Savages

Chronicles of Warshard #2

by Katherine Bogle

An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.

Daughter of Chief Ruin, Breen is one of the most fearsome warriors in the Southern Delica Tribe, but nothing can stop the Emperor from reaping the Savage Lands for soldiers.

When her village is attacked, Breen is taken from her home and her family to the Seaburn Academy, where southern savages are broken and chained into a life of service to the Empire. Through the beatings and torture, Drakkone, one of the few Seaburn-born soldiers, brings solace to her days and gives her hope for the future.

Once freed of the Academy dungeons, Breen is sentenced to daily training between her plots for escape. But one night of unexpected passion turns into a problem bigger than either of them could have imagined.

Breen and Drakkone must risk capture and flee the city or death might be a blessing compared to eternal imprisonment.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Katherine Bogle is the USA Today bestselling author of Queen of Thieves, Her Wolf, I am Alpha and the international bestselling Dominion Rising series.

She first found success with her debut novel, Haven, which came second in the World’s Best Story contest 2015. Since then, she has gone on to release 20+ books with one core theme: kick-butt heroines. Though her series may span genres—from fantasy to steampunk to science fiction—she will always write about strong women overcoming the odds.

Join her newsletter for info on upcoming releases, free stuff and more:
https://katherine-bogle.kit.com/8b426...

Her website:
https://linktr.ee/katherinebogle

NOW AVAILABLE:

Haven (Chronicles of Warshard #1)
Savages (Chronicles of Warshard #2)
Ashen (Chronicles of Warshard #3)
Fyre: A Chronicles of Warshard short story collection
The Blood Amulet: A Chronicles of Warshard Short Story

The Aldar Dominion (Dominion Rising #1)
The Zahkx Alliance (Dominion Rising #2)
The Darri Commission (Dominion Rising #3)
The Stowaway Experiment: A Dominion Rising Short Story
The Smugglers Legion: A Dominion Rising Short Story

Queen of Thieves (Clockwork Thief #1)
Daughter of Chaos (Clockwork Thief #2)
King of Empires (Clockwork Thief #3)
Empress of Annihilation (Clockwork Thief #4)
Harbinger of War (Clockwork Thief #5)
Goddess of Death (Clockwork Thief #6)

Her Wolf (Silver Shifter #1)
Her Dragon (Silver Shifter #2)
Her Bear (Silver Shifter #3)
Her Panther (Silver Shifter #4)

Demon's Game (A Soul Collectors Prequel)
Reaper's Fire (Soul Collectors #1)
Reaper's Fate (Soul Collectors #2)

Cruel Monsters (Standalone)

I am Alpha (Rise of the Beast Queen #1)
They Call me Beast (Rise of the Beast Queen #2)

Shifter's Promise (Standalone)

COMING SOON:

Bow to your Queen (Rise of the Beast Queen #3)

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

From beginning to end, the journey of Breen and Drakkone was amazing.
In the end, I felt like I read two books. One story but two books. It was great. I loved the separation. You’ll see when you get to it.

Breen, a warrior from the Savage Lands, was taken from her tribe to join the Emperor. She’s the Chief’s only daughter. Fierce, loyal, and very protective of her people. Lately the Emperor has been sending out his troops to steal tribesmen. Locking them in a dungeon until they submit to his army. Later being trained to protect the very man who captured them.
Breen does not lose and she will not submit. The starvation and beatings are getting to her. She’s losing the strength she needs to escape. All the soldiers wear masks that cover everything but their eyes. One out of the many brutalizing her people is kind to her. He brings her food and water in secret, eases her torture, and is sympathetic to her situation. Breen has no clue how to categorize him. Friend or foe? It’s hard to tell.
One of Breen’s tortures is savage and brutal enough to send her to the infirmary.
Drakkone does everything in his power to help Breen. Taking his advice, Breen is released from the dungeon and sent to train in the academy with the soldiers. Quickly rising up the ranks. Through it all Drakkone watches after Breen. One night of passion changes everything for them both.
Breen becomes pregnant and she and Drakkone finally escape. They travel from town to town with a price tag on their heads. They will do whatever it takes to keep their child safe.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savages is book two from the Chronicles of Warshard series by Katherine Bogle. This installment is about Southern Delica Tribe warrior, Breen. Her village gets attacked. She is captured and sent to Siaburn Academy, a place where savages are beaten and tortured in a dungeon. She meets one of the soldiers of the Academy, Drakkone. He brings her what she needs - Hope. When she leaves the dungeon, she is sent to do training. Unexpectedly, Drakkone and Bree must do whatever it takes to escape.

This era is a hit or miss with me. Most of the time, I am not a fan, but I really liked Savages. I was captivated with Breen's story from the start and loved it when Drakkone was introduced later. There is some action and suspense that keeps a reader engaged in the plot. I highly recommend it.

Five stars.

I received this book from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

[Tandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. I never knew which way the story was going to turn next.

Breen daughter of the chief is a vicious warrior that spends all of her days practicing for battle. She has bested every one of her fellow tribesmen. She also teaches younger children of her tribe how to defend and fight to honor their tribe.

Throughout the land the soldiers of Seaburn have been gathering young warriors. Young Breen is wretched away from her home and thrown into a terrible new life that no one should have to live thru.

I hated having to put this book down. I was riding the characters emotions right along with them.

[Sheila G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Death might very well be better than finishing the journey to Seaburn.

There's something that makes you feel so satisfied about a story with a kick-butt protagonist who beats the odds and comes out on top. That's exactly what Savages is about. This is a companion read to Haven and Fyre, and takes place in a different time and setting with different characters that appeared in the end of Haven.

Breen has trained since a young age to be a warrior. Culture of the savage clans includes protecting themselves and their kin from the Seaburn army, who raid the clans to enslave them into being their warriors. Breen loved the challenge of facing her fellow kin, and training to become the best they could be. She never realized she'd actually have to use her skills, when the village is raided and she is taken captive.

Her captivity is harsh. She undergoes continuous torture, and endures being raped. Yet, after everything she's been through, she remains unbroken---and eager to escape. With the help of one of her jailers (Drakkone), she is able to advance through the ranks, faster than she ever dreamed, and even finds love.

One thing that bothered me was how Breen acted toward Drakkone. I know she is like I am woman, hear me roar! but she just couldn't seem to cement her feelings towards him. One moment, they were very close, then as the plot moved along they seemed to grow more emotionally detached. In the end, she resolves her feelings in a way. I think she was more content with knowledge that she carried out her "duty" as a mother, rather than knowing that she was loved. Drakkone is such a caring, soft character, and I felt bad for him with how she treated him at times!

She'd done the one thing she always wanted to do. Protect those she loves.

It is a pretty difficult book, in regards to the cruelty that the characters undergo. It's not a light-hearted read, so be prepared for that. Besides that, it is a good read for those who like action and I'd recommend it.

Violence: Quite a bit.
Vulgarity: Some. Breen says the "d-word" several times over.
Sexual content: There is a relatively non-descriptive rape scene, and another intimate scene.

3.5 stars.

This review can also be viewed on my blog: She's Going Book Crazy

[Line Bookaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

The story of Breen and Drakkone was interesting. I love the tribesmen with their way of life, they ideals and the fact that they would do anything to protect their people. I love the main idea behind the Academy, taking "savages" to make them fight for the Empire. I think it was a great subject to explore.

The first part of the story is about Breen, how she is taken from her tribe and made to fight for the Emperor. Breen is strong and does not want to break, but it is difficult, she wants to give up. Until she meets Drakkone who seems to want to help her. She is wary but she soon starts to develop feeling for him. Their relationship was evolving way too fast for my taste, I did not really enjoy that fact. There is also another event that felt really unecessary for me, but I won't mention it because of spoilers.

I enjoyed this part of the book. It was interesting to meet these people and see how strong Breen can be, even if in the end, she is only human and cannot stomach everything.

Part two is about another character (you will discover who she is by reading the story). I did not really enjoy it. I felt like a big part of the story was unexplained. I do not really know what was happening with Nina, why she had these powers, what the powers really were etc. I don't know if it was on purpose or if it is because I did not read the first book (it is the second book in the series, but it does not seem to follow the same characters so I'm not sure of what I miss).
I did not really connect with any of the characters either.

In brief, I enjoy reading this story but not more than that. It was not bad, but it was not great either. Still, I recommend reading it if you want something a bit exotic.

[Dana Busenbark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting start to the third book of the series. We see Aura, whom we met in the last book in this one as a child. We also meet Breen and her mother Kianne. When Seaburn comes, what happens at the Delica tribal encampment? What does Breen realize when she confronts one of the soldiers from Seaburn? How does Breen meet Drakkone? What does he do to help her? What happens in Seaburn? This book had me gripped from the time I picked it up basically. Normally I will write my review as I go and this time I could not do so. I could not put the book down. There are so many things I'd love to talk about, but knowing what I know now, and knowing what happened in Haven, it would spoil too many things if I were to talk about them. Just know that there is no lack of sexuality, love, romance, war, attempted many things. :) This was truly a wonderful book to read. It really gave me insight into some of the characters we saw in Haven and how they came to be where they were. Things suddenly make a whole lot of sense! Let me also warn you, I needed tissues at the end!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I had read Haven by Katherine Bogle and really liked it so I jumped at the chance to read and review this book.

Savages is about Breen, who is taken from her home when she is a teen, locked in a dungeon with other warriors from her tribe, and is tortured until she's broken. It gets to the point that she either give in or die. One of the enemy soldiers, Drakkone, persuades her to make a decision to give in before it's too late.

Breen's honor and determination are admirable. Everything she does is with escape on her mind. She must get home to her people. Drakkone does what he can to help her but it becomes apparent that escape is the only option for both of them.

The second half of the book draws on the story from Haven and would be confusing if I hadn't read it first. It is nonstop action since Breen and Drakkone are on the run.

Savages is a young adult fantasy that I definitely recommend for young adults as well as adults. But be prepared: it is not a light-hearted read since it is full of fighting, torture, and loss.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

That cover picture is fantastic, although I must admit as I was reading I pictured Breen to be more like Michonne from the Walking Dead. :) I loved that Breen was a warrior and teacher in her tribe, and highly respected as both.

There were some great vibrant scenes in this book, of which I loved the action in last fight scene the best.

Nina is an intriguing character, I hope we hear move from her later in the series, but I found myself frequently wishing for a better perspective on the other characters in the book.

I also hoped for a more obvious link to the first book, with which I felt an overall better connection to the story and characters.

Thanks to author Katherine Bogle for this ARC copy!

[Aisha-Kimberly Hashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I read it in one sitting.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good weekend read. I really liked Breen and the fact that she was both a warrior and a teacher. And like a lot of folks have mentioned, this book is very much like reading two books in one with reading the journey of Breen and Drakkone.

The one part of the book that I wasn't the biggest fan of was the insta-love that I felt happened between Breen and Drakkone.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan Coppadge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Another book with another female character that I just could not connect with. Breen was way too stubborn. It got to the point where I honestly didn't care what happened to her. She kept making the same mistakes over and over again and wondering why it didn't work. I was too preoccupied with my dislike of Breen to really notice the other characters. Drakkone was sweet always trying to help Breen even though she was an ungrateful wench who wouldn't accept help. The insta-love was a bit ridiculous.

The setting and "world building" was really good. I could perfectly see in my head where they were and what was happening.

The story was ok. I mean I can't say much about it because of how much I disliked Breen. I feel like I'm the only one who really didn't care for this book.

[Mandy Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery solved, a heart-rending love story, and an action packed warrior's tale all in one!

I was so lucky to get a copy of this book before it came out through the author. She takes us back to Nina, the 'third sister' in Kadia's painting from "Haven", and her origin story through Breen and Drakkone. I was taken back by how much I loved Breen's character. Strong, stubborn, and capable, Breen is everything I hoped she would be from the tiny tidbit we get of her story in "Haven". A worthy character in an empowering story that will be finding its place on my shelves in paperback even though I have the ebook.

There are some sensitive issues included in this story, but they are handled tactfully. It got the point across without being vulgar.

I have high hopes that the next book in the series will focus on Kadia's origin story since the first was about Haven and the second was about Nina. Then again, I've been fascinated by Kadia since she was first mentioned. We have a long way to go to get the full scope of the world Katherine Bogle has created for us!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not influenced by anyone to do this.

Just finished and wow that was good!! I'm a little sad by the ending, but there's so much more that could happen...excited to see where Drakkone goes next. And little Nina has so much ahead for her!! But I digress...this was an epic tale of love and loss, a princess warrior turned into savage slave fighter...if Breen had only done what she was told...but she was a rebel and found her allies in the resistance...

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am posting this review after reading the ARC copy. Katherine Bogle takes you to enemy territory where mail character Rheen has to find a way to survive and conquer. Great read!

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than Haven. Sure, it had some issues. The second part felt a bit slow compared to the first. And there were certain word choices that had me raising an eyebrow. (Like the frequent usage of the word "savage")

However, the first part read very quickly (unlike Haven). I really liked Breen. I wish we'd gotten to seen more of life in her tribe. There were certain characters whose future was left up in the air.

I'm not sure you could read this book without having read Haven first. I think some things in the second part of the book will be too confusing otherwise.

This book is a great follow-up to Haven. I'll definitely read any future expansions this series might have.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Received from the Publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Going into this sequel, I did not realise until two thirds of the way through that this happened before the first novel, and this really threw me off. I was really enjoying this, but I started to get rather bored half-way through, and with a huge time jump added to the mix, the flow of the novel just seemed to disappear, and so the timescale within this novel was just lost as weeks, months and even years kept being skipped throughout.

I do not want to give too much of a summary of this as it will spoil the first book. This is about different characters to the first novel, but I want to strongly emphasise that this novel is set before the first novel, and in all honesty, I wish I had read this one first, and then the first book. It is about Breen whom is captured by the Seaburn army, and her journey and struggle as they try to turn her into another of their soldiers.

Our main protagonist Breen was brilliant. Breen was strong, fierce and protective, whilst being intelligent and inspiring as a teacher. Breen trained hard and was great however, I really struggled to connect with her. In full, Breen had all the qualities a reader wants to witness, but instead of progressing and growing as a character, Breen did the opposite, and became too reliant on those around her, no longer the strong, independent woman we first met. It was so disappointing. And although she had all these qualities, I found it really hard to connect with her.

Then there are the relationships formed in this novel. Everything felt far too convenient and 'insta'. There was a bad case of insta-love between Breen and Drakkone, alongside insta-friendships! In this novel it felt like there was no time for anything, so it was just all made to happen in the hope it seemed natural. Whilst the huge jumps in time throughout the novel made it very hard to witness the forming, and further the progression, of these friendships

As I have mentioned numerously throughout this review, the pace of this novel felt rather off. It went way too fast, so much so that I keep getting disorientated in how much time had passed. I think having read the first book did help in terms of the world-building as I did have a better understanding going into this of what was going on in this world. But everything just felt far too convenient, as mentioned earlier.

Like I said in the beginning of this review, only until I had read two thirds did I realise that this book is actually set before the first book, and it really threw me off. Mainly because I then had to go back to the first novel in order to reconnect with who these characters had become or where they had been originally, but that also left me feeling disappointed, because I knew exactly where this plot was going to lead and it would no longer be the surprising, dramatic and emotional ending it was suppose to be; as the reader, I was just waiting for what I knew was going to happen, and it just caused me to skip over sections in order to be done because I already knew what was happening, and so it completely left me wondering why I was bothering to read on knowing what was going to happen anyway. Although one thing one cannot dispute, is that Bogle is brilliant at writing action scenes, mainly the sword fighting scenes, as I was constantly able to envisage everything as they really put me on the edge of my seat.

Therefore I feel disappointed with this companion novel, and would much rather have read this first, and then read Haven.

[Nina DuBois · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the concept of this book. The world building was very interesting. Breen is from a tribe where she is the Chiefs daughter, a brilliant warrior, and a teacher. Her tribe is immediately attacked where Breen along with some of her tribes best warriors are taken prisoner by the emperor to be turned into his warriors. There she is tortured until she submits to their ways.

I really liked this book because I found the story to be interesting. I also liked Drakkone a lot. I loved that he didn't agree with his people's ways and was always helping Breen. He was sweet and caring. But what I didn't like about this book was Breen. I didn't feel connected with her and I found her to be annoying. She's supposed to be warrior and I wanted her to be patient and calculated, always planning ten steps ahead. In actuality, she made dumb mistakes that risked her and her people who she only care about protecting. She was obsessed with escape, but it made her impulsive. She treated Drakkone terribly and it irked my nerves.

I think this book was just ok. I am interested in reading more books by this author because its clear she comes up with some clever and interesting stories that are guaranteed to keep your interest.

[Nora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mostly write a review when I did not like the book; seems easier than to explain why I did like one?
Since I did not see many, or at all, mention what threw me off I wanted to write why I DNF.

This one started great; strong warrior, interesting land and people; good premise. But then they got captured and what happens next was really not what I was expecting. I was thinking more along the lines of a female gladiator fighting to the death scenes and not complying, but this turned into a torture into submission story. Which I agree was mentioned and I could get behind if the plot would allow it, were it not for the strange adding of her having being raped but not having any recollection of it. The author uses this to explain something else about our heroine, but I feel that this does not excuse this topic for me.

Bad enough if things like this happen in the real world, why add them to a fictional one when it's not necessary. I like to escape into books, not wanting to escape out of them but I'm afraid that's what happend to me here and I stopped reading.

While writing this I am doubting if this is a spoiler review, since I did not see this mentioned really in other reviews? If so I am truly sorry and you can let me know and I'll hide it. But if I would have known the above, I would not have started this book so I'll post it in the hopes it's okay.

[Keri Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seaburn is home to an emperor who has chosen to kidnap warriors from surrounding areas and force them to fight for him and protect him. Breen is taken against her will and thrown into a dungeon. After beatings and tortures, her will doesn’t break. She becomes close with Drakkone, one of her jailers who is opposed to the treatment of the captives. After a while, they become a little too close and one night of passion yields a major result. They flee Seaburn and live on the run, but will the Emperor’s noose start tightening around them?



I read book one in this series and thought it was pretty good. I did enjoy this one as well, although I didn’t love it. What I thought was unique was that this was part of a “series”, but it didn’t really follow any of the main characters from Book one. I liked that this would work as a stand alone. It was definitely a young adult fantasy. It lacked the substance and refinement that I normally look for in a fantasy, but overall was a good and a quick read. I am going to keep my eye out for more of this series and give another one a shot. Three out of five stars.



Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Selaya Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry Kat; had to knock a couple of points off this one. Not because I didn't like the story - I did - but because I got bored with the number of instances of protagonists being knocked down and having the air or wind "whoosh from their lungs." I know, from personal experience, how that can happen but there have to be some other ways of describing it.....the Gods know, I've come up with a few gems myself. Bottom line is: you end up somewhat stunned, even if it's only for a few seconds.

As I've said, I liked the story setup overall - even if I did know the outcome from reading "Haven." I'll stick with the series and will be reading "Ashen" over Christmas. I am a little confused about the title of the short story that arrived in my inbox a couple of days ago. No matter; I grabbed it anyway. Thanks.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breen was a really great character, I just loved how she was always evolving and trying to improve herself. She wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t invincible. The culture of her people was great to see as well. You could really tell the Author spent quite a bit of time making the Tribe culture and even the Seaburn culture.

Wasn’t a huge fan of the Nina angle but that was more to do with me wanting to see more of Breen kicking butt. Though it was a very unique angle to add, left you guessing what other things could be added to the world building. The fighting was so on point and written so well.

(Disclaimer: I received a copy from the Author. Does not affect my review)

[Lisa Eiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I really enjoyed reading this book. Breen remains strong through all of the hurdles life throws her way. I'd recommend this book to fans of adventure lit with a steady thrum of danger lulling in the background.

[Melanie Noell Bernard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this free digital ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.

The Timeline
I was not a fan of the timeline in this book. It skipped huge chunks of time and really broke up the story for me. It even changed what I thought was the plot and that bothered me because it turned the story into something completely different halfway through, which left me disappointed.

Lacking Realism
I’m not sure what it was but I didn’t believe a lot of what was happening in this book. The relationships between characters felt forced and rushed. The changes of mind were abrupt and took very little persuasion, and the characters kept contradicting themselves on what they said they would do and didn’t do.

Beginning vs. Ending
I loved the beginning! The story started out really great with amazing world-building, lots of action, plenty of struggles, and dark tragedies to keep me locked in. It gave me an idea of a story that I wanted to read. Aaand then it kind of fell of the band-wagon because certain events and sudden time jumps changed the story entirely.

The second half of the book felt rushed, and didn’t draw me in. I didn’t care about the plot. I didn’t care about the characters anymore, not believe the choices they were making. I also didn’t like the sudden change in where the story was going. It was not what I was promised in the beginning of the book and completely threw me for a loop.

Writing
One thing that really disappointed me about this book (especially having read books by Katherine Bogle before) was the writing. The writing was underwhelming. It felt sub-par. It lacked continuity and clarity, and it seemed liked it hadn’t been edited very well. I was quite disappointed with this as it played a huge role in my ability to stay interested in the book.

Breaking Point
In my opinion, the thing that really broke this book for me was the pregnancy. This was what changed the book entirely, throwing away one plot for another. It was never explained how two supposedly barren people managed to produce a child when they only had sex once. It was never explained why the child looked nothing like either parent or where her magic came from. And the second half of the story became about the child and not about the main character, which bothered me because I didn’t care about the child. I cared about Breen.

[Brie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5-3
Savages takes place in the world of Haven, the first official book of the Chronicles of Warshard, but it can be read on its own. Breen is a young woman of a tribal people, raided and kidnapped to become soldiers for the kingdom of Seaburn. But she fights against this fate to free herself and her loved ones.

I liked Breen, as a single character. I liked her most in Part 1 of the book, as I feel her role in Part 2 becomes a bit muddied. I stress that I like her by herself, because she herself is brave, cool, and caring. When she is interacting with others or involved in something else, I feel her strength diminishes a bit.

Don't expect much, if any at all, world building. Especially if you haven't read Haven, all one gleans from this story is that Seaburn is a desert kingdom, the Southern Delica Tribe is where Breen is from, and Haven's kingdoms are a passing mention. Seaburn itself is described in the most basic "desert country" terms.

The same with the plot. I got a general sense of Breen's mission and her goals, and the story seems to be much more about her personal journey, which I'd be okay with as long as the plot didn't seem confused. A little jerky, rushed, with some holes. Drakkone could have been not just good but fantastic if given the chance. The action scenes were good, and Breen's personal journey hit its moments of genuineness.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breen is a warrior and teacher of the Southern Delica Tribe. She loves training and being the best fighter her people have. But then their village is raided and she is kidnapped by the Seaburn soldiers. The soldiers have been kidnapping savages and torturing them into becoming fighters for them. But Breen is strong and refuses to break even after a horrible torture that leads her to be taken to the infirmary where she meets Drakkone. Drakkone tries to protect Breen and gets her out of the dungeon and into training where Breen excels faster than she would have imagined. But one night of intimacy has Breen and Drakkone in trouble and on the run for their lives.

Breen is a strong woman and not about to submit to the torture she is put through. I love a great, strong, warrior woman in a story and Breen is the idea warrior. And although I’m not a fan of insta-love I do like how she finds herself falling for Drakkone even though he is the enemy. I did like Drakkone, he was so sweet and clearly cared for Breen.

I loved both Haven and Fyre and couldn’t wait to see what would happen in Savages. This is a great series that could be read as a stand-alone but I think reading them in order helps with understanding some parts of the story. If you like an action filled fantasy story you need to read this book. I can’t wait to read Katherine Bogle’s next book

I received Savages for free from the author. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Kariny · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ACTUAL READING 3.5 STARS*
I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

In Book 1 of this series, we encountered the Kingdom of Seaburn that was ruled by a council but there was a mention of the past when Seaburn was ruled by an evil Emperor. This book takes place in those times. You can find my review of Book 1, Haven, by clicking the cover below!

Breen is a fierce warrior and an ideal representation of the tribes. She's fierce, loyal and takes pride in the warrior-like nature of her tribe which Seaburn insists on calling "Savage." But for them fighting skills are a birthright and suddenly it turns out that those same skills are the cause of the target on their heads.

"We have to stay strong."

"We will," she assured. Her fingers clenched.

"We can't go down like this."

"We won't."

 The Seaburn Empire gets its soldiers from the Tribes people. Every now and then, they attack the tribes and take away the warriors back to Seaburn where they're tortured mentally and physically until they submit themselves to the service of the Seaburn armies. To the extent that those ex-tribal warriors even help in capturing other tribe members because they're completely empty inside. There was excellent world building in that aspect. 

"There is no honor in this death. There is no fight," he continued. "There is only suffering. There is only pain."

I did really love Breen! She was fearless and despite everything she had to go through, she never lost sight of who she was and didn't allow herself to break under the endless torture. Drakkone had to be the sweetest character ever! He faces an inner battle between his morality and his duty towards his country. He knows what they're doing to the Tribe people is wrong but how can he betray his country and in turn put his family in danger? We got to see a really soft side to him that we didn't really encounter in Haven.

But for me, just like Haven, the romance developed a little too fast, It wasn't insta-love exactly but it still happened way too fast. And i wasn't really feeling any romantic chemistry between the two characters. It felt like Drakkone did love Bree but she wasn't really as in love with him as he was with her. We were told she loved him instead of being shown.

And i have to say, the story started out PERFECTLY!!! I was immediately gripped and sucked into this horrible world and i could not  put it down and then suddenly halfway through the book, the pace changes completely to a faster one and we kind of leave the plot behind. It was just a continuous cycle of escape and being found. So the story kind of lost its grip on me halfway through.

Can it be read as a standalone? Yes! But if you want a concrete ending to some of these characters then read book 1! So would i recommend these books? Yes! Because they are still good and quick standalones and god knows we need more YA standalones!

Hope you guys have a great week :)!

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received the opportunity to read this book in advance for an honest review, and that's what you're going to get. I have not read the first in this series, so maybe I wouldn't have minded if I had but I hated this book and have no intention of reading anymore in this series. I will warn you that this review does contain mention of rape, so be warned if this will trigger you.

Let me start off by saying I actually liked Breen, which is why I give this book the rating I did. Breen is a girl from some tribe (which I never understood if she was supposed to have darker skin like Native Americans or more South America) that gets captured by evil Black people (which will have a section all by itself) that goes through hell only to be killed off saving her creepy ass daughter.The author makes Breen suffer through everything terrible--rape, torture, slavery, death of a parent, believing she's barren only to discover she's pregnant and so on. The author's treatment of Breen was sickening, especially when in the end Breen's story isn't even about her, it's about Nina.

Nina is her daughter, who looks nothing like her dark-skinned parents, but rather the Aryan dream. Why she is blonde and blue-eyed is never explained but it's all ~mysterious~ because Nina is super powerful and can control people while being extremely intelligent for a toddler. A huge point that bothered me as well was that Nina could have been Breen's rapist offspring, since Breen has sex with Drakkone shortly after. Which let me say, the author has Breen raped while she's unconscious (and she's a virgin of course) and is only mentioned when the author needs Breen to feel angry or upset. Breen does get even with her rapist, but why even have raped in the first place if you are only going to mention it sparingly? Shortly after being raped, she is told by some quack doctor that she is barren, than not too long after this she has a one-night stand with Drakkone leading to her getting pregnant with Nina. Drakkone is a solider who doesn't really like what his country is doing, but for some reason Breen is the only one he really cares about risking his and his family's life for. He stops the torture for a while for her and than "saves" her after she's raped by convincing her to play dumb and "give in" to the army. She automatically assumes it's his and not her rapist (though I think she does think about it for a second). After finding out she's pregnant she and Drakkone ditch the army to run away. All the while she's happy to be pregnant after believing she's barren, despite the fact that this doesn't really fit well with her previous personality.

Before getting knocked up she wanted revenge and to take this Army down, but the second she gets pregnant with the ~magical white-ish baby" that's out of the window (she does miss being a fighter and trying to join the rebellion but it's second to Nina).

Okay enough of that nonsense, now on to the racism. We get a taste of it right as the Army attacks Breen's tribe. All the soldiers are described as having darker skin and "black eyes," which includes Breen's rapist. The only one that has these characteristics that is "good" is Drakkone who is described as having a more tan skin. The soldiers are merciless and ruthless, and most don't even have names. Moigrin is described more Asian, but I can't really tell what the author was trying to describe her as to be honest. She is a recurring character more the first part of the book, and then is a throw-away LGBT character whose partner is we know nothing about. It also hinted at that Moigrin dies near the end. The only "magical" characters are white or pass as white (aka Nina, who is always being told she is beautiful). The white-ish characters are much more powerful than the regular characters, who don't stand a chance fighting them.


Overall I wouldn't have mind the book too much if it wasn't for the ending. To put Breen through all of that, only to kill her off. Nah Katherine Bogle can fuck off. You can take you're exploitation book and shove it. Make her suffer through mind control (which probably would remind her of the rape) from her daughter and then make her okay with dying after fighting for so long to survive? No. Also fuck off that this is Breen's story this is just a Nina origin story played as a Breen story, I see your Trojan Horse. If I didn't know better I would have swore this was written by a man with how much the female characters go through only to be shit on. Don't waste your time with this. If you want a good fantasy book go find it somewhere else, because it's not here.

[Matt Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wicked fantasy! I enjoyed the face pace far more than Haven. Right off the bat you're thrown into Breen's world, and soon thrown into her terror. I'm not a huge fan of the ending, even though I knew it was coming. Bogle does a great job of making you fall for Breen, feel for Breen, and subsequently be irritated by her when the moment is right. Looking forward to the next book and seeing where Drakkone and Nina's story goes from here.

[Mercysk28 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why is there such a heavy focus on skin tone?!

I could not get through this book! It was like every couple of pages the author had to let us know that these people are "dark-skinned!" Honestly, I felt as if there was some kind of racists undertone! I have read other books where there was more than one shade of people being discussed and the author's would let the reader know at the beginning of the introduction of the group of people to the story how they look with something like "his skin was like soil, dark in color, the same as all natural born Seaburn men and women." They wouldn't keep bombarding the reader with "dark-skinned" with every character introduction! It must be something the author is hung up on because Drakkone was also singled out as being "brown-skinned" I guess he couldn't look like those "dark-skinned" Seaburn people oh no! If all those mentions of "dark-skinned" doesn't annoy you then suffer to read further but if you are like me and do not want to read a "race-war" that's probably a personal issue of the others then avoid this at all cost!

[Bertha Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book have a bitter ending but it was full of adventures. I don't really know if I liked it or not...