I received this book via YA Book Central. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Pawns by Patrick Hodges Series: Wielders of Arantha #1
Published by Creativia on 2017-04-20
Length: 407 pages
Reviewing eARC from YA Book Central
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Beat the Backlist 2019
Seven hundred years in the future, Earth has been invaded by the Jegg, a powerful alien race. Half of the Terran Confederation has been wiped out.
In a hidden base under the Sahara desert, a team of scientists is working to mount a resistance against the invaders. Their plan is to fit an Earth ship with Jegg folding-space technology and travel to the other side of the galaxy, where a mysterious energy source is believed to exist... an energy source that could help them defeat the Jegg.
But just before departure, catastrophe strikes. Only two of the crew survive and make it their destination: the team leader's wife Maeve, and her teenage son Davin. What they find on the distant planet will forever change both the future of their family and their planet, as they enter a race against time... and against seemingly impossible odds.
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Pawns by Patrick Hodges is the first book in the Wielders of Arantha series. Complex and creative don’t begin to explain the story weaved here. Following the lives of three very different women, Pawns is an exciting adventure off-planet, a last hope mission to save Earth from the invading Jegg.
The story begins with Maeve and her teenage son Davin. They’ve just escaped Earth and the Jegg, suffering devastating losses in the process. Losing their entire team of scientists including her own husband, Maeve and Davin are enroute to a primitive planet that holds a power that may stop the Jeggs once and for all. Despite their tragedy, Maeve and Davin are determined to complete the mission, and they won’t stop until they do.
Kelia is known as the Protectress, the leader of her women-only tribe. Long ago, their ancestors escaped slavery at the hands of men and now live in seclusion. Some are wielders, able to manipulate the elements, a gift from Arantha, the goddess they worship. Kelia is one such wielder, the most powerful which is why they call her Protectress. Her job is to keep her tribe safe and watch the signs Arantha sends her. A new vision of violence and an object falling from above lead her Maeve and Davin, where she learns that not all is as she thought.
Elzaria is also a wielder and sister to the usurper Elzor. Together they are burning the countryside, taking one kingdom at a time, in search of the mythical Stones. These stones are said to offer power to the wielder who holds them. Both are jaded and dangerous and haunt not only Kelia’s visions but that of the high mage.
Overall I really enjoyed Pawns. The world-building, Kelia and her tribe, and all the different characters bring the story to life on the pages. If you enjoy sci-fi, I highly recommend you grab a copy of this one. It does not disappoint.
About Patrick Hodges
I currently live in Arizona with my wife, Vaneza. After years of writing for several different entertainment-related blogs, I have found new life and vitality by writing fictional stories about young teens and preteens that are entertaining for ALL ages.
I was bullied badly in middle school and high school, and I am of the opinion that not enough books are written on the subject, and those that are come off as preachy or heavy-handed. It was my goal to tell a story that a young person could read and enjoy, a story that would not only entertain them but given them a perspective on a touchy and relevant subject that they may not have had otherwise.
I make it a point to bring an empathic view to all my books, to give readers a view into what it's like for kids at that age when they just start to mature into young adults. For me, it's all about the characters. I love creating characters that jump off the page, that feel like real people no matter how old the reader is. Because without great characters, you really don't have a great story, do you?
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