The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

**Originally posted at GraveTells – a book blog no longer active.**

**I received this book for free in return for an honest review**

MY THOUGHTS

This is a young adult story, and the age of the main character, Raeth, is said to be twelve, but damn if this isn’t a bit dark. The pain and hopelessness from the torture scenes, not to mention the state of society is just dark and depressing. If it weren’t for the age of Raeth and the fact that the violence isn’t as graphic as it could be, I’d wonder if this really should be young adult.

I was intrigued with the world as two races are named and war is referenced, with a powerful “gift” among one of them, but we never get any solid confirmation on the “why” for the primary conflict and we don’t get much explanation on the races or the desert beasts that are mentioned occasionally. I would’ve liked to learn more.

The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of romance. There’s no potential love interest for anyone, unless you count the princess who is a secondary character, and even then it’s unlikely. The story in its entirety felt almost like a segment taken from a much longer book and put out on its own. Overall it just seemed too short and incomplete and left me feeling more confused than entertained.

Weighted is a short fantasy story that piques your interest, but ends before fulfilling its potential. If you want a quick introduction to a bleak high fantasy world, you might enjoy this one, but I say eh, whatever.