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clawfoot's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Saviour's Champion is a good book. I enjoyed it. It's not a great book, and I don't think it'll stick with me for overlong. It's not going to be something I come back to again and again, but I enjoyed it enough and don't regret the time I spent reading it.
What I enjoyed were the characters and the general plot. Tobias and Leila are both believable and relatable. I believed their chemistry, and their relationship develped gradually, naturally and never felt forced. I liked the difficult position that put them both in, and how difficult it made some of Tobias' decsions (and how easy, some of them). I very much liked some of the other competitors, even the antagonists. I liked that there were different flavours of antagonist; some were flippant, some were implacable, some were angry. They certainly weren't all the same.
What I didn't enjoy was that I have zero picture of the wider world beyond this arena and this palace, and I'm a little confused by the mythology. The characters say "thank God" and "oh my God" a lot, although there is no further reference to any god or religion. Even though the Saviour herself is "holy" and to speak against her is "blasphemy," there's absolutely no explanation as to how the Saviour fits into the world. IS the Saviour the "god" people invoke? Is it something else? Where does the Saviour's magic come from? How does it work? Does anyone else have it? If the Saviour is killed with no heir, does this nameless god just pick a new one? Or is that it, the world is just doomed forever?
Another thing I didn't enjoy was the fact that it felt like an entirely different novel was happening in the background that we weren't privy to. Restricting the POV to Tobias really cut out what was happening to Leila. What was going on? Whose idea was it to switch Leila and Cosima's positions? And why did the other agree to go along with it? If it was Leila's idea, why on earth did Bronte agree? And if it was Bronte's idea, why did Leila agree? I get the appeal of keeping Leila's true identity a secret from the audience for that twist reveal, but if we'd gotten Leila's POV as well, this could have turned into an EPIC political thriller. I just feel we missed out on so much story.
And this is a compliment to Moredi's skill as a writer: I'm upset that she didn't write MORE. She managed to portray Leila's situation as complicated and compelling without giving away much about it at all.
I will probably continue to read the series. It's intrigued me enough for that. I do want to know more about the world and about the politics of the situation.
What I enjoyed were the characters and the general plot. Tobias and Leila are both believable and relatable. I believed their chemistry, and their relationship develped gradually, naturally and never felt forced. I liked the difficult position that put them both in, and how difficult it made some of Tobias' decsions (and how easy, some of them). I very much liked some of the other competitors, even the antagonists. I liked that there were different flavours of antagonist; some were flippant, some were implacable, some were angry. They certainly weren't all the same.
What I didn't enjoy was that I have zero picture of the wider world beyond this arena and this palace, and I'm a little confused by the mythology. The characters say "thank God" and "oh my God" a lot, although there is no further reference to any god or religion. Even though the Saviour herself is "holy" and to speak against her is "blasphemy," there's absolutely no explanation as to how the Saviour fits into the world. IS the Saviour the "god" people invoke? Is it something else? Where does the Saviour's magic come from? How does it work? Does anyone else have it? If the Saviour is killed with no heir, does this nameless god just pick a new one? Or is that it, the world is just doomed forever?
Another thing I didn't enjoy was the fact that it felt like an entirely different novel was happening in the background that we weren't privy to.
And this is a compliment to Moredi's skill as a writer: I'm upset that she didn't write MORE. She managed to portray Leila's situation as complicated and compelling without giving away much about it at all.
I will probably continue to read the series. It's intrigued me enough for that. I do want to know more about the world and about the politics of the situation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
clarawithc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
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