The Watchers is a strong start for what will likely become a successful young adult series. The book encourages the reader to keep reading, which is the first rule for good fiction. This reviewer fell in love with Alesea, a heroine who harbors the strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts of any truly compelling character. Sixteen years old but smaller than some eleven-year-olds, Alesea is a musician. She entrances audiences, a talent many performers in our own world covet.
Redolent with echoes of sci-fi and magic, the Island Village of Akila is a place of incredible beauty and peace, but the world in which it exists is not. Invaders from larger and more violent Mata kidnap the entire village. The Mata Watchers even kill, which is abhorred by the pacifist Akila villagers.
The races which inhabit this special world are Watchers, Listeners, Doubles, and one more: Knowers. A nearly extinct race who can influence if not control minds, Knowers are feared, hated, and killed. Alesea does not suspect she might be an emerging Knower until she uses only her mind to prevent a Mata Watcher from executing her while the entire population of Akila is led away to the tall ships to become slaves.
The first living person Alesea finds in her deserted island village is Roni, a Mata Watcher who had spent time in Akila and had become friends with Alesea’s brothers. When she finds him lying on the ground, she considers him a traitor and kicks him, but then discovers that he is badly injured. The Mata Watchers, his own people, have attempted to murder him.
Alesea nurses Roni back to health and then initiates a quest of monumental dimensions. She must rescue her family and conceal her identity as a Knower. Most important is that Alesea must help those around her. Her mother once said, “We must help those who need us, no matter what. If not, our souls will grow tinier than even an ant’s.”
Ms. Sisk-Purvis’s ability to use settings as compelling as characters is remarkable. This complex story commands readers’ attention and compels them to continue reading. The Watchers will appeal to Young Adults and perceptive older adults with a desire for an intriguing read—the metaphorical levels in the book are ineffable.
This book has hooked me. I look forward to subsequent volumes and congratulate Ms. Sisk-Purvis.
CSM
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Top reviews from other countries
CSM
An excellent book for Young Adults and perceptive older adults.
Reviewed in the United States on 10 January 2023Verified Purchase
Joseph D. Purvis
A great read! Lots of complex characters
Reviewed in the United States on 8 February 2023Verified Purchase
