The kingdom of Abennelp has enjoyed an age of peace. Tiva Boon, a loyal and ambitious Royal Guardian is determined to carry on tradition and become an elite protector to the throne. It is all she has ever wanted. Possessing abilities and strength beyond her age, Tiva dedicates her youth and risks her life in the service of her king to prove she is worthy. With her goal achieved and her destiny in motion, a mysterious off-world threat emerges and shatters everything Tiva holds dear.
Exiled from her home and running for her life, Tiva seeks asylum with the Union, a universal security force, and attempts to put the past behind her. Finding herself alone among various space faring races, Tiva integrates herself into the strange society using her skills as a protector and befriends several aliens she meets along the way, ones who will change her life forever.
When a message from those loyal to her king reaches her months after she feels safe in her new life, Tiva’s destiny and the fate of her people collide.
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
When it comes to a lot of serious sci-fi/fantasy, I have one major issue with them: the names. I have a hard time with pronunciation and, when it comes to YA books, I know a lot of teens might not like it either. So the first thing I noticed upon opening Tiva Boon was that, despite the names being odd, they weren't hard to read or say. It seems like a small thing, but for me it isn't.
The characters are surprisingly normal despite their being in a sci-fi setting, and even a little medieval (another thing I loved). Sometimes the "science" part did fall away a bit and the fantasy really took over, which might upset sci-fi fans, I didn't mind. I preferred it when Ms. Nixon went deeper into fantasy, making me see unrealistic things in a very realistic way.
This isn't just sci-fi or fantasy, either. There is Tiva, a girl coming into her own as a Guardian. A lot of teens are going to find a kindred spirit in her, and they are going to root for her and hang on everything that she says and does; feel for everything that happens to her.
While the science might be lacking, the heart and the imagination are not. This was a wonderful YA book that some adults will enjoy, too.
5/5--beautifully written fantasy!
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