REVIEW: “When Secrets Beckon” by Lauren Searson-Patrick

“There’s a roar in my ears, a heady swell of sound that I learned some time ago to force into background noise.”

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The initial blurb I read was intriguing and I just HAD to read it. “When Secrets Beckon” is a stand-alone story and is expected to be released in little over a month (9 April 2024)! This has to be added to your TBR!

Love, lies, and secrets | End of the world prophecy | Magic

Battles big and small | Slow burn with nice tension | Strong family unit

Misinformation/secret identities | Strong female characters

What’s it all about?

Every secret has its price...

Rubilena Lanmiere can barely remember how it felt to live life for herself. Or what it feels like to live a life in the open. Raising her daughter in a world where it’s dangerous to be noticed, her days are spent selling forbidden remedies in her grandfather’s shop — and paying her brother Theo’s debts in an underground fight den.

When their absent mother returns to gift Theo a mysterious medallion, Rubilena and Theo find themselves fleeing their home in Koamah, hunted by the entire Kingdom and its enemies. With the secrets of the medallion painting a deadly target on her brother’s back, Rubilena is forced to seek help from a man who once broke her heart, and her trust.

In search of the mystical witches who can free Theo from the medallion’s claim, the group find themselves wrapped inextricably in the tendrils of a prophecy. But as the fight for the ultimate knowledge intensifies, the weight of secrets already between them threatens to tear Rubilena and her allies apart.

And they can’t be sure if the medallion is seeking to fulfil a deadly prophecy, or save them from the encroaching darkness…

Blurb from Goodreads

The setting

Throughout the story, there are a few main countries or territories that are named or visited. Thankfully, there was a handy map at the front of the book.

The story begins in the Koamah Kingdom, a land that is ruled by a king and queen who use the fear of a prophecy to control their citizens. This is the home of our main character, Rubilena and her family and friends. Magic is outlawed and women who are in any way different is charged as a witch and either killed or exiled. The prophecy talks of ‘three of she’ who will bring about the ‘end of the world’ essentially by releasing the dark spirits – any family that births three daughters are taken away to ensure this doesn’t happen. The Koamah Kingdom is comprised of the countries of Koamah, Solynara, and Talvore.

The violent and fearsome region of Oskrinya terrorises the Koamah Kingdom and its people – though not is all as it seems once you cross the border.

We also meet the people of the Rehdree region – a conglomerate of barbarian clans and no real friend to either Oskrinya or the Koamah Kingdom.

Who is our cast?

Main cast:

Our main female lead is Rubilena, a.k.a. Rubes or Ruby (or Mumma to Marley), living in the Kingdom of Koamah with her family – Papa, her grandfather who runs a store in town; Theo, her brother who has a penchant for getting himself in trouble; Ash, her friend, ex-partner, and father of her daughter; and Marley, her beautiful and vibrant young daughter; and their friend, Kaya. To pay off debts racked up by Theo and to keep him safe, Rubes fights in the fighting rings of the ‘underworld leader’, Atticus, along with Ash and Kaya – making her a proficient and possibly deadly protector. She is also gifted with making balms and ‘medicines’ for a variety of maladies – a gift that could get her noticed.

Rubes’ love-of-her-life who shattered her heart years before when he left Koamah without explanation, Fox, has come back into her life under mysterious circumstances.

Supporting cast:

• Atticus: A sort of ‘underworld boss’ that runs the fighting ring Rubes, Ash, and Kaya fight in to pay off their various debts.

• Roan: The fearsome leader of the Oskrinya people that terrorises the Koamah people

• Brode: A man they meet on the road who becomes an ally and close friend.

• Rubilena & Theo’s mother: Their absent mother comes to Koamah to give Theo a gift that changed their lives forever.

• King Boaz and Queen Astra: The leaders of the Kingdom of Koamah who rule their people through fear and violence, using an ambiguous prophecy as their sword and shield.

• The Varelai: Women with the special gift of ‘magic’, feared and called witches by the people of Koamah. The two main Varelai we meet in the story are Aestais and Laramie.

My thoughts

This story had me hooked from the moment I started, until the end. The world of the story was understandable, I knew where we were all the time. I’d love to see more in this world to meet more of the people and ‘see’ more of the regions. The magic system is intriguing, and I’d love to know more about it – that’s not a critique, there was definitely enough information in the story to keep it going and you can understand the basic mechanics, I’m just someone who delves deep into stories to understand everything.

I loved the characters – they were well-introduced and well-rounded. I loved that Rubilena was physically and emotionally strong, but not overly ‘violent’. She fought because she had to, not because she liked it – she never got to a point that she needed to fight or kill people, she never got to a blood lust stage which I liked. Her relationships with her family and friends, and the friends they meet along the way made her relatable – she was hesitant to trust right out when meeting people, but she didn’t let it jade her ability to listen and learn and form new points of view if needed.

The plot twists and reveals throughout the story flawed me and kept me reading to find out how in the world it will all turn out. No spoilers so you’re just going to have to read it when it is released!

I recommend this book 100%. For lovers of fantasy, romance, magic, and adventure, or as a great way to dip your toes into that genre pool.

The age recommendation is 16+ depending on maturity. The spiciness isn’t overly graphic, however there’s more than just some kisses and implied physical connection so if your teen is wanting to read, I’d suggest reading it first to make sure.

I absolutely loved this story. Definitely a must read!

Jade x