3.25 Stars

Thanks to my overwhelming guilt, I was reluctant to DNF this book and forced myself to push through to the end. Let’s start with the positives: Jacci Prior, the audiobook narrator, delivered a truly captivating performance, bringing each character to life with her engaging voice work. Plus, I must say, the cover is absolutely stunning—My drawbacks, the pacing was erratic, and with 410 pages, I found only two major plot points amidst a sea of mundane events. I felt disconnected from the main characters, who lacked depth and authenticity. The interactions between them felt awkward and forced, and I was far more invested in the side characters than in the main female lead and her two male counterparts. While the author introduced a wealth of plot threads, they never seemed to come together. It felt like an overwhelming mix of ideas—magic, witches, gods, ghosts, demons, a magic sword and a love triangle—it all just left me wanting a more defined narrative. The spicy scenes, rather than being steamy and built-up, felt out of place and rushed, making it feel awkward and uncomfortable. I noticed other readers criticized the author’s overly elaborate language; while that didn’t personally bother me, it did often feel disconnected and flowed oddly, it made me wonder about the author’s writing process. In summary, this book left me uninspired, and I don’t plan to continue with the series. There are certainly intriguing ideas present, but they desperately need to be fleshed out and crafted with a bit more purpose.

The story itself was more like 3.75 stars but I rounded up to 4 based on all the “extras” that I’ll explain.. I listened to the audiobook for most of the book and finished it on my Kindle. I would have to say immersive reading would probably be the best way to experience this story.

This is definitely “high fantasy” with a lot of complex world building, but I think the audiobook was better for that because it was easier to pick up on context clues. I ended up enjoying the story a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning of the book.

The author’s writing style is very descriptive and poetic and haunting. Between her descriptions and the audio, I felt like I could picture every setting in detail.

The music and sound effects in the audiobook were a nice added touch. My favorite part of the experience was finding the character art in the book on Kindle Unlimited. That’s not something you normally see in ebooks but it was so beautiful and I loved it!

Overall, I’ll definitely be checking out the next book in the series to see where the story goes.

3⭐️ For the book
I didn't love this book, I didn't hate, but I wasn't excited to continue reading it either.
The beginning was interesting, but a bit confusing. I read the first chapter twice because I was lost and not paying enough attention.
The premise was interesting, but I didn't vibe completely with the writing style and the slowness of the story.
The romances didn't really vibe for me. The real one did feel real slow-burn and can grow in something believable in the next books but the other one felt fake and to be a distraction from the real romance. In my eyes it made the FMC extremely uncharacteristically naive.
Also the dey and noct words really through me off and pulled out of the story instead of creating a certain vibe as I expect the the reason for them is.
4⭐️ For the audiobook
I did like the audiobook. The narrator Jacci Prior does an amazing job for the female AND male voices.
The songs and the music that were added to the audio weren't necessary. I either listen to an audiobook or a grapic audio, but the music put in here and there works distracting for me instead of being an addition to the experience. But as the rest of this review that's my personal opinion.
I immersion read this book with an ALC from Netgalley.
Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing and M.A. Brown for allowing me to listen to and honestly review this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

📖 The Seventh Sister | M. A. Brown
The Strattaria Chronicles - Book 1
ARC from NetGalley - Released 8/8/25
Victoria Editing

Jacci Prior is an excellent narrator! Very captivating.

FMC, Ertha is stolen away to an enemy kingdom where she has to keep her own secrets under lock and key for her own survival. She starts to discover a new side of who she is and the world she was born into.

Ertha is a trained healer who after seeing a sear discovers more about herself and her family she didn’t know. Lord Fenris is Ertha’s protector/keeper and where she has to go and stay.

The story starts off a little slow, as is expected when world building in a fantasy setting but picks up towards the middle/end. I did NOT predict that ending! I audibly gasped. Mouth ajar. Book kept me captivated.

There’s different magic then every other book which I can appreciate. I’ll definitely be looking out for the 2nd book! As I was listening I was not expecting it to end, I wanted it to keep going.

Slow Burn
Forced Proximity
Magical Bonds
Hidden Identity

“As above, so below.”

Ertha, a True Healer, is kidnapped and taken into enemy territory by the ruthless Sons of Uther. Thrown into danger and surrounded by people whose motives aren’t clear, she doesn't know who to trust. When she learns her kidnapping was devised by powerful forces, she realizes nothing in her world is as it seemed.

This was my first book by [author:M.A. Brown|46846776], and I’m definitely intrigued. I’ll be honest—at first, I struggled to get into it. Heavy world-building sometimes slows me down (not because I don’t get it—it just bores me a little), so that’s more on me than the author. But once the action picked up, I was hooked. Brown tells the story in a way that’s entertaining and easy to imagine. And how about that cliffhanger?? <b>The gasp I gusp!</b> Do we know when the next book comes out? How long do I have to wait?
Jacci Pryor absolutely nailed the narration. With so many different characters to voice, she gave each one their own unique personality, making them easily recognizable. Her performance made the world feel alive and the drama hit harder. I recommend the audiobook if you want an even more immersive experience.

Grateful to M.A. Brown and NetGalley for the early audiobook access—every opinion (and gasp) is mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review! 5 star audio! I love Jacci Prior's voice and her performances always land for me.

3.5 stars overall, but rounding up because I can see the potential for the series, and it makes me want to continue. I loved the world we were in and the Viking/Norse influences that are evident throughout. Brown is very descriptive in her writing, helping to really paint the picture during every moment. I also love the idea behind discovering new magic and how that shifts an identity for the FMC. There are also some great side characters that help make this world feel more full for Ertha's time with the Sons of Uther.

Now, the pacing was off a little bit here for me because I feel like we were laying out so much groundwork for the series. The mystery of the various items is what really drives the plot here, compared to action sequences. And while I don't need action to find a book enjoyable, I think this would have benefitted from having Ertha a little more active in high stakes moments and also with leaving some of the plot lines for a later discovery in the book or in the series as a whole. Overall, the story starts out with the action and then slows it down and includes a little too many of the mysteries we're unfolding up front. BUT the Nephilim plot was done really well as you uncover and learn more of how they play into this.

Even with me feeling like it was too much up front, I'm still very interested to see how things turn out. And honestly, that ending... definitely has me coming back for more!

I was so happy to receive an audio ARC for this book! The title and the beautiful cover were the first things that attracted me to it, and when I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it.
Here’s my review summed up into one line: came for the cover and the promise of an adventurous romantasy, stayed for the beautifully-written prose.

I mean, this book was so beautifully written. The way M.A. Brown writes scenes and the descriptions of the world really took my breathe away and made me enjoy the story so much more.
The story itself wasn’t necessarily original: heroine gets kidnapped by the enemy, starts to fall for one of the enemy’s soldiers (or two!), but is still on a quest of escaping and saving her country, meanwhile she is discovering new powers inside of herself. What oh what should she do? Follow her heart or follow her reason and country?
And yet, it was still immensely satisfying and I liked all the fantasy elements and lore of the entities put inside of the story. The love triangle kept it interesting, as well as the friendships Ertha formed inside of the enemy’s kingdom. The way her powers were described made it really easy to imagine being there in the scenes with her.

I had some small comments here and there about the pacing or my investment in the characters themselves, but overall, a nice read and I will definitely be on the lookout for book 2 in this duology!

Also, the audiobook narration was spot on. 🤌🏻

Thank you NetGalley, M.A. Brown and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing me with an audio ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion.
My review will feature on Goodreads, The Storygraph and Fable.

Maybe this book is better in written word form, rather than audiobook - the narrator has a particularly whiney timber - but as it is, I was not a fan of this book. The magic system was disorganized and nonsensical. The protagonist, Ertha, was insufferable, dumb, and useless. The plot follows the basic, overdone, romantasy plot, except it tries to be different, by moving at a glacial pace. I'm sure there is some marketing for "The Seventh Sister" that calls this book a "slow burn," but I wouldn't call it that. There is no yearning, or tension, it painfully predictable dialogue. The "secrets" that withheld from Ertha "for her safety" are so obvious hat I couldn't help but disparage her character for her obtuseness.

I felt like there was so much opportunity for the author to explore what it was like to be the titular Seventh Sister. What it was like to be raised in isolation from your family and be the only one of your kind. But nope. The love interests were bland and artificially deep. Like please being broody is not enough to be interesting. The spice was just gross and cringey to me. I literally skipped through most of it because it was so unpleasant. So yeah, big flop imo .Poorly written, Badly developed. Just blah.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and M.A. Brown for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

-Dark Fantasy/romantasy. Viking lore.
-Heavy on plot with low level romance (that will most likely level up by next book)
-Sloooooow Burn with yearning 1🌶️
-Heavy world building. We get a map and a glossary.
-Forced proximity
-She’s is taken to enemy territory
-FMC Healer who is unsure who to trust and is trying to figure things out.
-Morally grey MMC whom is very suspicious and protective. “Who did this to you.”
-Magic and shifting- we will get so much more in the next book.
-Wild Cliff hanger of an ending that will have you wanting more!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First I want to say that the audiobook was done very well and I enjoyed the music/ other sound effects that played during the audiobook.

I understand that this is the first book in the series but there was a lot of information thrown around that did not necessarily connect or make sense to me. I had a really hard time following the story with the way it was written and how sporadically things seemed to change.

I did love the detail and imagery in this book, the world building was also done very well. I definitely feel like if the same detail was applied to the plot and story I would have liked it more.

The romance seemed to be very random and all centered towards the end of the book. I did not understand how the only real scene was not even the main characters.

Overall the book was enjoyable but the ending did not have the same impact as a cliffhanger as I wanted it to be. I did love the use of the as above so below concept and balance in this universe. I feel like I would very much enjoy the second book and seeing how the story and relationships progress!

This audiobook sounded right up my alley and I was right.. really enjoyed it! The narrator was great and easy to listen to! The story was fast paced with intriguing world building. There were definitely twists I did not expect! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I want the second book NOW! Get ready for a Norse inspired world with high stakes and plenty tension.

Ertha is a healer that gets captured by the Sons of Uther after her village is slaughtered and pillaged. This book had me engaged the entire way though and the ending? Like I said I need book 2 right now. Cannot wait to continue what is likely to be one hell of a series!

Thoughts:
Balance the Scales
As Above So Below....

There was something very dreamlike about how this story is told. It has an "old world" story telling vibe and I'm very much all for that in a fantasy book.
The Seventh Sister is packed with magic and wonder. Beautifully imagined, the author has developed a world and characters that as a
listener I really enjoyed being transported to.

The story unravels quite slowly and I feel readers will need a little patience as the story does pick up pace, as do the character interactions. I found myself, like Ertha, trying to work out just who she could actually trust.

The ending was really well done and the reveal left me feeling that I want to know what happens next.

If I could have this experience again, I would have to have the book as well to follow along. I felt like I wanted to bookmark favourite passages and make notes. I wonder if the book comes with a map too? It really is a story to get completely lost in.


Audiobook presentation:
I absolutely loved listening to this narration.

Jacci Prior brings the story and characters to life. Smooth, and with expression and accent for each character moves the story well amd was engaging.
Added music details over chapter headings and other noteable actions of the storyline was a wonderful touch.

I was one of the lucky ones to get my hands on the arc of this and let me tell you, this was so damn beautiful and everything. Hearing this on audiobook was such a damn treat 💚

I devoured this as slow as I could so I could taste every little morsel that was given to me. This is my second book I've read by this author and she delivers. The writing and description felt like magic. The world felt huge, the characters were so well written and the magic so damn interesting. I was hit with so much suspense and slow burn I could have screamed. Ertha is such a lovely character. She is relatable and I wanted to pick her brain apart. she has her flaws and makes mistakes but she gets right back up, brushes her skirt off, head held high and moves on. Although some of her mistakes had me rolling my eyes. The side characters Munin, Rhaspo and Hugin made me want to smile and they felt like a warm hug. I won't talk about the men options because I don't want to spoil anything but I did have some guy feelings about them. I could feel like Norse mythology wound through out this one and I loved it.

arc review*

Ertha is a true healer that is taken by the Sons of Uther after her village is destroyed. When she gets caught up in an enemy kingdom she faces danger and the pull of fate.

The tension with Fenris was extremely intriguing to me but I felt like it was a tad underdeveloped. Still, the Norse inspired world, high stakes, and the twists kept me engaged and I’m definitely curious for book two now.

You might like this if you liked The Witcher

What a fun ride this book was, I was thoroughly entertained. I really liked the fantasy world building because it was not a lot, like some fantasy books tend to lay it thick. I enjoyed the female main protagonist, Earth, she was intelligent, strong and alluring. I enjoyed the slow burn romance, even though it felt like it was a subplot, which is ok, sometimes readers don't want romance to be the main focus when all the other fantasy elements are slaying it.

I really tried to like this book, but I could not get myself interested in the characters. The main character is going through a very difficult situation and receives revelations about herself but for some reason the writing for her left me completely uninterested. She did not feel relatable or like a real person and was quite flat. The main male leads were uninteresting to me as well. I found the initial premise and setting interesting but it didn't feel like the author was going anywhere with them and that the focus was being put on the boring male leads.

~Read as a NetGalley ARC and I am very grateful for a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!~

This is a fantastic story with a really interesting world -- but you have to get through most of the chapters to find the real story. The prologue sets a dreamy tone that the rest of the book doesn't live up to. By the end of the book, it feels like the story has found itself and the main thread, but it takes a long time to get there.

Spoilers below! Be warned!
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The main character doesn't really have a purpose. She wants to heal people, and she wants to get home, but most of the book is her healing people who come to her and halfheartedly thinking about escape. I love romance, but I could have gone without it in this book. I think it would have been better as a slow burn or no romance at all. The 'twist' felt too obvious and not satisfying. We know she ends up with her 'keeper' because of the magic binding. Come on. And the last few pages where it's revealed they're married?? It felt out of left feild. He surely has a reason to keep her alive, but the romance feels so unearned. I think if he had just been kind to her on the ship and then a sort of adversary to her escape, there could be some interesting tension between 'he is so kind but also stands in my way of getting home.' What reason does he have to marry her right away? and then not mention it to anyone? Why does he make her do yoga with him? I assume he knows she's a witch and that's why he's helping her without her knowing but it just doesn't feel satisfying, it feels contrived.

When the queen gives birth, FINALLY it feels like we have a real story on our hands! And then the story really gets going. I will totally pick up the next book! If you can get through the first 2/3s or so, it's worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc, all opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by the title and ended up getting more than I expected.

But first off, the audiobook production was really great. I loved the tune at the beginning of each chapter, the music used for chants and songs, and the narrator did a really good job with her accents and voices for different characters. Though it got a bit confusing trying to decipher which male character was speaking.

So what I loved about the book.

First off is the cliffhanger at the end and a certain plot twist I didn't see coming.
Secondly, the world building was nice and a bit different.
Thirdly, the writing was really, really good. Poetic and lyrical, and it was an absolute delight listening to it.

What I didn't like

The story dragged for a while and seemed like it was going nowhere until about the 22nd chapter, when the stakes became clearer. I also wasn't expecting the spice in this, so it was a bit jarring. I wish there had been some warning in the blurb, so I could have made the decision to go in or not.

But in all, it was an enjoyable read and I'd love to read or listen :) to the next book in the series.

Rating is 3.5 stars.

I have really enjoyed listening to M A Brown's The Seventh Sister, the writing lyrical and haunting, and the narration by Jacci Prior and incidental music creates a really satisfying listener experience. Brown has created a world with a deep history and mythology and I was quickly drawn into mystery and intrigue and wanted to learn more of these different kingdoms and there magic and lore. While I felt that the captors had a Russian feel, the names would suggest a Nordic inspiration.

Our main character Ertha is carried off to an hostile kingdom after the sacking of the temple in which she lived and was was developing her healing skills. Her captors then force her to use her healing skills on her their people. While she hides part of her identify, she also discovers other aspects of her heritage, she could not have conceived off. As the story develops Ertha comes to belief that her being taken might not have been by chance but that, powers beyond her are controlling her fate and here presence in this enemies kingdom might have a greater purpose.

This book would fall into Romantasy genre with a love triangle and enemies to lovers or captor and captive romance. The romantic elements are slow burn and only develop in the second half of the book, for me some of the scenes where a little too spices, I would rate it 🌶️🌶️ though I prefer a closed door romance so other readers may not have any problem with the spicy elements,

For me what made this Dark Fairy tale such an enjoyable listen was the: intrigue, mystery, characters, lore and world building I just want more. I really hope that I do not have to wait too long for the sequel and will defiantly be picking it up. I will most likely also buy a physical copy of the Seventh Sister and really hope it contains a map of the different kingdoms, and a glossary of the terms and names the author created, though that could have been incorporated into the audiobook.

I want to thank NetGallary for providing this advance audio copy of The Seventh Sister in exchange for my review.