A Sharpened Axe

De: Jill M. Beene

Narrado por: Sybil Johnson

A cursed nation. An unlikely heroine. Deadly stakes. This love could kill...

A jaded fae princess and a few words whispered in the dark...that’s all it took for the prosperous country of Leiria to fall under a curse. Disease, famine and calamity followed. Fifteen years later, Samiris is one of the Chosen, a group of young women brought to the palace to try and break the curse. But if they fail, one of them will die.

Unlike the rest of the girls, who see living in the palace with the Crown Prince as an exciting privilege, Samiris is indifferent to the social whirl and offended by the sumptuous wealth present in the capital. She just wants to go home to take care of her sick father and younger sister.

Can Samiris survive the social intrigue at court, deadly plots against the Chosen, a seemingly unlovable Crown Prince, and a stubborn adversary to break the curse?

A Sharpened Axe is a stand-alone, young adult fairy tale retelling with intrigue and romance. If you like a strong female lead, fast-paced action, and slow-burn romance, then you’ll love this exciting book!

Buy A Sharpened Axe and be swept away to the magical land of Leiria today!

©2018 Jill Marie Beene (P)2022 Jill Marie Beene

Clean and Enchanting Slow Burn

5⭐.5🌶️
I originally won A Sharpened Axe from a Goodreads giveaway and absolutely loved it. At the time, I wasn’t fully in my Bookstagram era, so I didn’t give it the attention it deserved. When the chance came to listen to the audiobook—narrated by the incredibly talented Sybil Johnson—I was ecstatic. At 13.5 hours, it’s on the longer side, but it was such a brilliant listen that the time flew by.
Samiris, the eldest daughter of a disgraced nobleman, is left to care for her ailing father and younger sister while living under a twenty-year-old blight. She’s stubborn, hardworking, straightforward, and driven by a fierce desire to help others and fix problems.
Artem, tall, athletic, handsome, and broody, is Captain of the Royal Guard and the Crowned Prince’s most trusted confidante and advisor. His opinion carries weight with everyone—except Samiris. A free-thinker, she refuses to accept the Kingdom of Leiria’s corrupt and illogical status quo. Artem tries to make her conform, but her cleverness and determination constantly outmaneuver him.
It’s a story we’ve heard and read a thousand times, but what sets this story apart is Beene’s vivid, immersive storytelling. The writing paints lush, layered pictures I couldn’t help but fall into. But if you go in understanding that the world of Leiria and those in it have been stagnant for years, trapped under a curse from a snubbed Fae princess, you’ll see that although their relationship beginnings rocky, Samiris’s drive for change and answers pushes Artem out of his comfort zone and builds a beautiful relationship.
Beyond the main pair, the supporting cast is diverse, fun, and occasionally frustrating. Samiris naturally inspires action in those around her. While some rise to the challenge and are anxious for change, there are others who would rather stay the status quo.
And as a horse girl through and through, I have to mention Behemoth. The giant black horse with a personality of his own stole my heart—he deserves way more attention!
Thank you to Jill M. Beene for the gifted audiobook. I absolutely adored it.
What to Expect:
⚡Snarky Banter
💞Enemies to Friends to Lovers
☀️Opposites Attract🌘
✨Clean and Wholesome YA Fantasy Romance
👁️‍🗨️Single POV
🔥Slow Burn
🪓Epic Fantasy for Teens
🌹Fairytale Retelling
💫Cat and Mouse / Push and pull
🐺Mild Violence and Gore
🩷💚🩷💚

Too many glitches

I’ve read this as a kindle book and enjoyed the storyline. The audiobook was ok. The narrator wasn’t my favorite, but it’s still a fun story. My biggest complaint is that the audio wasn’t edited well. There were many times that a couple seconds were repeated or skipped. At first I thought it was my connection or something, but I replayed those sections and it happened every time.

This is a cute story with twists and turns

Hunger games Katniss character meets beauty and the beast, the little mermaid and a bit of Robin Hood mixed in. Great book for people who are just dipping their toes into the fantasy world. No sexy scenes, just cute fun entertaining dialogue with a fun story about love and jealousy and stupid social norms.

Strong Female Characters

Love that this was a new world and that several females were not too stupid to live and realistic in their portrayal. my husband I both enjoy listening to this book. This is a favorite to listen too while on road trips, doing housework, or at work. Can't wait to hear book two- Bone Dagger!!

The banter was great. It had me smiling and laughing.

Good story, good characters and good dialogue, what more can you ask for? I like the book so much, I got the audio while I was still reading so I didn't have to stop the story while I was cooking lol.

Love this book, dislike the narrator

This is a wonderful story about a cursed land and a feisty woman young woman just trying to survive.

Samiris just wants to take care of her ailing father and her younger sister. She has her life planned out on how to do that in a country that suffers from a curse placed on the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, her plans get disrupted when she is summoned to the Palace to participate in the bride selection process that takes place every year according to the rules of the curse. Whoever falls in love with the Prince, or is just the last woman left at the end of the season, will be asked questions about her love. No woman has yet answered the questions to the satisfaction of the curse, and so every woman has died from answering falsely and incorrectly.

Samiris does not fit in, and doesn't want to fit in, with the other Ladies in the competition. She is treated horribly by the other women, and she is also constantly hounded by the Captain of the Guards, Duke Artem to do things the right way. When she asks him, or anyone else, why things are done the way they are, the only answer anyone can give her is that it's just how things have always been done.

Samiris fights against the rules, finding ways to rebell or make small changes to the norm in her own way. She is strong willed, but has a big heart.

This story is wonderfully written, but I am disappointed in the choice of narrator. She made everyone sound childish. The females had Valley Girl accents and the males were all the same, except the crown prince who sounded more idiotic than how he is written. There was just so much to dislike about the narration. The narrator would be better suited reading children's books, not something teens and adults would listen to.

Anyway, buy the physical book, or ebook, and read this yourself. You'll enjoy it so much more.

Worth It

This was a fun story with a fresh take on the enemies to lovers romance. Normally, I am not a fan of this trope bacause I've encountered too many authors who take things too far during the enemies phase, but Beene made this romance work by making her characters listen to one another and think. This process helped the characters grow to respect one another which then grew into something more. The character development was very satisfying!
I like to listen while I read, so I do not think the narration bothered me as much as it did others. The voices did not seem too out of place and I loved the emphasis on the sarcastic banter the narrator used. Overall, I found it worth the credit because I plan to read this book again!

Excellent Story and No Glitches in Audio

Wow! I love this story. The author develops the characters well. Lots of humor is woven throughout. Strong female main character. The male lead character also is strong and complex.
The storyline has lots of details and interesting twists.
I’ve listened to the story twice. I didn’t notice the narrator which to me means the narrator did an excellent job because I got lost in the story.

fresh and fun

this book was a refreshing standalone. the story was fairly unique and had some wonderful twists and turns. my favorite part though? the banter. the banter was phenomenal. i love sassy characters. I love characters with a great sense of humor and a generally flippant attitude. this had it all! the beginning hooked me pretty quickly and the story played out beautifully but still had me second guessing my predictions until the very end. well done.

Fantasy retelling with a hunger games vibe!

This story had me on the edge of my seat one moment and laughing hysterically the next! The banter between the main characters was hilarious and well thought through. The main character stays consistent in her desires and grows through her struggles as the story progresses. There was tension, between characters while still keeping things clean and innocent. A very well rounded book with a plot twist! Now I’m off to read book 2!