In his thrilling fantasy novel, indie author Jeff Lane introduces two strains of superhumans, in effect the Yin and Yang of seemingly contrary forces, locked in a perpetual existential struggle for survival. That the conflict between the ‘champions’ and the ‘spoilers’ rages alongside the humdrum existence of the vast majority of the human population is interesting. That such extraordinary beings are hidden in plain sight among the general population and their activities go largely unnoticed is also slightly unnerving! Both groups are relatively small in number and co-opt lesser mortals to their respective causes, however, the enmity between the two factions is palpable. For the champions it is driven by the predation of the spoilers, whose hunting style resembles that of hyenas. The spoilers seek to harvest power from their superior opponents in a gruesome and tortuous process, draining the very life force from a lone champion, most often isolated and overwhelmed by numbers. Still, for the reader, this insatiable appetite for the ‘consumption’ of champions’ energy, in what is essentially a parasitic existence, readily casts the ‘spoilers’ as villains and the battlelines drawn between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are clearly marked throughout this opening book in the series.

In an act of self preservation, some champions are loosely connected through a national network and this story follows the transition of eighteen year-old, Jim Hunt, from college student to elite champion-in-the-making. Jim is the prodigy of his neighbour, the enigmatic Nathaniel Parker, who had identified the boy’s potential at a young age (and the need to protect it), but until now never disclosed why he was so special. However, the importance of the young man does not go unnoticed and when spoilers audaciously organise to trap Nathaniel and use him as bait to feast on two of the most powerful champion ‘batteries’, Jim has a life-changing decision to make. 

This, will he, won’t he, journey to potential ‘champion’ undertaken by Jim is exciting and at times comical, as the hero is supported by his college roommate, Eric Warner, who exhibits all the more familiar traits of a hapless mortal teenager. In fact, at times, Eric reminded me of Sancho Panza, with his squirely regard and selfless support for his friend, though he is also weighed down by a substantial secret, his ‘sanchismos’ provide a useful lighter tone amid the surrounding tension.

In the broader arc of this compelling story, can the champions survive this coordinated attack on their existence? Maybe even counter attack the unusually organized incursion into their established, but intentionally nondescript lives? No doubt which side the reader is on, but the grandstand finish raises plenty of new questions, which will have me reaching for Book 2 (“This Burning World”). The author has also confirmed that Book 3 (“This Champion’s World’) is currently being edited, so more to look forward to. For fans of thrilling fantasy tales, this is a very welcome addition to the bookshelf and I am obliged to Jeff Lane for a welcome diversion in this time of COVID-19. 

A princess who has lost her mother and father finds herself in a terrifying world that urgently needs a queen.

Sophia is smart, beautiful, and accomplished, a beloved princess devoted to the people and to reading books. The kingdom is hers, until she is plunged into a nightmarish realm populated by the awful beasts she read about as a child.

The beasts are real. And so is the great army marching on her castle. The people look to Sophia for protection. They will all perish unless she can unlock an ancient secret as profound as life and death itself.

I was super excited to read this because there’s not enough queer lit featuring Asian women as the main couple. Not only that it promised a fantasy element which further had me hyped. So when I heard about this book and read the premise, I knew I had to grab a copy and read it. However, right off the bat, I was quickly confused and was put off by the author’s choice to write it the way she did. It starts off in Shizuka’s point of view (The Empress) and from my understanding, it switches back and forth between active an passive voice; which I wasn’t a huge fan of. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but the flow felt off. It comes to the point where she receives a letter, I didn’t think much of it until the letter just goes on and on. Then suddenly it is in Shefali’s point of view, and it is supposed to be read as a letter, but because it isn’t italicized, I’m quickly puzzled by this choice. It takes me a bit to figure out, but this is how the story is told with Shefali writing to Shizuka in letter form. With the occasional switch back to the present. This baffles me because the story then proceeds to go back through their entire childhood up to the point where they are now.

I wanna say like 70 to 80 % of this time Shizuka was right there with her; so I saw no need for Shefali to go back through all this. Yes, there were several exciting and enthralling parts, but it would have translated better if it was told as if it was happening at the moment rather than reading about something that already had happened. The only reason why I rated it two stars instead of one was for background between the character’s mothers. As well as a few parts with Shizuka and Shefali. That aside, in the beginning, it was a hot mess, it was hard to keep up with the honorifics and the world in general. The author drew inspiration from different Asian cultures; however, I don’t feel she did a good job of portraying that. There is no key in the back to explain the honorific system, the world, and there wasn’t a general description of where she drew inspiration and what sources she used.

At first, I was generally moved by their relationship; it was strong and steady. But it’s as I am over half way that there is an unneeded scene; that just cheapens it all. After something significant happens within the story, Shefali runs off and meets up with a courtesan who she feels desire for. While she does not sleep with her, I couldn’t help but feel like this was pointless? With all the pair had been through and to include that in there. It made absolutely no sense to me.

Good job for not cheating, but excuse me? You went through hell and back, and suddenly you’re looking at other women? It just came out of the left field and made no sense to me. If a character flaw was needed, it’s in poor taste to have your character desire someone else. Within the letter, Shefali talks about how Shizuka must have moved on and that she is okay with it. When it switches back to the present, it’s confirmed that Shizuka has, in fact, sought other company out. It put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth but seeing how it was clear that Shefali wasn’t with her; I presumed they broke up. SPOILER ALERT! Towards the end, you find out that they were actually married and still married. With the author being queer, I don’t see why she chose a timeless trope; that literally a lot of people within the queer community are trying to change within media.

Later on because of something that Shefali does gets her exiled and she isn’t allowed to return until she brings back a phoenix feather. While Shefali didn’t wish that life on Shizuka; I am very puzzled as to why the latter didn’t go with her. After all, they had gone through, and all that Shefali did for Shizuka she wasn’t willing to go with her. Here’s the other kicker that puzzles me that after she assumes the throne; Shizuka doesn’t void the exile. Clearly, she has the power to overrule that and she just doesn’t? This had the makings of a really good book, but after reading all that I did it fell very flat for me.

Going in, I knew I was either going to really enjoy this book or really dislike it. While it did get a three-star rating, it was on the higher end. The author did a great job of conveying the best sides of fandom and the worse sides of what fandom can bring out in people. Being in several fandoms myself, I could relate to several instances throughout the book. Such as seeing a lack of representation within series; that just merely hint or outright queerbait. Because it's something that continues to happen, and that is highly problematic. I could appreciate the author touching on this issue.
On the other hand, while likely intentional Claire, one of the main protagonists in the story took things way too far. Especially when it came to making sure her ship happened no matter what. It was seen as an overall duty to the fandom, so much so that she pushes her to be love interest out of the picture. Seeing her as a distraction. Which was very off-putting and made it hard to root for Claire when she became obsessed with her goal. She even goes so far at some point to write a fanfiction that involves the actor and his costar as themselves.

That in itself is a massive violation, in my opinion, and a breach of trust. Which all the issues that happened do get wrapped up and dealt with. From memory, I don't think there was anything that was left unresolved. There weren't any holes for the most part, which I was very impressed with the writer for drawing things to a close. As for Forest, the other main protagonist, he's an excellent example of someone who's clearly ignorant but doesn't choose to stay ignorant throughout the entire book. To be honest, I think watching him grow was my favorite part about the entire book. It was very satisfying to watch as someone whose closeminded to the situation around them slowly begins to get it. As for the romance in this book, it was cute, albeit, but there were times where I could have taken it or left it. Mainly because most of the book it's Claire is obsessed with making her ship canon. While equally trying to push her feelings for Tess away. I'm definitely not trying to invalidate how anyone feels about coming out.

I guess I just didn't understand why Claire was so freaked out about coming out. Considering her parents were very liberal and stated numerous times that they were okay with it. Plus it didn't seem like she was worried about the backlash from her peers. So I am honestly stumped by that one. Like I get not wanting to be loud and proud. But the fact that she was uneasy about even telling her parents; I guess I don't get it. My main issue was when Tess to get back at Claire for telling her friends that she liked fandom things was to take it upon herself to out Claire to her mother. Yes, she later apologizes for it, but that is not something you do at all. That is highly unsafe and frankly shitty whether the situation is dangerous or not. It's not a person's place to say anything, regardless of who they are and certainly not over something so petty as anger. That for the most had me feeling just meh at the relationship, despite the fact that Tess apologizes.

All that aside, I did enjoy this read even if I had issues with several points of the book. The fact that the matters were resolved and done so in a strong way made me enjoy this story. You could also see growth in Claire's character, and that was equally enjoyable to experience. I think many people can relate if they are in fandom, especially a fandom that may be guilty of queerbaiting on the regular. I would recommend this book for the sheer fact that it's a short, fun read, and the author clearly gets both sides of the fandom.