3.5 In an alternate version of England there are the “Equals”, people with magical powers, passed through their families who are the controlling government, and the regular humans who are forced at some point in their life to serve 10 years of “slave days”. Abi has just finished high school and she’s been accepted to many medical schools, but she finds an opportunity that may be too good to miss. She can start her slave days now, directly serving one of the Equal families on their estate, where there are positions for her parents and siblings to join her. This way they can all serve together and live well, instead of taking their slave days in one of the brutal slavetowns.
But things don’t go according to plan, her brother Luke ends up separated from them, and her family may be in even more danger working for the Jardine family than if they were in the slavetown.

I’m a bit torn with this book, because while I was completely hooked by the end, I didn’t really buy into this world. I had a hard time accepting the whole slave days concept. 10 years seems so extreme for people to willingly give up their freedoms to serve the Equals in a modern day type society. I think this concept kept hanging me up. Yes, the equals are powerful and it’s a system that’s always been in place, but with modern technology it’s so much easier for people to communicate and gather in masses to protest, especially against the harsh conditions in the slave towns, which I guess the story does begin to focus on. But forcing myself to sort of let go of this idea, I was able to enjoy the rest of the book.

There’s a rebellion, there’s mind control and a tiny smidge of romance, and some political stuff amongst The Equals. There are a lot of different characters with alternating agendas and different abilities so there is a lot going on that makes the book fly by. The ending also leaves a lot of threads to be explored in the next book which I’m looking forward to reading.

4 Stars

Overview:

“Always look at the people, not at the mass. A face, not the crowd. Look at the world, not at the ground. Every little detail you see is a victory.”

I think there’s going to be a lot of mixed-opinions on this one. It really feels like a book you either love or hate.

Taking place in an alternate England where those with a magic known as “Skill” rule, and the unskilled serve 10-year stretches in slavery, [a:Vic James|7420734|Vic James|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]’s debut focuses on the intersecting lives of an aristocrats and a family of commoners who work for them. This large cast of characters and heavy emphasis on other-world politics is not for everyone. But I really did enjoy it.

I received an ARC of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and the author for this opportunity!

Pros:

This plot is smart. It twists and turns with ease, and one ‘twist’ at the end worked so well for me I almost wish I could rate this higher.

But it’s not just smart, it’s complicated. There were literally over a dozen characters to keep track of, all with their own motivations and secondary plots. AND their family trees and political alignments are important in determining their relations to one another. At first it was hard to keep track of and made it a more difficult read. This ended up working well for me (and I found it akin to several classic British novels, like [b:A Tale of Two Cities|1953|A Tale of Two Cities|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344922523s/1953.jpg|2956372] and [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481264628s/19089.jpg|1461747]) but I can see how others would dislike it.

Despite the large amount of characters, this remained a character-driven story. They have distinct voices, are interesting, and allowed to be multi-faceted. The domineering bully is shown both abusing staff and doting on his infant daughter—without one action excusing the other. His backstory and nature give way to this behavior, but we are left to decide if we consider him a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ character, or if he exists somewhere in-between.

This felt true for most of the characters, but especially my favorite: Silyen Jardine.

I’m very curious as to whether more of his motivation will be revealed in the sequel, or if he’s really as random as he wants everyone to believe. But he was a delight to read.

In fact, there were very few characters I didn't like.

Cons

I said this was similar to classic Brit-Lit… but it isn't completely. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just don’t want to give the wrong impression of the story. It's still very much a fantasy.

There are traces of insta-love. Though the romance itself is compelling, I couldn't help but feel like they'd never had a proper conversation before they were pining. There's also imbalanced power dynamics that are never really addressed.

So. Many. Rhetorical. Questions. Easily my biggest problem with this book. It was too repetitive, and I dislike being asked questions that only serve to tell me things I already know.

In the scheme of things, the prologue was unnecessary and just added another POV we really didn't need.

Was the man-dog really the best way to go with that storyline? Couldn’t it have been easier to show how ruthless the Skilled leaders are in a way that wasn’t so bizarre?? And maybe didn’t involve naked men on leashes?? I haven't seen anyone else having problems with it, so maybe it's just me. But it was so odd it pulled me out of the story at times.

Though I did ultimately enjoy the large cast and complex political system—it was confusing at times. Bouda’s first chapter in particular felt like one large info-dump as she gave continual history lessons and told us how parliament currently works.

In Conclusion

A fantastical political drama with a large diverse cast of characters that some are going to really enjoy, and others are not.

Almost stopped reading this because it was starting off like enslavement!porn (think - not actual porn, but the getting off on enslavement) but thankfully, that shifted to an actual plot, and a fairly interesting one. It worked, was a good read all the way thru - I read all 3 of them - and wrapped up. Lots of world building

Published Date: February 14th 2017

Thanks to the publisher, I am honored to be one to get a free, digital copy in order for an honest review. Anything said is my opinion and my opinion only.



I just don't know how I feel about this book.

It has a great concept and had a lot of potential with how this world works.

There are those who are "The Skilled" who have unhuman-like powers, and then there are normal people like you and me (sad day). These normal people have to be slaves to The Skilled for ten years out of their lives where they are treated as not-humans.

Literally once they sign the papers, they lose their human-identity and are legitimately "things" or "slaves".

It's horribly a good start to a story, don't you think?

Well, I for one was super excited about it. But I kind of feel disappointed with what I read.

The characters were just thrown around. I couldn't keep up with all the characters I was suppose to have remembered from 100 pages back that was mentioned that one time during that one chapter. And I just didn't really care for the main characters either towards the middle.

When it first started, I was like whoa whoa buddy this is going to be good, and it was! It truly was going great! But then I got kind of.. bored. Characters didn't really grow and conflict was kind of eh.

Luke and Abi were the only one's I cared a little for. And the ending would have been legitimately mind-blowing if my heart ached for the characters involved.

I was just a little sad.
Maybe I built it up so much that not even Sarah J Maas could have reached my goals.

“Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source of serious evils.”
Benjamin Franklin

In England, all power is held by the few, who have the power of magic. The rest of the populace is subject to seven years of slavery. Until the seven years of slavery are served, they lack full citizenship.

In hopes of better opportunities, 17-year-old Luke’s parents have decided the entire family would serve their seven years of slave days together at the estate of the powerful, magical Jardine family. Luke is angry and resentful of his parent’s decision. His resentment becomes fear and trepidation when he is sent to the dangerous environs of a slave town rather than the Jardine estate.

The Jardine family is powerful. The elder Jardine was the former Chancellor. But the family is a pit of snakes. It is a constant struggle for power and control. Magic is everything. The person with the most magic will rule.

The conditions of the Jardine are visibly better than the slave town. The work is not dangerous. But there are dangers. These dangers are more subtle.

This was my favorite book of 2016 as I had the opportunity to read an advance copy. The characterization was skillful. The characters are multi-dimensional. Even a unlikeable character, Gavar, a killer and rapist, could engender sympathy.

There is considerable action and intrigue involving many plots and subplots as the story moves between the Jardine estate to the slave town, from character to character. It is a powerful story and an emotional, searing condemnation of slavery. There is no such thing as a good master and slavery is demeaning to all involved. Reducing a person to chattel is an act of evil. Vic James has created a mesmerizing and satisfying fantasy.

Vic James has built an amazing world full of magic and color. I loved the story concept... A world where slavery still exists and its mandatory... What? Loved it. I was really intrigued bu the equals and their powers. Each one seemed different. Some were stronger than others. There was mystery to the story and depth in the characters. I was really hoping for something more to happen for the poor people in the slave town, but I guess I will have to read the next installment, wont I?

This book was not exactly what I was expecting it to be when I started it, but I really enjoyed it. The twists were really interesting and the ending made me eager to dive into the next book. I really enjoyed the dual stories and the world-building was excellent imo. Though the concept was harrowing, it was nice to see that people in such a situation could find some hope and happiness despite all the evil happening around them. Most of the characters were very compelling (I could've done with less of the older brother because he was just kind of exhausting). The slight romance within the book was a bit...fast and slightly squicky (mostly just because of the circumstances).
Overall this book was a welcome surprise and I can't wait to read more about these families.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First of all I was expecting this to be a modern setting, right up until the guy arrived on a motorbike which caused some quick rearranging in my head. Basically this is our world but history diverges when Charles I is killed by a guy with magic (Skill) and now those who are skilled (and skill is passed down through bloodlines so think a ruling class of aristocrats with magic) rule those without it.

I liked this book. It’s very YA which isn’t a bad thing but just something to know. The characters were great, especially Silyen. I like morally grey characters and I hope we see more of him in the next book. It had some great twists that make you intrigued and infuriated in equal measure and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Originally posted on: Ever The Crafter

I got this one from the publisher to review awhile ago, but I swear, when I ask for a book to review, that is when "Life happens" and the book gets forgotten about. I did finally did get around to reading it though, better late that never I suppose.

I am not totally in love with this book, but I did like it. Basically this is the rich and the powerful and the magical against everyone else. They control your life, if not completely then at least for the ten years that you must become their slave. Generally you have no say where you end up but you do get to choose what ten years you will give up (unless you are a minor, then your parents can choose for you to do your ten years with them). The story focusses on one such family. The oldest child could have gone to any medical school that she wanted but gave that up when she managed to get her family a gig working with one of the said rich, powerful, magical (called Equals). They figured it was the best they could do, so why not? Of course they didn't give their other two kids a say in the matter.

Turns out their gig is not so great. Also the common folk are starting to get tired of how things operate. But oh, hey, a few of those "Equals" may also be ready for change.

The book is part of a series. I am mixed about whether or not this violates my biggest book pet peeve. I guess technically this is a full book but the cliffhanger at the end does make it very borderline. I suppose it could be called a complete book but as I said cliffhanger. Honestly this is another that doesn't feel strong enough to warrant a trilogy but as a stand alone it's perfectly fine. I am undecided about whether or not I will read the rest of the series.

Engaging tale of an alternate England where the elite have magical powers and the minions have to serve 10 years of their lives as slaves. Well executed.