I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Bond by Robin Kirk Series: The Bond Trilogy #1
Published by Goldenjay Books on December 3 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Science fiction
Pages: 313
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: A thrilling and thought provoking tale, The Bond had me riveted from start to finish.
I waited far too long to pick up The Bond, and I have to admit the upcoming release of the sequel, The Hive Queen, spurred me to finally read it. And wow, I was blown away by this story! Robin Kirk has written a searingly emotional tale set in a unique and unfamiliar world, exploring such themes as motherhood, coming-of-age, loyalty and what it means to be human.
The story takes place in a world called the Weave, where humans are created in labs by Sowers and are brought to term in Vessels. In the Weave, men are nearly obsolete because of their violent nature, and the women of the society are working on a plan called the Great Quest to obliterate those that remain. Dinitra is a student at the Collegium and is about to graduate, but graduation day is fraught with worry because the students will soon be receiving their future assignments based on how well they did in school. Dinitra’s worst fears are realized when she and several friends are assigned to the Legion, a militaristic group trained to protect the Weave against males. Dinitra is horrified when Kesh, the legionary who recruited her, assigns her to work with and train battle dogs—Dinitra was bitten by a dog as a child and is terrified of them.
She meets the kennel keeper Benit, who explains that she will be training a hyba cross named 12. 12 is a fearsome creature, an odd combination of dog, tiger and lynx, but Dinitra and 12 soon develop a bond and become fiercely protective of each other. When Kesh sends Dinitra and 12 on a mission with a woman named Trisk—to spy on a rebel Captain who is breeding sons for a battle against the Weave—Dinitra finds her world turned upside down when she learns that everything she believed about the Weave might be a lie. With 12 by her side, Dinitra must navigate an unfamiliar world and try to forge a future that makes sense.
I didn’t want to give too much of the story away, because a lot happens in The Bond, and it’s fun to experience all its unique elements yourself. This is a bleak world filled with battle dogs, rogue male Warriors and ships that can harness lethal energy to obliterate their enemies, but it has pockets of hopefulness scattered throughout the story, mostly due to the resilience and determination of Dinitra. Dinitra has lots of hurdles to overcome—her fear of dogs, leaving her home for the first time, and learning how to think differently about the world—but she seems to take everything in stride. Along the way she forms different kinds of bonds with those she meets, hence the title. Of course, my favorite bond in the story is the unshakable one that grows between Dinitra and 12!
I absolutely loved the world-building. The Bond is described as fantasy, but the world has elements of science fiction as well, which means the story will appeal to fans of both genres. Kirk has created an intricate world that feels both old and new. The Weave is a society of women who each have their own place and job to do. The Sowers create new babies by combining different genetic traits—beauty, intelligence, endurance, etc.—and fertilizing the egg with “male extract.” Vessels are women who carry the babies to term, and each new child has a “life fiber” inserted under the skin on the back of their necks, a chip which contains information on their genetic makeup. There are men in this world, but they live beyond the Weave and they are considered the enemy.
Kirk’s world is full of lots of unfamiliar terms that do take some getting used to, but I loved the fact that she never “tells,” but simply incorporates everything into the narrative. Words like scrags, drafts, hyba, docking and many more seem odd at first, but it didn’t take long for me to immerse myself in this strange world. And speaking of “drafts,” I absolutely loved these sad and misunderstood creatures who are the results of experiments where human, animal and plant DNA are combined in order to create creatures who make up the working class. Dinitra meets several drafts who become beloved friends, like Sil, who was bred to work in underwater mines and has a serpent-like appearance.The drafts were heartbreaking because many people see them as “mistakes” and not worthy of a decent life, but Dinitra is such a kindhearted girl, and she befriends and takes care of several drafts during the story.
But by far my favorite part of the story is the relationship between Dinitra and 12. You know me, I’m always on the hunt for a great dog companion story, and boy did this deliver! I adored 12, who is intimidating and is bred to kill, but at heart she’s just a puppy and comes to rely on Dinitra for everything. I loved the way Dinitra loves and defends 12, because there are some horrible characters in the story who want to kill her. I wish someone would do some 12 fan art because I’d love to see some visual interpretations of how she looks! She isn’t exactly a dog, but she does have dog DNA and many canine qualities, like the ability to be trained and loyalty towards her master. And although this is a brutal story in many ways, animal and dog lovers should rest assured that 12 survives to the end of the book.
Kirk gives us a teaser near the end that leads directly into the sequel, and the last chapters are a heady combination of thrilling danger, emotional heartbreak and a hopeful yet uncertain future, as Dinitra and her friends start a new adventure. I hope after reading this review you are tempted to try The Bond, because I think you’ll be hooked by Kirk’s fascinating world and compelling characters just like I was.
Big thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.
Puppy!
This book sounds super interesting, maybe too glum for me but I’ll remember it for when I want a doggo story
It’s a very good dog story, but yes, it’s a little on the glum side at times.
Yay for a 5 star read. I like dogs in stories too., and 12 does sound like an interesting “dog.” Good review.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Never Have I Ever, Writer Edition
12 was definitely the most unusual “dog” I’ve ever read about:-)
I’m so glad I already know 12 survives until the end because I was kinda worried about that. I’m already invested in her. But other than that this sounds like an amazing and unique book. The world sounds so intricate!
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It really is intricate and very well thought out.
With that kind of future folks would need some strong bonds to keep them working for something better. Really glad to see how much you enjoyed this one. Sounds like some great characters.
The characters were very well done, and most of them really grew on me:-)
This novel starts from a very intriguing premise, granted, but what won me over was your description of the relationship between Dinitra and 12: I would read the book for that alone… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE BOOK PREDICTIONS TAG
Yes, that relationship was very well done. I’ll admit I shed some tears over this story:-)
I love the sound of this one, Tammy. As ever you’ve written a wonderful review, and while the dog/owner relationship sounds lovely – it’s the world that has me fascinated! Thank you for sharing:)
It was a fascinating world! I recommend it:-)
Okay, I wasn’t sold until I read about 12. Yep,. that’s all it took. Great review though and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve actually not heard of this one before until I saw you look ahead at this week.
12 is super cool! I’m hoping this book gets more attention, it deserves it.
Excellent review! This sounds fantastic. I hadn’t heard of it so I’m thrilled to get your views.
It was such a wonderful surprise!
I was curious about this one but since you said 12 lived I am more apt to try it now…lol. 🙂
Yep, I would not lie to you about the dog living or dying…
Is this self-pub/small press? I don’t think the cover does it justice, I thought it was paranormal romance or urban fantasy. But it sounds way more interesting.
It’s a small press. I had never heard of it before, but wow was I surprised! I agree, that cover is actually very misleading in a way. I love the cover but I’m not sure it fits the story.
This sounds an interesting read, thanks for saying 12 lives because the first thing I do if there is an animal is check they make it to the end!
I’ve decided I always mention the outcome of the dog in my reviews, because I don’t know if I personally can bear to read a story where a dog dies.
This was such a compelling review! And now I need to meet 12!! I have to say that, from the plot and from your review, this books vibes are more sci-fi/dystopian than fantasy, but it seems a thrilling book! Thanks for sharing!
It definitely felt more sci-fi, but I can see the fantasy elements too:-)
Oh wow, this sounds like such an amazing read! I’m glad you loved it so much, Tammy! I hope you like the sequel just as much. 🙂
I’m hoping to start the sequel in the next couple of weeks. I can’t wait:-)
A story about a friendship between a dog-like creature and a human AND you gave it five stars?? I’m sold, I need to read it! 😀
(The cover is oddly misleading, it looks very UF!)
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Yes, I agree. The cover has an urban fantasy vibe and looks like a romance. Although there is a bit of romance in this book but it’s very small.
This sounds really good, I am trying not to start any more series (not trying as hard as I should probably) but I am very tempted with this one.
Lynn 😀
This sounds really interesting. The relationship between Dinitra and 12 sounds great. I’ve picked up the book and look forward to reading it.
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