Kingmakers, a saga written by Sophie Lark, is the perfect mix of both thriller and romance, brought to life by the characters Anna Wilks and Leo Gallo.
Anna and Leo have been friends since childhood, due to their families being mafiosos in their respective regions. Upon their eighteenth birthday, they are sent to a classified school hardwired for training mafiosos, called Kingmakers. This school is defined by harsh discipline and a relentless work ethic, but each student attending has a drive unlike any average adolescent.
However, there is no guarantee of surviving school – there is always a possibility of death during the activities and hostility from competing students. Kingmakers follows Anna and Leo as they try to maintain their relationship, and perhaps more, while battling other students and surviving their cut-throat school.
This saga was a blend of thriller and romance like no other. While there were elements of a romantic relationship between characters, there was still a grander plot guiding the story and making it exciting for non-romance lovers. I enjoyed it greatly as the characters were very precise and disciplined, unlike unnecessarily flawed characters in other books whose authors so desperately try to make them relatable.
Another element I enjoyed was the exciting dangers that were consistently being thrown at all characters. There truly was no dull moment, and I feel as if the author was trying to display how the world keeps moving and does not stop for you; therefore, do not get caught up in your own life and forget what is around you.
While I truly enjoyed this book, some parts seemed rather unnecessary. Between mafia families, there is expected to be rivalry; however, some characters were rivals just to be rivals, and oftentimes, such rivalries did nothing to move the plot along. Some characters were mentioned once with a long paragraph of sheer hatred towards the main characters, and then were never mentioned again. This confused me at some points, as at random moments a new character was introduced and another would be forgotten. Despite this, this saga was very enticing and easy to read once the characters were fully introduced.
While this saga may be fiction, some elements of the book are educational and beneficial for adolescents to learn.
The characters in Kingmakers display resilience, discipline, strength, and courage. Each character has their own flair, but ultimately, they strive to be their strongest self, showing great discipline and perseverance. Youths nowadays lack discipline and often indulge in pleasure after quitting a difficult project or activity. Reading this saga would not only be interesting, but also inspire adolescents to mimic the actions of the characters, pasting their traits into their own.
Another lesson gleaned from Kingmakers is the ability to withstand immense pressure and pain. Leo is often subjected to pressure, as he is the top-ranked student in all physical and most academic tests. Yet despite all this, he still manages to persevere and stand firm, as in his head he is not breakable. If adolescents adopted this trait or mimicked it, the world would have a tougher, more resilient incoming generation, one that can withstand any obstacle thrown at them with composure.
While some readers argue romance sagas are non-educational, I disagree, as Kingmakers sets ideal standards for young adults through its characters, a hopeful line inspiring young adults to adopt these traits.
