ARC Review: "War Hour" by Lauren Loscig ★★★★
ARC Review: War Hour by Lauren Loscig
"War Hour" is a young adult fantasy novel, where the likes of the series "Divergent" (people are divided into factions where if you do not fit in, you are perceived as a threat to the system) meets "The Red Queen" (commoners vs those with magical powers), with a touch of "The Hunger Games" (undergoing trials, fighting for survival) and "A Court of Thorns and Roses" (a realm containing seven courts, just like ACOTAR, with respective lords/ladies). It is the first released novel in The Broken Trials series, a name rather fitting considering what occurs in this story.[Contains some spoilers]
It is written in first person and present tense (as with most young adult fiction) from the perspective of Lysta, a young Untrialed woman living in the streets of Falland in the Court of Valor, one of the seven courts in the realm of Aloria. One day, she protects a young girl from some guards – which is a trap as the girl shapeshifts into a man named Ardis who brings her to the Lord of the Court of Valor, Drytas. As punishment for possessing a weapon in his court, an act forbidden, she is forced to partake in the Trials, a deadly system wherein a person is tested mentally and/or physically. Wherever a person participates in a trial, they earn the powers from that court and the way a Trial is solved determines the powers gained. She undergoes this, going from Untrialed to Trialed, solving it in a roundabout way, and upon returning has protective powers and discovers that the door to the Trials is broken. She also learns Drytas intends to use Trials from the other Courts and force the Untrialed to endure it. He is trying to take over the other courts to gain power.
Ardis turns out to be an imposter, assuming his brother’s name, and is really Lord Torryn of the Court of Self escaping with Lysta (with the help of his friend Sarielle daughter of skeptical Lord Bralas from the Court of Wisdom, who can use portals) to the Capital, a place where the Crowns (Lords and Ladies) of the courts reside and hold meetings. There, Lysta attempts to persuade the courts to aid her against Lord Drytas and save the people not only from her courts but their own. It takes some convincing.
Not trusted by the Crowns, she is watched but is introduced to the workings of the Capital, including War Hour (an arena where people fight to showcase their skills or powers, some in an attempt for a better position in another court). She meets the Heirs of the various Crowns one of which is Evander son of the Lord of the Court of Truth, her escort to whom she becomes very close. Eventually, representatives of each of the courts, the Heirs, are sent with Lysta to Valor (much like "The Lord of the Rings" when the Fellowship to Mordor is made up of the different races of Middle-Earth: hobbits, elves, men, dwarves, wizards) to prove Lord Drytas’ plot. From there, the plot thickens and more discoveries unravel.
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| Lysta vs the Kadara by lazy_dragon_art |
Here I will note the different Crowns, with known colours and common powers of the courts:
Court of Valor: Lord Drytas – red – telekinesis
Court of Self: Lord Torryn – black – telepathy
Court of Will: Lord Rhen
Court of Virtue: Lord Nicaise – purple – invisibility and mind-reading
Court of Wisdom: Lord Bralas – orange – portal and seer
Court of Change: Lady Ivianna – gold – shapeshift “mirror-shift”, regeneration
Court of Truth: Lord Gennady – blue – truthsayer (rare), sees truth
I will begin with the positives of the book. It is a creative idea of a novel, bringing together various parallels, themes and ideas from authors before, about a decade ago (namely "Divergent" and "The Hunger Games"). I especially love the fact that one has to earn the powers rather than them being given to oneself. I like the Crowns, the magical abilities, and the political aspects, it was fascinating to read! I appreciate the map because stories with maps help to really put things into perspective. The pronunciation guide at the end is another nice touch, just in case the reader is stuck, though most names were straightforward to follow, all rather unique. There are a lot of characters suddenly introduced after the halfway point (around 13 or so) but it is necessary in a first book to set the scene and get the characters needed into the story as soon as possible.
It was a decent length and pacing, definitely a page-turner, with some amazing descriptions, use of imagery, and good characterisation. My favourite characters are Lysta and Sarielle as I love strong independent women. There were plenty of twists and turns, some rather predictable (for example, *that* betrayal) yet did not take anything from the story – if anything, I was proud I had worked it out. We are provided with some relatable topics such as the struggles of the poor people, a corrupt ruler, and the mistreatment of women, even in a fantasy setting: one Lady rules a court, as Sar says on page 161 “Women aren’t viewed as fit for power to many in the capital. Too emotional.” – indeed, an excuse used often.
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| Evander, Lysta and Torryn by scribbubbles |
Honourable mentions are Chapter 18 (it is very amusing), Chapter 24 (when Evander takes Lysta to the sea, it is rather sweet), Chapter 30 (Torryn’s “who did this to you” moment, got me squealing), Chapter 31 (“Call her that again, and I will bring war upon you myself”, giggling and kicking my feet), and Chapter 38 (I like that Torryn helps the people see Lysta for who she is).
Though there is much praise for the book, here I must speak of some of its negatives. The world-building was its weakest point as terms were suddenly introduced and thrown around the place with little information, specifically the words Trialed, Untrialed and Trialing. I would have liked an explanation near the start of the book, perhaps a prologue of some description. The history of Aloria: where the Trialed come from, how the Trialing system came to be, what powers do people usually get from the different Trials, who was the first to enter it and why, how different are the Trials for each court/individual or is it all the same. While some of these answers are discovered in sections of the book, it took a bit to piece them together. Maybe we will learn more of its history in the upcoming books (would love that!).
Similarly, when the Crowns of the other courts appeared altogether, I had to go back to the page where Sar listed them to Lysta so I could remember who was from which court. I think a few additional physical descriptions and reminders would have sufficed. I also had no idea which colours were from which court and what their powers were until events happened, and I had to write them down to refer to this later. I think I am still missing what powers and colours the Court of Wills possesses. In the same way, the Trial tattoos (harkening to the likes of "Divergent") were not very descriptive, only that the tattoo got bigger the more Trials one faces. I would have liked to have known what they look like though, of course, it is up to the imagination. Also, when the Truthsayer shows up, there is no mention of him further into the chapter after he begins to use his powers to help them question Lysta and Drytas and ironically, for a Truthsayer he does not say much here. This seems a waste of a character here in this section, though the chapter itself is fine later.
I feel as a reader I came away from the book with more questions than I had answers to (why does the Trial break after Lysta completes it? Who did put something in their drinks?). The cliffhanger felt unsatisfied, though understandably done as this is usually a technique with books to encourage the reader to continue the series. I prefer books that are part of a series but round off in their own way so they can be read as a standalone.
Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly commend Lauren Loscig for her debut novel, such a thing is certainly not easy to do, and it is a great read! Most of the negative things I found are simply because I am greedy for more details about this incredible world! Indeed, I look forward to the rest of the series, I am certain as the books go on they will only get better and better, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavours.
I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Lauren for the opportunity.
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