Saving Sol'kyr

by Jennifer Amriss

[chymerra]

Jennifer Amriss is one of my favorite fantasy writers.She has gotten me hooked on her Kings of Kal’Brath series. So, when I had the opportunity to review Saving Sol’kyr, I jumped on it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Saving Sol’kyr takes place in the middle of Race Against the Dark when Haylie/Ka’lei goes into a coma. This is stated in the forward at the beginning of the book. This book can be read alone but I would suggest reading Race Against the Dark first. Only because some of the chapters can be confusing if you haven’t read the series before.

What I didn’t realize in Race Against the Dark was that Sol’kyr was so damaged. I thought he was a little aloof. So I wasn’t ready for the PTSD diagnosis that Morough gave him. When it was revealed that Sol’kyr was a child assassin and abused by his parents, I wanted to cry. But it did explain a lot that I didn’t understand in the first book (if that makes sense).

Seeing Punkin in the state that she was in triggered his PTSD. Sol’kyr blamed himself for not going back to rescue Punkin and he blamed himself for her being near death. As Morough tried to explain to Sol’kyr, it wasn’t his fault. He did not have the resources to go and rescue Punkin. Again, I was near tears because I agreed with Morough about that.

I loved, loved, loved that cats were used as therapy animals in this book. I didn’t even think about them in that sense. Emotional support animals, yes. But trained therapy animals, no. The effect that Punkin and Fable had on Sol’kyr was immediate. He smiled, something that Morough mentioned that he didn’t do unless he was trying to charm the ladies. He was also more at ease. He lost that haunted look that he had. I wanted to cry when I was reading those scenes because, well, I know what it’s like to live with PTSD.

The end of the book was great. Now, I said I wanted to cry during certain scenes with Morough and Sol’kyr. I did cry when Iliastaire, Morough’s father, told Sol’kyr that he tried to get him out of the hell hole that he grew up in. That Sol’kyr was the son of his heart. Talk about waterworks. Other than that, I can’t really go into the end of the book (Booo, I know). But I will say that it does tie directly into certain events in Race Against the Dark.

Also, all proceeds from this book are going to help a cat in need. So, go buy it and help a cat out!!!

My Summary of Saving Sol’kyr: 4 stars

Saving Sol’kyr was a great read. I enjoyed reading about Morough, Sol’kyr, Velicor, and Lin’ra’s mission to go find Punkin. It ended up turning into a rescue mission for Punkin and a mission to try to heal Sol’kyr. Like I said above, though, I would highly suggest reading Race Against the Dark before reading this book. There are references and chapters that will confuse you if you don’t.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: No sex or violence. There is a disturbing scene where Punkin is found severely malnourished and dehydrated.

I would like to thank Jennifer Amriss and Magelight Press for allowing me to review Saving Sol’kyr.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**