Zetia is a fantasy land where women are being ill-treated by a tyrant king. Anyone who dares to defy the king would be tortured and killed. Women are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by men. Even the queen was not spared from the cruel and misogynistic reign of the king. When the people are disgusted with the atrocities happening around them, a prophecy travels through the air like a breeze of relief. even though the prophet had to face the consequences of speaking out the truth, it gives expectations to the people of Zesia, that the child of prophecy would bring an end to the reign, the one who can see the things that no one else can see.
While the mayhem is happening in the kingdom, the queen finds solace in the love and care of a soft-hearted soldier and bears his child, whom he names Jean. What will happen to the child, born out of the marriage of the queen? How will the king react? What is the future of Zetia? The rest of the plot holds an answer to these questions.
The book is a decent easy read for teenagers. Barring a few grammatical errors, the book has been proofread and set. The author has tried to imbibe several analogies with life in Zesia and Kala Nagari. The book is quite short and hence could be read in an hour or two. Except for the names of Robert (King) and Jean, the rest of the names are out-and-out Indian names. The mismatch could be explained in the sequel, which is imminent considering how the book ended. The author has attempted well in holding intrigue the readers. The book must be assessed as a YA Fantasy, a pre-teen read at that.
Overall the book is a decent read targeting pre-teens.
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