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A review by a_j_torres0
The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci
4.0
This is a New Adult/Adult Dark Fantasy/Romance novel book 1.
Ok, before I start this review, I have to say that there were quite a bit of questions left unanswered by the end, mainly from the love interest known as Leila, but because the 2nd novel in the series is the companion novel completely set in her perspective, I will try and focus this book solely on the views of the main character Tobias. Here we go.
Book Cover: 4* - I like the cover, I think it helps set the tone of the book, definitely no lie there. I have an idea on who the bloodied character on the cover is, because of the hairstyle I don't think it's the main character Tobias but an antagonist named Kaleo. Who are they you ask? You will have to wait and see. The bloody hand prints also help give the cover quite an ominous feel, it did make me wonder what it all meant.
Summary/Tagline: 5* - I. LOVE. This tag line: Respect the labyrinth. Obey the labyrinth. This helps further set the tone for me. It made me wonder what this whole labyrinth deal was and what kind of person the Savior is. Is she ruthless? Demanding? I was hooked. Now onto the summary. I think it was pretty straightforward, main character is down on his luck, his family is struggling to survive, and all though he doesn't give 2 s**** about his Queen(Also Savior), he knows that fighting in The Sovereign's Tournament for her hand in marriage is the only way to save his family from poverty. Sadly, he finds that the tournament is a lot worse and terrifying than he thought. See, pretty straightforward lol.
Characters: 4* - Ok, sadly I was not 100% on board with Tobias in the beginning. I didn't hate him, I just felt nothing towards him until his love interest Leila comes in the picture. I see that he was caring towards his twin sister Naomi who is paralyzed from the waist down and his mom, but I started seeing more of him when he is with Leila, he's sweet, corny(In the best way possible), patient, gentle, etc. However, I did have a serious eye roll moment when he had to create a gift for the Savior for one of the challenges, he's an artist, he can draw and paint . . . Why is it in every romance story that has a character that is an artist, they unconsciously draw the person they are falling for instead of the person they are meant to draw while looking at the damn paper? I draw, my husband draws, I have friends who draw, and none of us have ever done that. We know what we want to draw and we draw it, there is no, "Oh man I drew the wrong thing!" . . . Again we are looking at the paper so we would know if we are drawing the wrong thing. Also, for a guy who is in this stupid tournament for his family, he only thinks of them, IF HE SEES THEM IN THE STANDS! I mean come on, friends are dying around you but his only light in that dark cesspit of a tournament is Leila, no one else . . . Really? Anyway, It took me a bit to actually care for him. Now onto the love interest Leila, I effing love this girl. She's spunky, straightforward, and an all around bad ass both with actions and words, I just wished she trusted and gave Tobias more credit with telling him her secret and plans from the beginning lol. Cosima, the Savior, the Queen . . . Is an uncaring, insensitive, indifferent b**** with her head up her own a**. Men are literally dying for her and she doesn't care. Now onto Cosima's father Brontes, the Sovereign, the King . . . He's a power hungry piece of s***, I EFFING hate him. You'll see what I mean when you read the book, he's one of the antagonists. Other antagonists also include Kaleo, Drake, and Antaeus. Kaleo makes my skin crawl sometimes, but that is all he's got going from me, as for the others . . . Well I mean they are there. There are loads of other characters, some I like, others I feel like I need to slap them upside their heads, and then there are those that I feel like, well . . . they are there lol. There are a lot of characters in this book.
World Building: 2* - I was very, VERY disappointed with the world building. It kind of feels like it's non existent. It doesn't help that I'm aware that the author doesn't care to set scenes, and it is apparent in her writing because her scene settings feel very rushed. Now as for the world, I only know the city of Thessen, where the story takes place, is supposed to be Greek/Roman inspired, but there is nothing in the environment that proves that. I only know it's supposed to be Greek/Roman inspired because of an image on the back cover of the book is a Greek/Roman city and concepts of some of the characters are seen on the author's website in Greek/Roman fashion, but that's it. I know there is specific architecture and fashion styles in the Greek/Roman style but the author didn't utilize that. When I was reading the book, most of the time the characters are just floating in a dark void because I wasn't able to properly picture the world. Religion . . . I don't know if there is one. I know christian terms such as God and Hell get thrown around, but I don't know who or what the people of Thessen worship. Again, I'm only aware that the Savior is a literal gift from God, whoever that is, from the author, not the book, and that she is the only one who can do magic and that she is able to lend people her abilities. I don't know how her abilities work, who their "God" is, what their religion system is like, etc. I could get more of that in the companion novel, but for now I will have to knock points off for lack of information. Citizens . . . Apparently the people of Thessen are diverse . . . I think. I only say I think because it's not like it's ever stated what they look like unless there is something notable on their bodies. Flynn is one of the contestants in The Sovereign's Tournament, and from the concept on the author's website, he's of Asian decent . . . It is never stated in the book. I know there are other countries around Thessen, and I know some of what they are or could be like. but if Thessen is supposed to be diverse, I'm not seeing much cultural difference around the city before Tobias get's trapped in the tournament. If you are making up a world for your book, then explain what the world is like, I'm not saying stop and info dump, but if your character is walking down the street then let me see what they see, hear what they hear, etc.
Story: 4* - I thought the story was fun and thrilling. There are dark turns and deceit around almost every corner. The challenges in the tournament put me at the edge of my seat. I was worried for Tobias for a while, even though I was sure he would make it regardless because he's the main character lol. I do have quite a lot of eye roll moments when the word c****, b****, and f*** is thrown out of characters mouths almost for no reason, but I do eventually get used to it. The romance is sweet, heartwarming, and OH MY EFFING GOD! It's a healthy romance, no masculine aggression, no listen to me I'm the man bulls***, no I'm the woman who doesn't need a man so I'm going to drag this penis having man around until he knows I'm better than him . . . As you can see I much prefer healthy romances, not abusive/obsessive ones. Also, there is a twist towards the end of the book that I . . . accidentally saw coming without meaning to. What I mean is, when Tobias had his first fight to the death, I jokingly thought, "Oh what if this moment happened." . . . I'm trying to keep things spoiler free lol, anyway, when the moment actually happened towards the end of the book I was like, "WHAT THE HELL I WAS JOKING!" Lol but I definitely enjoyed the surprise. I also felt that Chapter 27 out of 28 was rushed compared to other chapters with the challenges, I didn't feel as thrilled and terrified for Tobias as previous challenges have made me feel. Other than that, I did highly enjoy the story.
Audiobook: 4* - The narrator did a wonderful job telling the story of Tobias forcing himself to enter The Sovereign's Tournament, not to win the heart of his country's queen the Savior, but to help his family out of poverty, at least while he is able to survive the challenges of the tournament first. The narrator was good at giving me a variety of voices, but eventually they do blend together towards the end there as the characters are taken out one by one, but that's to be expected as a voice actor can only do so much with their voice. Now, although this is a dark fantasy/romance story, I don't know if it was because I was listening instead of reading it myself this time around, but some scenes/moments in the book, got pretty cringey, mainly what the main character was thinking about when it came to looking at either his love interests body or the Savior's, but only some as the narrator was wonderful when it comes to the romance scenes, however I think I loved the more emotional scenes where Tobias was angry, upset, frustrated, and/or sad, BUT I think the narrator needs work on his panic/frantic scenes. When the main character was ever scared or terrified, the narrator just sounded monotoned instead throughout the scenes, which caused me to falter my attention span a bit. Although just a few issues here and there, if you enjoy a dark fantasy story that is heavy on the romance, a HEALTHY romance, then I would recommend you give this story a try before the companion novel, The Savior's Sisters, comes out either later this year or next.(Audio Review Came Much Later Than Reading Review)
Over All: 4* - Over all, I give this book 4 stars. The book is dark, thrilling, and a change of pace for me, BUT! But, but, but, if you are looking for a fantasy novel with an expansive world and magic system, then sadly this isn't for you, however, if you are looking for a simple fantasy story that is thrilling, gory, with a heartwarming romance, then please give this book a try. I highly enjoyed The Savior's Champion and definitely look forward to the companion novel, The Savior's Sisters. Plus, I will also recommend the audiobook version if you more of a listener than a reader. If you want a test run of the book you can read the first 3ch on the author's website, go check it out to see if it's right up your alley.
Ok, before I start this review, I have to say that there were quite a bit of questions left unanswered by the end, mainly from the love interest known as Leila, but because the 2nd novel in the series is the companion novel completely set in her perspective, I will try and focus this book solely on the views of the main character Tobias. Here we go.
Book Cover: 4* - I like the cover, I think it helps set the tone of the book, definitely no lie there. I have an idea on who the bloodied character on the cover is, because of the hairstyle I don't think it's the main character Tobias but an antagonist named Kaleo. Who are they you ask? You will have to wait and see. The bloody hand prints also help give the cover quite an ominous feel, it did make me wonder what it all meant.
Summary/Tagline: 5* - I. LOVE. This tag line: Respect the labyrinth. Obey the labyrinth. This helps further set the tone for me. It made me wonder what this whole labyrinth deal was and what kind of person the Savior is. Is she ruthless? Demanding? I was hooked. Now onto the summary. I think it was pretty straightforward, main character is down on his luck, his family is struggling to survive, and all though he doesn't give 2 s**** about his Queen(Also Savior), he knows that fighting in The Sovereign's Tournament for her hand in marriage is the only way to save his family from poverty. Sadly, he finds that the tournament is a lot worse and terrifying than he thought. See, pretty straightforward lol.
Characters: 4* - Ok, sadly I was not 100% on board with Tobias in the beginning. I didn't hate him, I just felt nothing towards him until his love interest Leila comes in the picture. I see that he was caring towards his twin sister Naomi who is paralyzed from the waist down and his mom, but I started seeing more of him when he is with Leila, he's sweet, corny(In the best way possible), patient, gentle, etc. However, I did have a serious eye roll moment when he had to create a gift for the Savior for one of the challenges, he's an artist, he can draw and paint . . . Why is it in every romance story that has a character that is an artist, they unconsciously draw the person they are falling for instead of the person they are meant to draw while looking at the damn paper? I draw, my husband draws, I have friends who draw, and none of us have ever done that. We know what we want to draw and we draw it, there is no, "Oh man I drew the wrong thing!" . . . Again we are looking at the paper so we would know if we are drawing the wrong thing. Also, for a guy who is in this stupid tournament for his family, he only thinks of them, IF HE SEES THEM IN THE STANDS! I mean come on, friends are dying around you but his only light in that dark cesspit of a tournament is Leila, no one else . . . Really? Anyway, It took me a bit to actually care for him. Now onto the love interest Leila, I effing love this girl. She's spunky, straightforward, and an all around bad ass both with actions and words, I just wished she trusted and gave Tobias more credit with telling him her secret and plans from the beginning lol. Cosima, the Savior, the Queen . . . Is an uncaring, insensitive, indifferent b**** with her head up her own a**. Men are literally dying for her and she doesn't care. Now onto Cosima's father Brontes, the Sovereign, the King . . . He's a power hungry piece of s***, I EFFING hate him. You'll see what I mean when you read the book, he's one of the antagonists. Other antagonists also include Kaleo, Drake, and Antaeus. Kaleo makes my skin crawl sometimes, but that is all he's got going from me, as for the others . . . Well I mean they are there. There are loads of other characters, some I like, others I feel like I need to slap them upside their heads, and then there are those that I feel like, well . . . they are there lol. There are a lot of characters in this book.
World Building: 2* - I was very, VERY disappointed with the world building. It kind of feels like it's non existent. It doesn't help that I'm aware that the author doesn't care to set scenes, and it is apparent in her writing because her scene settings feel very rushed. Now as for the world, I only know the city of Thessen, where the story takes place, is supposed to be Greek/Roman inspired, but there is nothing in the environment that proves that. I only know it's supposed to be Greek/Roman inspired because of an image on the back cover of the book is a Greek/Roman city and concepts of some of the characters are seen on the author's website in Greek/Roman fashion, but that's it. I know there is specific architecture and fashion styles in the Greek/Roman style but the author didn't utilize that. When I was reading the book, most of the time the characters are just floating in a dark void because I wasn't able to properly picture the world. Religion . . . I don't know if there is one. I know christian terms such as God and Hell get thrown around, but I don't know who or what the people of Thessen worship. Again, I'm only aware that the Savior is a literal gift from God, whoever that is, from the author, not the book, and that she is the only one who can do magic and that she is able to lend people her abilities. I don't know how her abilities work, who their "God" is, what their religion system is like, etc. I could get more of that in the companion novel, but for now I will have to knock points off for lack of information. Citizens . . . Apparently the people of Thessen are diverse . . . I think. I only say I think because it's not like it's ever stated what they look like unless there is something notable on their bodies. Flynn is one of the contestants in The Sovereign's Tournament, and from the concept on the author's website, he's of Asian decent . . . It is never stated in the book. I know there are other countries around Thessen, and I know some of what they are or could be like. but if Thessen is supposed to be diverse, I'm not seeing much cultural difference around the city before Tobias get's trapped in the tournament. If you are making up a world for your book, then explain what the world is like, I'm not saying stop and info dump, but if your character is walking down the street then let me see what they see, hear what they hear, etc.
Story: 4* - I thought the story was fun and thrilling. There are dark turns and deceit around almost every corner. The challenges in the tournament put me at the edge of my seat. I was worried for Tobias for a while, even though I was sure he would make it regardless because he's the main character lol. I do have quite a lot of eye roll moments when the word c****, b****, and f*** is thrown out of characters mouths almost for no reason, but I do eventually get used to it. The romance is sweet, heartwarming, and OH MY EFFING GOD! It's a healthy romance, no masculine aggression, no listen to me I'm the man bulls***, no I'm the woman who doesn't need a man so I'm going to drag this penis having man around until he knows I'm better than him . . . As you can see I much prefer healthy romances, not abusive/obsessive ones. Also, there is a twist towards the end of the book that I . . . accidentally saw coming without meaning to. What I mean is, when Tobias had his first fight to the death, I jokingly thought, "Oh what if this moment happened." . . . I'm trying to keep things spoiler free lol, anyway, when the moment actually happened towards the end of the book I was like, "WHAT THE HELL I WAS JOKING!" Lol but I definitely enjoyed the surprise. I also felt that Chapter 27 out of 28 was rushed compared to other chapters with the challenges, I didn't feel as thrilled and terrified for Tobias as previous challenges have made me feel. Other than that, I did highly enjoy the story.
Audiobook: 4* - The narrator did a wonderful job telling the story of Tobias forcing himself to enter The Sovereign's Tournament, not to win the heart of his country's queen the Savior, but to help his family out of poverty, at least while he is able to survive the challenges of the tournament first. The narrator was good at giving me a variety of voices, but eventually they do blend together towards the end there as the characters are taken out one by one, but that's to be expected as a voice actor can only do so much with their voice. Now, although this is a dark fantasy/romance story, I don't know if it was because I was listening instead of reading it myself this time around, but some scenes/moments in the book, got pretty cringey, mainly what the main character was thinking about when it came to looking at either his love interests body or the Savior's, but only some as the narrator was wonderful when it comes to the romance scenes, however I think I loved the more emotional scenes where Tobias was angry, upset, frustrated, and/or sad, BUT I think the narrator needs work on his panic/frantic scenes. When the main character was ever scared or terrified, the narrator just sounded monotoned instead throughout the scenes, which caused me to falter my attention span a bit. Although just a few issues here and there, if you enjoy a dark fantasy story that is heavy on the romance, a HEALTHY romance, then I would recommend you give this story a try before the companion novel, The Savior's Sisters, comes out either later this year or next.(Audio Review Came Much Later Than Reading Review)
Over All: 4* - Over all, I give this book 4 stars. The book is dark, thrilling, and a change of pace for me, BUT! But, but, but, if you are looking for a fantasy novel with an expansive world and magic system, then sadly this isn't for you, however, if you are looking for a simple fantasy story that is thrilling, gory, with a heartwarming romance, then please give this book a try. I highly enjoyed The Savior's Champion and definitely look forward to the companion novel, The Savior's Sisters. Plus, I will also recommend the audiobook version if you more of a listener than a reader. If you want a test run of the book you can read the first 3ch on the author's website, go check it out to see if it's right up your alley.