Book Review: Sacrificed by Emily Wibberley

Synopsis:

Knowing the future can save her city – but not her heart.

Born to serve the merciless Oracle, Clio wants nothing more than to break free. But when her entire family is murdered by Mannix, the king's adviser, Clio inherits the Oracle’s power, a power she never wanted and doesn't understand.

Hunted by Mannix, Clio is forced to flee her home in Sheehan and seek refuge in a foreign city where oracles are forbidden. If she's found out, she will be sacrificed atop its great pyramid.

Clio has no choice but to win the trust of Riece, an enemy warrior. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Clio knows that if he finds out who she really is, he won't hesitate to execute her.

Clio tries to hide her budding powers, but the Visions she keeps having of Mannix and his barbarian army slaughtering her people torture her conscience. She alone has the strength and foresight to stop him, but only if she can embrace her destiny and sacrifice everything.

This is going to be a quick review because I read it over three months ago (during my blah blogging phase) and therefore don’t remember many of the details, though I remember really liking the book.

So Clio is the daughter of an Oracle; in the first few chapters, Clio’s entire family is slaughtered by the king’s advisor one city away. Clio, who never wanted to be an Oracle, suddenly has all the powers that come with the job. When she purposefully gets herself captured as a slave, she puts into motion a plan that she feels is blessed by the Deities, one that will allow her to exact justice on her family’s murderer. With the help of an enemy warrior, her plan may just come to fruition before she herself is killed.

There’s a ton to like here; the setting is atmospheric, with dark characters aplenty giving our heroes their fair share of obstacles. The romance may have begun a bit predictably, but it grew on me as it went along. There is a bit of an unlikable love triangle, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The plot was far more important than the triangle, which I was greatly thankful for. Riece is a likeable hero, who assists Clio, but doesn’t have to rescue her or do all the work. They work well as a team, and they grow to like each other, despite negative first impressions. There’s lots of action, what with Riece and Clio pretty much taking on the world, plus, Clio’s constant visions create an interesting level of tension as to what may or may not happen in the future.

All in all, Sacrificed is an entertaining, quick read, especially if you’re a fan of books like An Ember in the Ashes.