WRITER.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

160 pages

Graphic novel, Fantasy

Spoiler-Free section

Kaya is a story about two siblings, one of which was chosen to save the world. Jin was born to a king, while his half-sister Kaya was not. Jin is the one with the special destiny; Kaya is the one with the survival and battle skills.

The book opens with Jin being taught how to hunt and him failing miserably. Since Jin’s kingdom, Kahaka, fell to the Atrians, he is a prince without a crown, a pampered kid with terrible instincts. He tries to commune with the gods and believes he has magic that will let him defeat the robotic Atrians.

Kaya has a prosthetic arm that saved her life when she was younger. It is supposedly magic. That’s strange because Kaya doesn’t believe in magic despite the artifact literally being attached to her.

She promises her uncle Kova that she will look after Jin and ensure he fulfills the prophecy, despite the fact that she doesn’t believe in the prophecy. Also despite Jin being a spoiled brat who doesn’t appreciate her – at least at first!

The art of this book is very atmospheric and interesting. Jin especially looks not quite human. The bold colors and careful detail makes this book an attractive read.

Spoiler time!

After a few narrow escapes from various dangers, they are captured by Zothan, a prince of the Lizard-Riders. Kaya’s old friend Seth, another Lizard-Rider, saves them and reminds Zothan he is not king yet. Zothan turns out to be a coward. Kaya goes on a hunt with him and when she takes down the prey first, he practically begs her to let him have the glory, which she agrees to.

The way he bragged was ridiculous, claiming he killed it with a spear when it was clearly killed by an arrow. The story sets him up right away as a character you are meant to hate, but I am curious to see what happens with him and if he shows up in future volumes. After one last humiliation, he sheds his skin and takes on a new identity, forfeiting his right to the throne. This at least I can appreciate. I’m a sucker for redeemed villains.

Before his redemption, Seth, Zothan, Kaya and some others go to fight a Macron, since it has been murdering the livestock in Goro Bay. The Lizard-Riders used to raid that settlement, but are now seeking an alliance. I don’t know about you, but I would be very slow to trust former raiders with the safety of my home. My best guess is that they had no choice because of the Macron, which is this spider-like creature with two heads.

Jin has to learn some hard truths as he is trying to survive among the Lizard-Riders. He is very attached to some scrolls that are the last surviving ones of Kahaka, but he is so hungry that he trades them for food. The Lizard-Rider he trades with uses the scrolls for kindling. I was horrified. (No surprise there.) I’m against burning books of almost any kind – perhaps with a few exceptions for outdated technology books, old instruction manuals, or books that are already severely stained or damaged. It’s tragic that a part of Kahaka’s history literally went up in smoke.

Kaya is injured in the fight with the Macron, and Jin believes his magic saved her life. Jin runs off when Kaya claims magic is not real. This doesn’t make much sense because of the magic arm, but hey, okay. Perhaps that will be explained later.

Seth clearly harbors romantic feelings toward Kaya, but he is betrothed to someone from Goro Bay. Jin insists Seth tell Kaya about the arranged marriage, but he waits a long time to do so. I was so glad when he broke off his engagement, unwilling to be an “obedient,” unadventurous husband. It reminded me of how women used to be expected to be submissive and docile. His fiancée never has been past the walls of her kingdom and has no interest in exploring or broadening her horizons. I was relieved when Seth changed his mind and decided to be with Kaya instead.

The book ends with Jin being captured. That seems to happen a lot. He simply isn’t that formidable. I like him more as a character as the book goes on, but he has almost no fighting or survival skills.

I must say, I think I am invested enough to read the next volume. If you like bold and engaging art, strong worldbuilding, and suspense, I strongly recommend this book.