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Deridia #6
Exile
Impudent.
Headstrong.
Selfish.
Arla knew many things. She knew how to keep a tidy workroom. How to infuriate her elder sister. How to put a smile on her mother’s face when there had been only tears. How to anger her father when she couldn’t seem to master her tongue or her temper.
She was supposed to want to be a wife someday. To smooth away the more difficult parts of herself until she was pliable and meek. Desirable.
But all Arla wanted was a friend. Someone that wasn’t sister, or mother, or father. Just a friend to call her own. And then she found... Him.
-x-
She could not decide what to make of him. This strange boy who seemed not to realise she was a girl. Who treated her like... She did not know what.
“What’s your name?” he asked, leaning toward her and nudging her lightly with his shoulder, as if to claim her attention once more.
“Arla,” she answered, realising too late she perhaps should have given him a false one.
He smiled softly. “A pretty name,” he declared, and a strange sort of warmth filled her belly to hear him say so. “I’m Osin,” he added, then wrinkled his brow a little. “Well, Osin’morn, but nobody really uses it.” She was staring at him again, and he darkened about his ears, and turned back to look at her. “What?”
“I...” she swallowed, and rubbed her hands along her skirt. “I’ve never been given a male’s name before,” she answered, feeling all jumbled to admit it. He should know that. Surely there were rules that he must learn as well. About not touching a girl on her shoulder. Of titles and half-names, and not looking one another in the eye and...
Oh.” He glanced toward the crumbling wall, his mouth turning downward ever so slightly. “I’m always doing things wrong,” he confessed. “Ahme tries to teach me manners, but she says they fall out just as quickly as she puts them in.” He huffs out a breath and leans his head against the trunk of her tree—not her tree—with enough force that she was certain it must have hurt him. “Why can’t you have my name?”
Arla opened her mouth. Closed it again. “I don’t know.” Cynestrine would know. She was always better at remembering, never felt to question every little custom that Ahme tried so hard to teach.
“I’d like you to have it,” Osin insisted, “Since you let me have yours.”
Headstrong.
Selfish.
Arla knew many things. She knew how to keep a tidy workroom. How to infuriate her elder sister. How to put a smile on her mother’s face when there had been only tears. How to anger her father when she couldn’t seem to master her tongue or her temper.
She was supposed to want to be a wife someday. To smooth away the more difficult parts of herself until she was pliable and meek. Desirable.
But all Arla wanted was a friend. Someone that wasn’t sister, or mother, or father. Just a friend to call her own. And then she found... Him.
-x-
She could not decide what to make of him. This strange boy who seemed not to realise she was a girl. Who treated her like... She did not know what.
“What’s your name?” he asked, leaning toward her and nudging her lightly with his shoulder, as if to claim her attention once more.
“Arla,” she answered, realising too late she perhaps should have given him a false one.
He smiled softly. “A pretty name,” he declared, and a strange sort of warmth filled her belly to hear him say so. “I’m Osin,” he added, then wrinkled his brow a little. “Well, Osin’morn, but nobody really uses it.” She was staring at him again, and he darkened about his ears, and turned back to look at her. “What?”
“I...” she swallowed, and rubbed her hands along her skirt. “I’ve never been given a male’s name before,” she answered, feeling all jumbled to admit it. He should know that. Surely there were rules that he must learn as well. About not touching a girl on her shoulder. Of titles and half-names, and not looking one another in the eye and...
Oh.” He glanced toward the crumbling wall, his mouth turning downward ever so slightly. “I’m always doing things wrong,” he confessed. “Ahme tries to teach me manners, but she says they fall out just as quickly as she puts them in.” He huffs out a breath and leans his head against the trunk of her tree—not her tree—with enough force that she was certain it must have hurt him. “Why can’t you have my name?”
Arla opened her mouth. Closed it again. “I don’t know.” Cynestrine would know. She was always better at remembering, never felt to question every little custom that Ahme tried so hard to teach.
“I’d like you to have it,” Osin insisted, “Since you let me have yours.”
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2021
40 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Miller
25 books125 followersI am an American by birth and situation, whose heart forever remains in Great Britain. I derive much inspiration from my holidays abroad, and my writing is heavily influenced by the delights of the English and Scottish countryside. My author's journey began in several reimaginings of The Phantom of the Opera where I explore happier endings for our beloved Erik-- hopefully aided by my degrees in psychology. I have a love for fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as the pleasure of a thrilling murder mystery... each of which have begun to creep into my writerly pursuits. When I am not consumed with a novel, I enjoy lavishing affection on my two cats, and working in historical costume design.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 13, 2022
This lady can write. This isn't my usual genre, but I do sometimes like a great space opera. She doesn't write those. These are beautifully written, character driven romances with an astonishing amount of imagination. I wouldn't start with this one, though. You really need to start at the beginning of the series to understand the world building. If your up to the commitment, you'll be rewarded with a series that makes you think. I'll be the first to admit it was hard reading a couple of them bc of the way humans were...................treated, but then I got the inference about how humans treat each other. So, if you have time and KU, this is a great way to spend a few weeks reading. Not to say that they can't be read as a stand alone, they can, I just get more enjoyment out of them for having read the series. I've loved watching this author evolve. I was afraid she was going to stop writing, but I'm hopeful she'll continue. Just a word about sex scenes. 'Cause, well, you know......lol. They are minimal and not descriptive, but touching bc of the growth the characters go through to get to that level of intimacy.
September 13, 2022
This book follows the story of one of the sisters of books 4 and 5.
It's a bit different as both the Hero and heroine are of the same race.
In the previous books we learnt of the mistreatment of the women of this culture by their fathers then husband.
The Hero and heroine meet when they are young and have a secret friendship for many years but it seems impossible they could marry each other when it grows into something more as they get older.
The book deals with their battle to get married but also afterwards, their battle to live their life differently and make changes to their culture.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman/man drama.
There is a reunion with the sisters from book 4/5 with this heroine.
HEA.
It's a bit different as both the Hero and heroine are of the same race.
In the previous books we learnt of the mistreatment of the women of this culture by their fathers then husband.
The Hero and heroine meet when they are young and have a secret friendship for many years but it seems impossible they could marry each other when it grows into something more as they get older.
The book deals with their battle to get married but also afterwards, their battle to live their life differently and make changes to their culture.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman/man drama.
There is a reunion with the sisters from book 4/5 with this heroine.
HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
This is probably the strongest entry in the series. I had just finished reviewing the prior 3 books that followed 3 of the 4 sisters of the Yarrow people. I had mentioned that it felt a little slow as we were basically staying with the same people (and within the same family) instead of exploring the other species/cultures on the planet.
The Yarrow society is extremely patriarchal and oppressive to the say the least. I had noted that Miller writes her stories where the women are harshly subjugated/abused by the men BUT they are also healed and loved by the men. I felt it was a way to show that you can't judge a whole society or sex based on the actions of some of the people. That for every oppressive society, there are good people who do not believe in supporting it. Sure enough! This story follows the 4th sister who doesn't believe in her people's treatment of women. As a child, she befriends a young boy and together they learn about each other and discuss the treatment of men vs. women. They form a tight bond that continues as they grow older until it eventually turns into love. It shows how an individual can (often slowly) effect change from within. I loved that it was done slowly and with patience because if you attack a person’s belief or the status quo it only serves to make people fight harder to not change. It's subtle and takes time but you could see the seeds that were being planted coming to fruition.
Overall, it was a wonderful story that nicely closes the loop on the Yarrow people.
Interesting to note is that the Yarrow also talk about how they built a wall to keep others out because of fear of the enemy. This is yet another people who refer to their “enemy” who disappeared a couple generations ago. Also, I loved how because they had closed themselves in by building this wall, how over time all it did was insulate their culture so that it started to decline. Hmm.
The Yarrow society is extremely patriarchal and oppressive to the say the least. I had noted that Miller writes her stories where the women are harshly subjugated/abused by the men BUT they are also healed and loved by the men. I felt it was a way to show that you can't judge a whole society or sex based on the actions of some of the people. That for every oppressive society, there are good people who do not believe in supporting it. Sure enough! This story follows the 4th sister who doesn't believe in her people's treatment of women. As a child, she befriends a young boy and together they learn about each other and discuss the treatment of men vs. women. They form a tight bond that continues as they grow older until it eventually turns into love. It shows how an individual can (often slowly) effect change from within. I loved that it was done slowly and with patience because if you attack a person’s belief or the status quo it only serves to make people fight harder to not change. It's subtle and takes time but you could see the seeds that were being planted coming to fruition.
Overall, it was a wonderful story that nicely closes the loop on the Yarrow people.
Interesting to note is that the Yarrow also talk about how they built a wall to keep others out because of fear of the enemy. This is yet another people who refer to their “enemy” who disappeared a couple generations ago. Also, I loved how because they had closed themselves in by building this wall, how over time all it did was insulate their culture so that it started to decline. Hmm.
April 14, 2022
Absolutely amazing story.
I came into this book having read only the first one in the series and was absolutely blown away by this story.
The tried and trusted formula of boy meets girl starts it off with downtrodden heroine Arla meeting neighbour boy Osin. The romance that grows and matures alongside them is absolutely beautiful…the standard by which good romances should aspire to. The world building is great and the book is hard to put down.
Note that this book is definitely for an adult audience, there is a vividly described ( yet classy ) sex scene between the pair.
I came into this book having read only the first one in the series and was absolutely blown away by this story.
The tried and trusted formula of boy meets girl starts it off with downtrodden heroine Arla meeting neighbour boy Osin. The romance that grows and matures alongside them is absolutely beautiful…the standard by which good romances should aspire to. The world building is great and the book is hard to put down.
Note that this book is definitely for an adult audience, there is a vividly described ( yet classy ) sex scene between the pair.
April 30, 2023
definitely one of the best of the Deridia series
some books that follow the sisteres had quite repetitive plots
but this one was memorable on its own
the friendship between the main characters as children was incredibly sweet and you just cant help but to root for them
the development was paced and credible and the insights into what they are feeling was constructive
I hope we get a book regarding osin\s brother
that story was very interesting and deserves to be told separately
some books that follow the sisteres had quite repetitive plots
but this one was memorable on its own
the friendship between the main characters as children was incredibly sweet and you just cant help but to root for them
the development was paced and credible and the insights into what they are feeling was constructive
I hope we get a book regarding osin\s brother
that story was very interesting and deserves to be told separately
November 5, 2024
wish it had a different title
Maybe I misremembered the previous stories, but throughout the entire story I was waiting for the horrible moment the H/h are exiled and had to start over from nothing. It was exhausting worrying the whole time. And then there were hints that something awful may be the cause (bad touching), so I was doubly concerned. Very relieved it worked out better than I was dreading. Well written, but some annoying typos.
Maybe I misremembered the previous stories, but throughout the entire story I was waiting for the horrible moment the H/h are exiled and had to start over from nothing. It was exhausting worrying the whole time. And then there were hints that something awful may be the cause (bad touching), so I was doubly concerned. Very relieved it worked out better than I was dreading. Well written, but some annoying typos.
December 25, 2024
Different
This was a departure from the rest of the series. More than about a relationship, it was about family, a society, sacrifice, quiet courage, and how a good man can enact change. It was a much more somber read, covering a great expanse of time, and I might not have rated it quite so high if the end hadn't been so hopeful and beautiful.
This was a departure from the rest of the series. More than about a relationship, it was about family, a society, sacrifice, quiet courage, and how a good man can enact change. It was a much more somber read, covering a great expanse of time, and I might not have rated it quite so high if the end hadn't been so hopeful and beautiful.
September 16, 2022
I want to give him a kiss on the forehead. He's literally top three best book guys 💖💖
What was air when there was him? When he was all that was right in the world, all kindness and goodness and hers?
February 19, 2023
This was good, an interesting way to do friends to lovers. And I liked to see two people who realized how messed up their culture was. But I’m a little disappointed but unsurprised that the oldest sister didn’t get a happy ending while the three younger ones did
March 27, 2023
It had potential but the execution never reached those emotional highs and lows. Everything was so dull and bland on an emotional level. The book played everything too safe in how it treated the characters, so I never got fully invested in the story. Or I'm just a dramatic b!+ch and I want that drama in my fictional stories.
Childhood friends who grow up together and realize they have feelings for each other when they become adults is one of my catnip tropes. I will read every book that has this trope. Which is how this book found its way onto my radar. And I was disappointed.
✨ Arla and Osin had the cutest beginning. They were adorable. There was a genuine relationship that developed between these two. The beginning of the book had so much potential. I was expecting big things.
✨ So I'm reading a book that is number 6 in the series without reading any of the previous books and I was fine. Because I'm a mood reader and pick up books depending on the trope or what my friends rec, sometimes I read books out of order. And sometimes I get horribly lost because some authors like to keep their world building contained in the first book and only that book. Not an issue here. Jump right in. Thanks Catherine Miller.
✨ We have an actual healthy relationship here. Not a big shock considering they started as friends. They communicate.Sometimes. They care about each other. They express feelings without hidden undertones. They get each other. Maybe that's why I love the friends to lovers trope. For when you read too much dark romance and you want something with less ✨trauma✨, friends to lovers is great.
✨ The plot was fine. I wasn't expecting some space adventure so the slice of life sort of plot was fine. This book very much felt like a contemporary story set in space.
🛑 I hate the writing style. I've read some real bad purple prose in my life because sometimes those bodice rippers (the ones that have purple prose) just hit the spot. But this was awful. Everything was vague and poorly described because the book is allergic to well-formed and fully functioning sentences and paragraphs. There's flowery and there's whatever this is and I hated this.
🛑 I was so bored. I wanted to DNF so many times. There's nothing here to keep you reading because everything was so linear without any of that annoying conflict or tension that other better plotted books have.
🛑 As much as I loved Arla and Osin at the start, they weren't anything special as far as fictional couples with the friends to lovers trope. As the book developed, they started dropping fast in my tier list of friends to lovers books. They were so boring. There's just nothing about them that stands out to me. I will definitely forget about them in a few days because they made no impression on me.
I say pass on this if you are looking for a book that hits that friends to lovers trope and makes it unforgettable. Only read this if you've read all the friends to lovers books you can find (like me) and can't find more because this will hit that trope at the start of the book, but there is nothing special here.
Childhood friends who grow up together and realize they have feelings for each other when they become adults is one of my catnip tropes. I will read every book that has this trope. Which is how this book found its way onto my radar. And I was disappointed.
✨ Arla and Osin had the cutest beginning. They were adorable. There was a genuine relationship that developed between these two. The beginning of the book had so much potential. I was expecting big things.
✨ So I'm reading a book that is number 6 in the series without reading any of the previous books and I was fine. Because I'm a mood reader and pick up books depending on the trope or what my friends rec, sometimes I read books out of order. And sometimes I get horribly lost because some authors like to keep their world building contained in the first book and only that book. Not an issue here. Jump right in. Thanks Catherine Miller.
✨ We have an actual healthy relationship here. Not a big shock considering they started as friends. They communicate.
✨ The plot was fine. I wasn't expecting some space adventure so the slice of life sort of plot was fine. This book very much felt like a contemporary story set in space.
🛑 I hate the writing style. I've read some real bad purple prose in my life because sometimes those bodice rippers (the ones that have purple prose) just hit the spot. But this was awful. Everything was vague and poorly described because the book is allergic to well-formed and fully functioning sentences and paragraphs. There's flowery and there's whatever this is and I hated this.
🛑 I was so bored. I wanted to DNF so many times. There's nothing here to keep you reading because everything was so linear without any of that annoying conflict or tension that other better plotted books have.
🛑 As much as I loved Arla and Osin at the start, they weren't anything special as far as fictional couples with the friends to lovers trope. As the book developed, they started dropping fast in my tier list of friends to lovers books. They were so boring. There's just nothing about them that stands out to me. I will definitely forget about them in a few days because they made no impression on me.
I say pass on this if you are looking for a book that hits that friends to lovers trope and makes it unforgettable. Only read this if you've read all the friends to lovers books you can find (like me) and can't find more because this will hit that trope at the start of the book, but there is nothing special here.
June 14, 2024
Great
This one brings in elements or other books and you get to see a begging of change and love bloom.
Of a couple needing change and finding in each other from a forbidden childhood friendship. To deep.love and acceptance.
I look forward to the next book.
This one brings in elements or other books and you get to see a begging of change and love bloom.
Of a couple needing change and finding in each other from a forbidden childhood friendship. To deep.love and acceptance.
I look forward to the next book.
Read
July 13, 2022The similarities with Islamic culture is making me squeamish but in the whole it was a very chill story yes
July 18, 2022
This was better than the previous two books, which are a trilogy in the larger work.
January 2, 2023
DNF 33% bored.
April 28, 2023
Bingo: Female Rage
August 8, 2025
Slow paced but good
Nearly DNFd this one at 33% as it just felt like it wasn’t going anywhere, but I’m glad I decided to push on as it got better and the ending gave me hope for the Yarrow women going forward.
Nearly DNFd this one at 33% as it just felt like it wasn’t going anywhere, but I’m glad I decided to push on as it got better and the ending gave me hope for the Yarrow women going forward.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews