Book Review: Son of Osivirius

Book review for Son of Osivirius, by Cathryn deVries.

Three words: giant flying cats.

A clean dystopian romantic science fantasy action adventure, Son of Osivirius shows the clash between control and harmony on a planet where continued "upward growth and prosperity" comes at the cost of balance with nature.

Visit the author's website: https://eclectaperennial.com/

What to do next:

• Read The Chronicles of Talahm starting with Book 1: Mark of Stars

Transcript

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Welcome to the Christian Readers Podcast, where you can escape into fiction without sacrificing your values. I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell, author of The Chronicles of Talam. Today is my review of Son of Osivarius by Catherine DeVries. It's a clean, dystopian, romantic science fantasy action adventure, which is a bit of a mouthful, but it accurately describes exactly what the story is. You'll hear from Catherine herself in a couple of weeks, since I sat down to interview her just this week about how God plays a part in her writing. For those wondering, science fantasy is science fiction with fantastical or magical elements. It's typically shelved with science fiction. And as Catherine pointed out when I talked to her, Star Wars and Dune are both science fantasy rather than strict sci-fi. But don't be surprised if you end up in an argument about it. So let me share the blurb for Son of Osiverius, and then I'll share my thoughts on the book. He wants to escape. She wants him dead, but the giant flying cats want something else entirely. Fledgling pilot Jaden is one of the first generation to be born on the newly colonized planet of Osivarius. Now he's determined to get his family out of Wormsville, the part of the colony where people are little more than numbers. So when Commander Tun offers a huge reward for finding the location of the rebel base, he jumps at the chance. Nettle hates everything to do with the colony, especially the military arm, and is fiercely protective of the simple, grounded ways of the rebels. So when she and her brother Flint discover Jaden after he crash lands, she is ready to slit his throat without a second thought. But as Flint nurses him back to health, Nettle's antipathy turns to empathy, and then an unwanted attraction. Jayden, meanwhile, has made secret plans to escape on Amasu, one of the giant flying cats the rebels ride, but though his blood family still need him, the lure of the valley might just prove stronger. In this award-winning, action-packed, and visionary novella, the mystical connection to nature of Avatar, the romantic tension of Outlander, the dystopian political struggle of the Hunger Games, and the character evolution of Ender's game All Meet. It's a perfect read for teens and adults who enjoy spiritual elements and clean enemies to lovers romance in a high-stakes, futuristic setting. Okay, I'm not gonna lie, the biggest things that captured my attention were the giant magic flying cats. Since I too write about giant magic flying cats, I fell in love at once. In fact, my favorite character in this novella is one of the giant magic flying cats named Shanna, not either of the main characters. Son of Osiverius is fast-paced, and Catherine did a really good job with world-building attention, both romantic and political, and the descriptions which brought the lush planet of Ossiverius to life within the pages. I found myself unable to put it down, especially once I reached the midpoint and it felt like the stakes skyrocketed. The novella is dual first-person POV, which I typically don't like, but I'm finding more and more authors executing that first-person POV much better than expected. I did have to make sure I checked whose POV each chapter was in, because there were some chapters where I started reading thinking it was Jaden rather than Nettle, and vice versa, but I don't know if that's because my brain just expects the same character when it's first person. In any case, I found it a delightful read that eased me into a new world without it being overwhelming. You can find multiple ways to buy Son of Osivarius on Catherine's website, which is linked in the description. If you are a Christian with a book recommendation, there is a link in the description to text me, and I would love to hear it. Thanks for listening to today's episode. If this resonated with you, please share it with your friends so they can find something new to read. God bless, and until next time, goodbye.