Tuyo

By: Rachel Neumeier

Narrated by: Patrick McCaffrey

Raised a warrior in the harsh winter country, Ryo inGara has always been willing to die for his family and his tribe. When war erupts against the summer country, the prospect of death in battle seems imminent. But when his warleader leaves Ryo as a sacrifice—a tuyo—to die at the hands of their enemies, he faces a fate he never imagined.

Ryo's captor, a lord of the summer country, may be an enemy, but far worse enemies are moving, with the current war nothing but the opening moves in a hidden game Ryo barely glimpses—a game in which all his people may be merely pawns.

Suddenly, Ryo finds his convictions overturned, and his loyalties uncertain. Should he support the man who holds him prisoner, the only man who may be able to defeat their greater enemy? And even if he does, can he persuade his people to do the same?

©2020 Rachel Neumeier (P)2020 Rachel Neumeier

Brilliant and thought provoking

Totally engrossing story about a good person that encounters sorcerers with psychic powers. Many others have written stories from the perspective of the superhero or powerful magic wielder, but this book takes the perspective of regular people from very interesting feudal societies dealing with the problems. The challenge is much more mental and believable than your typical swords and sorcery tale.

Complex world and Engaging Characters

Excellent story and the characters really shine here. I love the unique world building where the world itself is split into very different seasons that support very different populations of people and yet our main characters find a way to bridge that gap.

The narrator isn't the very best, but he's certainly engaging enough and doesn't detract from the story. The cadence he choose to use for the Ugaro people was initially jarring to me, but settled after a while as I got used to it.

Fantastic worldbuilding, with new ideas

This is one of my favorite fantasy books because of the daring creativity of the world and the consistent believability of the so very different protagonists.
The narrator does a great job in getting the laconic (or wished-for laconic) voice of young Ryo who so very much wants to be unmoved by the world. it's a good choice to let his voice be so even, only to sometimes change when his composure is cracked - Roy's emotions are instead so clearly expressed in the beautiful poetic yet extremely precise, language Neumeier gives him.

Powerfully complex and interesting world

Loved the characters and richness of the cultures. I was rooting for Ryo immediately and Aras impressed from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down.

Bad narrator almost ruins book.

Interesting world building, Good plot kept me guessing but was not ridiculous or gamified. Narrator often sounds like he's reading a children's story. He is not good for for this book. Wish I could get my money back for the audiobook. The narrator was so bad I had to finish reading on Kindle.