ARC Review: Beneath the Citadel // The Book that Has the Shocking Book Ending of the Year

Though I usually get disappointed by books, there are some that exceed my expectations.

Beneath the Citadel is one of those books that completely took me by surprise, and in a GOOD way.

(Wow, can you believe I’m saying that?? I love not being disappointed by books.)

I’d first heard about this book vaguely, and put it on my TBR without thinking much of it. But when I heard about “bi boys and plus-sized ace girls”… I KNEW I had to read it. (I’m weak for queer stories okay.) And I’m so glad I ended up requesting this ARC, because I totally fell in love with it, and it’s probably going to end up as one of my most recommended fantasies!

BENEATH THE CITADEL

Destiny Soria, publishing October 9, 2018

In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. After the last infallible prophecy came to pass, growing unrest led to murders and an eventual rebellion that raged for more than a decade.

In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council, which governs Eldra from behind the walls of the citadel. Her only allies are no-nonsense Alys, easygoing Evander, and perpetually underestimated Newt, and Cassa struggles to come to terms with the legacy of rebellion her dead parents have left her—and the fear that she may be inadequate to shoulder the burden. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city—or themselves.

Thank you to Amulet for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinion in any way.

Beneath the Citadel is about the city of Eldra, which is ruled by ancient prophecies made long ago by the Elders. The council governs this city, but it is oppressive and the council members only care for themselves, leaving the citizens poor, hungry, and angry. It has great representation, a unique premise, and a super engaging storyline!

He was bent, but he wasn’t broken. That was enough, for now.

The story follows four characters:

• Cassa: orphaned daughter of rebels. clever. independent. strong. could probably kill you in your sleep. POC!
• Alys: intelligent. soft yet fierce. prophet. wouldn’t hesitate to call you out if you hurt her loved ones. POC, fat, has anxiety and panic attacks, and is asexual!
• Evander: MY FAVE. jokester. silver manipulator. determined. jokes so he can’t be afraid, which is a mood. POC and bisexual!
• Newt: PURE. extremely soft. contortionist. broken, but healing (victim of abuse). you couldn’t keep him tied up for anything. gay!

As you can probably tell by my descriptions of them, I loved all of the characters. They’re an effortlessly diverse cast, and they’re truly fantastic characters that I easily grew attached to. There was definitely a found family trope here, which is one of my favorites, and the way they’ve grown closer together and stuck by each other’s sides no matter what makes me SO SOFT.

(There was also a slowburn m/m romance that I had no idea would be in the book and it was so cute and amazing and I loved it!!!)

The thing about this story is that: It was so unique. It had a compelling premise and I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The whole book was just a Ride, with so many different twists and turns, and I had a lot of fun reading it, especially since I had no idea what was coming next.

And one of my favorite parts was how SHOCKING the ending was. Probably the most shocking book ending I’ll read all year and I absolutely loved it. I mean, I even teared up over it (it was 1 in the morning okay). I feel like it’s usually risky to write this type of ending, but I think it was pulled off SUPER well and I’m satisfied with how it ended. Even though I’m still in mild shock.

I also loved the fantasy world! It has different types of magic, like prophecies and manipulation of metals, but it wasn’t like… too much?? And the worldbuilding was well-done, because it’s a standalone (which I also love) and I didn’t feel like there was more I needed to know about the world!

The ONE thing that kept me from rating this 5 stars was the pacing. It was… slow. There were some events that were so drawn out that it felt like it took the span of two whole days, when in reality it was just… one night. It wasn’t TOO big of a problem, but while I was reading I could just feel the book moving slowly.

“Every memory, every mistake, every perfect moment. It’s all mine. It’s all me.”

But overall? This book was such an enjoyable, engaging read. I absolutely adored the characters and the shocking twists and the unique storyline, and I’d recommend this book in a heartbeat!

(Also, if you read this book, I totally suggest you read the author’s note! It talked about how today’s teens are expected to fix the mistakes that people generations before made, but how teens DO have the power to fight injustice, and it was so relevant to today and the story and I love the book more for it.)

:: rep :: female MC of color, bi male MC of color, gay MC (abuse survivor), fat asexual female MC with anxiety & panic attacks

:: content warnings :: panic attacks, loss of loved ones, death, murder, torture, abuse, captivity, medical experimentation, grief/trauma (heavy)

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do you plan on reading this book? (PLEASE!!) what are the most shocking book endings you’ve read? are there any books that give you SoC vibes? REC ME BOOKS with squads that banter!!