RI Author Month: Eko by Loren Walker

Welcome to the RI Author Month

Synopsis: "Midnight in Osha: an injured woman is left at the gates of a commune. Eighteen-year-old Sydel, an apprentice hungry to prove her worth, is certain that healing the blue-haired stranger will finally win the respect of her community. But tensions spike when two men appear in search of their sister: Phaira, the woman in the clinic. And when Sydel’s experimental medical treatments prove successful, instead of offering accolades, her elders make the sudden decision to banish her. 

Guilt-ridden, Phaira and her brothers, Renzo and Cohen, offer shelter to the bewildered girl, and take Sydel with them into the violent, industrial North. Then the reason behind the expulsion comes to light: Sydel is an Eko, a being that can read minds and accelerate healing. And when word of her talents goes public, Sydel becomes a valuable prize to possess, with the siblings as her only means of defense. 

Set in the world of Osha, where free communication cubes come from vending machines, and hair color is changed with a CHROMA headband, EKO mixes the fantastical with the complexities of family, and will appeal to fans of paranormal, fantasy and science fiction, comic books and anime, world-building, fast-paced action, and psychic phenomena."

My Review: I downloaded this one after discovering the author is local. Science fiction isn't really my thing, but this one is more like a futuristic fantasy. It took me a while to get into it, I really had trouble wrapping my head around the concept and for a vast majority of the book the characters are left in the dark, and you as the reader are also in the dark. It has a very interesting magic system that only starts to be discovered and laid out in this first book, but it is clear there is a lot more to come. You do start to grow attached to the characters, especially the sub-characters, Phaira and Theron are both fantastic and I look forward to reading more about them. The pacing and world building was a little rough but by the end of the book I am hooked and am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

My Rating: While it was a bit of a rocky start, part of that could just be me struggling with the sci-fi/ futuristic aspects of the book, I really have a hard time picturing some of those concepts.  Once I became attached to the characters, I really became invested in the story. I give it a rating of Three Paws.

You can find out more about Loren and her books on her Goodreads Page or Website.

You can also obtain your own copy of Eko (and the rest of the Nine series) in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Psst: Eko is currently available for free on Barnes & Noble for digital download, so give it a try!