Shorn

The Sky Seekers #1

by Larissa N.N. Davila

"AN INTELLIGENT AND CAPTIVATING NOVEL BY A NEW WRITER OF PROMISE." --Victoria Strauss, author of The Burning Land

Jhared Denaban, a cursed soldier, enters his country's service desperate to pay the generations-old debt caused by his race’s betrayal. Though Shorn of his wings, like all his treacherous kind, Jhared still burns with dark desires for rebellion and flight. Posted to the border to protect Avelos from foreign invaders, he discovers that his best intentions inevitably turn toward chaos. As he seeks the source of grave political and magical threats, he must defend himself from the people who believe his death is the only way the ancestral debt can be settled.

Lady Nemiah, High Priestess of Riana, struggles to keep her people safe on the Sacred Path. Her temple, tasked with preserving balance in Avelos, lost its standing, as well as the faith of its followers, when its priestesses rose against their rulers. Now she seeks forbidden history and heretical secrets to learn how to fight the magic that shreds her country.

Only by betraying Avelos once again can Jhared and Nemiah save their country and all they love from destruction. But what new chaos will their choices create?

Readers who love the political intrigue of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, the world-building and complex characters of Robin Hobb’s Farseer series, and the exploration of power and marginalization of N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy will be riveted by this tale of oppression and resilience, the high cost of vengeance, and the malleable nature of truth. Shorn carries us to a breathtaking new world on wings that won’t be broken.

568 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Daughter of first-generation Latine and Polish parents, Larissa N. N. Davila is a child psychologist and professor. She lives in Michigan, where in addition to writing fiction, she directs a mental health clinic for children and conducts research to improve psychological treatments for underserved families. Her work has been highlighted in outlets such as NBC Today and Insight Daily Radio. When not writing, Davila can be found riding horses through Michigan forests.

Reviews

[Rebecca Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo!

I love this book! What a well-written, world building beginning to a series! I really loved the pacing that revealed the complexity of the relationships between characters and the treatment the main character received in society. This is such a well written story it was a joy to read. I can't wait to start the second book in this series.

[Corin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich worldbuilding of histories filled with intricate characters central to its own conflicts, written by a child psychologist.

Jhared Denaban is Shorn, someone born with wings who had them shorn off as a child because of an age-old debt his 'dangerous race' has. While he fights to not only earn his place in the world but stay loyal to what this ancient debt has taught him to become, he guards Avelos as a guard and spy. Lady Nemiah, the High Priestess of Avelos, has to confront herself and her heart as the country is hurtled towards ruin with enemies on their doorstep, supernatural winds killing their citizens, and intricate political conflicts and intrigue taking the country apart from the inside out. Separately, these two outsiders set out to fix what was wronged and to rebuild Avelos' corrupted and broken foundation.

This is a story about trauma in children just as it is a story about a fantastical world. Shorn takes its time describing its characters with vivid detail and many moral conflicts the protagonists have to fight within their hearts and minds. It is a story of ancestry and ancestral debt as well as loyalties and what growing up as something that is seen as fundamentally wrong means. Avelos was beautifully described with a prose that enamored one to fall in love with the smallest details. Most of all it thrived on rich histories, legends and myths. Shorn discussed different perspectives on these and did so elegantly.

Jhared got most of this book's spotlight and it thrived on his beliefs and actions, carefully chosen as not to destroy his life boat built amidst an ocean of hate and uncertainty. Nemiah brought an interesting touch to it with a perspective describing the world's spiritual and political realm in great detail. Both of them were central to vital conflicts discussed in the book and represented them in a way that was easily understandable and let you slip into the story nicely. Together they built something believable and set the start for a saga destined for greatness.

As a debut, this is remarkably complex and credible. Davila not only creates a world and its past with a great level of detail, she uses her degree in child psychology to write about characters and their trauma with great respect and understanding.

This review was written for the author via Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a free digital copy of the book. The original review can be found here:
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/sho...

[Kristen McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when you can really imagine living in the world an author creates. Shorn is so full of sensory detail, but there's plenty of action too. The two main characters -- both intensely moral but flawed people trying to make sense of their roles in a politically complex society -- are so different from each other, yet their perspectives make the nation of Avelos a living, breathing place. Nemiah, the High Priestess, and Jhared, the Shorn soldier, are the two characters through which we learn about a culture with a rich but troubled history. Jhared is young "Shorn" man (what that means is for the reader to discover) on the cusp of entering adult life as a soldier in service to a nation that despises him, and Nemiah is an experienced priestess who has to contend with a Temple fragmented by internal political squabbles. Davila moves the reader smoothly from one point of view to the other, from the politically-charged temples and war rooms where Nemiah's faith is tested by betrayal and intrigue, to the wilds of forest and desert where Jhared is tested by killing winds, the prejudice of his fellow soldiers, and his own shameful desire for flight. The plot is propulsive and the language beautifully renders the natural and social details of this fascinating story. The city of Velantar, where much of this first novel takes place, will remind readers of Patrick Rothfuss' Tarbean in his Kingkiller Chronicles. Davila's style and world-building reminds me of Robin Hobb's Farseer novels and N.K. Jemisen's Broken Earth series, both of which are fantasy worlds that explore the impact of generational trauma on the characters. But it's not a grim story by any means -- the characters have rich lives filled with good food, music, and passionate connection. Davila's world is informed by many different cultures, and the "magic" in Shorn is more properly a kind of mysticism that has its roots in many indigenous traditions. I can't wait to spend more time in Avelos when the next book comes out!

[Neal Holtschulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shorn is difficult to get into. It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that it's a humdrum hero's journey fantasy, but if you give it a chance you will discover shockingly deep worldbuilding and a profound exploration of the trauma caused by a society that teaches its citizens to despise themselves for a supposed greater good. An exceedingly well crafted opener to this series that has something meaningful to say.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To follow

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from beginning to end! Through all the twists and turns it took, and all the joys and sadness I was eager to finish just one more page, one more chapter. The world is so engrossing, and the characters so well written I couldn’t help but get caught up.

I’m definitely eager to pick up the second book and continue the series!!