Attention! This review may contain spoilers that could reveal the story line or events that occur over the duration of the book. If this does not bother you, or if you would just like to get a better feel of what this book is about before you read it, please feel free to carry on and enjoy this review!
The Collar and the Cavvarch:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
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Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?
The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).
Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with "have a rack"), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.
Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!
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The Gladiator and the Guard:
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard in Kindle format from Amazon for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!
Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard from Smashwords (for Nook or in other digital formats) for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!
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About the author:
Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.
Connect with the Author Online:
Email: AnnieDouglassLima@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads
Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/AnnieDouglassLimaOnAmazon
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn
Google Plus: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGooglePlus
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Personal opinion of the book:
This book was extraordinarily well written and was amazing in the way that it got me thinking about so many different topics that are truly important in our society.
This book is about a young man who has to fight for his freedom, but he is a slave. Although his master is a very loving person who treats him more like a son, he would so anything to join his sister in freedom. In the first book in this series, he fought and won his sisters freedom.
This book is about a young man who has to fight for his freedom, but he is a slave. Although his master is a very loving person who treats him more like a son, he would so anything to join his sister in freedom. In the first book in this series, he fought and won his sisters freedom.
With all this talk of freedom I though: What is freedom? Do I take it for granted?
After basically contemplating my life and all my life choices, I came to the conclusion that, like most things in our lives, we under appreciate it while we have it, yet mourn it when it is gone.
Then I began thinking about all the times through history, how no one is every truly free. I cannot just say that I am going to go and buy all the books I want and then travel to Hawaii to read them. We are all limited.
Imagine, the whole world coming together to make everyone equal, everyone having equal freedom...
This book was a standout for me.
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I just wanted to say a HUGE thank-you to Annie for asking me to read and review this book. I really enjoyed reading the book and writing up this post. I also want to apologize for my post being up five day after I was meant to post!
As I told Annie, I loved the book, but my laptop doesn't love me...
Until next time, keep reading!
-Shelbi (Book Ambrosia)
Thanks so much for the review, and no worries about it being late. :-) I'm so glad you enjoyed The Gladiator and the Guard!
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