Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: The Last Messenger of Zitol

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

last-messenger-of-zitol-blog-tour

If you’ve been following the blog tour for author Chelsea Dyreng’s novel The Last Messenger of Zitól, you’ve made it to today’s stop! I’ll be sharing my review and some information about the author.

The Last Messenger of Zitól
Chelsea Dyreng
Sweetwater Books/Cedar Fort Press
Available September 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Rishi longs to visit the grand city of Zitól described in her grandfather’s stories. When her peaceful village is attacked, Rishi finds her path set toward the city, but whether she’s caught in an adventure or a nightmare is uncertain. The city has changed from her grandfather’s time, and now the people of Zitól believe in pursuing pleasure and in human sacrifice to please the gods. Rishi vows to protect her virtue, her most valuable treasure, in a city bent on destroying it. When she’s tasked with bringing a message to the gods, she embraces the honor wholeheartedly, longing to bring a change to the people and most particularly to the man she loves.

I thought it was interesting that the story is narrated by the ruler of Zitól. His story begins early in the tale and drops off for a time before reappearing. I liked his character. I liked Rishi, too, and the fact that she valued learning and virtue.

Her village shares a ceremony in which girls are given a white bead to symbolize their purity as virgins. They remain so until they marry and their husband gives them a turquoise bead in place of the white one. This definitely places a high value on virginity, and when one of the girls is attacked and raped, her bead is replaced with a brown bead, and she feels horribly ashamed. Rishi tries to return the girl’s white bead to her, explaining that since the attack wasn’t her choice, she should still be considered pure. The girl refuses to accept the bead.

The message about how pursuing pleasure leads to pleasing only oneself versus how pursuing love leads to a willingness to sacrifice for the good of others is admirable and well-integrated into the story. I also liked the way Dyreng uses dreams to play a role in the way the story unfolds.

While I loved that the story celebrated purity as a desirable thing (not a popular value so much in our culture today), I thought it was harsh on the girls whose lives didn’t match that ideal. This might be a confusing story for someone who has experienced abuse or trauma or is dealing with feelings of shame over sexual activity. See the notes below for other details on content.

Cultural Elements
Rishi’s village is attacked by a wild tribe of men described as short with flat noses. Her people are islanders. There aren’t many racial details given about many characters or the people of Zitól itself.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Because of the very strong value placed on purity, this might be a confusing story for someone who has experienced abuse or trauma or is dealing with feelings of shame over sexual activity. Rishi and her friends are kidnapped and brought to a woman who intends to sell them. She believes men can be controlled with sex, and uses the tribal men who work for her as examples by offering one of the girls to them as a reward for doing her bidding. They rape and brutalize her (not shown) before returning her to her friends.

The woman hints that she intends to sell the girls for sex in some fashion. Keeping concubines is popular in Zitól.

One of the leaders in Zitól tries to convince a girl that because he is a holy man, sleeping with him will not compromise her virtue. When this fails, he attempts to starve her into submission. At one point he tries to touch her and she stops him.

Rishi and her love exchange kisses. He wants to share more, but she refuses.

Spiritual Content
Rishi’s people believe in multiple gods. She also believes that the stars are the spirits of those who’ve lived before her. In Zitól, the people also believe in many gods as well as human sacrifice. Their ruler is said to be half-god.

Violent Content
Rishi’s three older brother’s play pranks on her. Tribal men attach Rishi’s village and later, rape one village girl and attempt to rape another. One of the leaders in Zitól keeps a starving jaguar which threatens to attack. A man cuts another man with a knife.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About Chelsea Dyreng

web site | facebook | twitter

Chelsea Bagley Dyreng is the author of “The Cenote.” She was raised in Wyoming and Idaho and earned her BA at Brigham Young University. She worked for several years as a librarian before moving to North Carolina where she and her husband are raising five God-fearing, book-loving, adventure-seeking kids.

Check out the Other Stops on the Tour

September 12: A Bliss Complete | Compass Book Ratings
September 13: Rockin’ Book Reviews | Bookworm Lisa
September 14: My Reading Spot
September 15: Bookfever
September 16: Kristin Smith | Wishful Endings
September 17: Hardcover Feedback
September 18: Geo Librarian
September 19: Singing Librarian Books
September 20: Mel’s Shelves
September 21: My Book a Day
September 22: The Things I Love Most
September 23: Writing Worm | Reader Girls
September 24: The Story Sanctuary – YOU ARE HERE
September 25: Bonding Over Bindings | Kindle & Me
September 26: Joy in the Moments
September 27: Crossroad Reviews
September 28: All About Baby’s World
September 29: Reidhead Random-ness
September 30: Tastes Like Joy

Review: The Doorway and the Deep by K E Ormsbee

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

The Doorway and the Deep
K. E. Ormsbee
Chronicle Books
Available October 4, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Lottie struggles to learn how to use her gift of healing so she can save her best friend Eliot. She must hurry, because the longer Eliot stays in the land of Limn, the sicker he’ll become. When her hosts in the South make a bargain with the elusive Rebel Gem of the Northerly Kingdom, Lottie and her friends must travel north instead of returning Eliot home. A treacherous king’s servant, a powerful shape-shifter named Iolanthe pursues them, sending assassins after Lottie. To protect her, Lottie’s companions must make a dangerous journey to find the one weapon that will stop the evil king.

My favorite thing about The Doorway and the Deep was the fun cast of characters. Each one is very different, and each enjoyable. I loved Oliver’s poetry and Fife’s mischievous antics and the brief unexpected romance that blossomed between a couple characters. Lottie is clever and complex, definitely the kind of heroine I enjoy reading about.

I had a little trouble following some of the elements of the tale more deeply embedded in the storyworld—probably because I haven’t read the first book, in which all that setup was explained. It didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story, but I think I’d have gotten more out of it had I read the first book before this one.

The Doorway and the Deep ends with a pretty powerful hook. I definitely didn’t see that coming. I feel like that can be a big risk because it can feel a little gimmicky sometimes. This was okay. I liked the characters enough that I’d be interested in continuing the series.

Cultural Elements
Most of the characters are wisps or fairies. I don’t think there were racial descriptions. Most of the characters feel a little bit British to me, but I’m not 100% sure why.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Characters say things like, “Sweet Titania” or “For Oberon’s sake.”

Romance/Sexual Content
A couple of brief m/f kisses.

Spiritual Content
Lottie and her friends train to better use their magical abilities. Each has one specific ability, for instance, Lottie’s ability to heal. Fife can float. Adelaide can hear over long distances.

Violent Content
Oliver’s gift causes physical harm. A powerful shape-shifter sends assassins after Lottie. Brief battles injure more than one character.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review and Giveaway: The Swan Riders by Erin Bow

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

I’m today’s stop on the Swan Riders Blog Tour with Irish Banana Blog Tours. Yay! Check out my review of The Swan Riders, learn about author Erin Bow and stick around for the giveaway information so you can enter to win one of three copies of the book!

The Swan Riders
Erin Bow
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available September 20,2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Swan Riders

Greta Stuart had always known her future: die young. She was her country’s crown princess, and also its hostage, destined to be the first casualty in an inevitable war. But when the war came it broke all the rules, and Greta forged a different path.

She is no longer princess. No longer hostage. No longer human. Greta Stuart has become an AI.

If she can survive the transition, Greta will earn a place alongside Talis, the AI who rules the world. Talis is a big believer in peace through superior firepower. But some problems are too personal to obliterate from orbit, and for those there are the Swan Riders: a small band of humans who serve the AIs as part army, part cult.

Now two of the Swan Riders are escorting Talis and Greta across post-apocalyptic Saskatchewan. But Greta’s fate has stirred her nation into open rebellion, and the dry grassland may hide insurgents who want to rescue her – or see her killed. Including Elian, the boy she saved—the boy who wants to change the world, with a knife if necessary. Even the infinitely loyal Swan Riders may not be everything they seem.

Greta’s fate—and the fate of her world—are balanced on the edge of a knife in this smart, sly, electrifying adventure.

My Review

As soon as I finished The Scorpion Rules (book one in the series) I wanted to read this book. I loved the sweeping view of the world and its complex politics and advanced science. Totally different spin on what-if-AI-ruled-the-world? I loved it.

In the first book, the Swan Riders are these terrifying warriors-slash-messengers. Now that Greta has become AI, the Swan Riders are her soldiers, too. The fact that she had such a complex past with them made her journey with them really intense, too. This is definitely one of those books with lots of layers, and with such tight storytelling that every time I thought I knew how things were going to go, some new conflict entered the picture, ratcheting the stakes up even higher.

Just as in the first book, the writing is deep and often poetic. Love is often star-crossed at best. The story explores the question of what makes us human, and are those qualities assets or liabilities? As one character faces death, others rally to show love and support. It’s such a powerful, human moment. What is more human than to gather with a loved one and do what you can to ease their transition into death and grieve for them? Powerful stuff, and well-incorporated into the story.

The technology elements are well-developed, too, and play an important role in the story. I wouldn’t call this light sci-fi. But it has vibrant characters and a lot of action as well, so I’d venture to say even readers who aren’t super keen on sci-fi would still find plenty about it to enjoy.

If you haven’t read the first book, you’ll want to start there. So much is already in play by the beginning of the second story, I think it’d be hard to catch up. You can find my review of The Scorpion Rules with my notes on content here.

Cultural Elements
Characters represent diverse backgrounds. Greta herself is white. Her lover, Xie, is Asian. Greta and her lover are lesbians. She has African and Asian companions.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild, used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Greta dreams about her experiences with Xie, a girl she left behind in her old life. The dreams are vague but sexual. It’s clear she’s still in love with her. There’s a girl/girl kiss later in the story. Two of the Swan Riders have been in a relationship. One, a girl named Rachel, spends the bulk of the story being controlled by Talis, an AI who was once a man. So some of the pronouns get a little confusing there. Usually the pronoun represents who’s speaking, without regard to the gender of the vessel or body that the AI is using.

Spiritual Content
Xie is considered a goddess by her people.

Violent Content
Brief battle scenes. A boy stabs a Swan Rider. Greta remembers being tortured with an apple press. There are other threats of torture. At one point, a Rider who is terminally ill asks another Rider to end her life in a ceremonial way.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About Erin Bow

Web Site | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Hi! My name is Erin Bow — physicist turned poet turned author of young adult novels that will make you cry on the bus. I’m a white girl, forty-something, feminist, geeky enough to do the Vulcan salute with both hands — in public. I live in Canada. I love to cook, hate to clean, and yes, I do own a cat.

In the beginning, I was a city girl from farm country—born in Des Moines and raised in Omaha—where I was fond of tromping through wood lots and reading books by flashlight. In high school I captained the debate team, founded the math club, and didn’t date much.

In university I studied particle physics, and worked briefly at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switzerland. Physics was awesome, but graduate school kind of sucked, and at some point I remembered that I wanted to write books.

Books: I have six of them — three novels, and two volumes of poetry and a memoir (the poetry under my maiden name, Erin Noteboom). My poetry has won the CBC Canadian Literary Award, and several other awards. My two novels, Plain Kate and Sorrow’s Knot, also have a fistful of awards, including Canada’s top award for children’s literature, the TD. The third novel, The Scorpion Rules, still faces its award season. No one read the memoir.

Right now I’m looking forward to the publication of my fourth novel, a companion piece to The Scorpion Rules called The Swan Riders, which will be out September 20 from Simon & Schuster. I’m at work on an new an entirely different novel, and a book of poetry about science.

Did you notice I got to Canada in there somewhere? Yeah, that was true love. I’m married to a Canadian boy, James Bow, who also writes young adult novels. We have two small daughters, both of whom want to be scientists.

Visit the Other Stops on the Swan Riders Tour

Week 1:

9/12: Fangs and Fur Fantasy Book Review – Review
9/13: The Cover Contessa – Guest Post
9/14: Live to Read – Review
9/15: Such A Novel Idea – Q&A
9/16: Intellectual Recreation – Review

Week 2:

9/19: Novel Ink – Q&A
9/20: The Story Sanctuary – Review – You are here!
9/21: Book Stacks Amber – Playlist
9/22: Lisa Loves Literature – Review
9/23: A Backwards Story – Q&A

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Author Interview and Giveaway with Monica Lee Kennedy

Author Interview, Fantasy, New Adult 18up, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The amazing Monica Lee Kennedy joins me today to talk about her series The Parting Breath in which the land itself is sentient. Check out what inspired the story and its characters here in the interview and don’t miss out on your chance to win a copy of the series opener, The Land’s Whisper! Giveaway details will be at the end of this post.

Interview with Author Monica Lee Kennedy

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write The Parting Breath series?

It wasn’t a question that drew me to write this story, but more of a sense of dissatisfaction. I was displeased by all the novels laden with sex and unappealing heroes. I wanted to create something that could be fun for both adults and young adults, but without scandalizing.

That’s a great motivator, and I think you definitely succeeded. Do you have a favorite character from the series? Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in the books?

That is a tough question. I love so many of the characters. I think in the end though that Arman is my favorite. He is the guide, the mentor. He loves so tremendously, while remaining such a stoic and stable character. Arman is not perfect, but he is the perfect friend—especially to the person in a tight spot.

The main things I could not include in the series were stories from his long-held friendship with Arista. It just didn’t seem to work with driving the plot forward. Perhaps someday I will write about one of their adventures in a separate novel.

Arman was awesome! I loved him, too. I love the idea of learning more about his friendship with Arista. Might even make a great series of short stories maybe?? Is there a scene or moment in your novels that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

The scene that sticks with me is a recurring one in the series. The characters come to the river and speak, letting out all their burdens. And because of the power of the water in Massada, they find healing. I think the reason why this resonates with me so much is that I find it truthful of so many wounds of the heart. When I bury my grief and pain, I end up losing myself. But when I grieve and speak about the difficulties I am facing, I find healing and freedom.

Yes! I’ve only read the first book in the series, but I found those images really powerful, and as a Christian, they definitely spoke to things from faith as well. Speaking of all the burdens characters carry, where did your ideas for your antagonist come from?

I have three major antagonists—Fingers (the memory-stealer), Jerome (the kidnapper and murderer), and Chaul (the demon). The ideas behind them stem from things that legitimately terrify me. Losing mental capacities, abduction, evil spirits, possession… these make for some nightmarish scenarios.

Makes a lot of sense! I found Fingers especially creepy– which he needed to be in the story. You created such a vivid world. One of the things I really enjoyed about The Land’s Whisper was the imaginative setting. Can you share a little about how you created the setting and incorporated it into the story?

Thanks! I got the inspiration—of a land that had traits and was alive—one night during a bout of insomnia. I had never heard of anything like it before, and the idea just seemed to grow and morph the longer I pondered it. I created a laughable map that looked like a toddler’s sketch and separately listed out the various traits of each land area so I could keep them straight. In the end, Robert Altbauer, a professional map maker drew up Massada for me.

It’s funny how sometimes the best ideas happen in the middle of the night. 🙂 It’s definitely a unique concept. I’ve never read anything like your books before. What do you most hope that readers take away from your stories?

Firstly, I want to encourage and foster a love of books because I think reading is fabulous. And secondly, I hope that readers can walk away inspired by goodness. That they can see heroic action and courage in the imperfect characters of Massada and find it all to be refreshing and moving. I remember the best books I read growing up were those that I witnessed virtue and true goodness. They made me want to live more fully and love more generously. I’d be so pleased if I could be the kind of author that inspired.

Really worthy goals. I agree with you– I think reading good books really can inspire us to live better and strive toward those heroic ideals. We need that, I think, now more than ever. Is there one question about your series you are often asked by readers?

“How did you ever have the time to write three books?”
It is true, I don’t have loads of free time. I am a stay at home mother of two small children and rarely get time to myself, but I have made a point to write daily. This usually means naptimes, but sometimes I get breaks in the evenings if my husband is on a business trip. I don’t always want to write, but even if I sit down for just twenty minutes, I find I am happier. So I keep doing it. I’ve discovered that having my own personal goals has helped me to be far more joyful and fulfilled.

Wow! Yes! Two little ones is a lot to manage. That’s awesome. I’m so glad you kept writing. Thanks so much for taking the time to share more about your books with me today.

About Monica Lee Kennedy

Web Site | Facebook | Goodreads

Monica Lee Kennedy grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the middle child of three. She studied at Franciscan University in Ohio, where she met her husband. Since then, they have traveled across the United States and Europe, toting children on hips and scooters.

As a youngster, Kennedy dreamed of becoming an author, but it wasn’t until many years later (and much encouragement from her spouse) that she began to write in earnest. While pregnant with her first child, she daydreamed about a world where the land could speak, and Massada, the world of the Parting Breath series, surfaced.

Kennedy loves travel, wine, chocolate, siblings, and beach vacations. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading and playing board games. She greatly values her Catholic faith.

Kennedy currently resides in Germany with her husband and two children.

About the Parting Breath Series

The Land’s Whisper (The Parting Breath #1)

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

The land itself is alive. It sees, it thinks, it speaks.

For the few who can communicate with it, a phenomenal power is granted. They see as the land does, acquire abilities and skills effortlessly, and perceive unimaginable secrets. Yet this connection also consumes them—once they feel it, they would do anything to keep it.

Darse returns to his home world with his surrogate son, Brenol, to discover that the boy possesses this special union with the land. The two travel through the strange world on a mission to save a young girl in peril. But will Brenol’s newfound power destroy them all instead?

Eyes in the Water (The Parting Breath #2)

Amazon | Goodreads

Beached corpses reek upon lapping shores. The once powerful lands—while still alive—are silent, as if asleep. Temperatures dip, and the world becomes steadily colder. The black fever spreads mysteriously, claiming lives in every corner of the land. There is great need in Massada.

Brenol, grown now to full manhood, returns to the land to discover it is faltering. Fate nips at his heels, and he must race to beat a poison uncovered far too late. Sorely tried in his oath of protection, Brenol realizes he must choose honor over his own pursuit of love if Massada is to be saved.

The Forbidding Blue (The Parting Breath #3)

Amazon | Goodreads

The once green world is turning to ice, while a book of startling prophesy raises terrifying questions about what the future might hold. A princess is beset with nightmares she knows reveal truth. A malicious demon runs rampant, killing without abandon. Where can hope be found?

Brenol and Arman throw themselves into a daring hunt to destroy the murderous spirit, and Colette seeks assistance out in the desert of ice, but the future of Massada remains bleak as death and deceit thrive. All things good and true stand in peril—even love.

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Bloomsbury USA Children’s

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The royal prince offers an imprisoned assassin the one thing she wants most—freedom—at a heavy cost. She must compete for the honor of serving the king who imprisoned her as his champion. At first Celaena is only determined to bide her time until she can escape. The competition begins with a chilling event. Competitors are found murdered, their bodies mutilated. Celaena fears the murders may be tied to dark rituals, but no one else will believe her. As she investigates further, she finds herself caught deeper in a web that would keep her from running away. As romance blooms between Celaena and the prince, she begins to realize she doesn’t want to run. She might have a chance at freedom and the possibility of a life wholly her own. But only if she can win the contest and stop the killer before she becomes his next victim.

This is the first novel by Sarah J. Maas that I’ve read. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this novel. I like the idea of a young girl as a famous assassin in a country where almost no one really believes it. She’s so young and it’s so unexpected. I guess I had a hard time really buying into the idea that she’s that good and yet the king welcomes her to the palace, totally within reach of everyone who has made the last year of her life completely miserable. It seemed like a really big risk. But I was willing to overlook that because other parts of the story sounded really intriguing.

I liked Celaena’s friendships with the Princess Nehemia and with the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall. I think he actually might have been my favorite character. Prince Dorian was hit and miss with me, though. Sometimes I liked him a lot, and other times he felt inconsistent to me. One moment, he acted sort of the cliché misunderstood prince. In other scenes, he seemed confident, comfortable in his role, so I couldn’t always reconcile those differences.

The competition itself felt a little bit choppy, though sometimes that’s because other more important parts of the story overshadowed the competition. I guess I wanted that part to feel more like those scenes from The Hunger Games when the tributes are practicing and then performing for the game makers, and this didn’t have that same power. But in fairness, it also didn’t have the same weight to the story as the larger conflict emerged and becoming the champion became a less important goal.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. There are more than enough potential conflicts introduced throughout the entire novel to interest readers in subsequent books. Readers who liked The Red Queen  by Victoria Aveyard and Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch will probably also like this book.

Cultural Elements
An oppressive king rules multiple peoples, and some struggle to organize a revolution. The cultural or racial differences between each group are vague, but the story world does give the indication that each group have cultures and customs. Celaena respects others, and often wonders what it’s like for people like Nehemia and Chaol, who have loyalty to family and homes oppressed by the king.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Captain Westfall worries that Prince Dorian will attempt to seduce Celaena. He references the prince’s reputation for such behavior, and Dorian himself makes a couple of vague comments. A young woman has come to the court by promising an unappealing older man that she’ll marry him. She secretly hopes to secure Prince Dorian’s affections instead, and dreads and worries about the man she promised herself to making romantic advances. A man and woman kiss several times, once lying in her bed, clothed.

Spiritual Content
The king outlawed magic and its use long ago. Celaena discovers evidence of dark rituals and demonic creatures. The spirit of a queen long dead offers aid and protection to a warrior.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
A young woman smokes opium. A team of warriors must identify wine laced with poisons.

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Review: Haven by Katherine Bogle

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Haven
Katherine Bogle
Friesen Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Haven unexpectedly ascends to the throne of her kingdom after her family members are killed by a ruthless queen. As neighboring kingdoms fall to the evil queen Kadia’s attacks, Haven realizes she must rally her few remaining allies and help her people escape the coming destruction. But Kadia wants more than just the land and power. She has her sights set on Haven herself, and the power of the mysterious gift Haven possesses. When Haven learns that others have inexplicable abilities, she realizes she’ll have to find them, for only together can they stop Kadia.

Haven definitely had some great Girl Power moments. I loved that her personal guards were fierce women, and that later, she earns the allegiance of other fierce female warriors. I love that she took her ability to heal, which doesn’t seem much like a warrior-gift, and turned that into a huge asset for herself as a fighter. She wasn’t afraid to step out and face her enemies head-on. I had to admire that about her.

I struggled a bit with some of the plot elements. Sometimes Haven would make these decisions that left me scratching my head or feeling frustrated because they didn’t seem to make a lot of logical sense, or the reactions of her companions didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. At one point she learns a critical ally has been working with the evil queen. Instead of outing him, she keeps his betrayal a secret because she feels afraid the other allies will kill him if they find out.

I kept thinking about the giant risk to security and her people that he continued to pose as someone who’d already betrayed them once. She didn’t seem at all concerned about the possibility that he might betray her again, or honestly all that affected by his betrayal which cost many lives and gave her enemy control of a lot of additional resources. At one point she vehemently opposes sending her own troops to fight Kadia, and soon after, she becomes upset that a neighboring king refuses to send his troops to her aid. I totally get that circumstances had changed, but I wanted her to at least stop and reflect, like, oh, that’s how it feels to wear this shoe, and I didn’t feel like I got to have that moment.

Ultimately, her love for her people definitely made her a character I could sympathize with. I totally rooted for her to take down Kadia, and I loved that she found an unexpected ally– I thought the way the final battle went down was really engaging and cool.

I think readers who enjoyed The Key by Jennifer Anne Davis would really like Haven. It’s got a lot of great girl power moments and a big fantasy setting, and an ultimately enjoyable romantic arc.

Cultural Elements
Feels like a pretty Western European-type cast of characters. Culturally it felt pretty homogenous across various kingdoms.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger Warning
A man professes his love and forces kisses on the girl he loves. An evil queen commands a man to rape a captor. He pins her down, she struggles. It’s pretty intense. Later, a male soldier is caught beginning to assault a female soldier. The attacker states that this is the way things are done (ie, the way prisoners are treated). Others free the woman and other prisoners, but obviously lots of damage has already been done.

Brief kisses between a (willing) man and woman.

Even though the descriptions of the assaults were brief and included intent to rape without actually showing rape, I struggled with them. I think it was just the fact that it came up more than once—which I get from a plot perspective. The first attack gives the character reason to be that much more upset by the second situation.

Also, part of the healing afterward includes sharing the experience with a twelve year old girl who has special abilities to bring mental healing. As the parent of a kid about that age, I had a really tough time with that idea. I wished that character had been older. Not a lot of story time was devoted to that process, though.

Spiritual Content
The evil queen Kadia uses shadows to fight her enemies. She can also sense others with gifts like Haven’s ability to heal. Kadia can also paint the future, and at one point has guards strip a captor so she can pain the girl’s future on her body. It’s traumatic to the captor.

Violent Content
An assassin attacks Haven. She learns to fight, and at one point she injures herself in practice combat. She fights and slays enemies. Descriptions are brief.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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