Rise by Jennifer Anne Davis
Month9Books © 2016
ARC Ebook
High Fantasy
Review by Leah
Look at that cover. Commence drooling. Wipe mouth. Continue reading.
Summary:
When the balance of the world shifts, something must always occur to restore it.
In the case of the nation of Nelebek, things took a turn for the worse when Morlet, a man with dark magic coursing through his veins, takes the throne. His power is menacing and his reign is full of desperation. Yet, out of the dark, there must be light. This comes in the form of the Order of the Krigers; twelve warriors who come into their own powers at the age of eighteen and whose shared destiny is to combine with each other and their weapons to kill the king.
For over a century, the Krigers have been hunted by two sides. A mysterious assassin and his friend are alone in their knowledge of what must be done to aid the Krigers, and so they search for any they can get to before Morlet's guards. After so long, the King has become aware that the powers of the Krigers will endure, no matter how many he kills. So he has begun to imprison them, in order to kill all twelve as they are linked, destroying the Order of the Krigers forever.
Morlet has eleven. There is only one left.
Kaia didn't mean to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, it was during a public execution that she comes face to face with the dark and powerful ruler of Nelebek. And when she meets his eyes, an ancient power rises in order to combat his own destructive magic.
Now, she must decide whether or not she will accept her destiny, while learning what all that entails.
Initial Thoughts:
I'm not going to lie here, Kaia and I did not get along. I yelled at her throughout the entire book. Despite her, however, it was not a trying read for me. Mostly because the secondary characters were this book's saving grace.
Characters:
Kaia and I are not compatible creatures. When it comes to a moral compass, you'd never be able to find someone so pure and naive as Kaia. Despite her father's wise teachings and relentless training, Kaia still doesn't have what it takes in her to be a warrior. Not at heart. She also lacks the inherent suspicion of other people that keeps most of us alive on a daily basis. Common sense is also something she is sorely lacking. And as the assassin, Anders, would happily point out: she can't keep her mouth shut. Even/especially when it matters most. Out of the 19 pages of notes I took while reading this book, yelling at Kaia comprises of 95% of them. I wanted to kill her myself, she was so TSTL (too stupid to live). I'm not sugar-coating it; there were several times that she should have died, and didn't only by the grace of amazing secondary characters. Her innocence is the kind reserved for a child growing up in a loving home, and has no business being in a sixteen-year-old who was trained to fight since she could walk. There is no excuse for that level of naiveté.
Anders was a badass. He was funny and boyish at times, while being stubborn and fierce when needed. There were a few mood swings of his that seemed odd, but were pleasurable to experience. What I truly enjoyed about Anders, however, was that he was a contradiction of emotions and actions, but he allowed nothing to stand in the way of his objective. Even Kaia's whiny savior-complex. Though he feels guilty about the lives he takes, Anders knows that there is no choice but to take them, and he doesn't hesitate. He pays the price for what he does, but he doesn't display it for everyone to pity. For that, I adored him. I dubbed him my favorite from page 35, and I don't see that changing throughout this series.
Vidar was also fucking amazing. Sorry, there's just no other way to put it. He's charismatic, noble, caring, and has a strong sense of purpose. It is his drive that has kept the Krigers going for so long, and what keeps Anders in check. There's also a few flirty moments with Kaia that you can't help but adore him for, since it is all done for the sake of humor. Vidar is adorable. I can add nothing to that, and you'll have to read to find out exactly what I mean. Between him and Anders, though, it was an entertaining read.
Morlet is also one of the most interesting characters in the book. Now, I can't say too much on him without revealing some of the book's most intriguing moments, but he is a character you want to keep your eye on. Before, I said that Anders was made of contradictions. Morlet suffers with a few more of those than you would think. And not even a king is master of everything. Much less himself.
Plot & Setting:
As far as setting goes, this one is a bit lacking. Through the narrative, we learn some basic layout, but not enough to immerse us. Yet, since this is First Person Perspective, I usually let setting slide for realism's sake. I mean, how many of us go around describing everything we see every day in our heads? For a character to do it instead of focusing on the action, that's unforgivable to me. So no harm, no foul on setting.
Plot though… I'm back and forth on this one. As I said, I need my characters focused on the action, and Kaia does nothing but this. Yet, she's also used to create unnecessary series of events because she's just that plain stupid. There were several instances in this book where she honestly should have died. There were instances that could have been avoided entirely if she had just been a little more suspicious. And if she had trusted her allies more and her enemies less, half of the book would never have happened.
In general, the plot arc that this book was going for was achieved. I loved the revelations and many of the character progressions that I witnessed. Yet, much of it felt contrived through Kaia's ignorance, and I was not okay with that.
Writing Style:
I've read plenty of books by Jennifer Anne Davis and there is at least one quality to them that remains consistent: once I reach a certain point, it is in everyone's best interest not to fucking interrupt me. For several of her books, this has come way sooner, and for others I pass that point much later. This was one of the latter category. My disconnect with Kaia made it hard to deal with her, but there was always a driving need to know what happens next. To find out if my theories are sound. (They were, btw.) To see how everything would unfold. That is the power of Ms. Davis's writing. It pulls you in and keeps you questioning. Even if you abhor the MC, you still have to stick with it to find out if everything is as you thought it would be. Which is why I will undoubtedly be reading the next book.
Overall Opinion:
This is going to be a hit or miss with people, and there will be very little in-between. (Waves hand at all the few other people to join me in the middle.) There were parts I loved about this book, and there were parts I despised. Since this is a FPP, however, I think most opinions will be directly related to how well you can connect with Kaia. For younger teens, this will probably be a phenomenal hit. For older teens, probably less so. And amongst the adult portion of readers, I have to think it'll be a 50/50 shot, because so many want to experience the kind of innocence, naivety, and self-righteousness that Kaia provides; while others who don't mind the darker parts of the human experience will find her lacking in every instinctual, defensive necessity that our existence depends upon.
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