Keira Drake

"Have we really come so far, when a tour of the Continent is so desirable a thing? We've traded our swords for treaties, our daggers for promises--but our thirst for violence has never been quelled. And that's the crux of it: it can't be quelled. It's human nature." For her sixteenth birthday, Vaela Sun receives the most coveted gift in all the Spire--a trip to the Continent. It seems an unlikely destination for a holiday: a cold, desolate land where two "uncivilized" nations remain perpetually locked in combat. Most citizens lucky enough to tour the Continent do so to observe the spectacle and violence of war, a thing long banished in the Spire. For Vaela--a talented apprentice cartographer--the journey is a dream come true: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve upon the maps she's drawn of this vast, frozen land. But Vaela's dream all too quickly turns to a nightmare as the journey brings her face-to-face with the brutal reality of a war she's only read about. Observing from the safety of a heli-plane, Vaela is forever changed by the bloody battle waging far beneath her. And when a tragic accident leaves her stranded on the Continent, Vaela finds herself much closer to danger than she'd ever imagined. Starving, alone and lost in the middle of a war zone, Vaela must try to find a way home--but first, she must survive.

The Continent

Briar's Reviews

Okay, so this book was not what I thought it was going to be. 110% this book was not made for me as a reader, which is super unfortunate.

This book is a YA novel that takes us to "The Continent". It's this island that holds two native tribes (The Topi, which sound like Native Americans/Indigenous cultures, and the Aven'ei, which sound like Asian/the Japanese when described) who are constantly at war. These two groups are brutal - leaving murdered people hanging everywhere, raping, pillaging, and the likes. People take literal vacations on giant ships to witness these brutal wars and eyeball these strange people. Of course, it appears to be the highly rich people.

I found the point of view of this book weird. Was our lead from a rich family or royalty? They spoke in a very uppity up fashion and I couldn't quite pin where they were supposed to be in society. 

This book made my skin crawl. It felt really bad to read this book, like really, really bad. It seemed kind of racist and it felt very white privilege. I'm not saying it is, but I sure felt wrong reading it. There are quotes in this book about caring for people and not being a racist jerk, but the message felt lost in some of the gore and misrepresentation. 

The thing is, I can totally see where Keira was going with this. There's some great ideas and potential plot lines that could be AMAZING, but it just didn't work in this setting. If this was some sort of dystopian book where the groups were not described as thoroughly as they were, this might have worked. It has some things that need to be fixed, but it's a great start to a potential good book.

Keira Drake is a good writer, but this book just didn't bode well with me as a reader. I think there are people out there who will dig it and will love every word, but not me.

Overall, this book is NOT for me. 

One out of five stars,

I received an ARC copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Story Eater

We shall ignore the ignorance and racism of the comments that assume when people write of savages, they mean people who can only be brown-skinned. The Germanic tribes of Ancient Roman times (who were called Barbarians) gave the Roman Empire quite the headache, and Hadrian’s Wall was not built because the Roman Empire was too tired to conquer any further (though the Empire were starting to decline, so that could be argued). Let’s also not forget mention the Vikings that raided, raped, took captives for slaves, and marauded the coasts of England and France before the first millennium passed after the AD era. So there’s that. 

I will take the time here to encourage independent, critical thought. The comments coupled with bogus ratings from non-readers that rely on others to do the reading (or not reading) and thinking for them border treacherously on a lynch-mob mentality. I will mention in a general and non-specific way the many writers that are less than generous with their singular representations of white people, particularly Christians and those that live in the suburbs, who do not in any way garner a tiny fraction of this kind of reaction. Equal treatment applies to all, or it is not equal.
 
This reaction reminds me of when Carve the Mark came out and some ignorant, non-independent thinking, non-readers cried racism about the depiction of a fictitious, dark-skinned tribe of people who lived on a planet IN OUTER SPACE being violent-but it was the lighter-skinned tribe that was written so. Whoops.

Additionally, I think the general point is missed with the narrative, even if it stayed written as it were. The people of the Spire are generally depicted as shallow, superficial people with a “civilized manner” akin to those who reside in the Capital in The Hunger Games trilogy. When compared with the Continent peoples, they are actually worse of in terms of being humane. And the narrative is Science-Fiction/Fantasy. It’s not supposed to be realistic fiction. Or non-fiction. 

The people of the Continent, who are not referred to as “savage” at all in the version I read, actually speak right to the point (instead of the bifurcated political speak of the leaders of the Spire); have an organized society with literature, communal work requirements; and even host a large, outdoor market with handmade, artisan wares of luxury items. Not all they do is about survival-they are technological enough to be able to forge metal for tools and weapons and make luxurious smelly-good soap at the same time.

The white savior complex outcry confuses me. (view spoiler)[The blonde main character (who I assume is white because she’s blonde) only goes to those in authority and power over her homeland (who, by the way, are a blend of all races the majority of which are mixed and not singularly any one race) and appeals for help to end a conflict and avoid the extinction of a people. Nothing she does affects the end of the conflict in any way, except her appeal found a root in one leader’s heart—the rest is for reading. She even shovels crap for a job in the village. (hide spoiler)] I don’t like the obnoxious reflections about the privilege. They were thin and added an annoying whine to the story. 

As for the narrative, for me, it was mildly interesting but not original, and I liked the characterization of the leading male protagonist--but the story overall just was not fleshed out enough. The beginning and rising action were painfully narrated, and I forced myself to get halfway through the book to where the action picked up only because I actually wanted to see if the poo-poo remarks had merit. They didn't. I liked the story enough that I plan to purchase and read the next in the series. 

Let me also clarify that ignorant is not an insult. It simply means a lack of knowledge.

Hope Lenzen

It took me a little while to get into this book as I felt, the start, at least was very childish and irrelevant but the further I got into the book the more and more I understood it. The book, just like Vaela, grows up as you read it. It hardens in a way and I am in love with the plot and the essence of this story.