Raksha
Blood and Fire, Book #1
By Frankie Rose
ISBN# 9781483945156
Author’s Website: http://www.frankierosewrites.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie
Synopsis:
She has no name.
She has her knives; her training; her halo.
The first and second give her the tools and the skill to defeat the opponents she is pitched against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…
FearPainAngerHappinessDesireGuilt
Love.
When a newly-named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blonde boy, who she refuses to let save her. Still learning how to process the onslaught of her new feelings, the sights and sounds of Freetown are overwhelming and strange. There are a hundred differences between her old home and her new one, but one thing remains starkly similar: the matches. Yet where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.
Freed from the oppression of a society who stole her right to feel, the true horror of her old life leaves Kit wondering if she really has been freed at all. Would she be better off without the crippling horror of all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?
Raksha is the call of the dead. The rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.
You have been called to the fights. (Goodreads)
Review:
So I’m a cheap person when it comes to books. Translation: I get a ton of books through my Kindle for free because I’m miserly. Now, when it comes to those free books, one can’t expect top notch quality. I mean, you get what you pay for. And when you pay nothing, well tough luck!
Now here comes the party crasher. Raksha, to my disbelief, did not make me want to die from poor quality. It made me die from utter awesomeness!
Many dystopian books have the same plot, just with a different outward appearance. That’s what is so depressing and disappointing about the bulk of teen dystopian novels. It is rare to find a book that is unique. Raksha is one of those. There are dystopian elements, but those are in a very fresh setting. This plot is full of action, intrigue, romance, adventure, and beautiful boys. I honestly couldn’t anticipate a thing! (Coming from me, that’s a high compliment indeed!)
Ryka truly is a damaged, beautiful boy. He’s so crush-worthy and brilliant. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s a blondie, or maybe it’s because he truly shines as a person. He’s so good and pure and uncorrupted. He is truly a gem.
Kit is wise yet innocent. She’s been exposed to some of the harshest experiences, but she’s still innocent. She doesn’t always make the best choices, but she makes the choices that she chooses. She’s very resilient and strong, yet there’s something very childish about her. Frankie Rose does a great job with Kit.
The one thing that cost this book a whole star is the world building. It takes about seventy five percent of the book for a reader to fully understand what is going on. I was so confused at first that I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I had wanted to.
However, that’s one tiny complaint compared to my usual complaints.
I rest my case (well I mean review!).
