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A review by toggle_fow
Transformation by Carol Berg
5.0
The cover of this is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen, but the book inside is FANTASTIC.
Seyonne has been a slave for so long. He has learned to forget the person he was before, the life he used to have. Now he thinks only of survival, and the present moment. It's the only way his current existence is bearable.
Then he is sold to the mercurial, spoiled crown prince of the empire that subjugated his people. The prince is just another master - or at least, Seyonne tries his hardest to think of him that way - until it becomes clear that forces bigger than the empires of men are at work. The past Seyonne has worked so hard to try to forget becomes the only thing that can save them.
The slavery here is brutal. Right away the story shows us branding, starvation, casual violence, and violation. The numbing effect of such constant treatment and the fear and hopelessness it engenders are depicted very well. It's not hard to understand Seyonne's coping mechanisms, or why he might hesitate to put them aside.
Aleksander is terrible. Sure, he's a person with thoughts and feelings and a backstory. But he's also cruel, thoughtless, selfish, and terrifying. Not at all the kind of person that, given any kind of choice, a slave would want for a master.
Still, as Seyonne begins to see Aleksander differently, so did I as the reader. I was rooting for him just as Seyonne was, to learn and become a better person, and to fight the evil influence that surrounded him.
There's also the mystery surrounding Seyonne's past. I was ravenous the entire time for more details explaining who he was, why he knows the things that he knows, the origin of his strange skills. The explanation was doled out tantalizingly, just enough to keep me reading at a breakneck pace.
Overall, I loved this whole book. I love Seyonne and Aleksander's dynamic as it shifts and they become like brothers, both provoking and protecting each other at turns. I loved the intricate detail put into the world and the different cultures and customs of the peoples.
I am hesitating a little go to on with the rest of the series, mostly because I'm sure more pain awaits. But eventually I will. It's inevitable as long as I know there's more of these two out there.
Seyonne has been a slave for so long. He has learned to forget the person he was before, the life he used to have. Now he thinks only of survival, and the present moment. It's the only way his current existence is bearable.
Then he is sold to the mercurial, spoiled crown prince of the empire that subjugated his people. The prince is just another master - or at least, Seyonne tries his hardest to think of him that way - until it becomes clear that forces bigger than the empires of men are at work. The past Seyonne has worked so hard to try to forget becomes the only thing that can save them.
The slavery here is brutal. Right away the story shows us branding, starvation, casual violence, and violation. The numbing effect of such constant treatment and the fear and hopelessness it engenders are depicted very well. It's not hard to understand Seyonne's coping mechanisms, or why he might hesitate to put them aside.
Aleksander is terrible. Sure, he's a person with thoughts and feelings and a backstory. But he's also cruel, thoughtless, selfish, and terrifying. Not at all the kind of person that, given any kind of choice, a slave would want for a master.
Still, as Seyonne begins to see Aleksander differently, so did I as the reader. I was rooting for him just as Seyonne was, to learn and become a better person, and to fight the evil influence that surrounded him.
There's also the mystery surrounding Seyonne's past. I was ravenous the entire time for more details explaining who he was, why he knows the things that he knows, the origin of his strange skills. The explanation was doled out tantalizingly, just enough to keep me reading at a breakneck pace.
Overall, I loved this whole book. I love Seyonne and Aleksander's dynamic as it shifts and they become like brothers, both provoking and protecting each other at turns. I loved the intricate detail put into the world and the different cultures and customs of the peoples.
I am hesitating a little go to on with the rest of the series, mostly because I'm sure more pain awaits. But eventually I will. It's inevitable as long as I know there's more of these two out there.