Not all post-apocalyptic novels are cut from the same cloth. Sure many have common themes/settings, but not all have magic as an integral part of the story. In Hana Lee’s debut novel, Road to Ruin, Jin-Liu is a courier who travels by mage-bike. As we meet her, she’s essentially the de-facto official courier of Prince Kadrin of Kerina Sol and Princess Yi-Nereen of Kerina Rut, carrying love-letters between the two across the landscape. A landscape that has many dangers, outlaws, magic (mana, as it is known in this world) storm, and creatures that could easily be dinosaurs.
An electrifying, gritty fantasy from debut author Hana Lee that takes a royal messenger on a high-speed chase across a climate-ravaged wasteland, featuring motorcycles, monsters, and magic.
Jin-Lu has the most dangerous job in the wasteland. She’s a magebike courier, one of the few who venture outside the domed cities on motorcycles powered by magic. Every day, she braves the wasteland’s dangers—deadly storms, roving marauders, and territorial beasts—to deliver her wares.
Her most valuable cargo? A prince’s love letters addressed to Yi-Nereen, a princess desperate to escape the clutches of her abusive family and soon-to-be husband. Jin, desperately in love with both her and the prince, can’t refuse Yi-Nereen’s plea for help. The two of them flee across the wastes, pursued by Yi-Nereen’s furious father, her scheming betrothed, and a bounty hunter with mysterious powers.
A storm to end all storms is brewing and dark secrets about the heritability of magic are coming to light. Jin’s heart has led her into peril before, but this time she may not find her way back.
Jin literally finds herself in the middle of a love triangle, she falls for both Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen. Complicating matters is that Yi-Nereen is caught up in an arranged marriage and she wants no part of it. She asks Jin to help her escape so she can be with her true love Prince Kadrin. If only it were that easy. Yi-Nereen’s betrothed is in pursuit as is a dangerous bounty hunter who has some very close, personal ties (and may have a vendetta) against Jin. This is all happening, of course, as Jin and Yi-Nereen flee across that aforementioned wasteland with a mana storm closing in on them.
Lee has a good handle on this land, she doesn’t reveal too much which works because the characters themselves are foggy on the world before. They (and we, the readers) know there was some kind of cataclysm, cities and ruins were left behind by the Road Builders. Not every person in this world can wield magic, and the magic that people can manipulate has many branches. The setting, for me, was the strongest element of the novel. I felt drawn to it and wanted to know more about it. Who were the “Road Builders?” What did they do that brought about the world’s destruction? Why are there dinosaurs…or dinosaur-like creatures? (Sure it is cool, but I sometimes like explanations.)
I also thought, in theory, what she was trying to do with the characters was great. Strong protagonists who don’t follow the standard gender and sexual roles. As the novel continued, that love triangle between Yi-Niereen, Un, and Kadrin gets a little bigger with some ex-lovers/partners in the mix.
All of that said, something was missing for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it because a lot of the elements on their own, work for me. Rather, if you gave me a book that had magic, a broken world, dinosaurs, and examination of gender & sexuality roles, I’d say sign me up. In practice here in Road to Ruin, the sum of the parts didn’t quite add up for my reading sensibilities. I think it may have been down to the characterization. I had a tough time building up empathy for them…again, they aren’t bad characters, but I couldn’t connect with them or invest in them as fully as I would have liked.
Road to Ruin wasn’t a bad book by any stretch of the imagination. Lee has a great imagination, she’s able to convey that fairly well into the written word, while brining some Important Themes into her fiction as well.
This book will / should appeal to many readers (it did to me!), I just hope those readers connect with the novel – the characters in particular – more strongly than I did. I won’t say avoid it this book by any means, but I can’t give it my normal hearty recommendation. Maybe a recommendation with reservations?
© 2024 Rob H. Bedford
Trade Paperback | May 2024 | 368 Pages
https://authorhanalee.com/
Excerpt: https://reactormag.com/excerpts-road-to-ruin-by-hana-lee/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher