Daughter of the Drowned Empire is a new adult high fantasy/romantasy by Frankie Diane Mallis; it is book one in the Drowned Empire series. It follows Lady Lyriana, who is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria, but her position is not one of safety. Her cousin is gone, her sisters need protection, and now so does she. With her plans shaken and on the threat of having to leave her home, she has to take the only option available to her: training to be a Soturion warrior in only seven months. But she’s not alone; Lord Rhyan, an outsider in Bamaria, has to prove himself by helping Lyr get through training. However, this isn’t their only trial because Bamaria is under threat, so are Lyr and her family, and Lyr needs to be strong enough to fight for not just herself and her family but for her country—she cannot fail.
The first few pages had me thinking this was going to be another teen romance, but it quickly took a turn, and my mouth was hanging open as my heart rose to my throat. It was a good lead into getting to know the feeling of the world completely tilting on its axis for Lyr. With every chapter, she becomes stronger, but she is running on fumes and completely ragged, and then she has to put on her clothes, don a smile, and pretend everything is fine. She has no time to breathe because she has so much responsibility and is full of so many real fears. My heart was aching for every interaction she had with Tristan but I got why she was doing it, and that added to my pain for her, and that pain never stopped coming. I was so deeply connected to this character at points; she made me smile, and in these moments I felt like I could breathe, so it wasn’t so intense the whole way through the book, but there were plenty of points and twists that I didn’t predict at all. I have a few theories and predictions for the series as a whole, some of which I believe will come to fruition, but I’m looking forward to seeing the progression of it. We didn’t get much of her sisters in this book, but at the points at which we did, I was stuck on my feelings for them. At first, I felt they weren’t taking into account everything Lyr was doing, but later on, I loved them for giving her the truth she needed to hear – even if she wouldn’t take it. I enjoyed the training aspect of this. I don’t often read books with it, and I always enjoy it, but this is gruelling; you feel her struggle, but the support she’s getting from Rhyan makes it easier even if she doesn’t fully realise he is helping her, keeping her strong in a place that would do anything to see her falter. She is such a strong character; she has had to be; she’s had no choice in it, but she is also a fighter in spirit; she has something to prove to those around her and herself. She’s a protector, a fighter, a warrior, and by the end of the book, I think she’s finally realising she can be. This whole book is a growing period for Lyr with so many ups and downs. It was a thorough journey, and I can’t wait to see how much she grows in book two.
I loved Rhyan’s entry to this book; his first line is something that made me smile so much, and at points he became this anchor for Lyr, and she needed that, but I also think he needed that connection because he’s isolated and just as lonely as she is. We don’t get a lot of Rhyan as this book is from Lyr’s POV, so we find out these small pieces of his history as she does, and my heart aches for him. He is a protector also; you can see him battle between wanting to keep her strong and get her through training but also wanting to care for her and protect her from everyone, even the things she can’t tell him about, and there are so many things she can’t confess. Their partnership hints at a bump due to a revelation, and I felt the pain on both sides of this, but even with this, there is a draw between them, and with their oath, it makes what they have all the much harder—hello, forbidden romance. I enjoyed the small amount of flirtatious banter between them, Rhyan’s confession, and also how soft and understanding he could be with Lyr. He was her support system, and at points, he demanded her focus on him in a way that I knew she needed; she needed to know someone was with her, but he also needed her to know in a way that he was struggling not to step in and help her, battling his control and in a way just like her controlling what ‘they’ see. They both have this strong desire to save people, and I think this comes from no one saving them.
It took me a moment to adjust to a completely new world because I hadn’t read a high fantasy book in a while; thankfully, the world-building wasn’t overly complex, but I wished I had read the appendix first because I felt a bit thrown into the deep end. Nevertheless, I was finally hooked about halfway through the first chapter. I was absorbed into the trials Lyr is suffering through, the strength of someone who seems to be a second from falling apart, fully aware of and yet hasn’t got the chance to. When Rhyan entered, I felt like I could breathe; he sometimes became an anchor for her, but I was still totally lost in Lyr. My heart was in my throat many times. I was waiting to see what else would happen to her and wishing nothing more would. I feel so connected to Lyr’s story and the part Rhyan is playing in it. I have so many theories for what will happen in the Drowned Empire series, and I can’t wait to dive back in; therefore, my rating for Daughter of the Drowned Empire is Five out of Five stars.
If you are a fantasy reader and love it when a character has the weight of the world on her shoulders but needs to keep appearances, gruelling training sessions, invading political affairs, a book that is full of tension and has you constantly guessing and thinking of many theories as to what little things mean, then pick this book up. I was impressed with how gripped I was reading this book, as I don’t often venture into the genre. Daughter of the Drowned Empire tackles a lot of topics such as panic attacks, grief, depression, and, at some points, torture, and if you hate vomiting, you might want to skip some paragraphs. I felt for how Lyr was feeling in this book. I had felt some of the emotions and the pressure, so I think it was an easy marriage for me, but it’s not just Lyr that I loved. Rhyan made me grin every time he called her partner, but he showed so much strength in this book as well. They are both such strong protectors, so I look forward to seeing more of him and their interactions and watching their partnership grow throughout the series, and hopefully, my theory for them comes true. Daughter of the Drowned Empire is such a strong debut for Frankie Diane Mallis!
I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me the opportunity to ARC via Netgalley. Daughter of the Drowned Empire releases on 1st August 2024. The quotes I have used may not be in the final released copy of this book.
Favourite Quotes
“But I wasn’t strong. I was weak. I was a seraphim barely concealed behind the mask of a gryphon.”
– loc 1444
“I wouldn’t let them destroy this one. I wouldn’t let them take it from me. I was going to fight and stake my claim- my destiny- or die trying.”
– loc 1809
““Look at them. Right at them! Head up. Remember who you are.””
– loc 2784
“Rhyan went preternaturally still. “Who did this to you?””
– loc 4102
“I was the lamb these wolves would rip to shreds.”
– loc 4299
““Because, if I kiss you now, if I get one more taste, you’ll consume me.””
-loc 4609
Finer Details:
Title: Daughter of the Drowned Empire
Author: Frankie Diane Mallis
Pages: 454
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication: 2024 (First published in 2022)
Language: English
Rating: 5/5