Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Laia and her family do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia's brother is arrested for treason, she is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire's greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school's finest soldier- and secretly, its most unwilling. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined-- and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Loved
- The world. Going into this, I expected a typical medieval fantasy- which I always love, but this was a nice change. This is a harsh, Ancient Rome type setting, and I am so here for it! I enjoyed the complexity of the world building and its history, but without any info-dumping. From the very beginning we understand easily what's happening and have a good feel for the setting. I am a huge sucker for school/academy tropes, and although Blackcliff is terrible, I enjoyed the academy with its training, students, and structure.
- The intensity. This is one of those stories that reaches up from the pages, grabs you by the shoulders and doesn't let go- starting literally from the first paragraph. I knew this was going to be violent, but I wasn't prepared for its Hunger Games-like brutality. This plot doesn't let you get comfortable- just when you think things can't get any worse, the stakes rise even higher. I seriously bit of all my nails every time I picked this up!
- The complexity of the characters. These characters all initially seemed like they'd be pretty standard YA (you know there is sometimes a cookie-cutter mold for YA characters). But these characters were surprising in their depth and complexity. Laia, who is not naturally bold but learns be brave for her brother. Elias, who can kill thirty men in two minutes, but was raised outside the Empire and sees all its imperfections- and is haunted by his future in it. And most perplexing of all, Helene, the picture of fierce dedication to the Empire and its ideals, but shows compassion and loyalty to others who defy them. Even the secondary characters are complicated- with haunted pasts, terrifying secrets, and a desire to make a difference.
- Other things to love: a frustrating-but-I-love-it love triangle, crazy cool fighting, supernatural monsters, fast-paced action, slow burn romance, and the theme of loyalty and selflessness woven throughout.
Didn't Love
- There was one scene in this story that was so painful I almost stopped reading the book. Painful in how twisted, brutal and devastating it was for the characters- (think Hunger Games on steroids). However, this scene shaped the characters and led to their character development, so I appreciate the purpose it served.
Content
Content
- Language:
- A few uses of "whore," "a**," "damn," and "bastard."
- Frequent uses of the phrase "ten hells."
- Sexual content:
- Throughout the book there are many references to raping women, especially slaves. There are very few women in the academy, and it's common knowledge that students rape the female students and slaves. There are many references to this throughout the story.
- A male character frequently threatens to rape a female character, and says, "I wonder if raping you will be like fighting you . . . "
- A male character tries to save a slave girl by pretending he is sexually assaulting her. He puts his hands on her and tells her to pretend she is fighting him.
- A slave girl is a "prize" and is brought to a male's room for the night with no disruptions. Nothing happens, but references are made to her sharing his bed.
- Many references to male soldiers spending time in brothels, with "one-night-stands," and "tumbles."
- A sweet kiss between a male and female.
- A heady kiss between a male and female- described as his hand on her thigh and her arcing against him.
- Violence:
- This is a very brutal world with lots of violence.
- The opening scene is very jarring- two characters are murdered via throat slitting.
- The commandant of the school rules through violence- a child is whipped to death, a five-year-old girl has her eye gouged out, a woman's face is marred and her family is killed, a girl's chest is carved with a "K."
- Many scenes of fighting and death- throat slittings, daggers in the throat, stabbings, and heads lolling. There are very disturbing Hunger-Games like scenes where friends are pitched against each other and forced to kill each other. Describes lights going out in their eyes, how the scim felt as it went through their flesh, etc. These scenes are very disturbing- to the reader and to the characters- and they are relived throughout the story.
- Many references to past and present violence in the Empire- raids, murders, torturing, interrogations, and assassinations.
- A character is beaten nearly to death and almost raped.
- Many references to females being raped in the school.
- Other themes:
- The Empire is comprised of lighter-skinned, paler people and they have enslaved the Scholars, who are brown-skinned and have tribal-like traditions. Slavery is a major theme in the story as it fuels the passion to fight in many of the characters.
- A few uses of "whore," "a**," "damn," and "bastard."
- Frequent uses of the phrase "ten hells."
- Throughout the book there are many references to raping women, especially slaves. There are very few women in the academy, and it's common knowledge that students rape the female students and slaves. There are many references to this throughout the story.
- A male character frequently threatens to rape a female character, and says, "I wonder if raping you will be like fighting you . . . "
- A male character tries to save a slave girl by pretending he is sexually assaulting her. He puts his hands on her and tells her to pretend she is fighting him.
- A slave girl is a "prize" and is brought to a male's room for the night with no disruptions. Nothing happens, but references are made to her sharing his bed.
- Many references to male soldiers spending time in brothels, with "one-night-stands," and "tumbles."
- A sweet kiss between a male and female.
- A heady kiss between a male and female- described as his hand on her thigh and her arcing against him.
- This is a very brutal world with lots of violence.
- The opening scene is very jarring- two characters are murdered via throat slitting.
- The commandant of the school rules through violence- a child is whipped to death, a five-year-old girl has her eye gouged out, a woman's face is marred and her family is killed, a girl's chest is carved with a "K."
- Many scenes of fighting and death- throat slittings, daggers in the throat, stabbings, and heads lolling. There are very disturbing Hunger-Games like scenes where friends are pitched against each other and forced to kill each other. Describes lights going out in their eyes, how the scim felt as it went through their flesh, etc. These scenes are very disturbing- to the reader and to the characters- and they are relived throughout the story.
- Many references to past and present violence in the Empire- raids, murders, torturing, interrogations, and assassinations.
- A character is beaten nearly to death and almost raped.
- Many references to females being raped in the school.
- The Empire is comprised of lighter-skinned, paler people and they have enslaved the Scholars, who are brown-skinned and have tribal-like traditions. Slavery is a major theme in the story as it fuels the passion to fight in many of the characters.
Comments
Post a Comment