The Savior’s Champion: My Savior by Flora

The Savior’s Champion: My Savior by Flora - October 2020 Scholarship Essay

Throughout the drastically changing world of 2020, many things depress us and disappoint us. The Savior’s Champion by Jenna Moreci is not one of them in any way, this is why I have claimed it my favorite book that I have read this year. It’s setting is a well thought out world, the cast of characters is diverse, the dialogue creative, and the way it is written is exciting.
The story is set in a mystical world far different from our own, Thessen. This place holds both magic and science, healers and physicians, a world working with both myth and modern. Thessen is a land between our own and that of an ancient land like ancient Greece or Rome. Their ruler is not just a monarch, but a religious figure they are all to worship and thank for saving the fertility of the land. She is easily distinguished by her brightly glowing skin. They call her The Savior. Our story starts as she comes of age to marry, twenty years, and a tournament begins. Her age is more respectable for marriage than in many books, I love that. Twenty men enter to win her hand in marriage, fame, and money for their families. They must fight through an enchanted labyrinth and many trials to win, and the only one can. Nineteen other men won’t make it out alive.
Our main character Tobias does not love the savior, nor worship her for the human deity she is expected to be. He does not care about marrying her or gaining any fame. Tobias wants the money from the tournament to enrich the lives of his mother and sister. His twin sister was in the accident that killed his father and she was paralyzed from the waist down. When she can feel her legs it is shearing pain. His mother stays at home to take care of her. This left him to quit his aspirations of being an artist to work in the fields and bring home barely anything for his family. The sovereign tournament will change that, with that money, she may be able to really live again. Tobias is not a violent man but once he enters he has no chance to turn back and has to fight to survive.
Jenna Moreci writes in creative ways that awe me. She created a main character that is lovable, artistic, caring, yet still strong enough to stand a chance at living. He adds to the feminist theme in the broader book while still worrying about his own battles. Much of the criticism of this book that I have read has wondered how she created the inner thoughts of a male character so well. I agree that it is truly a wonder.
However, it is not just her main character that is magnificently written, the cast is amazing as well. She created a cast of characters of all different backgrounds. Many of the characters come from different places and are all of different races. The main character’s twin sister is paralyzed from the waist down, and a member of The Savior’s court is written as if she has autism or down syndrome. Sexuality is written as fluid and in this society being in the LGBT+ community seems to be widely accepted. I love this so deeply because this is the broad cast of characters the world needs to see.
The dialogue both portrays an older world with different norms from our own, but also a modern spunk that allows the reader to see some of the slang of their friends portrayed in literature. The language of many of the characters is harsh and explicit at times yet this is not a downside in an adult dark fantasy novel in my opinion.
As Tobias gets further and further into the tournament the story gets pulled into a whole slew of twists and turns. Every challenge is a new surprise. He falls in love with a woman in the tournament, but not the one he is supposed to love. This provides both romance and more tension because he is now risking his life and hers for them to be together. In the end, I was left in awe at the final few chapters and the final twist in the book was nothing I could have ever imagined. Yet it left me so happy I squealed out loud.
This book had everything that I wanted: tragedy, diversity, gore, feminism, romance, and excitement.