In September, Readers Favorite awarded “Birthright of Scars: Choosing” a Five Star seal and a peer review.
Reviewer Asher Syded said the following:
The excitement of Choosing by Laurisa Brandt kicks off immediately and I almost leaped from my seat when Ambrosia has to keep her cool in front of Cinnabar after destroying evidence. That tension! There is so much emotion threading through the story, from loss and regret coming from Tygo to Disrel’s vulnerability when he is physically exposed.
The world-building is exceptional and, as far as genre fare goes in the combination of character arcs and plot drivers, the themes are pretty universal, and so they are relatable. I love strong femme protagonists and, as a ‘girl dad,’ the Birthright of Scars series is what I would like to see in the hands of my older teenage daughter. The unfairness of Brandt’s world and the desire to make it better transcends the page, even if the cost is personal. How does a reader not get choked up when Disrel convinces himself he is not good enough and then pushes it too far by thinking it is what’s best for someone else? For me, it was a “This is so beautiful but make it stop!” scene. Overall, Choosing is a fastpaced, well-written, and emotionally engaging work and even though I am a reader ‘of a certain age,’ I’m a fan. Very highly recommended.
This is the first accolade the sequel has won and offers hope for the success of this world and its characters in future books.
“Birthright of Scars: Choosing” picks up immediately where the prequel’s cliffhanger leaves readers, making for a tense, high-stakes opening.
The story delivers its action and angst through a variety of different settings, some remote, others cramped prisons. Both Disrel and Ambrosia are faced with personal loses, straining their friendship and budding romantic feelings as they scramble to find common ground on constantly shifting soil.
The sequel is thematically more intense than “Birthright of Scars: Rising,” and falls squarely in the adult fiction category.
I hope that the Five Star seal from Readers’ Favorite encourages readers to dive into this sci-fi dystopian fantasy world from its prequel to experience the raw emotion and powerful conviction of two star-crossed heroes for themselves.