I liked it so much I bought the next book in the series!
I wasn't familiar with Matt Wallace as an author, so I had no preconceived notions of what his fantasy writing would be like. I received this book in a BookishFirst raffle, right before I moved, so there was some delay in my reading it. I found that it was completely engrossing, and when I was done and checked, the next book was out, and I had to grab that right away too.
There are several primary characters. I was surprised the male author took on the challenge of focusing primarily upon female characters. He seemed to do fine by my reading, but I am curious about how female readers received his work.
Lexi has a missing spouse/partner, who is charged with crimes, while the clan assets are seized. Lexi's only ally seems to be Taru, her Undeclared bodyguard (trigger warning on effective slavery).
Dyeawan, a handicapped character, is one of many unfortunate (poor underclass) city people kidnapped, but she is dropped into a completely different lifestyle, where she has a chance to contribute to planning a better world, and quickly becomes tightly linked to the hidden societal leadership.
Evie is a character who is press-ganged into the Savage Legion, a social creation to remove excess population (read as lower class, political rivals, and criminals) by fighting for the Empire.
All three of these women see elements of the corruption of their society within the book. All three of them are exposed to the waste, sadism, and needless and cruel death. It is exciting to see how these women rally those around them to fight the corruption. It is a sad and yet inspiring tale the author has woven.
There are several primary characters. I was surprised the male author took on the challenge of focusing primarily upon female characters. He seemed to do fine by my reading, but I am curious about how female readers received his work.
Lexi has a missing spouse/partner, who is charged with crimes, while the clan assets are seized. Lexi's only ally seems to be Taru, her Undeclared bodyguard (trigger warning on effective slavery).
Dyeawan, a handicapped character, is one of many unfortunate (poor underclass) city people kidnapped, but she is dropped into a completely different lifestyle, where she has a chance to contribute to planning a better world, and quickly becomes tightly linked to the hidden societal leadership.
Evie is a character who is press-ganged into the Savage Legion, a social creation to remove excess population (read as lower class, political rivals, and criminals) by fighting for the Empire.
All three of these women see elements of the corruption of their society within the book. All three of them are exposed to the waste, sadism, and needless and cruel death. It is exciting to see how these women rally those around them to fight the corruption. It is a sad and yet inspiring tale the author has woven.