Titel: Melokai
Series: In the Heart of the Mountains #1
Author: Rosalyn Kelly
Publisher: NValters
Format: Kindle, english, 340p
Synopsis: GoodReads
Legendary warrior Ramya
has successfully ruled as Melokai for longer than most. Prosperous,
peaceful, and happy, her people love her. Or so she thinks.
Ramya’s time is up. Bracing herself for the gruesome sentence imposed on all Melokais who have served their purpose, she hears instead a shocking prophecy.
Is the abrupt appearance of a mysterious, eastern cave creature the prophesied danger? Or is it something darker, more evil? And what of the wolves? Will the ferocious war with their kind oust her from power?
Suddenly Ramya must fight threats from all sides to save her mountain realm. But while her back is turned, a conspiracy within her inner circle is festering. Ramya and her female warriors must crush an epic rebellion before it can destroy her and devastate her beloved nation.
She thinks it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning...
Ramya’s time is up. Bracing herself for the gruesome sentence imposed on all Melokais who have served their purpose, she hears instead a shocking prophecy.
Is the abrupt appearance of a mysterious, eastern cave creature the prophesied danger? Or is it something darker, more evil? And what of the wolves? Will the ferocious war with their kind oust her from power?
Suddenly Ramya must fight threats from all sides to save her mountain realm. But while her back is turned, a conspiracy within her inner circle is festering. Ramya and her female warriors must crush an epic rebellion before it can destroy her and devastate her beloved nation.
She thinks it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning...
-->GoodReads
Both the cover and the synopsis of this book really intrigued me, and I was not disappointed. I was desperately in need of a epic fantasy and this one ticked all the boxes. Wonderful writing, exciting plot, interesting characters and amazing worlds.
I do have to admit I was somewhat confused with the many POVs in the beginning, but the characters were all so diffrent, that I had no problem knowing who I was following at any given time.
The main character Ramya is the ruler of her country, and at first seems a very good ruler. She's a firce warrior who also has a gentle side and brought some really important changes to her lands. After a while though we get to see, that not everything is roses and sunshine, and not only is there dissent within her own inner circle, but she also isn't as merciful as we first believed.
Another Peqkian we get to know and possible me favorite character is V. She's a up-and-coming warrior who has a secret. She can wield magic, something that no one has been able to do for centuries, and soething that her fellow Peqkians have been desperately searching for. I'm pretty sure she has another secret which she shares with another of the POV characters, Darrio, although that's only a hunch.
Just like her Melokai V is a fierce warrior, but she also has a softer side, which shows in her interactions with her best friend, and later her pet. I don't really understand why she keeps her magic a secret but she is a intelligent women who isn't afraid to step up when she's needed.
Ammad is my least favorite POV character and definitely one that deserves a mention. While the Peqkians are a violent people in general and neither Ramya nor V are an exception to that rule Ammad is something else. For him those violent tendencies are coupled with stupidity and arrogance, as well as cruelty. A very dangerous combination. In his arrogance he believes he deserves eversthing he wants and commit horrendous crimes to live out his desires and cover up mistakes.
Along with the various diffrent characters Kelly introduces diffrent countries and societies. The main setting is Peqkia, the land ruled by Melokai Ramya. The country is located in the mountains and besides the fact that the Melokai, the ruler is chosen by a prophetress who is slowly turning to stone there seems to be nothing special about it. No magic or any special bodyparts or anything. Except for the way the society works. The whole country is ruled and run by women and men ar slaves. They are called "peons" and are seperated from the girls at a certain age. At this age a peon is either deemed useful and put to work or their put down. In general a peons life isn't worth all that much. There are special sex slaves, the PGs (pleasure giver), and when a women pronounces a PG "unsatisfactory" he is publicly and horrendously killed.
While I'm all for more women in power, this kind of society is despicable, no matter whether the separation is based on gender, race or anything else.
But aside from this divide I actually quite like the peqkian society. Children are brought up communally, so there are no class differences, especially since there are no family units and no one knows who their parents/siblings/children are. There are always enough children, as sex is a very important and accepted part of society and the women engange in it whenever they so please, wether with each other or the peons. As there seems to be no birth control women get pregnant quite often and this doesn't seem to hinder their advancement in their profession or their status in society at all.
Another country we encounter is Drome, where Ammad is the crown prince. Aside from the fact that the Dremadars have hump on their back, in which they can store water to better survive in the dessert. Drome is a monarchy, that seems pretty close to the monarchies that ruled through the middle ages, including fanatical priests and a strict hierachy, here based on clans.
We also got to know a people consisting of male and female wolfs, where the male wolfs are able to walk on two legs and a people consisting of small people with pink skins, wired hair and exotic animals.
I absolutely love how Kelly introduced so many diffrent societal systems and cultures and each had their distinctive characteristics. Even though I didn't know anything about this world I wasn't confused at all and enjoyed all the diffrent cultures.
The writing was incredible, as was the world-building. Everything was described in just the right amount of detail and I felt really drawn to all the diffrent countries.
The plot was interesting and action packed. It was faced-paced but easy to follow. At first it seemed like a handful of unconnected stories, but the farther everything progressed, the more connections were made. I love how there are diffrent layers of happenings and when one scheme finally came to fruition the layer already knew, that worse things were yet to come.
I can't wait for the next book and I rated this one a full five stars, although it took me longer than anticipated to read as I was sidetracked often.
