In the city-state of Devovea, behind the walls of the Castle, Scylla Delevan waits for a chance to prove herself. When a Magistrate is murdered and her father stands accused of the crime, she eagerly sets out to prove his innocence. As she races to find the real killer before it is too late, she begins to unearth dangerous secrets that could throw the fragile balance of her city into chaos. In too deep to turn back, Scylla is forced to question all she has ever known and choose between what is expected of her and what is right.
Family loyalty and personal beliefs collide as Scylla navigates a dystopian world divided by race and gender. Heir of Blood and Secrets will challenge you to consider how far you are willing to go—and what you are willing to sacrifice—to forge a better world.- from Goodreads.com
A big thanks to Linda Xia who provided me with a copy of her novel in exchange for a review.
Young Adult novels are generally not my first choice when looking for something to read. It's not that they are usually written in a way that is easier to read, or that they have main characters that are teens faced with the crisis of growing older while trying to solve a problem. I would have to say it is just mainly because I cannot relate to their plight(s) though I have lived through those formulative years (quite some time ago). That being stated, let's get on to the past few days as I pondered what to put here.
'Heir of Blood and Secrets' actually caught my attention early on in the story. There is murder, a suspected somewhat high-ranking official, whose daughter completely believes is innocent, therefore sets off to prove that innocence. As most YA stories go, the main character has some "new" relaities to face, and make decisions from, as she learns that the world of adults is more complex and complicated than she ever imagined - and more sinister. Scylla also learns that it is harder to commit to doing what you believe is right, and the thought of "what is right for all".
The story is set in what I thought as of a somewhat futuristic time similar to that here on Earth. It is in a very large city environment, that seems to have some technology ahead of ours, yet somethings seem a bit behind our times. There is a definite line between financial classes that is even evident in what level one lives on in the city, with the upper/ruling class at the top and going down. Scylla, our main character, is in the upper teir, and though has traveled to the middle sections, has not really experienced Life in the lower levels. She has made a friend there though, who helps reveal things as they truly are.
So the story in general is somewhat interesting. Our main character is definitely improving as the story progresses, with having to realize truths/lies that were taken for granted in her growing years. She learns about making alliances, and somewhat of the costs that go with dealing with certain things. We learn about the 'government' and sort of how it is set up, I think similar to Britain's monarchy, with a Queen, and a Consul that votes policy and actions. There is not mcuh political in the story except that which our characters have to deal with (the father being a senator-type and the MC a heriditary of that position).
World building seemed pretty easy. City setting with levels that get poorer as they descend. I do not recall much outside this setting except that there appear to be other cities (similar to this one?) that wage war on other cities. There is one part of the story that mentions the need for more military to prevent this attack from another city. Then countered with more military to control the poor masses. Sounds sort of similar to the US? Sometimes a little too much.
Overall, I think this novel was written to lead into at least another book or two. I think the story could flesh out pretty well into a trilogy. My interest was kept in the story, though there were times I would do an eyeroll for the decisions made (by a younger aged character). I would love to learn more about outside the actual city - is it a barren wasteland between cities? Is there a natural resource issue? Are the cities more like city-states-countries? Do they war for resources of different political styles? Or did I miss that in my reading (rather forgot after reading it)? Characters were pretty much what I was expecting, afterall, they are teenagers in general. I thought it better for the story having our MC and her friend having to attend a "public" school versus the "private" one the upper echelons would send their kids to. I defintely would recommend this book.
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