second half of the book. The ending echoes the original fairytale yet is thrilling to read. This book makes up for the lacking storyline in the first book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment of The Siblings' Tale. Becoming delivers a full dose of adventure and magic and doesn't shy away from the romance either. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of some new characters - they enhanced the storytelling and character development of the protagonists. Becoming is more fast-paced than Aspiring, and it takes you on unexpected twists and turns that pull on your emotions.
This second half of the retelling delves into a lot more action and magic. I really enjoyed reading about Elisabeth and Edvard’s time spent with the Elvin Ayori. I also loved the side story with Edvard and Aliyah and was rooting for them the whole time. This second half of a duet retelling was full of intrigue and suspense and had me turning pages right up to the end. Well done!
The second part of this tale did not disappoint and even threw in some unexpected twists. I loved how the results for the story of Gisela’s Passion was intertwined into this one. The one thing that I really enjoyed was the ease of slipping into the story world. I look forward to reading more stories by this author.
I loved this version of the fairy tale, bringing it into the twenty first century. I was surprised by the very different writing style from the first part but totally immersed in the story and enjoyed it immensely.
The second part of the story of two siblings who have fled the palace grounds because their stepmother has forged a mind link with Elisabeth with the intention of controlling the soon to be King, who Elisabeth loves. They journey into the mountains but their stepmother’s magic follows them and hen Edward’s thirst is too great he succumbs to the water which has been cursed and is turned into a stag. He finds a Elf who agrees to see if she can save his sister. With the help of others in the Ellen community, Elisabeth regains her health and they help teach her how to wield her magic. A hunting party led by the now King comes upon where they are and a reunion of sorts takes place. With a promise to return, Elisabeth and Edward leave to return to the palace to confront Olivia, their stepmother and try and get her to break the spell. Prior to that, however, Elisabeth finds other young women who have latent magical abilities and takes it on herself to teach them about magic. There are surprises in store and tragedy as well but the tragedy is short lived and Elisabeth finally confronts Olivia and learns why she was determined to destroy the king and his blood lineage. There is indeed a happy ending finally after some five years for them both as a transformation does in fact finally take place for Edward.
I enjoyed this two part story and recommend it as well as the first book Aspire so you can read the full story!
This is the second book in the Siblings' duology and immediately picks up the story of Elisabeth and Edvard's adventures. The book was fast-paced (though it did skim quite a bit at times) and clearly part of a larger universe. It was intriguing with bits of fairytale retellings. The Ayori definitely gave me Avatar vibes, while the overall storyline felt like Once Upon a Time with vengeful witches and anti-hero arcs.
The main characters, especially Elisabeth, shone because of how steadfast she held to her morals and I truly liked that about her.
Elisabeth and her brother: Edvard flee the influence of their stepmother: Olivia. The trouble with V.J.'s plot is that it's longer than the original source.
This book took a little longer to read than the first part of the story. It's written in a different manner, a researcher putting the pieces of history together rather than a firsthand account. But it was still very good. A lot happened. Daring rescues. Broken spells. Love stories. A finale for the witches, but one with new understanding and greater health for the entire kingdom. I don't really know how to review this one without spoiling too much. Richard and Elisabeth are great, and Edvard redeems himself, although I didn't feel he needed that much redemption after everything he went through and how completely he transformed.
I received a copy of the book as a competition prize and have reviewed it freely.
Becoming is a wonderful creation by the author @astrid.v.j_author_official. You have to read the 2 books together (Aspiring and Becoming). They are a true enjoyment to read particularly if you like fantasy. The characters were well thought of, lovable and relatable. The storyline is packed full of twists, turns and tension that will keep you hooked as it delves into magic and explores the brother- sister relationship between Edvard and Elisabeth. Love and romance overflows; so, this is a read for romance lovers as well
This novel is called part two of the siblings tale and it really is like the novel was cut in half. You start straight where you left off, with the transformation of the brother. At the end of the last novel she left the kingdom and into the forest, and she stays there for five years. Maybe the main thing that interest me in a fantasy universe is the magic and the magic system and this series has a solid magic system. What I enjoyed is by the second chapter you're deep in a world of magic and magical creatures, who enables our protagonist to develop her magic skills. The interactions with the sensei are beautiful in this feminine nature way (as opposed to the 'warrior meditating under a waterfall' macho kind of way) The romance is outstanding, and the way the protagonists of part one, Richard and Elizabeth seal their love is memorable, and it happens at the end of the first third, which is great, and then they are a couple in the royal court of the fantasy kingdom. Just goes to show the story does not end at the marriage, it kind of begins after that! But its a completely different heorine we have here. Talk about a character arc! The whimpy 15 year old we met in part one is no more, and a hardened, determined woman is back. Here there is family drama, betrayal, sex, illegitimate children. It all explains the motivations of the witches, who as we know from the blurb, are plotting to take over the kingdom. I can't reveal much without giving spoilers but the kings step-sister is a fantastic addition to the cast of characters in this story. The story is very feminine, in that the two 'baddies' are women, and one, Olivia, is like the pure embodiment of evil. Anyhow in the novel was a bit black and white but i thought, well its a fairy tale rendition and fairy tales are like that, such as the evil witch in Snow White type (who actually embodies decay and death, so you can understand her jealously towards our nubile heroine.) At the very end we get to learn Olivias backstory. The other is the queen, and after our protagonists stay in the forest off she goes into court. A final comment, the story is remarkably anime. What i mean by that is that when we read images appear in our imagination. At one point i started viewing the images as an amine, with an anime aesthetics and it worked perfectly, not only the characters but also in term of the plot! Hmm, I wonder if the author can get it published as a 'light novel' in Japan?
I loved the cover of the book. Elisabeth is sent away with the Queens blessings. Edvard goes with her. They cross the mountains, but Edvard drinks some enchanted water and becomes a stag. He can only be restored with the death of the person who cursed him. They are lost and with nobody to help, they almost give up. Till edvard meets an elf and she takes them to her kingdom. Elisabeth learns more than she thought possible about magic. Magic that doesnt harm the earth and its beings. she learns there is a balance that must be kept. The elves relationship with the trees reminded me of Avatar. In the end, Richard finds her and marries her, making her the next queen. The witches strike again, this time they target Elisabeth. You will have to read on to find out what happens. I thought it should have been a little more difficult for them to find solutions. Other than that, a great book and some good editing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you like fantasy stories that enchant their readers into wanting more, than I highly recommend you read Becoming A siblings tale part 1 and 2. As it has a way of drawing you in and never letting go. It kind of reminds me a little of snow white as the main charcter has to endure the cruel manipulation of her wicked step mother, while dealing with the budding Romance of a prince and trying to stop the witches from enacting their evil plan to take over the kingdom. Truly a thrilling series of adventure and love that you won't want to miss.
I give it 4 stars as there are a number of blank pages before the story starts and at the end of each chapter. Other than that great Job Astrid.
You can purchase book one and preorder book 2 on amazon.
I absolutely loved reading the story of Elisabeth and Edvard.
The closeness to the fairy tale of brother and sister made it easy to get into. Page by page I was drawn more into the fantastic world and the siblings adventures and you couldn’t help but feel for the characters.
There were many unexpected twists and turns and the tension was kept till the end.
I simply couldn’t stop reading the book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. A beautifully written book.
This book was a great, interesting sequel to Aspiring, and it was good to be back with the old crowd - and some newbies as well. I found it well-written with great flow that made it easy to read. It’s full of magic and gives an excellent opportunity to escape from day-to-day life. Hoping there will be a third in the series.
They need to escape the mind link her stepmother has put on her. This does not go down well. A spell is out on him changing him into a creature of the forest. She gets pull back and he need to save her. Can he do it? Will he get help? See if he can save her
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.