Review: Raksha by Frankie Rose

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

She has no name.

She has her knives; her training; her halo.

The first and second give her the tools and the skill to defeat the opponents she is pitched against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…

FearPainAngerHappinessDesireGuilt

Love.

When a newly-named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blonde boy, who she refuses to let save her. Still learning how to process the onslaught of her new feelings, the sights and sounds of Freetown are overwhelming and strange. There are a hundred differences between her old home and her new one, but one thing remains starkly similar: the matches. Yet where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.

Freed from the oppression of a society who stole her right to feel, the true horror of her old life leaves Kit wondering if she really has been freed at all. Would she be better off without the crippling horror of all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?

Raksha is the call of the dead. The rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.

You have been called to the fights.

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My Review

Okay I am just going to dive right in with this review. No pussy footing around. Cause seriously, Frankie Rose doesn't mess around when it comes to the deep crap that happens in this book. First of all the main character has no name and no feelings. So instantly I was like, no freaking way. Talk about opression. Then comes the next doozy, the main character is a warrior, a fighter, a champion who has to fight to live. It is kill or be killed. And that just brought this book to a whole new level. I like to think of this book as sort of like Hunger Games on crack. 

Because unlike Hunger Games these people have no freaking idea how serious the crap is that their doing. Simply they don't feel it. They don't recognize the wrongness of it deep in their soul because they are not allowed to. They may think to question it, but when they do their little Halo's kick in and erase any feeling of unease that may have crossed their mind. Seriously messed up crap! I know I couldn't imagine going through life not feeling. Not knowing what life was really like out there, not knowing love and every other possible emotion in the spectrum. 

But not everyone in Sanctuary is unfeeling. Certain people are privileged enough to feel, but there are others who plot to help everyone feel. And that is what happens to Kit (as she comes to be known), someone decides to set her free. To wake her up and give her the freedom to experience all that a life with emotion has to offer.

And Kit thinks that it is well pretty f'd up. She was perfectly happy with not feeling. With not feeling everything that goes with the weight of taking a life and Kit has taken a lot of lives. Cause Kit is pretty freaking fierce! Confused and torn about what to do with her freedom, Kit is finally given no choice but to run. 

Now Kit is in a new world where things are just as deadly and just as dark, but where there is darkness there is also light; happiness, joy, laughter, and even the possibility of love. 

I have to say that I absolutely love Kit. She is so kick butt, so dedicated, so calculating and so absolutely fierce. She really gives females a good name. Then there is Ryka. Who is completely fierce and incredible in his own remarkable way. He is every bit a warrior as Kit and challenges her in ways that she never thought possible. With Kit also challenging him at every turn. But where Kit is hard and uncaring, Ryka is full of hope, friendship and love. Ryka is the light in what could be a dark world for Kit. Ryka is cocky, but loyal, dedicated and has looks to boot. 

The story was great. It was told well, developed well and incredibly believable. Your heart couldn't help but tug at the things that happened throughout this story. I am an action junkie so this book was right up my alley. And I loved it. The story was so well layered that the second time you read it you will easily pick up on things you didn't the first time. Yes, I will probably read it again. My only complaint about the entire book is that there are numerous editing issues. Normally I overlook editing issues, but usually they don't happen this frequently. I can't imagine what this book could be with a fresh dose of editing. But that being said.....

In Raksha Frankie Rose gives us wonderful character development, great adrenaline pumping action, heart melting moments all with an edge of danger. Raksha is a must read for all you Dystopian junkies out there because it will take you to the edge of your seat and push you right off. 

So naturally I am giving it......

I have many favorite moments in this book. But the one I am going to share with you is also a touching one. One that leads to an even better moment, that I can't share with you without giving something away, but you will catch my drift.

"Life isn't just fear and horror all the time, y'know? The sweet moments are usually worth the suffering you go through along the way." (kindle, loc. 3472).