The cover is what drew me in, and while stunning and gorgeous, it was very misleading. I thought this would be a beautifully lush tribal fantasy, but what I got was a grimdark world where demonic Deathshrieks disemboweled people and women were cut to test their purity and near-forced to be violent warriors if they failed to be found "pure". Talk about horrible for anyone, much less Deka, the sweet, devout, sixteen year old protagonist who is just trying to belong. Add a bit of feminist "against the evil patriarchy" undercurrents and it's a recipe for the DNF pile for me. I really really wanted to like this, but it just got worse. So, I put it down for good on page 142, chapter 13, a little less than halfway through, when a trainer throws a knife or dagger at a trainee and slices part of her ear off. (Totes reminiscent of Four and Tris Prior in Divergent)
[[SPOILER: Deka is a half-demon and she chooses (not much of a choice) to join the King's military in order to protect humanity and fight against the upsurge of demons threatening the Oyomo kingdom. So a powerful half-demon to fight other full demons? Not sure that works…END SPOILER]]
What I loved about this book:
Very creative and intriguing premise. This story has so much promise and would be cool if it wasn't so morbid.
What I didn’t care for in this book:
Deka isn't a go-getter character. She's very passive, allowing life to happen to her. Granted, she's probably more of an introvert as another character nicknames her 'The quiet One.' Therefore, she has to rely on characters around her (or, repeated memories of her parents telling her stories about this or that world element) to tell her about this unknown world that she is forced into. She often parrots new words (and sometimes it's the only thing she says in a conversation) because she doesn't know what they mean, so repeated the word is her way of asking another person to define it, and it just gets annoying.🙈
As mentioned above, it's dark and hopeless. As a follower of Jesus, I like to read about hope, the light, redemption, change…something good! But the more pages I turned, the further the story slipped into violence and despair. I have no taste for that kind of story.
Violence - The Deathshrieks' way of killing was gruesome and disturbing. [[SPOILER Also, once the elders discovered Deka was half-demon because her blood was gold, they attempted to kill her 9 times–NINE!! Which wasn't detailed in the story but rather summarized, thank goodness. And then (THEN!!) we learned that when she didn't die the third time, they kept torturing her, collecting her golden blood to sell on like their black market. How twisted and heinous to do that to a sixteen year old. END SPOILER]]
World building needed work, I felt. The world has a lot of cool elements but jarred me a little in execution.
Lots of character names thrown at you, and only really described by appearance and names. It happens when Deka begins warrior training.
The Irish brogue of Deka's friend from her hometown is too much.
Excerpt:
It's late afternoon when we reach the temple. The village square is packed by then–well wishers and curious onlookers jostling for space; girls in their ceremonial blues lined up in front of the temple steps, their parents on either side of them. Father takes his place beside me just as the drums sound, and we watch as the Jatu march solemny toward the steps in preparation for Elder Durka's arrival, their red armor a gleaming counterpoint to the sea of deep-blue dresses, their gnarled war masks glowing in the dull afternoon light. Each mask resembles a terrifying demon face, and can be attached and removed from the helmet with ease.
Since the doors haven't yet opened, I take in the temple stark white walls, it's red roof. Red is the color of sanctity. It's the color pure girls will bleed when Elder Durkas tests them today.
Please let mine be red, please let mine be red, I pray.
I spot Elfriede at the front, her entire body rigid. She must be thinking the same thing. Like all the other girls, she stands with her face revealed one last time, although she hunches slightly to hide her birthmark.
The temple doors creak open, and the crowd hushes. Elder Durkas appears at the top of the stairs, his usual pinched, disapproving look on his face. As with most priests of Oyomo, his mission is to root out impurity and abomination. That's why his body is so thin and his eyes are so intense. Religious fervor leaves little room for eating or anything else. A golden tattoo of the kuru–the symbol of the Sun–gleams in the middle of his clean-shaven head.
He extends his hands over the crowd. "The infinite father blesses you," he intones.
"The infinite father blesses us all." The crowd's reply reverberates through the square.
Elder Durkas raises the ceremonial blade toward the sky. It's carved from ivory and sharper than the most finely honed sword. "And upon the fourth day," he recites in the deep booming voice he likes to use for these occasions, "he created woman–a helpmeet to lift man to his sacred potential, his divine glory. Woman is the Infinite Father's greatest gift to mankind. Solace for his darkest hour. Comfort in..'"
Elder durkas's words fade to a low drowning as my skin begins to tingle, the blood rushing underneath. It's coupled by sudden awareness: the stillness of the wind, the crackle of the melting icicles, and, somewhere in the distance…the crunch of heavy footsteps on fallen leaves. Something is coming…the thought flitters through my mind.
Stars:
I give it three. Interesting premise, but it was unexpectedly grimdark and it's just not my cuppa.
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