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sarag19's review
3.0
***ARC received through NetGalley for review, much appreciated***
This book has the potential to be so much more than what it ended up being, which really is a disappointment.
The Visci are similar to vampires, they feed on human blood to sustain their lives but they are born as they are. I've read other authors that have done a similar form of born vampires but I really liked how the author executed it with her version. That there is something more than just the blood that keeps them going. There is also the Soul Cavern, where a persons essence, their life force is kept. Its a really interesting concept and the parts of the story that dealt with the Visci and the concept of the soul cavern kept the book moving. I hope that the author does expand on it in the next book (although the teaser doesn't fill me with a lot of promise but its just a teaser).
There is a real problem is with how the book is executed, it sells itself as Mecca's story but its really more about her father, David. Thankfully the book also is told through two other perspectives, David and Claude one of the Visci so it keeps the plot moving. But for as much as the book focuses on David's backstory, we get very little of that when in his chapters. It just there, never fully explored. And Mecca, I do like her as a characters but the end
As a whole, this book has some really great ideas and an interesting world. The relationship between father and daughter is really nice it just fails in some of its execution.
This book has the potential to be so much more than what it ended up being, which really is a disappointment.
The Visci are similar to vampires, they feed on human blood to sustain their lives but they are born as they are. I've read other authors that have done a similar form of born vampires but I really liked how the author executed it with her version. That there is something more than just the blood that keeps them going. There is also the Soul Cavern, where a persons essence, their life force is kept. Its a really interesting concept and the parts of the story that dealt with the Visci and the concept of the soul cavern kept the book moving. I hope that the author does expand on it in the next book (although the teaser doesn't fill me with a lot of promise but its just a teaser).
There is a real problem is with how the book is executed, it sells itself as Mecca's story but its really more about her father, David.
Spoiler
Mecca spends most of the time tied down to a bed and not really doing anything.Spoiler
she just goes back! She knows how dangerous they are and that they may be able to control her and she just goes back. Its just ridiculous, especially when she comes to the realization that it wasn't a smart idea but the plot needs it so she goes back.As a whole, this book has some really great ideas and an interesting world. The relationship between father and daughter is really nice it just fails in some of its execution.
kari_marie's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Fictionvale Publishing, LLC for a free copy. This is an honest review.
Jivaja is a story about Mecca. Mecca has a special gift that she hates. It allows her to manipulate energy, as in souls. This gift saves her life but puts her in the cross hairs of the Visci. The Visci are in the beginnings of a civil war and Mecca just became the greatest weapon.
This was an interesting world. I liked the gift, even if it made Mecca a special snowflake. This could be a little slow paced at times. If spoilers are not your thing, stop reading now. Mecca makes a lot of questionable decisions so she was not my favorite. Her father is a jerk in so many ways. The visci are vampires as much as they try to seem like they are not. Sarah is awesome. I like her and would prefer to keep her around. This book had a very prequel feel to me. We learned more about her father than Mecca. There is some romance set up with two potentials. I don't like either one currently. One is evil and the other is selfish. The more I think about this book the more I struggle with it. The saving grace was the last 20%.
Netgalley: 3 stars because the writing was fine but it was not fast paced and the characters made some questionable choices.
Goodreads: 2.5 stars because I did not like it but I am hoping the author will grow. I wanted to like it. It will be rounded to 3 stars for convenience of NetGalley to Goodreads posting.
Jivaja is a story about Mecca. Mecca has a special gift that she hates. It allows her to manipulate energy, as in souls. This gift saves her life but puts her in the cross hairs of the Visci. The Visci are in the beginnings of a civil war and Mecca just became the greatest weapon.
This was an interesting world. I liked the gift, even if it made Mecca a special snowflake. This could be a little slow paced at times. If spoilers are not your thing, stop reading now. Mecca makes a lot of questionable decisions so she was not my favorite. Her father is a jerk in so many ways. The visci are vampires as much as they try to seem like they are not. Sarah is awesome. I like her and would prefer to keep her around. This book had a very prequel feel to me. We learned more about her father than Mecca. There is some romance set up with two potentials. I don't like either one currently. One is evil and the other is selfish. The more I think about this book the more I struggle with it. The saving grace was the last 20%.
Netgalley: 3 stars because the writing was fine but it was not fast paced and the characters made some questionable choices.
Goodreads: 2.5 stars because I did not like it but I am hoping the author will grow. I wanted to like it. It will be rounded to 3 stars for convenience of NetGalley to Goodreads posting.
cherime's review
5.0
Excellent read which I had a hard time putting down. Fascinating plot with a couple of wicked twists. Great characters.
bookishharlot's review
4.0
Jivaja is an imaginative tale that takes the old elements of storytelling along with the author's own out of the box innovative ideas to create a very much welcomed story spin on vampires. And, speaking of vampires let us take a stroll down on memory lane of the blood-sucking creatures of the night...the upgraded version. The Visci are a group of civilized creatures that have seized control of government around the states and whom Mecca should not have gotten involved with but unfortunately, her lineage in companion with the Visci she accidentally kills has made her the most wanted person on all the Visci's list. The Visci feed off human blood for sustenance but unlike their old ancestors, vampires, they are not dead and neither are they human.
Jivaja is the type of book that deserves more exciting. More hype. More people talking about it because it is just that amazing. From begging, middle and end, I was entranced in the Atlanta fantasy setting of an oncoming civil war and bloodsucking monsters that are not vampires. And, of course, I am all for a person of color being the main character in a young adult fantasy novel I mean...*points at self* yes, please. Brimming with mystery, I was kept at the edge of my seat.
Even with its flaws of the slow pacing, the deviating focus from Mecca to the father, and some questionable decision made by the characters; Jivaja is still a good book and I recommend all to give it a read.
Mecca is a character that can be debated to be very typical like with her damsel in distress act she pulled and being very obnoxious with her thoughts mistaking it for confidence. However, she has her qualities like
David turned out to be much more intriguing than I gave him credit for in the begging. He really showed to be a man of courage and sensitivity who also has a dark side when you press him enough. I liked David but I wished the author would focus less on him and more on Mecca.
Claude was a character who I instantly fell for from the begging. Maybe because I'm a basic bitch who likes basic shit like good looking villains that may be the potential love interest. He is evil, like evil-evil, not the evil with a soft heart. Nope, he is a total bastard and I stan.
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Jivaja is the type of book that deserves more exciting. More hype. More people talking about it because it is just that amazing. From begging, middle and end, I was entranced in the Atlanta fantasy setting of an oncoming civil war and bloodsucking monsters that are not vampires. And, of course, I am all for a person of color being the main character in a young adult fantasy novel I mean...*points at self* yes, please. Brimming with mystery, I was kept at the edge of my seat.
Even with its flaws of the slow pacing, the deviating focus from Mecca to the father, and some questionable decision made by the characters; Jivaja is still a good book and I recommend all to give it a read.
Mecca is a character that can be debated to be very typical like with her damsel in distress act she pulled and being very obnoxious with her thoughts mistaking it for confidence. However, she has her qualities like
David turned out to be much more intriguing than I gave him credit for in the begging. He really showed to be a man of courage and sensitivity who also has a dark side when you press him enough. I liked David but I wished the author would focus less on him and more on Mecca.
Claude was a character who I instantly fell for from the begging. Maybe because I'm a basic bitch who likes basic shit like good looking villains that may be the potential love interest. He is evil, like evil-evil, not the evil with a soft heart. Nope, he is a total bastard and I stan.
Blog| Twitter| Instagram
majesdane's review
3.0
I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a solid 3 stars from me. It's technically fine, it just didn't really work for me. I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and some of Mecca's decisions were kind of ... questionable. I really didn't like David, Mecca's father, at all, and half of the book is told from his point of view (which was a bold choice by Giunta; I applaud risk-taking by authors trying to do something different). I thought the Soul Cavern and Mecca's powers was interestingly done, though.
I think there's good ideas here, they're just lacking in a more solid execution.
This was a solid 3 stars from me. It's technically fine, it just didn't really work for me. I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and some of Mecca's decisions were kind of ... questionable. I really didn't like David, Mecca's father, at all, and half of the book is told from his point of view (which was a bold choice by Giunta; I applaud risk-taking by authors trying to do something different). I thought the Soul Cavern and Mecca's powers was interestingly done, though.
I think there's good ideas here, they're just lacking in a more solid execution.
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