Review – Warrior of the World by Jeffe Kennedy

I don’t remember what I was doing that day, but for some reason I went against my usual rules and picked up a second book that was part three in a series. I guess I could have not read it (gasp!), but it was short, and turned out to be rather enjoyable. In addition, the author wrote it in a way that made it accessible to new readers without boring those who were smart enough to read the previous books.

Anyway, here’s the backstory in a nutshell. Jenna, despite being a princess of Dasnaria, was brought up to be little more that a political tool, trained to be basically a sex slave to her future husband, who turned out to be an abusive piece of crap. After two escape attempts (which I’m assuming encompasses the first two books), she finally gets away, becomes a warrior priestess of Danu and kills her husband. We meet out hero in Nyambura, with a name change to Ivariel and in a culture that is the day to Dasnaria’s night.

But Ivariel has a secret. There is a darkness inside here (unsurprising given her life), and she is killer par excellence. As she recuperates from the injuries and abuse from her previous life, her friend Ochieng, who rescued after her final escape and is the polar opposite of her former husband, professes his love for her. But Ivariel fears the darkness inside of her, fears she will hurt gentle Ochieng and his family, and keeps him, and her darkness, at arm’s length.  Then a rival tribe attacks, killing some of her new family, and Ivariel’s darkness rises, killing the attackers. They will come back though. Can Avariel do what needs to be done to save her new friends, or will she continue to hide what she truly is?

Okay, I have to be honest. This, at it’s heart, is a romance, which isn’t really my thing. But it’s nicely done and nary a cringe-worthy moment to be seen. Much of the story is about Avariel’s recuperation and adapting to a life where is no longer a plaything, and some of the flashbacks could be potentially upsetting for readers, as abuse should be. The difference in cultures is stunning, from the medieval European-style Dasnaria to the easy lifestyle of the African-esque (or Indian?) Nyambura. As an added bonus, if you like elephants, this could be a winner for you.

Nicely written, and moves quickly despite a slow paced environment, I believe I will check out the previous two novels when I get the chance.

An engaging 4/5 stars.