Daughter of the West: Avatar by Lizabeth Johnson

Daughter of the West: Avatar by Lizabeth Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 I have never really been a fantasy reader. I read some of Patricia Wrede’s books as a kid, particularly the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. But then I attempted to read some YA and adult fantasy, but it just wasn’t the same. I tried reading the Hobbit, but it just wasn’t for me. My then friend, and now husband, Jared, tried to get me to read the Wheel of Time series, but I couldn’t get into that either. The descriptions were too long, the names too difficult to pronounce in my head, the history too complicated, and I generally didn’t relate with the main characters. The storyline is overwhelmed by the many facts that you must know in order to comprehend what’s happening. I concluded that fantasy as a genre just wasn’t for me. I’d stick to my thrillers and occasional chick-lit, thanks.

Well, I ended up reading Daughter of the West: Avatar by Liz Johnson. (Full disclosure, Liz is my aunt!) I read it because I wanted to be supportive of her work, but I was surprised to find I genuinely enjoyed reading it (Aunt Betsy, I hope that doesn’t offend you- I knew you were a great writer but I didn’t know if I would relate to the content)! It’s enjoyable and detailed, but not so much so that the story drags. The names are not common, but easy enough to pronounce. The history is explained some at the beginning, then weaved throughout the story, so I didn’t feel the need to flip back and try to remember who is who and where is what and why. In short, it’s simplistic but never, ever dull or basic. 

Constance, also known as Stanzi, is our main character. At the beginning of Avatar, the first book in a series of 4, she is 13 years old and has been promised to marry a Debenese nobleman, the lord of Kobershaun. Stanzi’s people are from the Eumhal in the West Country, from the Cimbria lineage, but they have been conquered by the Debenese. (See, easy to follow.) Stanzi’s cruel mother, Princess Caroline, is actually a Debenese princess, and her deceased father of Cimbric noble heritage. All of Stanzi’s brothers have been conscripted to fight the Debenese war, the only survivor being Anslem. Stanzi’s Grandmer, her paternal grandmother, has raised Stanzi in the wake of her father’s death and her mother’s abandonment. 

Weeks after her brother Anslem leaves to fight in the war, Stanzi and her grandmer receive a letter. 

“You can expect the arrival of your daughter-in-law, Princess Caroline, in the spring, as she has been instructed to fetch her daughter Constance to the king’s court. Constance is to be given in marriage to the lord of Kobershaun.”

Yes, Stanzi is only thirteen. 

Desperate to seek a way out of the marriage, Stanzi prays to the goddess Rigatona for deliverance. Rigatona appears to Stanzi later, promising her escape from the marriage in return for fulfilling the goddess’s request. 

‘The goddess smiled.  “It is simple.  I need you to be my avatar.  I need you to do my will in the world.  And that is to seek out and protect the descendant of the last high king of the West Country, for a time is coming when the land will need her king.  But to do that, you must become a warrior.  You must learn the way of the sword.  That is the first thing you must do.”’

Constance runs away from home, aided by both the goddess Rigatona and her friend Roric. Stanzi’s dangerous journey through this book takes us until she is 16, and in that time, we learn about sword fighting, alliances and enemies of her home kingdom, and what exactly her vague quest turns into. Stanzi must learn who she needs to protect (who is the heir?) and lessons about finding allies- and enemies- in uncommon places.

This book was decently paced. I was a bit staggered to find out that it was over 10000 pages long on my larger-text kindle format, but it wasn’t hard to persevere once I was entrenched in the story. Stanzi and her companions are compelling, easy to empathize with, characters. I loved that it was written in first person, since we constantly see Stanzi’s view of what is occurring, and it made me feel like I was in the novel, side by side with Stanzi (something I feel a lot of novels of this type are missing). She makes a lot of bold, daring, rebellious choices that make her a fun character to “be” with, doing things girls in her country wouldn’t even dream of, which made her all the more fun. Her age didn’t turn me off at all, because we can all imagine ourselves in her shoes. Feminism is important, but not so much so that it’s the whole story- it’s a theme, but the greater story is of Stanzi’s quest and friendships. My husband read it and also enjoyed it. 

The best part is if you’ve enjoyed it, there are three sequels after that to love! All of these books are available through Amazon (free if you have Kindle Unlimited!) and Organic Books. If you can, please purchase through Organic Books to support small businesses! 

Also, that’s my aunt on the cover of her very own book, which is very kick-ass!