Summary
The Kingdom of Kichona is a tiger-shaped island in the sea, ruled by Empress Aki. Aki and her twin brother, Gin, battled for the throne in what is now called the Blood Rift. Prince Gin followed a cult that inspired his bloodthirsty quest for conquest. He was defeated, but only after great loss of life, including all of the younger children set apart to be the future magical guardians of Kichona, the Taiga.
Sora lost her little sister, Hana, in the Blood Rift. And it haunted her. But her mother encouraged her to channel those feelings to help her be the best Taiga she could be. Together with her partner Daemon and their best friends, Sora operated under the mantra, “Work hard. Mischief harder.” But in memory of Hana, Sora would try to be more disciplined.
On their first Taiga mission, Sora and Daemon observe a strange group in a remote part of Kichona. They seem to have strange magic – and a disturbing leader. But when none of the Taiga leadership believes them, Sora and Daemon sneak off on their own to track the strangers and protect Kichona.
Review
This was spectacular! I immediately clicked with Sora. She’s smart, clever and determined, but also irreverent. Her peers love her. Her teachers grow weary of her antics. And that leads to some of the mistrust Sora receives when she tries to alert them to danger. It’s a little like the boy who cried wolf.
The fantasy world is fantastic! The magic was intriguing, and the strangers are quite formidable. It all made for an engrossing story. The short chapters helped build even more urgency to the story. And some great twists – both some I figured out on my own and others that were total surprises – tied this up beautifully into an unpredictable story.
I can’t recommend this highly enough to fans of fantasy novels. The storytelling is top notch, as is the world the author has developed. I’m sure I’ll have to wait a year for the sequel, but it is already on my 2020 Must Read list. Don’t miss this one! (Language, violence, attempted assault)