Taming of the Few (Guardians of the PHAE Book 1) by Rowan Dillon – Review by Christen Ware

Taming of the Few by Christy Nicholas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A multiple POV read leads you through the lives of numerous characters, each with their own prejudice and opinions about what the world is. Each marked with an ability that some view as a gift and others a curse, the reader is led through multiple tiers of struggle, betrayal, romance, sense of duty, and longing for acceptance. The journey for each began in a part of the world where their “kind” is far from accepted. With abilities that must be hidden or face extreme prejudice and belittling circumstances, the reader is taken along the journey of found family and development of powers to quite literally, save the world they know.

The author draws deep both historical and religious contexts to portray a story that truly draws out the horrors of what human beings are capable of. The blanket of fantasy adds a foggy glass through which the reader is able to view the world, but the pinpricks of realism draw all the nearer with each new revelation. A captivating read deems you into a hold that the pages fly by, and the world comes alive around you.

All the characters, despite their numerous backgrounds and stories, all merge together in a singular plot for their survival against genocide. A reader can do little more than root for each new POV that is splayed across the pages, their emotions sometimes in stark contrast to one another. It is oftentimes that I found myself loving one character through a viewpoint, and then hating them upon a switch. It just proves the talent that the author portrays.

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