By the Orchid and the Owl by Mariah Montoya
By the Orchid and the Owl is a fantasy book. It follows Rayna Drey, who is 18 years old. Once you turn 18, you are sent to the institute to be branded with faerie magic; you do not know which magic you will get. You then spend the next 5 years at the institute learning to control and harness this magic. The types of sanctioned magic are: the ability to wield elements, summon objects, shift forms, talk to wildlife or manipulate minds. Rayna, on her first night at the institute, the night before the branding drinks some ale laced with bascite (the same stuff that would be branded into her), she explodes with a raw type of power, luckily for Rayne Coen Steeler, a fifth year mind manipulator can teach her to hide it, however Coen is hiding many secrets too. Rayna begins to uncover dark secrets about the Island and its council. If they find out, she and Coen face a fate worse than death.
The magic woven into Eshol is the only thing that keeps us safe from the monsters beyond our shield. We must each bear a thread of that magic to keep our fortifications tight.
⚫️ Fantasy Romance ⚫️ Magic ⚫️ Touch her & die ⚫️ Magic Academia ⚫️ Found Family ⚫️ Dark Secrets ⚫️ Animal Companions ⚫️ Forbidden Powers
🔴 Bullying 🔴 Death 🔴 Sexual Content 🔴 Violence 🔴 Murder
You’re not a soft little drizzle, you’re more like a raging hurricane
This book was recommended to me by my friend Roni as part of my 12 Months…12 Friends…12 Books challenge. For some reason, I kept putting this one off I don’t know why, but I was scared to start it. Maybe because I know Roni reads a lot of Epic fantasy and high fantasy, and I don’t, and maybe I was worried it would be a high fantasy. I loved it, straight away from page one, and I was hooked. I enjoyed the writing style; it was easy to read (other than the names). It wasn’t simplistic, and it flowed well.
We, the whisperers of the island
Welcome all who’ve heard
Any part of this great, big wild
From boundless bud to rarest bird
Each plant sings a song of old
Each animal has a tale
Each creeping, crawling little thing
Speaks to us as well.
So we listen to each warble,
Each hiss and howl and growl,
We protect and care, this we swear,
By the orchid and the owl.
I really enjoyed the magic in this book; it was quite different in the way they received the magic. The powers themselves weren’t anything complicated, and were powers I’ve seen before in fantasy books. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, though; I enjoyed them. I really want to be a wild whisperer, able to communicate with animals and the wilderness. I enjoyed Rayna’s character, she is soft and at first a bit of a pushover over but she soon finds her strength and stands tall. I also really liked Coen; he is mysterious and sexy, and I’m sure I wouldn’t mind him talking to me in my mind.
Rayna’s friends are also lovely, especially Emelle, who is there for her no matter what. Quinn, Rayna’s childhood friend, is a flake and a wet wipe. She made me mad! Who turns their back on their childhood friend like that?! Dick!
This book had love, action, secrecy, and magic. It had parts that gave you a little lump in your throat, parts that made you laugh and parts that made you want to smack a bitch. I read this on my Kindle and decided I needed a copy for my shelf, so I had a look on Vinted and found the Butterfly Box special edition, which went straight into my basket! I then went on the butterfly box website to see if they planned on doing book 2, and they have, and I was able to buy it, so whoohooo, Roni, you’ve made me spend like £50 😂 shh🤫 don’t tell my husband.
I’m super excited to read book 2.
You are the hurricane that ravaged my heart, Rayna, and you are the only one who can put it back together. I will come back for you. I will make you pick up my pieces. And I will pick up yours.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5
