Oh man, where do I begin? Alright, bear with me through the next few paragraphs.
I hate romance novels.
But I LOVED The Savior’s Champion!
I can’t be the only person growing up who saw many repeated romance stories where the female protagonist was an average, melodramatic, entitled, and (to be quite frank) whiny bore. This very unimpressive character was usually surrounded by simps who for some inexplicable reason were always professing their undying love for her, despite the fact that she relatively had nothing of value to offer in return. These guys were usually hot stalkers, mysterious paranormal creatures, or insanely wealthy benefactors – sometimes a combination of all three stereotypes.
What usually happened in these stories is the male lead goes well out of his way to shower her with tokens of his affection, but later would make a relatively minor mistake (like not remembering her birthday)–which would be interpreted as a HUGE betrayal! He would try to explain, but the female lead would banish him from her life, and he would have to make some insane grand gesture to win her love forevermore!
Thank the heavens that Jenna Moreci wrote an incredible Romance/Dark Fantasy novel that transcended that tedious garbage! I mean, this girl knows how to raise the stakes!
In her own words, Jenna Moreci states that her book is a combination between “Gladiator” and “The Bachelorette.” I would say that there’s some elements of “The Hunger Games” as well, but more for an adult audience. *SPOILERS AHEAD!*
The story centers around a young man named Tobias–and I’ll admit, I do like reading Romance stories from the male point of view since I don’t see it as often. With his father being dead, Tobias is the main provider for his household, which consists of his mother and crippled sister. He gave up his dreams and apprenticeship as an artist to harvest sugar cane in the fields. Though he’s able to put food on the table and cover basic expenses, there’s not much he can do for his sister’s unbearable suffering.
The Savior of the realm is about to have her 20th birthday, in which men from every region come to compete for her hand in marriage. The competitions on behalf of past Saviors have resulted in most of the suitors’ deaths.
Tobias has no intentions of throwing himself into an unnecessary bloodbath for ideals as frivolous as fame, glory, or the favor of a woman he doesn’t know or care about – even if she is the most blessed and powerful woman around. However, if one registers to compete and dies in the arena, the family of the man receives a sizable monetary reward for his “service” to the kingdom. It is in the late hours of the evening, upon hearing his sister’s agonized cries, that Tobias can no longer sit idly by. Against his family’s protest, he runs with all his might to register at the very last minute for this ordeal that will most likely end his life.
Jenna Moreci does an excellent job of putting Tobias through greater and greater levels of danger – not restricted to only one kind, such as violence. There are politics, social sabotage, and emotional onslaughts that test him to the core. Tensions escalate higher when Tobias realizes that he doesn’t even like the Savior after getting the chance to meet her! This puts him at a stark contrast with the other suitors who clamor for her attention, behaving like love-struck puppies… or hounds in heat. Instead he finds himself drawn to one of the Savior’s handmaidens who’s been tasked with tending the warriors’ wounds after each debilitating round of peril. If his interests were discovered, he would be in violation of treason!
I also love the fact that the layers of antagonists and the nature of their threats are unique to each villain. There are three “Beasts” in the competition who aren’t technically breaking any rules, though they are certainly foul players. Antaeus is a brute of a giant with the wit of a bear just waking from hibernation. Drake is the legend covered in tattoos which were drawn to grant immortality. Kaleo is the sociopathic “Shepherd” who’s bite is worse than his bark… and his bark is pretty freaking awful! There are other enemies as well, of a far more sinister nature–though to reveal them would ruin the ending, and I will do no such thing!
I definitely suggest reading this book if you are tired of romance cliches and are looking for a dark fantasy packed with bloody gore, off-color humor, and a believable love story with regards to character integrity in the psychological sense. No “love at first sight” or “we were destined to be together” bull crap – which is extremely refreshing to say the least!
I’ll be honest, there were several times in the story where I thought I had everything figured out – and then other times where the tension was so escalated that I was genuinely uncertain of how everything was going to turn out! The ride was exhilarating, and I can’t wait to see what Jenna Moreci is going to write next!
If you want to see more about this very successful self-published author, or purchase The Savior’s Champion, check out her website here:
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments Section below! What do you think of the Romance genre? Have you read any of Jenna Moreci’s works or watched her YouTube videos? If you’ve read The Savior’s Champion, then what was your favorite scene?
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