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Tribute #1
Tribute
What if your greatest enemy was yourself?
Zara is a mage, one of the elite in a world where magic is power, and the non-magic majority live as slaves. When her slave child best friend is killed for the crime of literacy, Zara seeks revenge by spying for the rebel Knowledge Seekers. She finds her bravery and magical skill tested to the limit when a young Maker, Aidan, is taken hostage in a bid for supposed peace. Surprised by first love, she promises to help him. But before Zara can keep her promise, her secret is discovered. Hunted by her own, she seeks refuge with the Knowledge Seekers. But when you can kill with a thought, can you ever be trusted? Pain, romance, defiance and revenge combine in this powerfully written - and breathtakingly envisioned - YA fantasy.
Zara is a mage, one of the elite in a world where magic is power, and the non-magic majority live as slaves. When her slave child best friend is killed for the crime of literacy, Zara seeks revenge by spying for the rebel Knowledge Seekers. She finds her bravery and magical skill tested to the limit when a young Maker, Aidan, is taken hostage in a bid for supposed peace. Surprised by first love, she promises to help him. But before Zara can keep her promise, her secret is discovered. Hunted by her own, she seeks refuge with the Knowledge Seekers. But when you can kill with a thought, can you ever be trusted? Pain, romance, defiance and revenge combine in this powerfully written - and breathtakingly envisioned - YA fantasy.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2014
10 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Renner
7 books31 followersEllen Renner was born in the USA, but came to England in her twenties, married here, and now lives in an old house in Devon with her husband and son. Ellen originally trained as a painter and surrounds herself with sketches of her characters as she writes. She spins wool as well as stories, knitting and weaving when time allows. She plays the violin, fences (badly!) and collects teapots and motorcycles.
Her first book, CASTLE OF SHADOWS, won the Cornerstones Wow Factor Competition, the 2010 North East Book Award and was chosen for both THE INDEPENDENT and THE TIMES summer reading lists and, along with the sequel CITY OF THIEVES, was included on THE TIMES list of best children's books of 2010. TRIBUTE is the first in a YA fantasy series.
Her first book, CASTLE OF SHADOWS, won the Cornerstones Wow Factor Competition, the 2010 North East Book Award and was chosen for both THE INDEPENDENT and THE TIMES summer reading lists and, along with the sequel CITY OF THIEVES, was included on THE TIMES list of best children's books of 2010. TRIBUTE is the first in a YA fantasy series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 29, 2018
* *
2 / 5
* mini review *
This was a peculiar book. The idea behind it is fairly cliche and simplistic: there are mages who oppress those without magic and treat them like animals. Zara, daughter of the Archmage, thinks this is very bad because of a traumatic childhood event and the loss of her mother, so she joins a rebellion. Standard stuff. Going by the content and writing style of the book, I had thought it was for eleven or twelve year olds, until it started using "bitch" and "piss" quite liberally...
Never mind. It was also quite confusing to read at the start because of a huge influx of undefined terms like "Maker", "the Wall", "the three precepts", "kine", etc. Turns out there's a glossary at the back, but you really shouldn't depend on your readers flicking to the back of the book to understand what you've written.
Tribute was fun in parts; there was mind magic and thief clans and a little bit of mystery. But what really killed it for me was that Zara met Aidan, a Maker boy who is being held hostage by Zara's father, literally twice and started declaring her undying love. They spoke twice. For about three minutes. Welp.
Read more of my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
2 / 5
* mini review *
This was a peculiar book. The idea behind it is fairly cliche and simplistic: there are mages who oppress those without magic and treat them like animals. Zara, daughter of the Archmage, thinks this is very bad because of a traumatic childhood event and the loss of her mother, so she joins a rebellion. Standard stuff. Going by the content and writing style of the book, I had thought it was for eleven or twelve year olds, until it started using "bitch" and "piss" quite liberally...
Never mind. It was also quite confusing to read at the start because of a huge influx of undefined terms like "Maker", "the Wall", "the three precepts", "kine", etc. Turns out there's a glossary at the back, but you really shouldn't depend on your readers flicking to the back of the book to understand what you've written.
Tribute was fun in parts; there was mind magic and thief clans and a little bit of mystery. But what really killed it for me was that Zara met Aidan, a Maker boy who is being held hostage by Zara's father, literally twice and started declaring her undying love. They spoke twice. For about three minutes. Welp.
Read more of my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
February 28, 2014
A rich fantasy story set in a magical world that jumped off the page... once I got used to it. I have to admit that at first I struggled with the world and some of the terminology. Oh, how I wish I'd noticed the glossary in the back BEFORE finishing the book! I did get used to it though, even without the glossary, and soon got dragged in. The writing is fantastic, and I was playing out the elaborately magical scenes in my head.
Beneditct is everything you need from a super-villain, and Zara's character is a believable mix of both strength and weakness. The supporting characters are full of personality, and the world building is great (once I got the hang of it!)
The only, slight little downfall for me was the love story, and the character of Aidan. I don't see the appeal myself, and Zara could totally do better. He seems a bit of a sulky wimp to me, but there you go. Love's blind and all that.
Tribute is the first in a new series, and I absolutely need to read the next one.
Beneditct is everything you need from a super-villain, and Zara's character is a believable mix of both strength and weakness. The supporting characters are full of personality, and the world building is great (once I got the hang of it!)
The only, slight little downfall for me was the love story, and the character of Aidan. I don't see the appeal myself, and Zara could totally do better. He seems a bit of a sulky wimp to me, but there you go. Love's blind and all that.
Tribute is the first in a new series, and I absolutely need to read the next one.
June 6, 2014
Zara von Asphodel -4 Sterne
Wir befinden uns in der Welt der Diebe und Magier. Zara ist die Tochter des Erzmagiers Benedict und furchtbar grausam. Nicht nur dass er ihr oft genug vor Augen führt wie enttäuscht er von ihr ist, eines Abends tötet er auch vor ihren Augen ihre einzige Freundin Swift. Zaras Hass auf ihren Vater beginnt immer mehr zu wachsen und so fing sie schon früh an, genauso wie ihre Mutter die wegen Ketzerei sterben musste, wichtige Informationen aus dem Schloss an Rebellen weiterzugeben. Die Welt ist nämlich in Magier und Vieh aufgeteilt Abschätzig nennen die Magier alle nichtmagische Menschen Vieh und nutzen sie nur für die Sklavenarbeit. Schließlich nimmt Zaras Vater einen jungen Erschaffer gefangen, sein Name ist Aiden. Zara merkt sofort dass etwas nicht stimmt und glaubt nicht an den Waffenstillstand, zwischen Magiern und Erschaffern. Sie weiß das ihr Vater etwas plant.
Deshalb flieht die Magierin gemeinsam mit der Hilfe einer junge Diebin Twiss und verspricht dem Erschaffer Aiden, an den sie ihr Herz verliert, ihr zu retten. Twiss führt sie zu den Katakomben in denen die Diebe und Erkenntnissuchenden leben. Zuerst begegnen die Diebe Zara mit Misstrauen doch schließlich beginnen sie dem Mädchen zu vertrauen und gemeinsam beschließen sie, ihren Vater zu töten und das Reich von seiner Herrschaft zu befreien.
Ellen Renner hat eine wundervolle Fantasy-Welt entstehen lassen, die mich anfangs noch etwas verwirrte aber in der ich mich schließlich immer besser zu Recht fand. Die Begriffe waren mir zuerst nicht ganz klar und ich war verwirrt. Beispiel sind die Ausdrücke ‚Vieh‘ – das ja nicht für Tiere sondern für Menschen steht die keine magischen Kräfte besitzen. Ebenso verwirrend fand ich ‚Zeit‘ und erst später fand ich heraus dass dies eine Göttin ist. Am Ende des Buches bemerkte ich erst, dass es ein Glossar gibt in denen alle Begriffe gut erklärt sind.
Die Magie, die dort benutzt wird ist keine die ich schon vorher kannte. Es geht nicht darum Dinge schweben oder etwas entstehen zu lassen sondern viel mehr dreht es sich um Geistmagie. Magier dringen in den Geist eines Tieres ein und lenken ihn, sehen mit seinen Augen und hören durch seine Ohren. Eine nützliche Gabe die Zara vor allem beim spionieren sehr zu Gute kommt.
Zara ist eine wundervolle Charakterin. Wie viele weitere Buchheldinen vor ihr, ist sie anfangs schüchtern und blüht erst im Laufe der Geschichte auf. Besonders am Ende beweist sie, wie viel Kraft in ihr steckt. Die Entwicklung die sie gemacht hat ist wirklich erstaunlich und absolut nachvollziehbar. Ich mochte ihre Charakterzüge und fand die wenigen Szenen zwischen ihr und Aiden sehr schön beschrieben, nicht kitschig aber romantisch.
Die anderen Charaktere konnten mich ebenso begeistern. Die Autorin hat es geschafft sie zum Leben zu erwecken und zu einigen habe ich schon eine gute Verbindung aufgebaut. Besonders Zara und Twiss habe ich ins Herz geschlossen aber auch den Wolfshund Marcus.
Zara hat mich, ans sich, nicht gestört ABER leider wurde das Buch in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben. Eigentlich bevorzuge ich diese immer um noch mehr über die Protagonisten herauszufinden aber hier fand ich es ein wenig schade da ich bei der Ankunft von Zara bereits wusste dass sie nicht die Verräterin ist. Es wäre spannend gewesen wenn das auch der Leser nicht gewusst hätte, anfangs hat mich diese Perspektive leider etwas gestört aber am Ende fand ich sie wieder sehr passend.
Ansonsten kann ich den Schreibstil nur loben, die Autorin punktet mit schönen Details, flüssigen Übergängen und interessanten Metaphern.
Fazit: Tolle Charaktere, spannende Momente und eine gut ausgearbeitete Fantasywelt. Ellen Renner schafft es mich vollkommen in den Bahn zu ziehen und haucht der Geschichten mit wunderschönen Worten Leben ein.
Ein gelungener Auftakt der Fantasy-Dilogie, auf deren zweiten Band ich mich schon sehr freue.
Vielen Dank an den dtv Verlag für die Bereitsstellung eines Rezensionsexemplares.
Wir befinden uns in der Welt der Diebe und Magier. Zara ist die Tochter des Erzmagiers Benedict und furchtbar grausam. Nicht nur dass er ihr oft genug vor Augen führt wie enttäuscht er von ihr ist, eines Abends tötet er auch vor ihren Augen ihre einzige Freundin Swift. Zaras Hass auf ihren Vater beginnt immer mehr zu wachsen und so fing sie schon früh an, genauso wie ihre Mutter die wegen Ketzerei sterben musste, wichtige Informationen aus dem Schloss an Rebellen weiterzugeben. Die Welt ist nämlich in Magier und Vieh aufgeteilt Abschätzig nennen die Magier alle nichtmagische Menschen Vieh und nutzen sie nur für die Sklavenarbeit. Schließlich nimmt Zaras Vater einen jungen Erschaffer gefangen, sein Name ist Aiden. Zara merkt sofort dass etwas nicht stimmt und glaubt nicht an den Waffenstillstand, zwischen Magiern und Erschaffern. Sie weiß das ihr Vater etwas plant.
Deshalb flieht die Magierin gemeinsam mit der Hilfe einer junge Diebin Twiss und verspricht dem Erschaffer Aiden, an den sie ihr Herz verliert, ihr zu retten. Twiss führt sie zu den Katakomben in denen die Diebe und Erkenntnissuchenden leben. Zuerst begegnen die Diebe Zara mit Misstrauen doch schließlich beginnen sie dem Mädchen zu vertrauen und gemeinsam beschließen sie, ihren Vater zu töten und das Reich von seiner Herrschaft zu befreien.
Ellen Renner hat eine wundervolle Fantasy-Welt entstehen lassen, die mich anfangs noch etwas verwirrte aber in der ich mich schließlich immer besser zu Recht fand. Die Begriffe waren mir zuerst nicht ganz klar und ich war verwirrt. Beispiel sind die Ausdrücke ‚Vieh‘ – das ja nicht für Tiere sondern für Menschen steht die keine magischen Kräfte besitzen. Ebenso verwirrend fand ich ‚Zeit‘ und erst später fand ich heraus dass dies eine Göttin ist. Am Ende des Buches bemerkte ich erst, dass es ein Glossar gibt in denen alle Begriffe gut erklärt sind.
Die Magie, die dort benutzt wird ist keine die ich schon vorher kannte. Es geht nicht darum Dinge schweben oder etwas entstehen zu lassen sondern viel mehr dreht es sich um Geistmagie. Magier dringen in den Geist eines Tieres ein und lenken ihn, sehen mit seinen Augen und hören durch seine Ohren. Eine nützliche Gabe die Zara vor allem beim spionieren sehr zu Gute kommt.
Zara ist eine wundervolle Charakterin. Wie viele weitere Buchheldinen vor ihr, ist sie anfangs schüchtern und blüht erst im Laufe der Geschichte auf. Besonders am Ende beweist sie, wie viel Kraft in ihr steckt. Die Entwicklung die sie gemacht hat ist wirklich erstaunlich und absolut nachvollziehbar. Ich mochte ihre Charakterzüge und fand die wenigen Szenen zwischen ihr und Aiden sehr schön beschrieben, nicht kitschig aber romantisch.
Die anderen Charaktere konnten mich ebenso begeistern. Die Autorin hat es geschafft sie zum Leben zu erwecken und zu einigen habe ich schon eine gute Verbindung aufgebaut. Besonders Zara und Twiss habe ich ins Herz geschlossen aber auch den Wolfshund Marcus.
Zara hat mich, ans sich, nicht gestört ABER leider wurde das Buch in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben. Eigentlich bevorzuge ich diese immer um noch mehr über die Protagonisten herauszufinden aber hier fand ich es ein wenig schade da ich bei der Ankunft von Zara bereits wusste dass sie nicht die Verräterin ist. Es wäre spannend gewesen wenn das auch der Leser nicht gewusst hätte, anfangs hat mich diese Perspektive leider etwas gestört aber am Ende fand ich sie wieder sehr passend.
Ansonsten kann ich den Schreibstil nur loben, die Autorin punktet mit schönen Details, flüssigen Übergängen und interessanten Metaphern.
Fazit: Tolle Charaktere, spannende Momente und eine gut ausgearbeitete Fantasywelt. Ellen Renner schafft es mich vollkommen in den Bahn zu ziehen und haucht der Geschichten mit wunderschönen Worten Leben ein.
Ein gelungener Auftakt der Fantasy-Dilogie, auf deren zweiten Band ich mich schon sehr freue.
Vielen Dank an den dtv Verlag für die Bereitsstellung eines Rezensionsexemplares.
January 11, 2018
I'm stuck between three and four stars for this one; really it should be a 3.5, but that isn't possible. This certainly isn't a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't call it a great book either. The world building is probably the strongest part of the novel, although more could have been made of the 'kine' or cattle, non magic users. The strict hierarchy of the world is well depicted however and the novel drops you into the center of the world very quickly, expecting you to find your feet. It's quite immersive and the sharp divisions between Mages, Thieves, Makers and kine are explored quite well.
Where the novel falls down somewhat is in both character portrayals and its lack of uniqueness; there isn't much here that hasn't been done before and whilst the writing style is perfectly acceptable, it isn't exemplary to the degree that you can forget that this story has been told many times in various variations. In terms of characters, many motivations are left unexplored leaving characters as two dimensional cut-outs with no purpose behind their actions.
A good example of this would be Zara's father; he is evil, cruel and ruthless but why? We don't know. That's never explored. It isn't delved into at all; he is simply left as the despotic dictator because the story needs a despotic dictator. Zara annoyed me; she decides she's fallen in love with a guy after having spoken to him twice and this decision is what she bases a huge amount of her actions - often highly dangerous actions - around. The Thieves hate the Mages and the Mages hate everyone, but only the Thieves really seem to have a proper justification for this; after all, the Mages have been systematically wiping them out throughout the generations... and that is cause for anyone to have a bit of a grievance.
But why do magic users think they are superior to everyone else? Why do the regular folk, the kine, allow them to virtually enslave them when mages are in the minority? There is this small underground rebellion but it's tiny in comparison to the population of the town. Why is there a war between Mages and Makers that claims the lives of thousands of Tributes a year on the borders? And why do families allow their first born child to be taken as Tribute for this eternal army of death and destruction?
I don't know. I don't even know if the author knows. She certainly doesn't explain or explore any of these issues.
As I said, this isn't a bad book but it's by no means the best in its genre. If you're looking for a novel that does something very similar but far better then I would thoroughly recommend The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan.
Where the novel falls down somewhat is in both character portrayals and its lack of uniqueness; there isn't much here that hasn't been done before and whilst the writing style is perfectly acceptable, it isn't exemplary to the degree that you can forget that this story has been told many times in various variations. In terms of characters, many motivations are left unexplored leaving characters as two dimensional cut-outs with no purpose behind their actions.
A good example of this would be Zara's father; he is evil, cruel and ruthless but why? We don't know. That's never explored. It isn't delved into at all; he is simply left as the despotic dictator because the story needs a despotic dictator. Zara annoyed me; she decides she's fallen in love with a guy after having spoken to him twice and this decision is what she bases a huge amount of her actions - often highly dangerous actions - around. The Thieves hate the Mages and the Mages hate everyone, but only the Thieves really seem to have a proper justification for this; after all, the Mages have been systematically wiping them out throughout the generations... and that is cause for anyone to have a bit of a grievance.
But why do magic users think they are superior to everyone else? Why do the regular folk, the kine, allow them to virtually enslave them when mages are in the minority? There is this small underground rebellion but it's tiny in comparison to the population of the town. Why is there a war between Mages and Makers that claims the lives of thousands of Tributes a year on the borders? And why do families allow their first born child to be taken as Tribute for this eternal army of death and destruction?
I don't know. I don't even know if the author knows. She certainly doesn't explain or explore any of these issues.
As I said, this isn't a bad book but it's by no means the best in its genre. If you're looking for a novel that does something very similar but far better then I would thoroughly recommend The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan.
April 29, 2020
The issue I have with this book is the author likes telling and not showing. Zara is a mage and has the unique ability of being an 'empath' (a person who can feel other peoples emotions) though it is never explicitly explained in the book. There is a whole index explaining what certain words mean but it is right at the end of the book and I didn't even know it was there until I finished it. At that point I had already stumbled over these words with no context and made my own conclusions on what they meant based on what I was given (which was barely anything).
Zara being an empath added nothing really to the story. I don't know whether the author did this for the story element or as an easy way to tell us how other characters felt but it really held back the story. Instead of us being about to interpret someones actions, voice tone etc, we were just told that they feel angry or sad or they were confused. It took away the experience of being able to judge a character myself and it also made the characters feel very flat.
It also had one of the worst cases of insta love I have ever seen in literature. It felt so forced especially since the love interest (after only meeting twice) disappears from the story for I'd say a good half of the book. And as creepy as Marcus ended up being, Zara had more chemistry with him.
Overall I still got a little enjoyment from this book and it had a fairly interesting world that could've been really expanded on.
Zara being an empath added nothing really to the story. I don't know whether the author did this for the story element or as an easy way to tell us how other characters felt but it really held back the story. Instead of us being about to interpret someones actions, voice tone etc, we were just told that they feel angry or sad or they were confused. It took away the experience of being able to judge a character myself and it also made the characters feel very flat.
It also had one of the worst cases of insta love I have ever seen in literature. It felt so forced especially since the love interest (after only meeting twice) disappears from the story for I'd say a good half of the book. And as creepy as Marcus ended up being, Zara had more chemistry with him.
Overall I still got a little enjoyment from this book and it had a fairly interesting world that could've been really expanded on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2016
3.5 stars out of 5 to be more precise.
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and action driven from the beginning, so easy and enjoyable to fly through. I liked the main character in most respects and there were some really interesting supporting characters. The reason this book didn't make it to 4 stars for me however is that from the beginning I felt as though I had been flung in at the deep end. Most of the relationships were already established, events had already taken place and the protagonist already knew her purpose. I prefer to experience things first hand with the protagonists; although I am aware that, unless a book begins in a character's infancy, I will have to be filled in on their past. It felt as though this story almost deserved a prequel however, l if not to be the 2nd in the series. The romance seemed to have little foundation for the rapidity with which it grew but it was not the concentration of the plot so that didn't bother me too much. All in all however I would definitely recommend it to fans of YA fantasy, it ticks the boxes, and I am looking forward to reading the sequels, which I expect even better things from :).
Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbOx6.... :)
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and action driven from the beginning, so easy and enjoyable to fly through. I liked the main character in most respects and there were some really interesting supporting characters. The reason this book didn't make it to 4 stars for me however is that from the beginning I felt as though I had been flung in at the deep end. Most of the relationships were already established, events had already taken place and the protagonist already knew her purpose. I prefer to experience things first hand with the protagonists; although I am aware that, unless a book begins in a character's infancy, I will have to be filled in on their past. It felt as though this story almost deserved a prequel however, l if not to be the 2nd in the series. The romance seemed to have little foundation for the rapidity with which it grew but it was not the concentration of the plot so that didn't bother me too much. All in all however I would definitely recommend it to fans of YA fantasy, it ticks the boxes, and I am looking forward to reading the sequels, which I expect even better things from :).
Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbOx6.... :)
April 18, 2014
While this book was enjoyable and had a pleasing amount of action, it was also frustrating on so many levels. Time and time again, I was TOLD that a character had a particular motivation, rather than being shown this fact instead. I don't know why Benedict was so evil and vindictive; I don't know why Zara decided she was in love with someone she'd met twice; I don't know why the Mages were so convinced they were superior, beyond a simple mantra. Renner definitely has the ability to give us a well-rounded character with understandable motitvations for her actions, because she shows us this in the form of the secondary character, Twiss.
July 24, 2014
Would have been five stars, but I never could quite believe that the characters were actually in love after talking literally only three times. I would have enjoyed it more if that element was more understated. But otherwise, FABULOUS world building, strong writing, compelling story. Definitely recommend it!
May 11, 2015
In a world where mages have a lot of power, Zara is one, she's the ruthless chief mages' daughter and she wants to stop the abuses. She has to find a place in the world, use her skills and stay alive.
It's an interesting read with interesting characters and motives.
It's an interesting read with interesting characters and motives.
October 27, 2013
I was lucky enough to get a proof copy of this. It's wonderful. full review coming soon!
November 30, 2014
Einerseits mochte ich es, andererseits gingen mir andere Dinge viel zu schnell über die Bühne. Vor allem, was den Love-Interest betrifft. Und dabei mag ich Otter und Marcus mehr als Aidan :D
Auch war es mir an manchen Stellen zu vorhersehbar. Trotzdem möchte ich gerne weiter lesen :)
Inhalt
In der Welt, in der Zara lebt, herrschen die Magier. Sie befehlen über die Menschen ohne magische Fähigkeiten und halten sie wie Sklaven - Tribute - und entscheiden über deren Leben oder deren Tod. Doch seit Zaras Vater, der mächtigste Magier und Anführer der Magiergilde, einst Zaras Tribut getötet hat, welchen sie wie eine Schwester liebte, schwor sie sich, gegen ihren Vater zu kämpfen und spionierte seither für die Knowlegde Seeker, die erbittertesten Feinde der Magier. Als ein Maker in der Magiergilde auftaucht und als Geisel gehalten wird, versucht Zara, ihn zu retten. Denn sie weiß, dass ihr Vater Grausames mit ihm vor hat. Doch bevor Zara ihren Plan in die Tat umsetzen kann. droht sie aufzufliegen und muss mit Hilfe der Diebin Twiss fliehen - hinab zu den Dieben, die ihr misstrauen. Denn wie sollen sie einem Menschen trauen, der sie nur mit der Macht seiner Gedanken töten kann? Doch Zara weiß, dass sie die Hilfe der Diebe gewinnen muss, um den Maker zu retten...
Meine Meinung
Ich bin ziemlich unbefangen an das Buch ran gegangen. Ich wusste, dass es um Magier geht und um die Rivalität verschiedener Klassen, aber was mich wirklich erwarten würde, wusste ich nicht. Daher hatte ich auch keine extrem hohen Erwartungen an den Inhalt. Trotzdem erhoffte ich mir ein paar spannende Lesestunden, die ich auch bekommen habe.
Der Einstieg in das Buch ist gut gemacht. Die Autorin fackelt jedenfalls nicht lange und schmeißt den Leser fast unmittelbar in die Handlung. Man erfährt von Zaras Tribut, einem Mädchen namens Swift, das wegen Zaras Liebe zu ihm sterben musste. Dieses Ereignis hat Zara nachhaltig geprägt und dafür gesorgt, dass sie gelernt hat, ihren Vater zu hassen. Ich fand es recht ungewöhnlich für ein Jugendbuch, in dem der Vater der Protagonistin der eigentliche Feind ist, der bekämpft werden muss. Für gewöhnlich ist der Böse ein Außenstehender, aber ein enges Familienmitglied ist es doch eher selten. Die Tatsache hat mir gut gefallen und sie sorgt dafür, dass sich Tribute von anderen Jugendbüchern abhebt. Auch das von der Autorin geschaffene Weltbild hat mir sehr gut gefallen. So glauben die Magier, dass sie von den Göttern mit Magie ausgestattet und dazu auserwählt wurden, über die nicht-magischen Menschen zu herrschen, die in den Augen der Magier geringer als Tiere sind. Schon seit Jahrhunderten tobt ein erbitterter Kampf zwischen den Rassen, in dem mal die Magier, mal die Nicht-Magier die Oberhand gewinnen.
Zara erlebt in dem Buch mehrere Wandlungen durch, die anschaulich und authentisch beschrieben sind. So lebt sie zunächst in ständiger Angst vor ihrem grausamen Vater und mit dem Unwillen, ihre Macht als Magierin auszuleben. Swift hat sie nie vergessen und daher arbeitet sie heimlich gegen ihren Vater, unter Einsatz ihres Lebens. In dem Buch wird sehr schön die Persönlichkeit von Zara dargestellt, sodass man sich schnell ein Bild davon machen kann, was für ein Mensch sie ist. Sie war mir durchweg sympathisch und ich habe mit ihr gefühlt, wenn sie Angst hatte, habe mich mit ihr gefreut und habe mit ihr gehofft. Ich verspürte beim Lesen den inneren Drang, Zara in die Arme zu nehmen und wünsche ihr alles Gute, denn sie hatte es in ihrem Leben nie leicht - trotz ihrer gehobenen Position als talentierte Magierin. Von der magischen Gesellschaft wird sie belächelt, da sie als psychisch schwach gilt, von den Dieben wird sie gehasst und als Dämonin bezeichnet. Sie scheint nirgendwo richtig hinzupassen. Das Auftauchen des Makers Aidan bringt sie dazu, endlich zu handeln.
Manchmal hätte ich mir aber gewünscht, dass Zara ein bisschen mehr aus der Haut fährt. Von vielen Seiten schlägt ihr Misstrauen entgegen und alles lässt sie fast schon stoisch über sich ergehen. Auch, als sie körperlich angegriffen wird, reagiert sie nicht. Vor allem Twiss setzt Zara zwischenzeitlich heftig zu und ich hätte mir einfach gewünscht, dass Zara der Diebin mal ordentlich die Meinung geigt, von mir aus ihr auch mal eine Ohrfeige verpasst hätte, aber nichts dergleichen. Alles ließ sie stillschweigend über sich ergehen und ständig hatte sie Verständnis für das Verhalten ihr gegenüber. Das hat mich einfach etwas genervt. Natürlich konnte ich verstehen, dass Zara die Diebe als Verbündete gewinnen wollte und deswegen freilich nicht unbesonnen handeln durfte, trotzdem. Auch die aufkeimende Liebesgeschichte zwischen ihr und dem Maker Aidan konnte mich nicht wirklich überzeugen. Sie sehen sich vielleicht zwei, höchstens drei Mal, und sprechen schon von Liebe. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass ich selber keine 16 mehr bin, aber das alles ging mir einfach zu schnell. Vor allem, da es noch die Charaktere Otter und Marcus gibt, die ich viel faszinierender fand als Aidan, was vielleicht auch daran liegt, dass ich schon über 20 bin.
Trotzdem erfährt man im Buch einige interessante Wendungen und erhält wichtige Informationen, die zum Weiterlesen anregen. Man erfährt mehr von Zaras Vergangenheit, ihrer Familie, und auch wenn einiges irgendwie schon vorher zu erahnen war, so denke ich, dass die Autorin damit sicherlich den ein oder anderen Leser überraschen konnte. Gleichzeitig hinterlässt mich das Ende, obwohl spannend und actionreich, ein bisschen unbefriedigt. Einerseits war das letzte Aufeinander treffen von Zara und Aidan sehr merkwürdig und ich konnte nicht genau nachvollziehen, warum er so komisch zu ihr war (obwohl die Autorin versucht hat, es zu erklären - mich konnte es nicht überzeugen), andererseits hat Zara eine wichtige Erkenntnis und weigert sich, warum auch immer, mit den anderen darüber zu reden. Das finde ich ein bisschen albern. Jedoch ist der Cliffhanger gut eingebaut, sodass ich mich schon darauf freue, wenn im März 2015 der zweite Band Outcaste erscheint.
Fazit
Mit Tribute ist der Autorin ein grundsolider Einstieg in eine Trilogie (?) gelungen und facht die Neugierde zum Weiterlesen an. Das Weltbild hat mir sehr gut gefallen, ebenso wie die Zeichnung der Charaktere. Doch manches ging mir zu schnell und das Buch hätte vielleicht ein paar Seiten mehr benötigt, um manche Ereignisse und Begebenheiten authentischer rüberbringen zu können. Ich vergebe dem Buch abschließend, mit Tendenz nach oben, 3 von 5 Sternen !
Auch war es mir an manchen Stellen zu vorhersehbar. Trotzdem möchte ich gerne weiter lesen :)
Inhalt
In der Welt, in der Zara lebt, herrschen die Magier. Sie befehlen über die Menschen ohne magische Fähigkeiten und halten sie wie Sklaven - Tribute - und entscheiden über deren Leben oder deren Tod. Doch seit Zaras Vater, der mächtigste Magier und Anführer der Magiergilde, einst Zaras Tribut getötet hat, welchen sie wie eine Schwester liebte, schwor sie sich, gegen ihren Vater zu kämpfen und spionierte seither für die Knowlegde Seeker, die erbittertesten Feinde der Magier. Als ein Maker in der Magiergilde auftaucht und als Geisel gehalten wird, versucht Zara, ihn zu retten. Denn sie weiß, dass ihr Vater Grausames mit ihm vor hat. Doch bevor Zara ihren Plan in die Tat umsetzen kann. droht sie aufzufliegen und muss mit Hilfe der Diebin Twiss fliehen - hinab zu den Dieben, die ihr misstrauen. Denn wie sollen sie einem Menschen trauen, der sie nur mit der Macht seiner Gedanken töten kann? Doch Zara weiß, dass sie die Hilfe der Diebe gewinnen muss, um den Maker zu retten...
Meine Meinung
Ich bin ziemlich unbefangen an das Buch ran gegangen. Ich wusste, dass es um Magier geht und um die Rivalität verschiedener Klassen, aber was mich wirklich erwarten würde, wusste ich nicht. Daher hatte ich auch keine extrem hohen Erwartungen an den Inhalt. Trotzdem erhoffte ich mir ein paar spannende Lesestunden, die ich auch bekommen habe.
Der Einstieg in das Buch ist gut gemacht. Die Autorin fackelt jedenfalls nicht lange und schmeißt den Leser fast unmittelbar in die Handlung. Man erfährt von Zaras Tribut, einem Mädchen namens Swift, das wegen Zaras Liebe zu ihm sterben musste. Dieses Ereignis hat Zara nachhaltig geprägt und dafür gesorgt, dass sie gelernt hat, ihren Vater zu hassen. Ich fand es recht ungewöhnlich für ein Jugendbuch, in dem der Vater der Protagonistin der eigentliche Feind ist, der bekämpft werden muss. Für gewöhnlich ist der Böse ein Außenstehender, aber ein enges Familienmitglied ist es doch eher selten. Die Tatsache hat mir gut gefallen und sie sorgt dafür, dass sich Tribute von anderen Jugendbüchern abhebt. Auch das von der Autorin geschaffene Weltbild hat mir sehr gut gefallen. So glauben die Magier, dass sie von den Göttern mit Magie ausgestattet und dazu auserwählt wurden, über die nicht-magischen Menschen zu herrschen, die in den Augen der Magier geringer als Tiere sind. Schon seit Jahrhunderten tobt ein erbitterter Kampf zwischen den Rassen, in dem mal die Magier, mal die Nicht-Magier die Oberhand gewinnen.
Zara erlebt in dem Buch mehrere Wandlungen durch, die anschaulich und authentisch beschrieben sind. So lebt sie zunächst in ständiger Angst vor ihrem grausamen Vater und mit dem Unwillen, ihre Macht als Magierin auszuleben. Swift hat sie nie vergessen und daher arbeitet sie heimlich gegen ihren Vater, unter Einsatz ihres Lebens. In dem Buch wird sehr schön die Persönlichkeit von Zara dargestellt, sodass man sich schnell ein Bild davon machen kann, was für ein Mensch sie ist. Sie war mir durchweg sympathisch und ich habe mit ihr gefühlt, wenn sie Angst hatte, habe mich mit ihr gefreut und habe mit ihr gehofft. Ich verspürte beim Lesen den inneren Drang, Zara in die Arme zu nehmen und wünsche ihr alles Gute, denn sie hatte es in ihrem Leben nie leicht - trotz ihrer gehobenen Position als talentierte Magierin. Von der magischen Gesellschaft wird sie belächelt, da sie als psychisch schwach gilt, von den Dieben wird sie gehasst und als Dämonin bezeichnet. Sie scheint nirgendwo richtig hinzupassen. Das Auftauchen des Makers Aidan bringt sie dazu, endlich zu handeln.
Manchmal hätte ich mir aber gewünscht, dass Zara ein bisschen mehr aus der Haut fährt. Von vielen Seiten schlägt ihr Misstrauen entgegen und alles lässt sie fast schon stoisch über sich ergehen. Auch, als sie körperlich angegriffen wird, reagiert sie nicht. Vor allem Twiss setzt Zara zwischenzeitlich heftig zu und ich hätte mir einfach gewünscht, dass Zara der Diebin mal ordentlich die Meinung geigt, von mir aus ihr auch mal eine Ohrfeige verpasst hätte, aber nichts dergleichen. Alles ließ sie stillschweigend über sich ergehen und ständig hatte sie Verständnis für das Verhalten ihr gegenüber. Das hat mich einfach etwas genervt. Natürlich konnte ich verstehen, dass Zara die Diebe als Verbündete gewinnen wollte und deswegen freilich nicht unbesonnen handeln durfte, trotzdem. Auch die aufkeimende Liebesgeschichte zwischen ihr und dem Maker Aidan konnte mich nicht wirklich überzeugen. Sie sehen sich vielleicht zwei, höchstens drei Mal, und sprechen schon von Liebe. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass ich selber keine 16 mehr bin, aber das alles ging mir einfach zu schnell. Vor allem, da es noch die Charaktere Otter und Marcus gibt, die ich viel faszinierender fand als Aidan, was vielleicht auch daran liegt, dass ich schon über 20 bin.
Trotzdem erfährt man im Buch einige interessante Wendungen und erhält wichtige Informationen, die zum Weiterlesen anregen. Man erfährt mehr von Zaras Vergangenheit, ihrer Familie, und auch wenn einiges irgendwie schon vorher zu erahnen war, so denke ich, dass die Autorin damit sicherlich den ein oder anderen Leser überraschen konnte. Gleichzeitig hinterlässt mich das Ende, obwohl spannend und actionreich, ein bisschen unbefriedigt. Einerseits war das letzte Aufeinander treffen von Zara und Aidan sehr merkwürdig und ich konnte nicht genau nachvollziehen, warum er so komisch zu ihr war (obwohl die Autorin versucht hat, es zu erklären - mich konnte es nicht überzeugen), andererseits hat Zara eine wichtige Erkenntnis und weigert sich, warum auch immer, mit den anderen darüber zu reden. Das finde ich ein bisschen albern. Jedoch ist der Cliffhanger gut eingebaut, sodass ich mich schon darauf freue, wenn im März 2015 der zweite Band Outcaste erscheint.
Fazit
Mit Tribute ist der Autorin ein grundsolider Einstieg in eine Trilogie (?) gelungen und facht die Neugierde zum Weiterlesen an. Das Weltbild hat mir sehr gut gefallen, ebenso wie die Zeichnung der Charaktere. Doch manches ging mir zu schnell und das Buch hätte vielleicht ein paar Seiten mehr benötigt, um manche Ereignisse und Begebenheiten authentischer rüberbringen zu können. Ich vergebe dem Buch abschließend, mit Tendenz nach oben, 3 von 5 Sternen !
November 9, 2020
Probably would have been 3 stars, but I just found it so ridiculous she was hopelessly in love with him to the point she would 'die to save him. Or kill'. Honestly, girl, you've barely spent 15 mins with him, and that's been spent explaining the situation and why he can trust you, you really don't know anything about him! Certainly not enough to want to die or kill for him. I could somewhat understand if she said she would die or kill to save him because his existence was crucial to some plan that would save everyone and maybe she felt that was a worthy sacrifice for that, but even then, she's been told it's not! One of the most extreme examples of 'insta-love' I have come across.
Also the world-building felt lacking. It would have benefitted the plot to have had some more background on all these different people, and how their world ended up that way.
Also the world-building felt lacking. It would have benefitted the plot to have had some more background on all these different people, and how their world ended up that way.
May 29, 2018
Between 2.5 and 3 stars. The narration felt flat, full of telling rather than showing. The romance came out of nowhere. There didn't seem to be too much information on the lore or the magic and how the magic felt - instead it was just things like going into an animal's head (it's from the opening chapter)... Yeah, but how does that feel? At least in the opening chapter, this could be described more.
Overall, it wasn't great in my opinion.
Overall, it wasn't great in my opinion.
April 27, 2019
Very confusing to start off with, also didn’t realise there was a glossary at the end until I finished the book but that can’t be helped 😂 still an enjoyable read, but how can Zara fall in love with Aiden so fast, and die for him, when they’ve had so little contact?!
June 28, 2014
Vielen Dank an den dtv Verlag, der mir dieses tolle Buch geschickt hat!
Worum gehts?
Als Zara, Tochter des Magiers Benedict mitansehen musste, wie ihre Freundin Swift vor ihren Augen von ihrem eigenen Vater getötet wird, wächst ihr Hass auf diesen immer mehr und sie beginnt wichtige Informationen an die Rebellen weiterzugeben.Gleichzeitig bemerkt sie, dass ihr Vater etwas Böses im Schilde führt.
Sie lernt Twiss und Aiden kennen, junge Diebe und beschließt zusammen mit ihnen gegen ihren Vater zu kämpfen und das Reich von seiner Herrschaft zu befreien.
Meinung:
Da der Klappentext sehr vielversprechend klang, legte ich direkt los zu lesen. Sofort bemerkte ich den angenehmen, flüssigen und leichten Schreibstil, mit welchem mich die Autorin sofort fesseln konnte.
Was mich jedoch gleich zu Beginn des Buches schon störte, waren die Ausdrücke, die hier teilweise verwendet worden sind. Ein Mensch wurde z.B. als "Vieh" bezeichnet. Besser hätte ich es gefunden, wenn diese Dinge genauer und detailreicher beschrieben worden wären, so, dass man sich als Leser auch etwas mehr darunter vorstellen konnte. Ebenso kamen in diesem Buch auch unheimlich viele Charaktere vor, die jeder für sich eine wichtige Rolle in der Geschichte spielten. Mir fiel es stellenweise schwer, mich mit diesen "anzufreunden", denn die Vielzahl derer, sorgte schon teilweise für Verwirrungen.
Was ich jedoch sehr positiv fand, war die düstere, magische Atmosphäre in diesem Buch. Es war fesselnd und spannend zu gleich. Die Geschichte wurde nie vorhersehend und es gab immer wieder neue Situationen, in welche die Charaktere gelangen. Die Autorin schaffte es, dass ich mir dieses dunkle Reich voller Magie so detailreich wie möglich vorstellen konnte und verzauberte mich mit ihren ausdrucksstarken Hauptprotagonisten.
Zara mochte ich von Anfang an. Sie war oft sehr tapfer, jedoch anfangs sehr schüchtern und auch zurückhaltend. Nach und nach erkannte sie dann, was wirklich in ihr steckte und zeigte ihren Kampfgeist, der tief in ihr schlummerte. Als sie dann Aiden kennenlernte, welcher auch sehr tapfer, aber doch teilweise stur hinüberkam, bemerkte man, wie sich eine zarte Liebe entwickelte, die aber dann wiederum auf die Probe gestellt wurde und somit einen kleinen Cliffhanger eröffnete, welcher auf Band 2 spekulieren ließ.
Benedict, Zaras Vater war hier der Bösewicht. Er wurde dermaßen kalt, bitter und skrupellos dargestellt, dass ich ihn beim Lesen regelrecht hasste. Doch für einen Bösewicht war er so, wie ihn die Autorin darstellte, genau richtig. Auch er wurde von dieser genau augearbeitet und bestens beschrieben.
Das Cover des Buches mag ich wirklich sehr. Es zeigt vermutlich Zara in einem wunderbarem Blauton, auf weißem Hintergrund.
Fazit:
Trotz kleiner Schwächen konnte mich der erste Teil der Dilogie absolut überzeugen. Von mir bekommt das Buch eine klare Leseempfehlung für alle, die Fantasy und Magie lieben!
- Cover: 5/5
- Story: 4/5
- Charaktere: 4/5
- Schreibstil: 4/5
- Emotionen: 5/5
Gesamt: 4/5
© Sharons Bücherparadies
Worum gehts?
Als Zara, Tochter des Magiers Benedict mitansehen musste, wie ihre Freundin Swift vor ihren Augen von ihrem eigenen Vater getötet wird, wächst ihr Hass auf diesen immer mehr und sie beginnt wichtige Informationen an die Rebellen weiterzugeben.Gleichzeitig bemerkt sie, dass ihr Vater etwas Böses im Schilde führt.
Sie lernt Twiss und Aiden kennen, junge Diebe und beschließt zusammen mit ihnen gegen ihren Vater zu kämpfen und das Reich von seiner Herrschaft zu befreien.
Meinung:
Da der Klappentext sehr vielversprechend klang, legte ich direkt los zu lesen. Sofort bemerkte ich den angenehmen, flüssigen und leichten Schreibstil, mit welchem mich die Autorin sofort fesseln konnte.
Was mich jedoch gleich zu Beginn des Buches schon störte, waren die Ausdrücke, die hier teilweise verwendet worden sind. Ein Mensch wurde z.B. als "Vieh" bezeichnet. Besser hätte ich es gefunden, wenn diese Dinge genauer und detailreicher beschrieben worden wären, so, dass man sich als Leser auch etwas mehr darunter vorstellen konnte. Ebenso kamen in diesem Buch auch unheimlich viele Charaktere vor, die jeder für sich eine wichtige Rolle in der Geschichte spielten. Mir fiel es stellenweise schwer, mich mit diesen "anzufreunden", denn die Vielzahl derer, sorgte schon teilweise für Verwirrungen.
Was ich jedoch sehr positiv fand, war die düstere, magische Atmosphäre in diesem Buch. Es war fesselnd und spannend zu gleich. Die Geschichte wurde nie vorhersehend und es gab immer wieder neue Situationen, in welche die Charaktere gelangen. Die Autorin schaffte es, dass ich mir dieses dunkle Reich voller Magie so detailreich wie möglich vorstellen konnte und verzauberte mich mit ihren ausdrucksstarken Hauptprotagonisten.
Zara mochte ich von Anfang an. Sie war oft sehr tapfer, jedoch anfangs sehr schüchtern und auch zurückhaltend. Nach und nach erkannte sie dann, was wirklich in ihr steckte und zeigte ihren Kampfgeist, der tief in ihr schlummerte. Als sie dann Aiden kennenlernte, welcher auch sehr tapfer, aber doch teilweise stur hinüberkam, bemerkte man, wie sich eine zarte Liebe entwickelte, die aber dann wiederum auf die Probe gestellt wurde und somit einen kleinen Cliffhanger eröffnete, welcher auf Band 2 spekulieren ließ.
Benedict, Zaras Vater war hier der Bösewicht. Er wurde dermaßen kalt, bitter und skrupellos dargestellt, dass ich ihn beim Lesen regelrecht hasste. Doch für einen Bösewicht war er so, wie ihn die Autorin darstellte, genau richtig. Auch er wurde von dieser genau augearbeitet und bestens beschrieben.
Das Cover des Buches mag ich wirklich sehr. Es zeigt vermutlich Zara in einem wunderbarem Blauton, auf weißem Hintergrund.
Fazit:
Trotz kleiner Schwächen konnte mich der erste Teil der Dilogie absolut überzeugen. Von mir bekommt das Buch eine klare Leseempfehlung für alle, die Fantasy und Magie lieben!
- Cover: 5/5
- Story: 4/5
- Charaktere: 4/5
- Schreibstil: 4/5
- Emotionen: 5/5
Gesamt: 4/5
© Sharons Bücherparadies
December 31, 2014
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
Tribute follows Zara, a mage and the “king’s” daughter. In a world where possessing magic is power and not having it makes one less than human, a mere slave, Zara should be happy. She could live happily and with everything she ever desired. But she can’t. After watching her father murder her slave friend, all she wants is to seek revenge, to dismantle the dystopian world she lives in and to kill her father.
Sounds interesting, right? I thought so too, but in the end, it felt like just another average book.
The novel starts wonderfully, with Zara entering a bird’s mind and refusing to let it kill, only to be chastised by her teacher for not allowing the bird to take the plunge. We can see how she is set apart from her classmates, how her teachers dislike her, how her own father does not have the best relationship with her. We are posed question after question, but it takes no time for the story to lose steam.
Between instalove (which wasn’t even explained), too much telling and little showing (especially because of this), I had nearly no emotional investment in the characters. Zara may be able to enter animals’ minds, but I couldn’t get into hers. As much as she went on about how she wanted her father gone, I never felt her blood boil or the sourness on her tonue. And for me to enjoy a book, it can’t lack that.
Logically, however, I know it’s not a bad book. The worldbuilding is interesting. The author made sure that the readers were immediately immersed in a different world. Its terminology and customs were not explained word by word, but hinted at so the reader could understand what Zara meant without creating a rift between our world and hers. I also enjoyed and was rather curious by how important Time is in this world. I’m sure there’s a twist there waiting to happen.
And speaking of twists, the one at the end was rather ingenious too. Had I felt any emotional connection for the character, I might’ve had gasped.
In the end, this was an okay book, but it might be that it just doesn’t work for me. Not everyone enjoys the same books, and anyway, it seems to be doing fairly well reviews and rating wise on Goodreads. So, if you’d like a crack at a different dystopia, you might consider checking it out.
Also found at Tessellated Tales
Tribute follows Zara, a mage and the “king’s” daughter. In a world where possessing magic is power and not having it makes one less than human, a mere slave, Zara should be happy. She could live happily and with everything she ever desired. But she can’t. After watching her father murder her slave friend, all she wants is to seek revenge, to dismantle the dystopian world she lives in and to kill her father.
Sounds interesting, right? I thought so too, but in the end, it felt like just another average book.
The novel starts wonderfully, with Zara entering a bird’s mind and refusing to let it kill, only to be chastised by her teacher for not allowing the bird to take the plunge. We can see how she is set apart from her classmates, how her teachers dislike her, how her own father does not have the best relationship with her. We are posed question after question, but it takes no time for the story to lose steam.
Between instalove (which wasn’t even explained), too much telling and little showing (especially because of this), I had nearly no emotional investment in the characters. Zara may be able to enter animals’ minds, but I couldn’t get into hers. As much as she went on about how she wanted her father gone, I never felt her blood boil or the sourness on her tonue. And for me to enjoy a book, it can’t lack that.
Logically, however, I know it’s not a bad book. The worldbuilding is interesting. The author made sure that the readers were immediately immersed in a different world. Its terminology and customs were not explained word by word, but hinted at so the reader could understand what Zara meant without creating a rift between our world and hers. I also enjoyed and was rather curious by how important Time is in this world. I’m sure there’s a twist there waiting to happen.
And speaking of twists, the one at the end was rather ingenious too. Had I felt any emotional connection for the character, I might’ve had gasped.
In the end, this was an okay book, but it might be that it just doesn’t work for me. Not everyone enjoys the same books, and anyway, it seems to be doing fairly well reviews and rating wise on Goodreads. So, if you’d like a crack at a different dystopia, you might consider checking it out.
Also found at Tessellated Tales
January 4, 2015
It was the cover that first drew me to this book. The image of the girl with a mark on her cheek, holding a knife to her hair, yet with an expression of such peacefulness and clarity. It told me immediately that this book was supposed to be a fantasy/adventure book and I was drawn to it.
The world that Zara lives in interests me greatly. The idea of magic users is something that I have loved since being a child and with the threat of rebellion and a father that obviously had too much power and was full to the brim of it; this had the ideas that could have made it a first class novel.
There are three things that displease me in this book. Firstly I have to pick out the grammatical errors. Sentences should not start with 'and', 'but' or 'because'. These are connecting words and should be used as them. It meant that I physically struggled to settle in with reading the book and seeing these things, which should have been corrected in editing, put me on edge with the book. As well as that I feel it is best when thoughts are defined from the main text with italics; it makes for a nicer read.
Secondly, in this book it seemed that everyone was a lover with somebody else and it was an extra part of the storyline that was not needed in some cases. With this there were also rash confessions of people loving each other, namely Zara and Aidan, which made me feel as if the book was less real; it was just too rushed.
Finally, I do not think that the passing of time was handled well. Near the end of the book everything was supposed to be on edge and events were occurring at a faster than normal pace, yet nothing happened when Zara was asleep for two days or when they spent weeks in the catacombs doing nothing. It seemed to break the story apart rather than fix it together smoothly and left me thinking that if this had have been real then Aidan and his apprentice would be long dead.
For me, the right ideas were there and that's why I still gave the book this rating. The idea of the world and how the magic was used was great, maybe just a little more detail needed. I feel that this book had the potential to be so brilliant, it just failed to make the mark. If I read the next book in the series, I hope at least that there are grammatical improvements; they would please me the most.
The world that Zara lives in interests me greatly. The idea of magic users is something that I have loved since being a child and with the threat of rebellion and a father that obviously had too much power and was full to the brim of it; this had the ideas that could have made it a first class novel.
There are three things that displease me in this book. Firstly I have to pick out the grammatical errors. Sentences should not start with 'and', 'but' or 'because'. These are connecting words and should be used as them. It meant that I physically struggled to settle in with reading the book and seeing these things, which should have been corrected in editing, put me on edge with the book. As well as that I feel it is best when thoughts are defined from the main text with italics; it makes for a nicer read.
Secondly, in this book it seemed that everyone was a lover with somebody else and it was an extra part of the storyline that was not needed in some cases. With this there were also rash confessions of people loving each other, namely Zara and Aidan, which made me feel as if the book was less real; it was just too rushed.
Finally, I do not think that the passing of time was handled well. Near the end of the book everything was supposed to be on edge and events were occurring at a faster than normal pace, yet nothing happened when Zara was asleep for two days or when they spent weeks in the catacombs doing nothing. It seemed to break the story apart rather than fix it together smoothly and left me thinking that if this had have been real then Aidan and his apprentice would be long dead.
For me, the right ideas were there and that's why I still gave the book this rating. The idea of the world and how the magic was used was great, maybe just a little more detail needed. I feel that this book had the potential to be so brilliant, it just failed to make the mark. If I read the next book in the series, I hope at least that there are grammatical improvements; they would please me the most.
February 22, 2014
Tribute’ was a really unusual read but rest assured, it was unusual in a good way. Steeped in fantasy, Ellen Renner has created a fascinating fantasy world unlike anything else I’ve come across before. It took me a little while to become accustomed to some of the words and phrases used in the book but there’s a useful glossary in the back pages which definitely helped. About a third of the way through it all started to click and come together for me and that’s when the story really started to take off.
The central character, Zara, is a Mage. She is part of a society of people who have magic and can control the elements through telekinesis. They also have the ability to will their mind into the bodies of animals and birds which they can then seize control of. Zara’s father is one of the most powerful Mage’s alive but she has never forgiven him for taking away one of the few people she’s ever loved. In spying for the Knowledge Seekers she hopes to right the wrongs done against the non-magical society, who have been enslaved and are at the will of the Mage population.
I instantly liked Zara as soon as she was introduced. She thinks differently about things to everyone else and she’s willing to stand up and fight for what she believes in. She really grew in character throughout the book and I admired her for many of the tough decisions she has to make.
I found all the different factions in the book absolutely fascinating. As well as those who have magic, there are the rebel Knowledge Seekers and the Makers who live on the other side of the Wall. They are fighting a continual war against the Mages and are determined to protect their community whatever the cost.
Ellen Renner’s writing made the characters and their world really come alive. I was immersed in the story and on tenterhooks for most of the last part of the book. ‘Tribute’ is a brilliant start to the series which is set to continue in August 2014 with ‘Outcaste’.
The central character, Zara, is a Mage. She is part of a society of people who have magic and can control the elements through telekinesis. They also have the ability to will their mind into the bodies of animals and birds which they can then seize control of. Zara’s father is one of the most powerful Mage’s alive but she has never forgiven him for taking away one of the few people she’s ever loved. In spying for the Knowledge Seekers she hopes to right the wrongs done against the non-magical society, who have been enslaved and are at the will of the Mage population.
I instantly liked Zara as soon as she was introduced. She thinks differently about things to everyone else and she’s willing to stand up and fight for what she believes in. She really grew in character throughout the book and I admired her for many of the tough decisions she has to make.
I found all the different factions in the book absolutely fascinating. As well as those who have magic, there are the rebel Knowledge Seekers and the Makers who live on the other side of the Wall. They are fighting a continual war against the Mages and are determined to protect their community whatever the cost.
Ellen Renner’s writing made the characters and their world really come alive. I was immersed in the story and on tenterhooks for most of the last part of the book. ‘Tribute’ is a brilliant start to the series which is set to continue in August 2014 with ‘Outcaste’.
March 26, 2014
Tribute is a fantasy story. Zara, the main character, is a Mage (a magic user), the daughter of the arch Mage infact, a race that discriminates and dominates and oppresses what they call Kine (non magic users) seeing this wrong, Zara begins to spy for the knowledge seekers, an underground terrorist group of Kine and Thieves who want an equal country, and it all starts there.
So I got an advanced proof copy of this book, so I guess I was lucky about that but the whole way through this book I couldn't help but keep comparing it to other popular books like the mages opressing the kine being similar to the Capitol and the districts and the Benedict trying to sneak in Aidan's body as being like the troy horse.
To be honest I didn't like this book very much. I struggled through the first half, disinterested in the characters, bored by the plot line and just on the whole not into the story. If I had only read the first half of this book it probably would have only gotten one star. Just because it was so predictable you know? She spies for the rebels, runs off and joins them, she's their natural enemy they hate her etc etc etc but then towards the end it did pick and I became more invested in the story line and there was a couple of interesting plot points and twists at the end and so it got boosted up for that, although I still failed to feel any emotion towards the characters. I guess you would enjoy this, if you were into that sort of thing and I have a feeling that my younger self would have just gobbled this up but frankly it wasn't the best, was kind of predictable and similar to EVERY OTHER TEENAGE BOOK OUT THERE. But yeah maybe it was just me? Read and find out if you want...
So I got an advanced proof copy of this book, so I guess I was lucky about that but the whole way through this book I couldn't help but keep comparing it to other popular books like the mages opressing the kine being similar to the Capitol and the districts and the Benedict trying to sneak in Aidan's body as being like the troy horse.
To be honest I didn't like this book very much. I struggled through the first half, disinterested in the characters, bored by the plot line and just on the whole not into the story. If I had only read the first half of this book it probably would have only gotten one star. Just because it was so predictable you know? She spies for the rebels, runs off and joins them, she's their natural enemy they hate her etc etc etc but then towards the end it did pick and I became more invested in the story line and there was a couple of interesting plot points and twists at the end and so it got boosted up for that, although I still failed to feel any emotion towards the characters. I guess you would enjoy this, if you were into that sort of thing and I have a feeling that my younger self would have just gobbled this up but frankly it wasn't the best, was kind of predictable and similar to EVERY OTHER TEENAGE BOOK OUT THERE. But yeah maybe it was just me? Read and find out if you want...
June 15, 2015
This is the first book of two in the series so far, by Ellen Renner. It follows the story of Zara and her life as the daughter of the Archmage Benedict, against whom she seeks revenge for killing her mother and sister. Zara lives in a world where magic people are the ruling minority, keeping the non magic 'kine' repressed by forcing them to give their first born children as 'tributes' to serve the mages, and to fight on the wall, in the war against a neighbouring city. She secretly works for the Knowledge Seekers, an underground group of non-magic people who are working to overthrow their oppressive rulers. I was a little disappointed by this book, mostly I felt Zara's motives for rebellion weren't clearly explored and her romance with the Maker held captive by her father was one of those annoying they've-met-twice-now-it's-true-I'll-die-for-you-love. I felt like more time spent in setting the scene at the beginning might have been beneficial. We learn everything for Zara's inner monologue and flash backs to memories of her childhood. I maybe would have enjoyed more information being learned through teachers in the classroom or overheard conversations or books snuck out of her father's library. More time spent on Zara's normal life, before everything kicks off, might have helped in understanding why she wanted so strongly to leave and seek revenge. Twiss was a great character though, part of the underground world of Thieves, who actually have their own kind of magic. She was frustrated and clever and seemed to have that motive that I felt Zara lacked. Now everything is set up however, the second book Outcaste might just offer that deeper level of understanding as Zara's journey continues.
April 10, 2015
Hmm, yeah, this book wasn't as good as I hoped it would. The scene on the cover does actually happen, but it's not nearly as awesome as I thought it wuld be. And the plot is interesting, I really like the idea of the magical minority ruling the non-magical majority. It's a pretty reasonable caste system in a fantasy world.
I just had something different in mind when I started reading: I thought Zara would go on a more epic journey, rather than just sneak around underground for most of the novel. Though the sequel sounds like it will show us more of the world, so maybe I'll give that a chance.
I did like how Zara was like the perfect representation of well-meaning ally that really doesn't see her privilege. She gets angry when the oppressed people hate her because omggg can't you see I'm one of the good guys, but she's CONSTANTLY referring to the non-magical people as "kine" in her inner monologue, and we're told early on that kine means cattle and that when non-magicals here her use this they get offended. Yes, Zara, I understand that you've grown up with people using that slur and it's understandable that you do, but you also make zero effort to change your language, so you're not nearly as great of an ally as you think. But this definitely feels like it was done on purpose by the author, and I liked that.
What I didn't like was the rushed romance, the rushed character development and her comically evil dad. I really would have preferred to read a novel that was 100 pages longer but that actually took its time setting things up.
If I know myself I'll probably read the sequel, but I won't rush out to buy it ...
I just had something different in mind when I started reading: I thought Zara would go on a more epic journey, rather than just sneak around underground for most of the novel. Though the sequel sounds like it will show us more of the world, so maybe I'll give that a chance.
I did like how Zara was like the perfect representation of well-meaning ally that really doesn't see her privilege. She gets angry when the oppressed people hate her because omggg can't you see I'm one of the good guys, but she's CONSTANTLY referring to the non-magical people as "kine" in her inner monologue, and we're told early on that kine means cattle and that when non-magicals here her use this they get offended. Yes, Zara, I understand that you've grown up with people using that slur and it's understandable that you do, but you also make zero effort to change your language, so you're not nearly as great of an ally as you think. But this definitely feels like it was done on purpose by the author, and I liked that.
What I didn't like was the rushed romance, the rushed character development and her comically evil dad. I really would have preferred to read a novel that was 100 pages longer but that actually took its time setting things up.
If I know myself I'll probably read the sequel, but I won't rush out to buy it ...
March 7, 2014
Review by Bethan - Year 9
This book was about a world where magic is power, and the non-magic majority live as slaves. The main character, Zara, is a mage, daughter of the most powerful, yet evil mage of all, and during the book she joins the war- fighting against her father.
My personal favourite part of the book is nearly right at the end, where a few crucial pieces of information are added, which link together certain confusing aspects of the story. This gives the book a whole new meaning than what was previously seen.
My favourite character in the book is Swift, even though she is only really mentioned at the start of the book, she links the whole story together.
The only thing I disliked about the book was some underdeveloped details, which didn’t quite fit in. I assume that there will be a sequel, where all the loose ends will be tied up. Other than this, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
I will look out for any other books by Ellen Renner, as I have greatly enjoyed reading it. As there was no issue with bad language or mature themes, I would recommend the book for 9-19 year olds.
This book was about a world where magic is power, and the non-magic majority live as slaves. The main character, Zara, is a mage, daughter of the most powerful, yet evil mage of all, and during the book she joins the war- fighting against her father.
My personal favourite part of the book is nearly right at the end, where a few crucial pieces of information are added, which link together certain confusing aspects of the story. This gives the book a whole new meaning than what was previously seen.
My favourite character in the book is Swift, even though she is only really mentioned at the start of the book, she links the whole story together.
The only thing I disliked about the book was some underdeveloped details, which didn’t quite fit in. I assume that there will be a sequel, where all the loose ends will be tied up. Other than this, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
I will look out for any other books by Ellen Renner, as I have greatly enjoyed reading it. As there was no issue with bad language or mature themes, I would recommend the book for 9-19 year olds.
May 20, 2014
I received a copy of this book as a Firstreads givaway.
This felt like a proper fantasy book. A deeply thought out, well constructed world where magic doesn't seem out of place. The characters were enganging and believable and the storyline interesting. However I did find it quite hard to get into the writing style at first. I know some fantasy books use a sort of unusual flow to a sentence or old fashioned ways of saying things which add to the setting of the story. In Tribute though, this sometimes happened and sometimes didn't which made me stumble over certain sentences. I think one such example two characters 'down sit' together. I am assuming the author has written this and it's not just an editing error!
Apart from that (which to be honest I had gotten over a few chapters in) I enjoyed getting lost in the rich world, all of which is set out without a lot of recaps throughout the book which I find really annoying. The only part of the storyline I questioned was why the father would let the daughter live? He obviously didn't have a problem with bumping people off! I think though this might become clear in the sequel which I would definitely be interested in reading.
This felt like a proper fantasy book. A deeply thought out, well constructed world where magic doesn't seem out of place. The characters were enganging and believable and the storyline interesting. However I did find it quite hard to get into the writing style at first. I know some fantasy books use a sort of unusual flow to a sentence or old fashioned ways of saying things which add to the setting of the story. In Tribute though, this sometimes happened and sometimes didn't which made me stumble over certain sentences. I think one such example two characters 'down sit' together. I am assuming the author has written this and it's not just an editing error!
Apart from that (which to be honest I had gotten over a few chapters in) I enjoyed getting lost in the rich world, all of which is set out without a lot of recaps throughout the book which I find really annoying. The only part of the storyline I questioned was why the father would let the daughter live? He obviously didn't have a problem with bumping people off! I think though this might become clear in the sequel which I would definitely be interested in reading.
June 29, 2016
Thank you to Hot Key Books for this review copy!
I enjoyed Tribute. Liked the places it took me and the time I had within it, but it didn’t grow to love, that enjoyment. I didn’t think it was amazing or fantastic or quite wonderful. I just enjoyed it, and though I might prefer the other things on the whole, an enjoyable read, if little more, certainly is not a bad thing. I didn’t feel inspired by the story enough to want to go on to the next book, at least not at the moment, and the romance and the rate it grew didn’t agree with me particularly, but it was a well done, through book, and I wouldn’t say no to reading it again and then seeing if the sequel held anything more.
I enjoyed Tribute. Liked the places it took me and the time I had within it, but it didn’t grow to love, that enjoyment. I didn’t think it was amazing or fantastic or quite wonderful. I just enjoyed it, and though I might prefer the other things on the whole, an enjoyable read, if little more, certainly is not a bad thing. I didn’t feel inspired by the story enough to want to go on to the next book, at least not at the moment, and the romance and the rate it grew didn’t agree with me particularly, but it was a well done, through book, and I wouldn’t say no to reading it again and then seeing if the sequel held anything more.
March 15, 2014
I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book in the give away, and im not disappointed. I loved the fantasy style of the book and i had trouble trying not to read this in one day!
I love the main character Zara, but my absolute favorite character has to be Twiss. I love the way, despite her being so young, stands up to everyone in her way.As for the love story... i thought it was a little predictable but i liked it all the more because of it.The only downfall for this book is its too short! but then i will have to wait for the book next in the series, i cant wait!!
I love the main character Zara, but my absolute favorite character has to be Twiss. I love the way, despite her being so young, stands up to everyone in her way.As for the love story... i thought it was a little predictable but i liked it all the more because of it.The only downfall for this book is its too short! but then i will have to wait for the book next in the series, i cant wait!!
March 30, 2014
I was given this book as giveaway from Hot Key Books.
I actually really liked this book. It wasnt quite what I expected actually.
The story starts as Zara, a mage, is in the academy and is being humiliated by her teacher. The story goes on to reveal her father is one of the most powerful men in her city. He is horrible and mean and Zara hates him.
Ill not tell the rest but its pretty good with lots of twists and turns in it and ends with a good ending ready for the next book to follow on. I enjoyed what I read and am looking forward to the next book in the series!
I actually really liked this book. It wasnt quite what I expected actually.
The story starts as Zara, a mage, is in the academy and is being humiliated by her teacher. The story goes on to reveal her father is one of the most powerful men in her city. He is horrible and mean and Zara hates him.
Ill not tell the rest but its pretty good with lots of twists and turns in it and ends with a good ending ready for the next book to follow on. I enjoyed what I read and am looking forward to the next book in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2014
I have know Ellen Renner's work for a few years now. This book explores some of her hallmark themes - talented girls being underestimated by their fathers; missing mothers and a bit of class war. But it has the added benefit of being YA, so the ideas have more room to breathe. The two girl leads (sorry Aidan, I expect you'll get your chance in later books) are a fantastic odd couple. I also love that Zara comes to learn that people have more in common than they have dividing them. I read it in one sitting and can't wait for the next instalment.
April 6, 2014
I won my copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway.
Tribute is a high fantasy story and I found myself hooked from page one. The book is very well written and I found Zara a well rounded character and Benedict the perfect villain.
All in all I thought this book was a great first book and I cant wait to see how the story evolves in book 2.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a rich high fantasy story.
Tribute is a high fantasy story and I found myself hooked from page one. The book is very well written and I found Zara a well rounded character and Benedict the perfect villain.
All in all I thought this book was a great first book and I cant wait to see how the story evolves in book 2.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a rich high fantasy story.
January 16, 2014
I really loved this book. It somehow managed to remind me of The Handmaids Tale, Throne of Glass and Little Women! Ellen Renner has created an entire world, with interesting characters. Zara is a tentative heroine, driven by an innate knowledge of right and wrong and a thirst for revenge upon her cruel father.
April 21, 2014
I received this as a Good Reads First reads giveaway.
The story built up and progressed very well and there was a real depth to the characters, especially Zara.
I think this is one my 11 year old daughter will enjoy and will be passing it on to her for her opinion too.
I look forward to reding the next installment as there are a lot of loose ends I want to see tied.
The story built up and progressed very well and there was a real depth to the characters, especially Zara.
I think this is one my 11 year old daughter will enjoy and will be passing it on to her for her opinion too.
I look forward to reding the next installment as there are a lot of loose ends I want to see tied.
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