The Name-Bearer

           

Title: The Name-Bearer

Series: Flowers of Prophecy #1

Author: Natalia Hernandez

Publisher: October 11, 2022

Pages: 288

Genre: YA LGBT Fantasy

For her entire life, the Name-Bearer’s sole purpose has been to receive and deliver the names of the future monarchy from the Flowers of Prophecy. But when the child is finally born and the Name-Bearer is sent to the Flowers, they refuse to name him. Instead they deliver a prophecy; another child was born who is more worthy of the Naming, and if they are found and brought before them it will usher in a reign of peace.

Having failed in her duties the Name-Bearer is considered a traitor to the crown, and must hide among an elite sect of warrior women where she experiences found family, friendship, and love. Her training as a warrior helps prepare her to embark on her quest to find the Unnamed Prince, clear her name, and bring peace to her realm.

A story of magia, warrior women, found family and love - and not accepting who you are told to be, but embracing who you are destined to become.

I was a little nervous going into this one. I saw this on TikTok, and BookTok hasn't always had the best recommendations for me. HOWEVER! This one absolutely delivers.

At its core, this is a chosen one fantasy novel, which is right up my alley. You've got prophecies and a child raised with the sole purpose of serving her kingdom in this really specific way. But you've also got this incredible imagery and a queer soul right at the heart that was perfect. 

The beginning starts a little slow. Really digging into the details of what The Name-Bearer means to this kingdom and how she's meant to do her job. When she finally hears what the Flowers of Prophecy have to say, and what the royal mage has to tell her about their prophecy, her life is changed in a moment. But, then you see her toil through 10 years of warrior training. I think this was all really important to see how she's grown into the woman that she is, but it did drag a tiny bit for me.

But once she embarks on her quest to find the Unnamed Prince with the mage's apprentice, things really get going! The entire time that The Name-Bearer is training with the warriors, she doesn't consider herself really one of them. But every single person she encounters knows how she was raised because she's an absolute boss. Sure, she wasn't the strongest of the warriors at warrior school, but she is definitely holding her own out in the real world thanks to her arduous training. 

I can't wait to see where this story is going. I really look forward to The Name-Bearer catching back up with her warrior trained friends. 

Ratings

Stars: 5/5