Galdoni Review from Talk Supe

Talk Supe is doing a review/giveaway of both Galdoni and Shadows. Here is the review for Galdoni:

I wasn’t born. I was created in some test tube by sterile, cold-hearted lab technicians determined to make the perfect gladiator for money-hungry politicians. – Kale Matthews
The cover and synopsis reminded me of a gladiator version of X-Men’s Arcangel so when CAlsop requested for a review I was quick to say YES!.

This is a dystopian novel and though Kale Matthews has wings, he is far from being an Angel. He is soulles, a creation made by politicians as weapons for destruction. While kids learn to play nice in the sandbox, the Galdoni are trained to kill and show no mercy to anybody. Later on they were just used for entertainment, they remain anonymous apart from their clinical names like AR527 and TI620. People bet and watch them fight to death in the Arena and are treated less than animals.

Remember audience, the Galdoni were bred for one thing and one thing only, to fight and to kill. As in all Arena battles, this fight is to the death.
The Galdoni are persecuted like criminals because they are different and people are scared of them. Some of them have tried to escape this cruel fate but they are hunted and brought back to “play” in the Arena. Now Kale Matthews is set up to be an epic hero, he went up against the system and fought for his and the Galdoni’s freedom from oppression and made everyone else believe that they are individuals worthy of something and not just political playthings. They are valuable enough to warrant respect and be treated in a humane way and not just living, breathing toys for entertainment. I like his journey towards his self-realization, the way he faced his doubts and eventually realized his value and found his humanity.

Dystopia is a genre that I have yet to explore because for some reason I find it a challenge wrapping my imagination around post apocalyptic stuff. Good thing this wasn’t too futuristic for my taste as there are still familiar elements like the order of society, teenagers acting stupid and the first blush of love so the setting is not a far cry from present day. The cruelty and stigma of being a Galdoni is heartbreaking, my heart really went out to all the Galdoni towards the end, how their childhood was juxtaposed with “normal” and activists fighting for their rights on their behalf.

I only wish that the supporting characters, especially Brielle, were more developed, as the story progress they just remained somewhat static. Nontheless, I was easily drawn to Kale’s story and his mini oration towards the end was everything I hoped it would be.