Welcome to Litsy!

Years after his family is split up, Jun decides to take control of his destiny & fight in the competition to be the next Guardian. The stakes of the fights turns out to be more dire when a war mongering general wants to take control.

Intense! A little info dump heavy at times, a lot of violence, & an unresolved ending, but also an intriguing examination of propaganda, the monetization of violence, w/ really interesting characters!🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Separated from his mother and twin brother in childhood, Li Jun and his father are exiled from a land where martial arts are restricted to a land filled with schools who hope to win glory by training the Guardian of the Scroll, the best martial artist in the country. Jun defies his father to compete and finds himself entangled in power struggles beyond his imagining. This is a good if unevenly paced start to a new series. Hits shelves Jan 2025.

In the beginning Jun is impulsive and selfish. We watch as he gains maturity.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the tournament. This book doesn't shy away from violence and death. Some of the scenes are pretty graphic. I found the first few chapters a little slow, but the action soon picked up. I thought the breathmarked was a very interesting and creative idea. It will be interesting to see where the 2nd book goes.