Elei’s had a good life all things considered. Yes, he was possessed by the parasite Telmion, which made him meek, covered him in gray snakeskin marks, and nearly killed him. And yes, to save his life, he was given the parasite Cronion, which made him aggressive and changed the color of one of his eyes. But the two parasites found a balance within him and he had a good job working for Pelia, a woman who was more like a mother than employer to him.

Everything changed when Pelia was shot and killed.

Now the Gultur, an all female race possessed by the parasite Regina, are chasing after him. They believe he has something that could destroy their kind forever, a cure for Regina.

And they maybe right.

Crystalla Thoma’s “Rex Rising” is a thrilling tale in a Sci Fi Dystopian world. It is my pleasure to review it for you.

Cover: A+

This cover is beautiful and it perfectly illustrates the main character, Elei, and the tell-marks of his parasites. I don’t think you could come up with a better cover for this book.

Title: A

Rex means king in latin, and Regina means queen. In this story a king is rising to bring down the queen. Besides being a perfect fit, the title is unique and eye-catching.

Plot: A-

The story is well paced and gives the reader the right amount of tension and conflict to keep them engaged. Even in the parts where the characters can take a breather, the reader is aware the Gulturs are always close and ready with guns and bombs to blow them to oblivion.

Characters: A

The story centers around the teenage boy, Elei. As you can infer from the opening, Elei already had a lot to deal with. The book opens in the middle of what has to be the worst night of his life. He’s on the run. He is bleeding, and his only hope is a torn piece of paper stuffed in his hand by Pelia just before she died. When pushed to this low point, Elei shows strength, resourcefulness, and a keen mind. He grabs the reader’s interest and does not let them go until the last page. Even the chapters away from his point of view still connect back to him. Elei is a wonderful character to carry a book.

The only other Point of View character is Hera. She is a member of the Undercurrent, the resistance against the Gulturs’ rule. She seeks out Elei believing he knows where the cure for Regina is. Her motives at first seem more focused on her mission than helping the boy, but things change as she gets to know Elei. She comes across abrasive at first, nonetheless I enjoyed her parts. Her motives are realistic and as the story progresses you begin to empathize with her.

The paper Pelia hands Elei leads to the home of Kalaes Ster, an old friend of Pelia’s and former gang member. Having lost so many he tried to help in the past, Kalaes at first tries to send Elei off. But after hearing Elei’s story and a scolding from his girlfriend, Maera, Kalaes decides to help Elei, taking in one more stray and hoping this time something good comes out of it.

Soon all four are on the run for their lives from the Gulturs. They can never stay anywhere for long, because the Gulturs always find them. Leading to only one conclusion, one of them is a spy.

All the characters feel like real people. The conflicts between them are believable and poignant. I found I cared about all of the characters; even the one I thought was a traitor.

World building/Setting: B

The grade is not a criticism of the world. The World of the Seven Islands is fascinating. Ms.Thoma also does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the world. You feel the sweat on Elei’s back. Smell the different scents the parasites give off. See the dark and rotted avenues of the different towns.

The grade is for the way the world is introduced to the reader. The reader is tossed into the pool of this story and told to tread water without any instruction. Words and ideas are thrown at the reader, which aren’t explained until several chapters later and sometimes never in text at all. Oh, there is a glossary at the end of the book and links to several articles proving this isn’t just science fantasy, but much of this information isn’t in text.

Is that a serious issue? No. It doesn’t affect the reader’s enjoyment of the book as long as he or she is paying attention. There is a big learning curve at the beginning of this book that makes some elements of the world very hard to visualize at first.

Theme: A

Loyalty and betrayal. Doing what is right even if it is not easy. Sometimes what is right isn’t clear. Prejudice against people who are ill. What if the cure is worse than the illness? Totalitarianism. Classism. Sexism, though for a nice change of pace it’s the men who are being dominated, however, it’s not overdone like in some women controlling men stories. It is subtle and believable.

There are many thought provoking ideas for your mind to chew on once the book is finished.

Grammar/Word Usage/Style: A-

The minus attached to my grade is because the characters like to use the word “piss” a lot. I have nothing against the word, or swearing in fiction in general, but there are other cuss words. They even use a few others now and then. Sadly, there was so much talk of gods pissing, the situation pissing, or some emotion connected to pissing, that I needed to go to the bathroom. They do live on islands and much of the story focuses on water, so maybe that is the reason for all the urination talk. Nonetheless, it felt overdone; therefore I needed to point it out.

Overall: A-

Rex Rising is a thrilling and compelling story that deserves a place in your collection. And for a limited time the book is free on both Kindle and Nook. So go get your copy today.

Kindle link: http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Eleis-Chronicles-Chrystalla-Thoma-ebook/dp/B005GZPOQE

Nook Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rex-rising-chrystalla-thoma/1105098819

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