Schaulis, Megan. Protector. Cumberland, MD: WhiteCrown Publishing, 2024.

The Susa Chronicles, book 1

Guide to Categories : YA Review – review of books for teens

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About the Book – Protector

If you can’t be invisible, be unremarkable.

As the orphaned daughter of a traitor, Novalise grew up in hiding with an outlawed religious group hated by the crown. She dreams of aiding her people as a scientist and begs her overprotective brother for a chance to assist in his schemes against the government. All her hopes of making a difference implode when she’s kidnapped and forced to compete against the Enhanced—a group of highly trained, biologically upgraded young women—for a position as the king’s Protector.

Plagued by insomnia, King Zadien still is reeling from his father’s untimely death. When his council suggests a competition as the way to choose his new bodyguard, he lacks the confidence to oppose the plan. Given the role he played in his father’s murder, choosing the right Protector could mean relieving his guilt or repeating his worst mistakes. Can he trust the intriguing candidate who’s nothing like the others?

After discovering a long-hidden connection between the Enhanced and her father, Novalise realizes winning the competition would give her people the strategic advantage they desperately need. But is that leverage worth compromising herself, body and soul?

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My YA Review

Megan Schaulis is a new-to-me author, and this will not be the last book of hers I read. She took the story of Esther from the Bible, threw in a few elements from the Biblical book of Revelation, placed it in the future and created a can’t-put-it-down dystopian novel. I was hooked from the first page.

In the opening pages we meet a group of Alphanites who have been chased out of society due to their belief in Alpha. Novalise and Declan (Dex) are the children of a former engineer of Susa who had to flee for their lives when they were young due to their parents’ objection to a major technological “advancement” of the country which resulted in implanting girls with nanotechnology that enhanced certain abilities. 

I loved Novalise’s connection to Alpha and the fact that she talked with him and heard him respond. She is committed to what she has learned about Alpha, although at times throughout the story, her faith is tested. I loved the protection Dex and their closest friends (all men) felt toward Novalise.

There is so much I loved about this book but I don’t want to share any spoilers by telling you more. I look forward to reading the second book in the Susa Chronicles.

Protector is the perfect book for those who enjoy dystopian fiction as well as for those who enjoy “modernized” Biblical stories.

Protector would be a great addition to a K-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for high school.

I received a complimentary copy of Protector. This is my honest review. 

About the Author – Megan Schaulis

After a year of traveling the country in a 100-square-foot camper with her husband, daughter, and dog, Megan Schaulis returned home and wrote her first novel.

Megan has a B.A. in Journalism from Arizona State University and is a member of the ACFW. As a special education teacher, she helped young people fall in love with reading and writing. Today, she uses words in playful and creative ways at her branding agency. She lives in Abilene, Texas, where you’ll find her staying up way too late reading or hiking with her family.

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