The Rise of the Raidin

3.5 stars

I just want to thank the author for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and I want to thank Shannon for allowing me a spot on this tour.

The first thing I'm going to mention is the cover because that's what initially drew me to the book. I then read the synopsis and was instantly intrigued. Jen is a senior in high school. She is also what is known as a human born and she has powers, and she has 6 guardians known as Zaheri which she has been working with for over a year when the book starts. I feel like we were thrown into this story with not enough backstory. I would have liked to have gotten a little bit of her training and her actually meeting her Zaheri and learning about her powers.

The beginning of the book was a little bit slow and hard for me to really get into but once the action started happening, I was pulled in. There were times where I felt like what was happening in the book didn't make sense. What I mean by that is when they are first attacked, they have a bit of a reprieve, but during that reprieve they were worried about taking showers and changing clothes or just sitting around talking. I don't know I just feel like their priorities weren't straight.

Jen is definitely a strong protagonist, but she also came off whiny at times which bugged me. I loved all of the Zaheri, but I will say I had a hard time keeping up with who is who. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but the execution could have used a little bit of work. I could see myself reading the next book in the series to see where these characters go next.