Book Tour Stop and Review: Nia by Mella Reese
Here is a summary for Nia: Suddenly this kneeling, filthy man caused all of my attention to pivot upon him when he grabbed my hand. I was just opening my mouth to warn him that he would surely be killed...no one was allowed to touch me, Princess Nia, without permission. My protesting words were replaced with a swift intake of breath as the soldier produced a strange-looking dagger and drug it lightly over my finger. I stared in wonderment as he gently squeezed my fingertip to produce just one red ball of blood, my blood. Then the man kneeling before me swiped the blood from my finger with his own and plunged it into his mouth. "Your blood is now my blood. Your world is now my world. Your life is now my life," were the words he chanted...
My review: First I will tell you, Nia is an old fashioned fairy tale/fantasy featuring a young woman who is refreshingly strong minded and sports an attitude decades ahead of others her age. Nia is a princess, 16, and the last surviving child of King Cadell of Brychan. Her father believes his heir should be male so Nia is raised to share his belief. As a reader I felt her behavior told me the opposite--the princess may think her father is right, but her body language didn't support her thinking. Nia, like her deceased mother, is also a healer and has a group of village women she teaches the healing arts to. The story begins with a young man taking her hand in an act which surely would get him killed by guards, except no sword is raised. This man performs a quick and quizzical ritual before standing. The King informs his daughter he has accepted "a gift" and now she has a personal guard, Garreth, who has sworn to protect her life with his own. But Nia doesn't want someone following her around all the time. Or does she? At least one person seems to like a guard protecting Nia and he is Andras, her fiancee.
Nia, 224 pages, is published by Black Rose Writing and is available now in both paperback and eBook editions (for the Kindle only right now) at Amazon or Barnes and Noble (paperback).
My review: First I will tell you, Nia is an old fashioned fairy tale/fantasy featuring a young woman who is refreshingly strong minded and sports an attitude decades ahead of others her age. Nia is a princess, 16, and the last surviving child of King Cadell of Brychan. Her father believes his heir should be male so Nia is raised to share his belief. As a reader I felt her behavior told me the opposite--the princess may think her father is right, but her body language didn't support her thinking. Nia, like her deceased mother, is also a healer and has a group of village women she teaches the healing arts to. The story begins with a young man taking her hand in an act which surely would get him killed by guards, except no sword is raised. This man performs a quick and quizzical ritual before standing. The King informs his daughter he has accepted "a gift" and now she has a personal guard, Garreth, who has sworn to protect her life with his own. But Nia doesn't want someone following her around all the time. Or does she? At least one person seems to like a guard protecting Nia and he is Andras, her fiancee.
Over time the princess accepts Garreth being in such close proximity to her. When an evil cousin comes to visit life for Nia begins to change and some do not want her to become Queen. Will she survive in a dangerous male run society?
As I said, Nia is an old fashioned novel of friendship, loyalty, trust, and the value of believing in one's own worth. As Nia begins to grow comfortable with herself and not doubt herself so much, she is also able to become friends with Garreth and understand the customs and beliefs he has from his own land. When danger arises, he is there for Nia. I liked the story and was happy to find out Mella Reese will continue Nia's tale with two more books. I also found it refreshing to not see romance overpower a YA story. There are undertones of romance but this story is about growth and confidence. We get a thorough understanding of who Nia really is and how others around her view her worth, especially Garreth. Her compassion for others and her dislike of war made her such an endearing character and someone I could truly root for. If you enjoy fantasy tales featuring strong and uniquely thinking young princesses, Nia is the book for you.
Favorite excerpt: "Then Andras, Garreth and I entered the Council room. The meeting had already begun. No one acknowledged me. I guessed they hoped if I was ignored I would go away. On the massive table where the members sat I could see various maps and stacks of papers with confusing data. Even with Andras by my side and Garreth at my back a great feeling of helplessness descended upon me. I do not belong here! I will never be able to understand any of this!
I let go of Andras' hand, prepared to retreat when a single thought of my mother entered my mind. Her image grew and grew behind my eyes until I felt she was somehow, with me. Courage filled my breast as it had never done before. I felt strong. It became clear that the men before me were just men. They cannot hurt you, was the thought in my head. Did it come from myself or from my mother?
I reached for an empty chair, pulled it out and sat down. I was still ignored. It did not matter to me. In my rapidly beating heart rang a victory loud and true."
About the author: Mella Reese is a native Nevadan and proud survivor of Cushings Disease.
She attended Brigham Young University in Utah and Hawaii before completing her degree in Special Education at The University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ms. Reese lives in Southern Nevada with her husband, son and daughter. Nia is her first novel.
Please go to http://www.cushings-help.com/ for more information about Cushings Disease.
To purchase Nia, go here
Tommorrow's tour stop will be at Cheri Chesley's blog
The remainder of the Nia tour list can be found here
What a fun review! Thank you gals for giving "Nia" the "once-over" and for successfully catching the vision I had for this young princess. I loved that you added your favorite quote and mentioned that "Nia" is available on Amazon's Kindle--something I have forgotten to mention along this tour until now.
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