3 out of 4 stars
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The Moreva of Astoreth is a sci-fi/fantasy novel written by Roxanne Bland. Written in the first person perspective, the story is told by Moreva Tehi, the granddaughter of the Devi goddess, Astoreth. Tehi is half Devi and half Morev. In her world, the Devi are considered gods while the Hakoi are beneath the Devi and the Morev.
When Tehi fails to attend Ohra, one of Astoreth’s holy rites, Astoreth banishes her to Mjor, a backwards village in the north, to be the caretaker of the landing beacon stationed there. Not only does she have to take care of the beacon for a year, but she also has to be the spiritual leader and commander of the garrison stationed at Mjor. During her first couple of weeks, Tehi is often alone because the villagers see her as a Morev and distrust her. However, she becomes good friends with Hyme, the village healer. To make things even more complicated, she falls in love with a Hakoi named Laerd Teger, the village’s chief. They try to keep their love affair a secret, but with Kepten Yose, Tehi’s second in command, spying on them, it is only a matter of time before they are outed. As Tehi works on a cure for the Red Fever, she encounters a shocking secret that shakes the very core of who she is.
I think the best part about this book was the characters. Moreva Tehi’s progression from being spoiled and haughty to being more loving and humble was well developed. She goes from hating the Hakoi to loving them, even falling in love with one. Laerd Teger’s progression from being cold and elusive to being more warm and accepting helped shape Tehi’s character. With Teger’s guidance, Tehi starts to see a different side of the Hakoi people. The secondary characters were also integral to the story. Hyme’s character helped shape Tehi into the woman that she was at the end of the book. Hyme helped Tehi with any problem that she faced and was there for her when she needed him.
The author also did a great job in introducing the background stories of the characters. On the other hand, there wasn't much of a storyline, and the plot was slow-moving at some parts. The author took her time in developing the characters, so the plot moved slowly in many parts of the book. If you are looking for an adventure story, you won’t find one here. This book is mainly about the internal and external struggles that Tehi faces. This book is also about five hundred pages, so it is a long read. There were a couple of sex scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend this book for younger readers.
Overall, I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The characters were well developed, but the plot moved a little too slow for me. There were a few grammatical errors, but they didn’t detract from the book. I recommend this book to those who like to read sci-fi/fantasy books.
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The Moreva of Astoreth
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