Veles

Thank you to R & R Book Tours for providing me with a copy of Veles! I voluntarily leave this review.

Every decade a sacrifice is made to the God Veles, or as the elders like to call it, a gift. The last gifting year tore Mizuki’s family apart as her younger brother was selected. While she refuses to believe in the gifting, most of the village is terrified to give up the tradition. The elders have instilled in them a fear that the God Veles will punish them without sacrifice. When her best friend’s family is selected for gifting, she knows it will break them. But she’s older now, and willing to take risks to end this horrible tradition. Aiden and Mizuki dare to venture beyond their village, searching for answers and a way to save Aiden’s family from heartache.

While the politics of the village and the elders certainly can be deemed one of the key opposing forces against Mizuki and Aiden, the story also focuses on the land itself. As the two journey farther into the wilderness, they must face off against starving animals and declining weather. P.J. Marie weaves into the story the aftereffects of overburdening the land and its animals, by turning it against Mizuki and Aiden. It was refreshing to see characters struggle against more than just other humans. It solidified the ideas of what they were fighting for, even if at the time they didn’t realize how deep-rooted the problems were in their village.

Veles was a riveting and emotional tale. The way P.J. Marie dives into the thoughts and feelings of the characters is devastating. Mizuki remains the narrator for the majority of the tale, and everything she experiences is so completely described the reader feels it for themselves. Even as the narrative branches off later in the story and the perspective switches, the writing style remains steadfast at pulling every bit of emotion to the forefront. This tale will keep you engaged as the characters struggle to survive.

The abrupt change in perspective is a bit jarring though. There is a lot of information given upfront to the reader. It takes a little while for worldbuilding to reestablish the new narrative boundaries. There is also a heavy dose of news related tie-ins that give summaries of what is currently happening in the background of the story. This shift in the story also jumps to the past and explains how Mizuki and Aiden’s world became post-apocalyptic. But there was too much information. It detracted from Mizuki and Aiden’s story. The two characters were so well developed, and on a steady rise to their peak moments that would define their overall progress when it all shifted.

If you enjoy dystopian reads with a dose of mystery and apprehension give Veles a try. The characters are so well written. The story at times becomes complex and will twist in unexpected ways, keeping you guessing what will happen next.