Summary:
As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.
Leviathan is the bastard son of an immortal tyrant. Raised in a military city where everyone knows of his blood relation to the persecuted clans, Leviathan is considered casteless. Lowest of the low. Graduating as one of the deadliest soldiers, he executes in his father's name, displaying his worth. When he faces judgement from his mother's people--the clans--Leviathan must confront his demons and forge his own path, if he ever hopes to reclaim his soul.
But in the struggle to protect the people they love and rebuild their identities, Roma's and Leviathan's desires interlock as the immortal tyrant hunts an ancient treasure that will doom humankind should it come into his possession--a living treasure to which Roma and Leviathan are the ultimate key.
My Thoughts:
I LOVED this book! It's so well written too, for it being the author's first novel.
Roma is such a strong character. She endures so much suffering under the caste system as a slave. Despite being considered not human and closer to goddess, they aren't treated very well. Not to mention the fact that they are sold off to men as a kind of higher prostitute. When Roma realizes the truth of this, she, understandably, gets angry. And it sets her off in the direction of possibly running away. (Spoiler Alert) she turns out to be the sort of vessel of the treasure, hinted throughout as she sometimes unknowingly releases her powers. I wish we got to know more about her powers.
Leviathan is well developed as well. In some ways, you sympathize with him. He hates seeing wardens beat up, rape, and kill people of the lower caste. He wants to turn the system around, whether from the inside or outside. But he has flaws. He will do anything for the cause, even if it hurts other innocent people, like Roma. We got to learn about his past, which is nice.
The ending seemed very rushed. I hope that maybe the author would consider writing a sequel or something, because it left me wanting more.
My Rating: 5 stars
