Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
I received the audiobook as part of the author’s blog tour. Normally, I don’t care for sports-related plots, but I have to confess, the poor little slave boy (teen) Bensin won me over. With a feel of a post-modern sci-fi (or perhaps urban fantasy), but also reminiscent of ancient Rome, the world was both familiar and unique.
But it was Bensin’s worries and loyalty to his little sister that intrigued me so much. *Note: Though they are slaves, and Bensin fights a violent sport, The Collar and the Cavvarach is a “clean” story, meaning Ms. Lima didn’t include the oft-obligatory over-description of the arena’s bloody goings-on.
All in all, I enjoyed The Collar and the Cavvarach.
This was a fantastic story about a teenage boy and his struggles living in an unjust world, where those in power enslave those they deem unworthy.
It is a tale of bravery, determination and love, where a promise is made, but the harsh lifestyle makes it an uphill battle – can it be fulfilled?
Bensin is a fabulous, well developed character with flaws mixed with strength and goodness, while other characters – both good and bad – and a great plot, make for a compelling and extremely enjoyable read.
While this is a superb story, the underlying theme of slavery is disturbing, however, the author’s gift for storytelling both exposes the awfulness of slavery while building suspense and adventure within the complex world she has created. The curious mix of technology and such barbaric mind sets is odd…this in itself making it even more disturbing.
Overall, an amazing book for people of all ages – some wise lessons to be learned on many levels.
Highly recommended.
As I often say, I didn’t read the summary for this book before I requested is a review copy or listened. I bring this up here because I feel like the summary somewhat misrepresents what the story is about. While freeing his sister is Bensen’s biggest motivator, the “people closing in on her” is a very minor aspect of the story.
The world doesn’t seem all that different from the United States, possibly other ‘western’ nations. One of the few changes is the legal slavery. I got the distinct impression the made-up kingdom, currency, etc. were used so it wouldn’t seem too similar to any real nation.
The protagonist, Bensin is completely and utterly determined to get what he wants. The fact that he doesn’t give up, not for anything is a trait that I respect. In a world where he’s the underdog and looked down on for being a slave, Bensin never lets that stop him. He makes a name for himself and means the respect of the people around him.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, much to my annoyance. But it didn’t piss me off as much as other books for two reasons. The first was the awesome preview of book 2, which has me excited to listen to it. The second is because it feels like part 2 and not book 2. If you read a few reviews of this book and it sounds like something you’d enjoy, make sure to get both parts. I’ve noticed there’s a part 3 and a novella, but I’ll see how things go with part 2 before I look into obtaining those.
The martial art of the series ‘cavvara shil’ is pretty well fleshed out. I’ve never heard of it but I was seriously starting to wonder if it was a real sport. The combat is very well done and easy to follow, which is what led to me wondering this.
My only other complaint is Bensin and his sister having green eyes, how it’s made note of in the story. Green eyes are rare as hell and not a single other character’s eye color is mentioned, as far as I can remember. I wouldn’t have taken issue with it, but I’ve been reviewing a LOT of books the last couple of months. Authors always seem to point out characters with green eyes, like we’re something exotic. It’s starting to get annoying. I did a search online and found an article talking about this issue, so it’s not just me imagining things either.
The narrator overall does a great job. My only issues with the audiobook are minor. At one point, the audio repeated the same dialogue twice. Which from previous experiences with Audible narration, has nothing to do with the book’s dialogue. The other 2 are a strange echo, likely due to a poor attempt to overlap the dialogue.
I feel this book is worth a read, I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to at least listening to part 2.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
The Collar and the Cavvarach is a wonderful tale of a teenage slave boy seeking freedom for his 5-year-old sister. After an attempt at escaping from their current cruel owners, Bensin is put up for sale and eventually separated from his sister. However, he is determined to save her from a lifetime of slavery. As he finds himself owned by a martial arts expert, he begins training for tournaments, hoping to earn enough coin from his wins to buy his sister’s freedom.
This is a well-written, nicely paced and exciting book. The characters are fleshed out, well-defined from one another, and easy to fall in love with (or hate, for the nasty ones). I especially loved how Ellie (Bensin’s sister) was depicted, such as her actions and speech, for it felt very accurate for a young child, especially considering she has grown up as a slave. I’ll also admit that, at times, it was a little difficult to wrap my head around the world that is the empire. As modern as it is, there is a strange – but still intriguing – mix of old and new. Due to this mix, even though there is plenty of world-building, you sometimes find yourself not quite sure how things work. Another small point that threw me slightly was Bensin’s 5-year-old sister taking care of a baby. It felt a bit too young, seeing as I have children of the same age. However, it is not something that took away from the enjoyment of this book.
The Collar and the Cavvarach is a heartfelt, dystopian YA book with definite Karate Kid vibes. There are no harsh words or gory violence, so it’s suited for both young and old readers. I enjoyed it, and I will definitely check out the next one!
Note: I listened to this book on audio, and there were some minor hiccups (especially at the start) that became a little jarring. But the narrator was otherwise great, putting plenty of emotion into each of the characters.
Hello. My name is Kelsey, but mot people know me by my website YoungLlama.com. And this is my review.
Ok ok!!!!! Annie Douglass Lima sent me one of her books!!!!!! I had read some of her books last year, but didn’t post this one because it’s not kid-friendly. (And at the time my website was an ONLY kid-friendly website; but now I’m doing teens books too!) “Thank you soooooo much Ms. Annie!!!!!”
Anyways, this book is about a slave who wants to free his sister. It is very sweet and soooooooo good! But there is talk about girl slaves being mistreated. It is mentioned multiple times, but not like inappropriately. It’s just mentioned.
Over all, I LOVE THIS BOOK SOOOOO MUCH!!!! This is a must read, and I highly suggest it too teens! And I am totally buying the rest of the series!!!! “Ms. Annie, you are amazing!!!!! And I love your books!!!!!” -The Young Llama Reader.
Pros
So heartwarming!!!
A very good book for teens
Awesome!!!!!
Cons
Lots of mentions of slaves