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jewbitche's review against another edition
3.0
hmmm
The plot and characters were better than the prose, I liked the diverse cast and the humor, I liked the violence and how it effected them all, I just had some issues with it feeling stilted.
The plot and characters were better than the prose, I liked the diverse cast and the humor, I liked the violence and how it effected them all, I just had some issues with it feeling stilted.
loslibrosdelosdragones's review against another edition
DNF. No puedo más con este libro. No me pueden dar más lo mismo los personajes, la historia, la trama, todo. No tengo ganas de perder tiempo en él.
lolagreen's review against another edition
4.0
The Savior's Champion has everything you could really want in an urban fantasy novel — action, friendship, love, drama, betrayal, luxury, wit, and bad-ass women!
If you love the unwarranted violence of the Hunger Games, the political drama of Game of Thrones, and the hilarious level of male cattiness in ABC’s The Bachelorette, do yourself a huge favor and pick up this self-published book. You will love every single page.
Full review of The Savior's Champion available on my blog!
If you love the unwarranted violence of the Hunger Games, the political drama of Game of Thrones, and the hilarious level of male cattiness in ABC’s The Bachelorette, do yourself a huge favor and pick up this self-published book. You will love every single page.
Full review of The Savior's Champion available on my blog!
romantasylife's review against another edition
3.0
TW: violence, unwanted groping.
Overall
So, this book reminds me of a couple of things. One of them being The Hunger Games. Men enter in this Sovereign’s Tournament to marry The Savior. They basically have to kill each other or die during challenges, which reminds me of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire.
Overall, I really liked reading this violent story. Unfortunately, all the little “twists” at the end weren’t surprising. I guessed all of them early on in the book. That’s the main reason why this book isn’t getting a higher rating.
I like Jenna Moreci’s writing, for the most part. I’ll definitely pick up The Savior’s Sisters when it comes out. I’d love to reread this story from Leila’s point of view. I just really hate the terminology she used. There were times that I could have sworn this book was written by a man.
This book was an easy book to read. I followed along with the audiobook. I can’t stay focused right now to save my life when it comes to fantasy.
Please be aware, this book is not for everyone.
Characters
Leila: She’s by far the best character in this book. She’s a character with many secrets and she’s does a lot of things she should not be doing in this competition. I love that she can stand up for herself when she needs to.
Tobias: He’s kind of obnoxious. There are times where he doesn’t stick up for Leila, in fear that the other competitors would find out that he’s not really there to win The Savior’s heart. He’s the only one of the group who entered the tournament with intentions that did not involve The Savior, but his family. For that, I do like him.
The Other Competitors: They are all pigs. I realize they were all put in this book with the intention that they’re going to die anyway. So why not make them the most dumb and disgusting group of men ever?
The Challenges
I love that not all of the challenges were violent. I feel like Jenna got really creative with adding challenges without violence. Some of the challenges reminded me of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. The labyrinth reminds me of the maze so much. There are so many things that can happen in the labyrinth. It’s insane. Definitely some of my favorite “gruesome” scenes happened in there.
The Romance
The romance fell kind of flat for me. I feel like I need more time with Tobias and Leila. I think that their romance will bloom in the next book after The Savior’s Sister. I’m hoping their romance will bloom. I’m also really hoping that we’ll get more of their romance. Who knows? They might be too busy trying to save their lives.
Overall
So, this book reminds me of a couple of things. One of them being The Hunger Games. Men enter in this Sovereign’s Tournament to marry The Savior. They basically have to kill each other or die during challenges, which reminds me of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire.
Overall, I really liked reading this violent story. Unfortunately, all the little “twists” at the end weren’t surprising. I guessed all of them early on in the book. That’s the main reason why this book isn’t getting a higher rating.
I like Jenna Moreci’s writing, for the most part. I’ll definitely pick up The Savior’s Sisters when it comes out. I’d love to reread this story from Leila’s point of view. I just really hate the terminology she used. There were times that I could have sworn this book was written by a man.
This book was an easy book to read. I followed along with the audiobook. I can’t stay focused right now to save my life when it comes to fantasy.
Please be aware, this book is not for everyone.
Characters
Leila: She’s by far the best character in this book. She’s a character with many secrets and she’s does a lot of things she should not be doing in this competition. I love that she can stand up for herself when she needs to.
Tobias: He’s kind of obnoxious. There are times where he doesn’t stick up for Leila, in fear that the other competitors would find out that he’s not really there to win The Savior’s heart. He’s the only one of the group who entered the tournament with intentions that did not involve The Savior, but his family. For that, I do like him.
The Other Competitors: They are all pigs. I realize they were all put in this book with the intention that they’re going to die anyway. So why not make them the most dumb and disgusting group of men ever?
The Challenges
I love that not all of the challenges were violent. I feel like Jenna got really creative with adding challenges without violence. Some of the challenges reminded me of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. The labyrinth reminds me of the maze so much. There are so many things that can happen in the labyrinth. It’s insane. Definitely some of my favorite “gruesome” scenes happened in there.
The Romance
The romance fell kind of flat for me. I feel like I need more time with Tobias and Leila. I think that their romance will bloom in the next book after The Savior’s Sister. I’m hoping their romance will bloom. I’m also really hoping that we’ll get more of their romance. Who knows? They might be too busy trying to save their lives.
ginqueen's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
ryrichard28's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished plowing through this one, and I’m pretty excited to gush about it!
First off, I don’t know why, but reading the synopsis for this book and realizing it’s written from the POV of a male character made me hesitant to read it––maybe male POV romance just sounds weird to me. Which is stupid, and not a reason to refrain from a good book. So I ignored my weird prejudice because the book sounded intriguing and steamrolled through anyway. And it didn’t take longer than a few chapters to hook me, and then I couldn’t put it down until it was done (cue annoyed husband).
Brief synopsis: Tobias, a hardworking but penniless laborer, enters a deadly tournament where men compete to win marriage to The Savior and rule the kingdom by her side. Though he expects entering the contest will guarantee his death, entering will also provide for his family, and that makes it worth it for him. He doesn’t know The Savior, and so doesn’t care to win marriage to her. During the contest, he falls in love with Leila, the healer who tends to the contestants after their trials. Leila is caring and feisty while The Savior is a heartless tartlet who is thrilled to have men compete for her. The games promise no happy ending for them, as if he is the last man standing, he’s supposed to marry The Savior. But Leila has secrets, and one of them is the key to a happy ending (though not entirely, because the ending sets up a sequel).
My absolute favorite thing about this book is the dialogue. Some others have commented on why the word “cock” is used so many times, and gripe about the vulgar language. I don’t share those qualms. Most of the dialogue is among a group of men, so I find their liberal use of the word “cock” to be quite realistic. Funny, even. The “cock” plethora never got to the annoying level of Stephenie Meyer’s “chagrin” for me since it served a purpose. Men that I’ve been around tend to make a stupid amount of penis jokes. And cocky men (pun!) tend to brag about their dangly bits, so it makes complete sense to me why these fictional ones do too. And I love the conversations between Tobias and Leila! Those are the parts that had be laughing because Tobias is funny with her. Their interactions build realistically––no insta-love––and you can tell that they love each other prior to their own realizations, which I feel tends to be more satisfying while reading. It doesn’t feel rushed.
There’s a twist that you’ll probably see pretty early on, but there’s enough room for doubt that it’s still a great reveal. Leila’s secrets are pretty easy to figure out if you’re paying attention. There’s a lot of death, but nothing that really broke my heart. The challenges are exciting enough to keep you engaged with enough downtime in between for character development and relationship progress. There’s a good amount of steam between Leila and Tobias, but it’s balanced nicely with sweetness, and while yes, we’re in the mind of a boy and his thoughts can be a bit smutty, the relationship doesn’t cross into X-rated territory. The book ends mid-arc and definitely needs a sequel, but in my opinion it’s not a frustrating stopping point. Some books have those cliffhangers that have you pulling your hair out in anticipation of the next one. This one doesn’t do that. I can comfortably wait for the sequel, and still be excited when it debuts.
I’d say this is a good book for those who liked “The Gladiator” (just really reminds me of it for some reason), and books with deadly games and a romantic component (take your pick, The Hunger Games, Ruthless Magic, etc––common theme, but still a worthy read if that’s your thing, as it appears to be mine).
First off, I don’t know why, but reading the synopsis for this book and realizing it’s written from the POV of a male character made me hesitant to read it––maybe male POV romance just sounds weird to me. Which is stupid, and not a reason to refrain from a good book. So I ignored my weird prejudice because the book sounded intriguing and steamrolled through anyway. And it didn’t take longer than a few chapters to hook me, and then I couldn’t put it down until it was done (cue annoyed husband).
Brief synopsis: Tobias, a hardworking but penniless laborer, enters a deadly tournament where men compete to win marriage to The Savior and rule the kingdom by her side. Though he expects entering the contest will guarantee his death, entering will also provide for his family, and that makes it worth it for him. He doesn’t know The Savior, and so doesn’t care to win marriage to her. During the contest, he falls in love with Leila, the healer who tends to the contestants after their trials. Leila is caring and feisty while The Savior is a heartless tartlet who is thrilled to have men compete for her. The games promise no happy ending for them, as if he is the last man standing, he’s supposed to marry The Savior. But Leila has secrets, and one of them is the key to a happy ending (though not entirely, because the ending sets up a sequel).
My absolute favorite thing about this book is the dialogue. Some others have commented on why the word “cock” is used so many times, and gripe about the vulgar language. I don’t share those qualms. Most of the dialogue is among a group of men, so I find their liberal use of the word “cock” to be quite realistic. Funny, even. The “cock” plethora never got to the annoying level of Stephenie Meyer’s “chagrin” for me since it served a purpose. Men that I’ve been around tend to make a stupid amount of penis jokes. And cocky men (pun!) tend to brag about their dangly bits, so it makes complete sense to me why these fictional ones do too. And I love the conversations between Tobias and Leila! Those are the parts that had be laughing because Tobias is funny with her. Their interactions build realistically––no insta-love––and you can tell that they love each other prior to their own realizations, which I feel tends to be more satisfying while reading. It doesn’t feel rushed.
There’s a twist that you’ll probably see pretty early on, but there’s enough room for doubt that it’s still a great reveal. Leila’s secrets are pretty easy to figure out if you’re paying attention. There’s a lot of death, but nothing that really broke my heart. The challenges are exciting enough to keep you engaged with enough downtime in between for character development and relationship progress. There’s a good amount of steam between Leila and Tobias, but it’s balanced nicely with sweetness, and while yes, we’re in the mind of a boy and his thoughts can be a bit smutty, the relationship doesn’t cross into X-rated territory. The book ends mid-arc and definitely needs a sequel, but in my opinion it’s not a frustrating stopping point. Some books have those cliffhangers that have you pulling your hair out in anticipation of the next one. This one doesn’t do that. I can comfortably wait for the sequel, and still be excited when it debuts.
I’d say this is a good book for those who liked “The Gladiator” (just really reminds me of it for some reason), and books with deadly games and a romantic component (take your pick, The Hunger Games, Ruthless Magic, etc––common theme, but still a worthy read if that’s your thing, as it appears to be mine).
thepsychonyx's review against another edition
5.0
I’m just going to complain real quick about other reviews before I give mine because I genuinely think it’s plain stupid to attempt to review and bring down a rating of an entire book when you only read the free preview chapters. That’s like giving a movie a rating based on the trailers, it’s dumb.
Onto the book itself, there were some things that I believe could use an improvement but overall I genuinely adored my experience with this book and its characters so much so I read it stupid quick.
Jenna’s writing is well paced and the turns were interesting as well as the negative emotions certain scenes prompted, you felt angry when Tobias was angry etc.
Cons:
One of my issues with the book was the overuse of sentence structures that were basically “words words words words, yes?” But then I considered to look at the use of the “yes?” As a common saying or sentence structure in Moreci’s world and it made me enjoy it much more though still a slight pet peeve.
I felt the “bad guys” were a tad Machiavellian, hopefully this improves for the next book
More world building in actually detailing what makes the architecture from Thessan distinct would have been nice, again I hope this improves in the next book.
Pros:
The violence was well written and impactful.
Jenna’s writing is well paced.
Gave the reader a good sense of empathy, I genuinely felt mad when Tobias was mad, felt his frustrations and his desire.
The relationship is HEALTHY, the romance is wonderful.
Tonnes of diversity, something fantasy tends to lack.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and despite some pet peeves it’s definitely a 5/5 on my scale because it did what it set out to and so much more. So proud of you Jenna!
Onto the book itself, there were some things that I believe could use an improvement but overall I genuinely adored my experience with this book and its characters so much so I read it stupid quick.
Jenna’s writing is well paced and the turns were interesting as well as the negative emotions certain scenes prompted, you felt angry when Tobias was angry etc.
Cons:
One of my issues with the book was the overuse of sentence structures that were basically “words words words words, yes?” But then I considered to look at the use of the “yes?” As a common saying or sentence structure in Moreci’s world and it made me enjoy it much more though still a slight pet peeve.
I felt the “bad guys” were a tad Machiavellian, hopefully this improves for the next book
More world building in actually detailing what makes the architecture from Thessan distinct would have been nice, again I hope this improves in the next book.
Pros:
The violence was well written and impactful.
Jenna’s writing is well paced.
Gave the reader a good sense of empathy, I genuinely felt mad when Tobias was mad, felt his frustrations and his desire.
The relationship is HEALTHY, the romance is wonderful.
Tonnes of diversity, something fantasy tends to lack.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and despite some pet peeves it’s definitely a 5/5 on my scale because it did what it set out to and so much more. So proud of you Jenna!
nikomikiri's review against another edition
3.0
This book felt a lot longer than it needed to be. I’m glad I listened to the audiobook because if I had been reading a physical copy I probably would have binned it a long time ago just because it drags so often. I liked Eve: The Awakening from this author but noticed a similar issue in this book to one I noticed in Eve. She has a tendency to overuse one specific phrase or word. In Eve it was the words “twosome” and “threesome” when talking about characters in groups together. In this, it’s the word “apologies.” In almost every conversation in the book after a certain point has a character beginning a line of dialogue by saying “apologies”. It’s a small thing but it builds to be very grating as you keep slogging through the story.
Speaking of story, was anybody at all surprised by the big reveal? I doubt anybody made it past the first introduction of a certain character without calling who they would end up being. It was so obvious that it made every following interaction with them kind of irritating because I caught myself rolling my eyes and thinking “yeah yeah we get it, very mysterious.”
I watch the authors YouTube videos and it’s weird because she has many videos dedicated to these specific issues so I’m not sure why she can’t take her own advice.
Speaking of story, was anybody at all surprised by the big reveal? I doubt anybody made it past the first introduction of a certain character without calling who they would end up being. It was so obvious that it made every following interaction with them kind of irritating because I caught myself rolling my eyes and thinking “yeah yeah we get it, very mysterious.”
I watch the authors YouTube videos and it’s weird because she has many videos dedicated to these specific issues so I’m not sure why she can’t take her own advice.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I bought this book for Indie Reads Book Club! Support yo indie authors!
Book Series: The Savior’s Series Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: a gay couple, but other than that not really anything else
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (gore, violence, language, sexual situations)
Publisher: Jenna Moreci
Pages: 562
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he’s forced to make The Savior his priority.
Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign’s Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting—and killing—for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.
Trigger warning: this novel contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations
Review: Oh. My. God. I LOVED this book! I kinda described as a Male version of The Selection but with violence and gore. I loved Tobias and I loved Leila. Both were very well developed and I loved how they were written. Tobias was written to not be like how a stereotypical guy is portrayed. He let his feelings show and I think that’s very important for young boys in this day and age. The world building was also magnificent and the plot was crazy good and that writing! THE WRITING WAS GREAT!
My only issue is that I predicted the twist at the end about 17% of the way in, but I’m really good at that. My group I read this with didn’t seem to catch onto the twist, so it was a very well done twist, just one that I predicted lol. But knowing the twist makes the book more interesting at least!
Verdict: Highly recommend this book.
Book Series: The Savior’s Series Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: a gay couple, but other than that not really anything else
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (gore, violence, language, sexual situations)
Publisher: Jenna Moreci
Pages: 562
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he’s forced to make The Savior his priority.
Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign’s Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting—and killing—for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.
Trigger warning: this novel contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations
Review: Oh. My. God. I LOVED this book! I kinda described as a Male version of The Selection but with violence and gore. I loved Tobias and I loved Leila. Both were very well developed and I loved how they were written. Tobias was written to not be like how a stereotypical guy is portrayed. He let his feelings show and I think that’s very important for young boys in this day and age. The world building was also magnificent and the plot was crazy good and that writing! THE WRITING WAS GREAT!
My only issue is that I predicted the twist at the end about 17% of the way in, but I’m really good at that. My group I read this with didn’t seem to catch onto the twist, so it was a very well done twist, just one that I predicted lol. But knowing the twist makes the book more interesting at least!
Verdict: Highly recommend this book.
abumblebeee's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
Tobias Kaya wants nothing to do with the Savior or the Sovereign's Tournament, a tournament where 20 men enter a 30 day fight to the death in order to win the Savior's hand in marriage. He abhors the competition and doesn't understand why anyone would fight so hard to marry a woman they don't even know, that is until he realizes it might be the only way to save his family.
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time trying to figure out what will happen next. I had to cover the bottom of the page while reading this so that my eyes wouldn't flit down and spoil something for me. The plot is well thought out and definitely does not slow down throughout the entire book.
The characters of this book are well fleshed out and really drive the story. The author writes the characters and their feelings so well that throughout the entire book you are feel everything the character feels. Following Tobias through this wretched tournament you really get a clear grasp of every emotion that washes over him along with the other predominant characters in this book.
One thing I do wish I had done while reading this book would have been writing a list of all of the characters names and their laurelites. It jumps around between their actual names and their names in the tournament quite a bit which made it a little hard to follow at times. This book does have a lot of cussing and is quite crude, which did not bother me, but I know that is not what some people look for in a book. This book was absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait for the next one to come out!
Tobias Kaya wants nothing to do with the Savior or the Sovereign's Tournament, a tournament where 20 men enter a 30 day fight to the death in order to win the Savior's hand in marriage. He abhors the competition and doesn't understand why anyone would fight so hard to marry a woman they don't even know, that is until he realizes it might be the only way to save his family.
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time trying to figure out what will happen next. I had to cover the bottom of the page while reading this so that my eyes wouldn't flit down and spoil something for me. The plot is well thought out and definitely does not slow down throughout the entire book.
The characters of this book are well fleshed out and really drive the story. The author writes the characters and their feelings so well that throughout the entire book you are feel everything the character feels. Following Tobias through this wretched tournament you really get a clear grasp of every emotion that washes over him along with the other predominant characters in this book.
One thing I do wish I had done while reading this book would have been writing a list of all of the characters names and their laurelites. It jumps around between their actual names and their names in the tournament quite a bit which made it a little hard to follow at times. This book does have a lot of cussing and is quite crude, which did not bother me, but I know that is not what some people look for in a book. This book was absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait for the next one to come out!