Kaji Warriors: Shifting Strength is a science
fiction/fantasy novel by Kelly A. Nix. Kaji Warriors is the first book that I
have read by Kelly A. Nix and when I first read the blurb I was excited and
eager to dive into this book. I am an avid reader of science fiction novels and
the picture that the author paints piqued my interest. A young girl, raised by
her father, determined to be strong and prove herself. Then the author teases
that Atae has a secret that she is trying to keep hidden so you can guess that
I was eager to discover this secret and understand better what it all could
possibly mean. So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book.
When I first started this book, I’m not going to sugar coat
it…I was disappointed. The prologue doesn’t pull me into the story. It piques
my interest, but it also struggles at the same time. It gives me two characters
– one who is unknown and remains so, and the other who is disclosed later in
the prologue. I was like…okay, the prologue is a bit muddy, but the first
chapter will make up for that. Once again, I was disappointed. It seemed like
the author struggled a bit with getting the story going because it took me a
few chapters to get into the book. I honestly began to worry that I’d not like
the storyline after such a promising blurb. I kept thinking…maybe the author
should have written this book in a different “person” instead of 3rd
so that I could get into it better. I decided to keep pushing forward in the
hopes that the book would start gaining traction and I am glad that I didn’t
give up.
This book, after a few chapters, does get interesting. When
it gets interesting the story really takes off and I can very easily tell that
the author has found her stride and that she’s off to the races. Atae is an
interesting character, but she is flawed. As she is the main character of the
story I find myself contemplating her quite often. She has been raised and
trained that Kaji are strong. Strength comes from more than just physical
strength, so I find myself at times getting annoyed with her when I find her
lacking in certain areas. Apparently paying attention is an issue for her.
There are certain scenes and situations that she finds herself in that I felt
that if she had paid attention she could have avoided those particular
embarrassing moments. I say this because you can tell by her father’s reactions
at times that he’s disappointed in her lack of knowledge which leads me to
believe he taught/told her at one time, but she failed to pay attention/grasp
the information so it was…unfortunately…lost. Another thing I found myself
being annoyed with her about is her own arrogance. Yes, she has her moments of
humility and shame, but just like her Prince she has her moments of arrogance,
and the moments are highly unwarranted. She praises herself when it wasn’t
really HER who overcame or accomplished.
While this story has a variety of alien creatures, the main focus
is the Kaji – purebreds and hybrids. I really like her packmate, Jeqi. You’ll
rarely find Jeqi slipping in the observation department and, of course, this is
reflected in the story as at the Academy Jeqi is the top of her class. There is
a variety of characters in this book, but the author never gets distracted by
focusing too much on the ones who aren’t connected to the main character, Atae.
Of course, since she has classmates we see them sprinkled throughout in what I
feel is an appropriate amount.
This book focuses on two major events – the Tournament and
then the Gridiron. Atae is eager to enter the Gridiron, but she has to succeed at
the Tournament first. The Tournament is a thrilling part of the storyline and I
love that it is broken up into parts and that it doesn’t all happen at once. It
definitely has a Hunger Games theme and thrill to it which keeps you on the
edge of your seat. There were moments of where I wondered who the author was
going to work things. Where the characters going to come out on top every time?
Or would they have to grit their teeth and really work hard for their victories?
Well, all I’ll say is this…I was not disappointed. Now! This book DOES end on a
bit of a cliffhanger. Not a major one, but I feel that it is a cliffhanger
nonetheless. The reason why I say this is because of the set-up concerning the
Gridiron. We get the Tournament in this book, but not the Gridiron, so that
leads me to believe another book is coming.
I am deciding to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. While the
beginning of this book was sluggish and a struggle to get through, once the
book gains traction it is hard to put down and I devoured it like it was a
tasty treat. I loved the blending of the characters and even the hints of a
romance that may not be allowed to continue. I am eagerly anticipating the next
book in this series and I truly hope that I won’t have to wait too long. This
author has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see where she takes these
characters next.
