Synopsis
20 Climbers. 20 Watchers. 5 Hunters. 1 Colossus.
After both their parents die during the live broadcast of the Tournament of the Colossus, Quinne promises to always keep Benn safe. Even from the deadly Hunters who scour the slums for those who can wield magic. But when Benn’s rare ability manifests during a public confrontation, the Hunters see them for what they truly are: riveting contestants.
Quinne will be a Climber, where she’ll be chased by Hunters and mechanized monstrosities through a trapped forest before attempting to climb a thousand-foot-tall destructive god. And Benn will be her Watcher, as his consciousness will be transferred into nothing more than a glorified camera in the form of a metal bird.
The odds of survival are low, the likelihood of death and blood great. Tune in today, for this Tournament will be a ratings juggernaut!
Review
I was won a free paperback ARC of this book, eager to dive into my first Bill Adams novel. I was immediately hooked with the comparison to The Hunger Games, which I can accurately say this story embodies. It’s a strange, often grotesque morphing of a Cyberpunk Hunger Games with some magic, crystal gods, and a strong morally gray heroine. What I enjoyed most about this book is that it flipped the Chosen One trope around, focusing more on Quinne in the book rather than Benn, although we get a good bit of growth and POV chapters from him.
There’s plenty of action from the first chapter that really doesn’t let up. It did take me a bit to understand the different terms and abilities, but it was a fresh take on some familiar abilities. This is a very tactile and often dirty world and you leave almost being able to smell the coke smoke in your lungs.
And, girliepops, there are plenty of fun female characters in this book that range from evil, morally gray, and everything in between. Pretty much all the characters felt fleshed out and had growth by the end.
*Spoilers ahead* There were some things that left me with questions and the end felt a bit rushed. I felt like there could have been another chapter or two to show the survival siblings in the aftermath of their victory and processing through everything and wrap everything up nicely for a standalone or a continuation of the story (I’m not sure if there will be a second book but I feel like one might be needed). I also had questions about Ardenn’s revelation to being Benn’s grandmother and I felt like more could have been explored their. I knew she and Lanier were close but it didn’t reveal if they had been lovers or married, or how Ardenn’s relationship to Cerenn was especially after she was turned into Blood Lettie. After Ardenn’s revelation to Quinne, I felt like Quinne didn’t think on it much again. I would have also liked to see Benn’s reaction to learning this since he lost his grandfather and gained back his mother. I’m also curious about Cerenn’s fate now that Vera is dead and what will become of her after so much has been done to her.
Still, this was a solid sci-fi book for me that went by quickly once I sat down and really go into it. The illustrations in the regular paperback are stunning and I’d love to see some artwork of the Gryphons and the Diamond Dogs. A solid book that sometimes hits you like a flux punch and leaves you wanting more.
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