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A review by savage_book_review
Lion of Zarall by Eddy Rose
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I won this in a Storygraph giveaway, which I entered because I liked the sound of the blurb. The story definitely went in a different direction to my expectations, but it absolutely had me on an emotional rollercoaster! You could almost imagine this really was taking place in Ancient Rome, but for the little touches that take this into the realm of fantasy. And as you'd expect for a book focused on recreating scenes from the Colusseum, it gets pretty dark in places, so definitely check your trigger warnings if you're that way inclined.
Although it should be hard to get into the mind of a character who has been conditioned purely to obey and serve, the writing makes it so incredibly easy to reconcile that complete and utter control Lion has over his mind, despite the complete lack of control he has over his body. And despite his having very few lines of dialogue and the book being written in the third person, the insight into his character is crystal clear. Needless to say, I felt like I was in his head for much of the book. And as his perspective changes, your heart gets pulled into the mix as well. If for no other reason, you should read the book for this masterful bit of character writing.
You root for Lion due to his status, but his status does mean he commits some horrific acts (even if they're not all explicitly described). So although he might be described as the blond-haired Adonis and his quiet, gentle behaviour in some scenes might leave you with a very appealing impression, I do understand Olira's hesitancy in accepting him into her life and home. However, given her background, I had expected something of a softer personality from her when it comes to Lion; for someone who doesn't believe in slavery, man she's a hard taskmaster! Yes, there's a reason for it, but her negative attitude felt like it went on for a bit too long before she thought to actually talk to the guy. And genuinely I was just waiting for the master/slave romance trope to kick in. But then you realise that's probably not going to happen and that's a whole other layer of sadness.
The clever thing is that following Lion's character gives you (and the author) a bit of an on-ramp for worldbuilding. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's all there and very very easy to picture and follow, but because you're following from Lion's limited perspective, the immediate focus is on his experiences and so the outside world is built up slowly, layer by layer. It's a rich, varied world and even the smaller details fall seamlessly into place. I didn't need to question anything; I was simply transported.
The one thing it did take me a moment to reconcile was the dual POV/dual timeline narrative. In the case of the latter, it's not immediately obvious that you're going to be jumping between two time periods, so I did have to take a moment to adjust when I realised. But thereafter, again, it really works well. This is a case where I can't imagine the story being any clearer or better if it were written chronologically; the dual build just adds to the atmosphere of the story.
This is not a light and fluffy read by any stretch of the imagination, but it's very easy to read and I'm interested to see the sequel.
Although it should be hard to get into the mind of a character who has been conditioned purely to obey and serve, the writing makes it so incredibly easy to reconcile that complete and utter control Lion has over his mind, despite the complete lack of control he has over his body. And despite his having very few lines of dialogue and the book being written in the third person, the insight into his character is crystal clear. Needless to say, I felt like I was in his head for much of the book. And as his perspective changes, your heart gets pulled into the mix as well. If for no other reason, you should read the book for this masterful bit of character writing.
You root for Lion due to his status, but his status does mean he commits some horrific acts (even if they're not all explicitly described). So although he might be described as the blond-haired Adonis and his quiet, gentle behaviour in some scenes might leave you with a very appealing impression, I do understand Olira's hesitancy in accepting him into her life and home. However, given her background, I had expected something of a softer personality from her when it comes to Lion; for someone who doesn't believe in slavery, man she's a hard taskmaster! Yes, there's a reason for it, but her negative attitude felt like it went on for a bit too long before she thought to actually talk to the guy. And genuinely I was just waiting for the master/slave romance trope to kick in. But then you realise that's probably not going to happen and that's a whole other layer of sadness.
The clever thing is that following Lion's character gives you (and the author) a bit of an on-ramp for worldbuilding. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's all there and very very easy to picture and follow, but because you're following from Lion's limited perspective, the immediate focus is on his experiences and so the outside world is built up slowly, layer by layer. It's a rich, varied world and even the smaller details fall seamlessly into place. I didn't need to question anything; I was simply transported.
The one thing it did take me a moment to reconcile was the dual POV/dual timeline narrative. In the case of the latter, it's not immediately obvious that you're going to be jumping between two time periods, so I did have to take a moment to adjust when I realised. But thereafter, again, it really works well. This is a case where I can't imagine the story being any clearer or better if it were written chronologically; the dual build just adds to the atmosphere of the story.
This is not a light and fluffy read by any stretch of the imagination, but it's very easy to read and I'm interested to see the sequel.