Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie
A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/14/12)
Summary:
“Aro, you must understand things always have a price.” (Page 106).
Aro grew up with many brothers in a town where even she was trained to fight. She will have to grow up fast when their city is attacked and fighting won’t be enough. After getting taken by slavers, survival takes on an entirely different meaning. The only way out is to escape and the only way to escape is to make friends with the strangers chained in the ship with her.
Keywords:
Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Ship, Slavers, Protection, Lies, Danger, Sickness, Death, Grief
My Review:
After the immediate tension and action of the beginning of the book, the pacing settled into a natural rhythm. There was intrigue. There was heartbreak. There was a girl who wanted to prove herself but when push came to shove it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t keep those she loved from disaster.
I wanted to dislike this book. Aro was so capable (in her own head) but so helpless when it mattered in the first few pages. She was a damsel in distress. She became instantly devoted to her love triangle. She cried. A lot.
It was the story and the tension that pulled me along. Aro had so much room to grow in this book. And she does. She grows throughout this book, in good ways and sad ways. Tragedy has a way of doing that to people. Aro was brave. Aro was amazing. Aro was not the damsel in distress she seemed at first.
The love triangle was not what it seemed at first either. The only part that still has me baffled is how much Aro gravitated toward Kei and how fast this devotion took hold of her. I was glad that the romance/love triangle did not dominate this book. There was a good balance of romance, personal reflection and growth, action, and story/plot.
This is a great book for people who want to dip their toes into fantasy, who want a well told story, or who want a female heroine who they can relate to (even in a fantastical setting, and who want the essence of a love triangle without being overwhelmed with a teen romance.
This novel was published by Untold Press September 14th, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 