The High Priest’s Daughter by Katie Cross- Review

At long last, Bianca Monroe is free from the curse that threatened her life and her nemesis and former teacher, Miss Mabel, is imprisoned with no way of escape. But nothing is as it seems. Miss Mabel’s mother Angelina, a witch of unimaginable power, is pulling strings throughout Antebellum. Derek, Bianca’s father and High Priest of the Central Network, prepares for war, despite a growing number of witches who choose to remain blind to the darkness that threatens to consume them. Meanwhile, Bianca must come to terms with growing up even if it means losing her friends in the process. But in a world on the brink of a war the scale of which hasn’t been seen for years, Bianca must also come to terms with what sacrifices need to be made in order to save everyone she holds dear.

Being the penultimate installment of her bestselling Network Series, Katie Cross was face with the challenge of crafting a novel that would leave readers eagerly anticipating the next and final book. She succeeded greatly.

Bianca is as much of a kick-butt, loveable character as she has been since the first book, Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. As with the books before this one, The High Priest’s Daughter puts Bianca in a position where she must learn life lessons that I– and I am sure many other readers, as well– have faced.

I have always greatly admired Katie’s mastery of world-building. Miss Mabel’s School for Girls was a novel set, for the most part, in one location with the occasional setting changes. Antebellum Awakening expanded outward to locations like Chatham City and Chatham Castle where Bianca spends most of her time. The High Priest’s Daughter goes even further with this and takes Bianca– and the reader– to places she has never been to before such as the Southern and Eastern Networks. Katie Cross does a splendid job giving each Network its own characteristics, making them easily distinct from each other. She also reveals more about the history of the world of Antebellum, introducing new aspects that I am sure that everyone cannot wait to read more about when the last book, and the planned companion novels, are finally available to devour.

The High Priest’s Daughter is a wonderful novel. If you have read its predecessors, get to reading it if you haven’t already! For those of you who have not had the pleasure of entering the magical world of Antebellum, you don’t want to start here. Be sure to read Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, Antebellum Awakening after that, then The High Priest’s Daughter. There is also a novella and a prequel novel. The novella, The Isadora Interviews, can be read at anytime, though I suggest you read it after Miss Mabel’s. As for the prequel, Mildred’s Resistance, I suggest that you read it after Antebellum Awakening. You could read it before any of the books, but the book will mean more once you read them.

A gripping book from start to finish. It’s fun, it’s intriguing, it’s emotional, and so much more. The last book, War of the Networks, cannot come soon enough.