Hello everyone!
And I say this as someone who's been reading pretty much her entire life, and who generally says a book is awesome without much prompting.
But tonight's one REALLY is.
It's one of those things you pick up accidentally because you either like the sound of the title, you're intrigued by the blurb, or you're just super bored with whatever else you've been reading thus far and want to branch out into something new. Either way, you pick it up, think to yourself, wow, this thing is MASSIVE at over 600 pages, but then end up getting sucked in so badly you don't know what year it is when you finally emerge again.
If you're thinking that last is me ... you're right.
So without further ado, let's hop right into it, because we've got a lot of ground to cover between a weird ass religious cult, a magical fantasy world, and the potential of a deity coming to life.
As this is my first book read from this particular author, I don't have anything else linked from them, however, I WILL be working my way through the Chronicles, and have books two and three already lined up.
Also, before I forget, these books literally fell into my lap because I was personally contacted to read them and write their honest reviews, which is something 6-year-old me, banned from the school library after I finished reading everything in my age group section and wasn't allowed to read further, could only DREAM of.
I'm honoured and humbled beyond words.
Chaos Beckons begins in a sort of paradise hidden in the middle of the woods, but something's rotten in the land of Denmark, as they say, because this paradise has way too many public beatings and shamings to really consider it perfect. People seem to cheat on each other, lie, steal, the works, and yet for some reason, they all stay in their walled village and don't consider venturing elsewhere.
Nadia, the teen this book focuses predominantly on, has other ideas. She's considered an outsider because she rebels against anything and anyone, gets beaten on the regular, and will be married to not just one, but TWO husbands once she reaches eighteen years old.
See, when kiddos hit that mark, they're married, sent to their new houses to have wild monkey sex for two weeks, and then they're supposed to live out the rest of their lives, raising the kids they make during that time.
Her two husbands-to-be, Venne, who's going to be High Elder one day if he can hack it and not die of boredom beforehand, and Emiil, one of the warrior guardians who protect their village, keep dragging her back to their reality, but it soon becomes clear Nadia is more drawn to the darker nature Venne harbours rather than the lawful good of Emiil (who's basically a golden retriever in human form).
They discover that literally nothing is as it seems, because deep below the village are statues of the people who have supposedly passed away, but they have beating purple hearts regardless, and look like they're just asleep. There's some magic afoot, something we don't yet understand, but it kicks Nadia into high gear and she galvanizes the teens to try and escape.
This doesn't end well, people get hunted and punished (yes, literally hunted in the night like animals), and the trio is marched to their wedding day when they have their tattoo inked into their skin, a diamond on the inside of their wrist.
Of course Nadia isn't done, however, and blows the village wall sky-high, then they actually DO escape, but are hunted for real this time, not to be taken back, but be killed, because ... well, this is a religious cult. They're trying to escape it. 'Nuff said.
It's kill or be killed, and, joined by another girl named Johanna, who actually circles back to kill some of their other pursuers, they flee into the big wide world, where the first thing they notice is how the climate in the village was always pretty much perfect, as outside it's turning to winter already.
Nadia and Venne grow closer, Emiil is third-wheeling, and they cross the mountains together only to be caught by slavers, put in chains, and promised to be taken to the capital where they'll be sold for a lot.
Because they look different. Like another group these slavers caught.
This tells our trio they're not the only ones, there are other Seeds like them out there, with pointed ears and delicate features, but eventually Nadia has enough and just ... explodes.
Literally.
She becomes living flame, and the boys channel ice beside her, marking themselves as openly different in ways they don't understand yet at all. As for Johanna?
Well, she doesn't get herself caught, because she's too smart, but she DOES go find help, in the form of Duke Xander, who rescues our teens from the snow and gives them a place to regroup. He's delighted in finding them, saying they're basically young gods, to which Nadia tells him he's full of it, mistrustful to the max and absolutely not having what he's selling, contrary to Venne ho eats it all up like he's never eaten before.
But they can't have a peaceful existence at the headquarters housing the duke's army, because they're summoned to the capital by the princess, and they must go.
And hey check it, the princess is a Seed, just like them! Her powers are telekinetic. And strong.
Nadia dislikes her immediately, sensing there's so much more going on underneath the surface of all that's pretty and polished; Emiil is hurting from everything that's happened, because back in the village he was made to keep the Elders' secrets, lying through his teeth, and he still feels like he's lying; Venne?
Venne wants what the princess is giving out. He wants power and he'll stop at nothing to get it.
He does take time out of his busy schedule to finally sleep with Nadia, however, after you think they're NEVER going to get down to it, but Johanna lets slip a terrifying little detail: the Seeds can't have kids, not outside the two-week post-marriage window, another mystery that the village needs to answer for.
After an assassination attempt on the princess is foiled (humans are treated lower than chattel since they have no powers, something Nadia dislikes even more than the rest since she believes EVERYONE should be equal, magic or no, a belief Xander shares), a ball is held in honour of the Seeds, who all get thorned crowns from Xander to both set them up as potential enemies for the princess, and to denote that they're other.
Nadia nearly sets one of the royal advisors on fire when the woman spouts all the things the girl 'has' to do, but the morning after, shit hits the fan for real:
the princess offers them seats on her council, positions in her court, by her side.
Emiil nopes out so fast he leaves skidmarks.
Johanna just wants to drink and fuck, so she's out too.
And Nadia walks away because this isn't what she signed up for when she ran from the village, and she tells Venne as much when he chases after her to try and change her mind.
He's now siding with the same kind of people who initially oppressed them, and she can't stand by his side when he does that.
In a move that Padmé Amidala might have managed if her Dark Side-turned husband didn't decide to choke her on the spot, Nadia walks, seeking shelter in Xander's city home, where Emiil has also found a room.
Then a meteor hits the city, in a shower from the heavens, and as she rushes to see what the mess is all about, Nadia comes face to face with someone she hates more than the people around her: Laastra, the goddess who her cult was dedicated to worshiping (well, her and her husband, Arthai).
Laasta sort of recognizes Nadia (???), saying they apparently went through the doorway together and are family, but even that won't help her because she has to find her husband, is desperate to reunite with him, actually.
Nadia just wants to kill the bitch for all the suffering she's had to endure in her name.
Getting flicked away like a bug doesn't dampen her spirits, but she has to burn off her own arm, caught under some rubble to escape - not even realizing she's the only one who survived Laastra's powerful attack, since all the mages who went up against her before-hand just went poof.
But she finally breaks with Venne, turning instead to Emiil, and Venne accepts the princess' offer - and possibly more from her, since apparently she's easy to love (we see you, Venne boy ... we see you).
Xander, in turn, offers Nadia anything she wants - I think he's secretly in love with her, but don't mind me - and she says she wants what he wants.
But first, vengeance.
And that's where we leave them after book one.
Whew!
To start, I was a bit daunted by the length, and I'll admit the initial bits in the village drag somewhat. Things pick up afterwards, and especially once you reach the city and its machinations, where our three protagonists' inner demons surge to the surface. And that ending? SHUT UP.
World: is incredible. We only skim the surface in the first book but it lays down the foundations and introduces factions, making you want to keep reading. It's a bit like the initial Song of Ice and Fire worldbuilding before it became a rambly mess.
Main characters: Venne and Emiil bore me to absolute tears, however they ARE necessary to see this world as a whole, because each shows us one reflection of it.
Emiil is who I'd classify as Good, but this goodness comes with blinders, which hinder him.
Venne is the closest to Draco Malfoy as I can come up with in terms of description, unhealthily possessive (dude you knew from the start there would be TWO of you husbands, you cannot be serious), and my gosh someone shave his head already. Because one more repeat of 'his hair fell into his eyes' and I'd have screamed LOL.
Of them all, Nadia is my favourite. Emiil wants her because he probably thinks he can save her; Venne wants to possess her. But she longs for freedom and being her own person, and while often absurd, she seems to be the only one who sees their new reality clearly.
Side characters: there's a bunch and we'll hopefully learn more in following books. Xander is my favourite, I feel he could be good for Nadia if she let him, but he has plenty ??? of his own. Johanna flits in and our of the story as she feels like, offering more mystery than answers, and Faith is someone I have so many questions about.
Religion: I normally don't touch this with a ten foot pole, but as it's a core feature of the story I felt I should. There definitely seems to be more going on than any of our Seeds know, and as a reader I am DYING to learn. The statues and beating hearts? The magical powers? Laastra?? Nadia surviving that blast of light?
While the start of this felt slow, the momentum picks up as the world is revealed, and I feel like further books will greatly benefit from this. The writing is gripping, visceral and not at all flowery, with just enough description to hook you but not enough to bore. All in all, huge 5 of 5 stars out of me, and I can't wait to read the second book.
PS: if Xander turns out to be Arthai in disguise I will LOSE IT in the best of ways. HA.
World: is incredible. We only skim the surface in the first book but it lays down the foundations and introduces factions, making you want to keep reading. It's a bit like the initial Song of Ice and Fire worldbuilding before it became a rambly mess.
Main characters: Venne and Emiil bore me to absolute tears, however they ARE necessary to see this world as a whole, because each shows us one reflection of it.
Emiil is who I'd classify as Good, but this goodness comes with blinders, which hinder him.
Venne is the closest to Draco Malfoy as I can come up with in terms of description, unhealthily possessive (dude you knew from the start there would be TWO of you husbands, you cannot be serious), and my gosh someone shave his head already. Because one more repeat of 'his hair fell into his eyes' and I'd have screamed LOL.
Of them all, Nadia is my favourite. Emiil wants her because he probably thinks he can save her; Venne wants to possess her. But she longs for freedom and being her own person, and while often absurd, she seems to be the only one who sees their new reality clearly.
Side characters: there's a bunch and we'll hopefully learn more in following books. Xander is my favourite, I feel he could be good for Nadia if she let him, but he has plenty ??? of his own. Johanna flits in and our of the story as she feels like, offering more mystery than answers, and Faith is someone I have so many questions about.
Religion: I normally don't touch this with a ten foot pole, but as it's a core feature of the story I felt I should. There definitely seems to be more going on than any of our Seeds know, and as a reader I am DYING to learn. The statues and beating hearts? The magical powers? Laastra?? Nadia surviving that blast of light?
While the start of this felt slow, the momentum picks up as the world is revealed, and I feel like further books will greatly benefit from this. The writing is gripping, visceral and not at all flowery, with just enough description to hook you but not enough to bore. All in all, huge 5 of 5 stars out of me, and I can't wait to read the second book.
PS: if Xander turns out to be Arthai in disguise I will LOSE IT in the best of ways. HA.
xx
*image not mine
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