4 out of 4 stars
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The Twilight Saint by Jessica Penot is a book about life. In it we learn of the rise and fall of empires, of war and peace, of love and betrayal, and so much more. This is a work of science fiction, but there are many lessons to be learned from this tale.
Ailive is the main character in this story. We meet her when she is still a young girl. She is a karake, a warrior of the tribe of Xender. She was raised to defend her people; she was raised to be a killer. She excels in this, but she wants more. She prays for a reprieve. All she wants is a short time at the University so that she can be normal for just a time. Ailive gets her wish and attends the University. There she meets a man named Cahir. He teaches her the way of the Storm, and she learns how to follow the wind before returning home to Xender. Change is in the air, however, and we learn that nothing lasts forever.
The Twilight Saint is about so much more than I can go into in this short review. It chronicles the life of Ailive, but hers is no ordinary life. Ms. Penot has done well at making Ailive a truly relatable character. She was born into a world filled only with death. She thinks that is all she is good for, yet she wants to be normal. She wants peace and longs for justice. She loves deeply, and she loses greatly. At every turn, I felt what Ailive felt. I lived vicariously through her, and it was a wonderful journey.
Ailive is certainly one of the best parts of this novel. However, I also loved the many cultures and peoples that the author created within this book. Each is unique in its own way. Some embrace technology while others abhor it. Some are warriors while others are lovers of peace. Each tribe is well-thought-out and well-planned. Ms. Penot has created a whole world where readers can immerse themselves. I applaud the author as I can only imagine the amount of work it took to create each individual tribe with as much detail as she has.
As I stated above, this story is about life. Life is not always neat and rarely simple. In an effort to be as realistic as possible the author includes graphic scenes in this book, but they are handled with care. These scenes are not added arbitrarily but always have a point. However, there are some scenes which are not meant for children or those with an especially weak nature.
I enjoyed every minute of this book as there was a balanced rhythm to the flow of the story; never too fast and never too slow. There were a few errors in this book, but they were minor. Overall, I rate The Twilight Saint a 4 out of 4 stars as it was a well-written book. I would highly recommend it not only to lovers of science fiction but also to anyone who enjoys a good story with different cultures and loveable characters.
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The Twilight Saint
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. After reading this review, definitely one to add to the reading list.
