Torn by Rowenna Miller – Review

Published: March 20, 2018

Publisher: Orbit

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Unraveled Kingdom #1

Pages: 480 (Paperback)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

TORN is the first book in an enchanting debut fantasy series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions, for fans of The Queen of the Tearling.

Sophie is a dressmaker who has managed to open her own shop and lift herself and her brother, Kristos, out of poverty. Her reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself — and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke.

Meanwhile, Kristos rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes him hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s Midwinter costume — or Kristos will die at their hand.

As the proletariat uprising comes to a violent climax, Sophie is torn: between her brother and the community of her birth, and her lover and the life she’s striven to build.

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Who knew that a book about a seamstress could be positively enchanting! Well, when you add a little bit of magic, a brewing revolution, and a handsome, noble love interest you’ve got yourself a blueprint for success. We’ve all read books featuring magical cloaks, shoes, and other vestments, but so rarely do we actually read about the person who creates these delightful (or possibly nefarious) pieces. Torn gives us exactly that and I loved every page!

Sophie Balstrade is a charming seamstress who produces ball gowns, day dresses, and other feminine apparel for the ladies of Galitha. For an additional cost, she’ll even weave in charms for protection, luck, love and other beneficent things and this is what attracts the attentions of Lady Viola Snowmont. Viola is a rather progressive noble, holding gatherings for those whose minds or talents interest her whether they be noble, common, foreign, or native. Of course, Sophie’s unique talent catches her attention and Sophie begins attending events and eventually meets the handsome Theodore, eldest son of the Duke of Westland. You can imagine where things go from here – commoner and noble meet, instant (but frowned upon) attraction ensues, there is a crisis, etc. etc. I honestly really enjoyed their relationship and seeing it bloom throughout the book, though this may be off-putting for some readers who steer clear of romantic intentions in their books.

On the flip side of Sophie’s popularity with some of the nobility is the fact that her brother is the leader of what is essentially a group of political revolutionaries who are speaking out against the nobility. Cue the crisis. Sophie is torn between her love and new friends and her brother, who she’s always supported. Torn definitely has a crisis external to Sophie and that is the growing tensions between the nobility and the common folk, with a hefty dose of revolutionary rhetoric, inaction by the nobles, and collusion with foreign countries thrown in. Mostly, though Sophie’s involved in the crisis and mostly it’s internal. She struggles with her loyalties to so many people, and then she gets blackmailed into cursing a garment on behalf of one of the most infuriating villains I can remember reading about. Pyord is a professor who hooked up Kristos Balstrade with funding from his countrymen, helped organize the Red Cap protests/meetings, and then decided to blackmail Sophie so she would curse a lovely shawl for a member of the royal family. Pyord really disgusted me – first of all, he forced poor Sophie into a corner, then he started harming those close to her, had her followed EVERYWHERE, and generally acted loathsome. Others who have read this – what were your thoughts on Pyord?

I feel like there were so many other things I wanted to say in this review, but I can’t spoil the whole book, you know! I liked Sophie – I thought she was a very believable character. She wasn’t strong in the bold, brash, sword-wielding way so many female characters are, but rather brave, resilient, and loving in the way of real people. Her internal crises of who she was, what she believed, and how she should act were things that people actually deal with! As I mentioned, I loved the romantic aspect of this book – Sophie and Theodor were fantastic and it wasn’t instalove, but rather a growing attraction and a continual struggle to keep a distance between them. I do wish the city and cultures had a chance to be shown in more detail, but this book was so driven by our characters that the lack of fine details wasn’t missed overly much. Also, this book made me want to drop everything and design dresses, as I’ve always secretly longed to do. Alas, my talents are not for the creation of art, but rather the appreciation of it. Torn was an exciting book with tons of great plot elements and I am LONGING to have the sequel in my hands, if only to follow Sophie and Theo.