This novel is one of the best I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

The world was beautiful, complex, and obviously created by a very skilled mind. The mainly female-led cast felt hollow and like a stretch for the author, as if they were afraid to show emotion or didn't know how to portray the female mind. Could be. I wanted more from them, more depth, more longing, more anger, more love. Give me more!

I really enjoyed this story. I know other reviewers were bothered by the violence, but I've always preferred grimdark so it didn't bother me. At times it felt like the author was pushing a progressive agenda a little too hard, but I was able to look past it most of the time and just have fun reading the story. I felt the characters were unique, entertaining, and engaging which is always important. And although it took a while for the story to unfold, I felt it was worth the effort. I intend to read the next novel in the series to see where it goes.

A good premise and a solid story, with interesting characters and world-building. The writing style is a bit dry, but I powered through it and ended up enjoying the book.

I confess to a liking for books of this type and don't tend to read them looking for deep meaning and allegories.

Yes the book took a little while to really get started and the different chapters jumping through the main characters was at times frustrating as more of a particular storyline at that point would have been good.

It was also apparent by about halfway through that this was going to be the first part of a sequence of books as it seemed very unlikely that this saga would be brought to a conclusion before this book ended.

Would I read the next book in the series? Yes as I'd like to see how the characters develop. Would I have this on my Must Buy list, Possibly not but I'd happily read and review the next chapter.

DNF at 45%. This wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything special. It seems to be sort of an attack on socialism/communism within a fantasy world. The nation of Crache has eliminated the ruling class and replaced it with a governing council of people who provide useful services to the nation. Everyone is supposed to get an equal share, but of course as people have come to power they have solidified their hold. They have been expanding the country and spinning the story of what is happening as a reaction to their neighbor's aggression. The Savage Legion that lends it name to the book is an army of cast offs and unwanteds, and also inconvenient people the government wants disappeared. The story follows a few characters who are involved in uncovering this program by the government to round up the poor and send them to this Savage Legion.
It was fairly standard, but I was put off by the constant "Look, it's a transgender character who is awesome but people hate them because they aren't binary, nyah" It felt less natural and more of a gimmick to make sure the book got published. I made it as far as I could but after the umpteenth encounter where the fantasy cops harassed the transgender character I was done. You can find more interesting political fantasy intrigue other places.

This story is tight! With a vast array of unique characters and fun storytelling I had a hard time putting this one down. Intrigue and corruption play hand hand with one another to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I loved how Wallace's world takes a tired and overused political background and took the initiative to make it a more intimate story by focusing on the characters. 

Writing politics is a tricky and complex feat. I would argue that this is Wallace's strongest point in the debut of his trilogy. With fast paced shifting between characters and well adapted delving into their own experiences I can say this is one polished book. 

My only complaint lies in the fact that there are some messages in the story that are irrelevant and annoyingly out of place. To have issues or parts of a character's background mentioned over and over again without any context or extrapolation is simply pushing an agenda and detracts from the story. These issues were only minor but still distracted me from properly respecting the setup of part of Wallace's world.

An interesting premise, but I simply could not stay engaged in the prose. It felt dry and times, and encounters forced. I enjoyed characters on a surface level, but did not feel encouraged enough by the story itself to continue reading. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance with this books.

Mar 15
4/10  Stars

Adult Content: gory war scenes, violence, swearing, graphic descriptive images. 

I don’t know if this book is getting marketed as young adult fiction, but if it is I would not let my young adult read it. 

savage legion pic.jpg
I was given an advanced readers’ copy from Netgalley to share my honest opinion about this book. This book is scheduled to be published in July 2020. 

  This book is about a girl named Evie living in a dystopian society. She is enlisted into the Savage Legion army as a spy. Her mission is to find a missing man, who happens to be her childhood sweetheart. 

  

The supporting characters play a big part in showing how this society works, and how it is not sustainable.  We meet Lexie whose husband has been missing, and learn how she has to navigate the treacherous political realm.  We meet Dyeawan who is an outcast, because she was a cripple from birth. She is brought to a mysterious place, with an even stranger mentor.  Among all these characters the main question becomes who will survive and who will rebel?

  

This book was terrible.  I had a hard time connecting with the main character Evie. The politics of the world were very unclear.  Most of this book contained a lot of graphic war scenes and death.  When I say graphic, when death occurs in book, very little is left to the imagination. The author actually describes blood squirting out of a vein, as a character bleeds to death.  

  

The characters felt very flat. There didn’t seem to be a lot of character growth. Evie seemed impersonal and fake.  It took a while for the story to actually get going.  

  

I did enjoy reading about the other characters, Lexie and Dyeawan.  I finished the book because I wanted to find out what happened to them.  The plot was alright, but fairly predictable for a dystopian novel. 

  

Another complaint I have is how unusual the names are.  Some of the names are pretty easy to remember and pronounce, but most of the characters’ names I had difficulty remembering.   Also, all the other warriors that Evie interact with seemed insignificant to the story, and just weighed the plot down. 

  

At the end of the book, I think I only really liked one character. There was a lot of graphic deaths in this book, and at times it seemed like all the book talked about was one character killing another. I do understand it is a war novel so killing is expected.  When killings occurred it seemed cumbersome and graphically violent. 

  

For these reasons I give it 4/10 stars. This book was a savage flop, and I will not be recommending this book to my friends. 

see full review @ thebookstopshere.com

Wow - Matt Wallace's first venture into epic fantasy is a tour de force, bringing together visceral combat, appeals to higher understanding and emotional attachment with the flair we've begun to expect from his Sin du Jour series.  Weaving together a story from the viewpoints of three different characters, he's created a world that teems with potential; whether for collapse or stability, it depends on who you cheer for.  Wallace's background in combat shines in this novel, the action feeling brutal, passionate, and realistic and leaving you with the impression that he's recording, rather than creating the scene.  He slowly lowers the reader into the world, allowing you to glean bits and pieces of the creation and operation of the civilizations of his world, before asking you to decide what is more important - stability or freedom.  Finally. his characters feel real - their desires and emotions carry their actions forward, as each's decisions drive their growth and push the plot towards an inevitable climax.  I've read all the Sin du Jour books, and plan on eagerly following the Savage Rebellion series.

Savage Legion by Matt Wallace, a good premise that just lacked the ability hold me in thrall. I think it does have potential and that others will enjoy it, simply wasn't for me. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

With exciting prose and sympathetic characters, Savage Legion follows a group of misfits called Savages, trained to fight and die for the empire. When one Savage decides to fight against her captors, the empire will tremble. This is a great novel for fans of high fantasy!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I'm sorry I couldn't make it through this. I found the prose to be extremely dry and mechanical and lacking an approachable voice. Couple that with the inexplicable use of present tense, and the whole thing reads like a 500+ page movie treatment. Sorry.