Rating: 3⭐️
A first book by this author, I thought Leahy did a good job with many aspects of the story and world building.
The plot of a escaped woman soldier ending up on a planet where there’s several other cultures at war , including one that has and continues to systematically obliterate one of planet’s “animals “, the Tigras. Different planetary cultures she comes into contact with approximate earth religions with zealotry and magical rituals associated with them.
Leahy does a excellent job layering each city/tribe with their own individuality, and even with an abundance of characters, it’s not hard to separate out each smaller personality in the supporting role from another one from a different culture.
The battle scenes, the weapons, all well defined and varied. Same for the ship Jeena Garza arrives on.
If you are hearing a “but” here, you are correct.
My main concern or issues are with the two or perhaps, one character here.
🚩Trigger warnings for torture, multiple S.A., child death, which occurs during Jeena Garza’s capture and long imprisonment by the enemy during the prologue.
Jeena has undergone unbearable torture, physically traumatic and emotionally devastating experiences. Ones that are so severe, so damaging that those who have suffered from them along side her didn’t survive. Yet, upon escaping, she’s able to accept touch and have sexual relations months later. She was “hurt, went a little mad “. But she’s fine now.
Absolutely not believable. And establishing the sort of behavior that seems to disavow what happened to Jeena in the prison does an incredible disrespect to the reality of survivors of SA no matter that she’s a fictional character.
Past that, the relationship between Sampson the Tigra and Jeena also felt equally rushed and not well defined. He’s actually absent for a period of time during the story, which leaves a development “hole” for the relationship and plot lines. They are friends until suddenly they aren’t.
Everything works here but the characters themselves. They need better definition and layering.
There’s 2 more books to the series. Read this and those stories if you find it interesting.
Tigra (3 book series)
Tigra #1
Tigra II: The Sins of Rothra Orr
TIGRA III: The Light of God
Buy link
Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comTigra – Leahy, R.J.: Kindle Store
Blurb
Elite soldier Jeena Garza crash-lands on the desert world of Ararat, desperate to escape the trauma of war and her recent imprisonment. She wants solitude. A place to disappear. To forget and to be forgotten.
Instead, she finds Samson — a tiger-like beast feared for its ferocity. But Samson is different. Gentle. Intelligent. Maybe more than just an animal.
As ancient prophecies stir and buried secrets rise, Jeena is thrust into a battle for a world she doesn’t understand — and a destiny she never asked for. To save him, she’ll raise a forgotten people, topple an empire, and awaken something lost for eons.
She was forged as a weapon
He was born a beast.
Together they will change a world and challenge man’s place in the galaxy.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 