Christian fantasy review: Samara’s Peril, book 3 in the Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight
She did it! Praise the Lord!
OK> Some decorum now. I really liked the first two books of this series. The only complaint was that they were 2-star spiritually—Old Testament level. The walk with God was very compelling, but there was no savior, no Holy Spirit, no redemption. I complained about this in both of my reviews.
Book three solves the problems, and no! I am not going to tell you how, why, or where. But congrats to Jaye!
Yes, this is part of Jaye’s Blog Tour. This home-schooled young woman has gotten her act together. Good for her. As far as I can tell, she does it all on her own—and nicely done.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The book is the best part of the tour
This is her best book so far—even better than the Makilien Trilogy under an earlier pseudonym. And it was beyond good.
As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed both of the first books in this series. But they just didn’t quite do it for me. The tantalization of Truth was there, but it always left me flat. There was just no there there.
Samara’s Peril fulfilled my desire. ‘nuf said.
Jace and Kyrin are exceptional people, worthy heroes, likable, honorable, troubled, yet faithfully at the end. The other good guys are also exceptional people: male & female. These are people you want to know—and feel like you do. They are complex personalities who are a joy to meet. It’s a definite comedown when the book ends and you have to leave the world of Ilyon. I’m happy to think there are more to come [I hope].
The bad guys are a bit more stereotypical, but still interesting and realistic.
Spiritually, this is 4-star plus
The Reality Calling Redemptive Fiction Award of Excellence
There is no way to avoid presenting Jaye with an Award of Excellence for Redemptive fiction. If you disagree, tell us why in the comments.
As fantasy, this is a delightful story. As Christian fantasy, it is exceptional.
The only thing missing is the enemy of all believers. There’s no spiritual warfare, and no real spiritual enemies. That’s the only category under 4-star, and one of only two under 5-star.
[yasr_visitor_multiset setid=0]
This was a well-written review. I believe there is a lot of spiritual warfare within Jace’s soul, at least, but that’s just my opinion. 🙂
I agree, Gabriela, BUT: When I talk about spiritual warfare, I am dealing with demonic attacks thwarted by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Savior. This is a normal part of the walk in the Spirit and that is not touched upon here. I agree it is obvious that Jace is being attacked by the enemy. But there is no fight back with the authority we are given as believers.
Yes, I was a real joy to see a series move from theOld Testament level to Redemptive fiction. Thank you for responding to the Holy Spirit and giving us a fictional savior with a healthy dose of Truth.
Thank you for sharing your review and for the award! 🙂