The tale is a bit predictable. Like many stories of this genre, I would certainly like to see a more thorough world build. The descriptions are commonly glossed over. The map was at the end of the book so it didn’t help much. The cover is very weak. However, the dangers are real, the enemies are evil, the battles are horrible. The story is not complicated—good vs. evil at the highest level.

This book gives Christian fantasy for entertainment a good name

Normally, I resist many books which are obviously written as “pure entertainment”. They are simply fluff and a distraction in an era rapidly drawing to a close. Molly Evangeline, who will be writing under Jaye L. Knight in the future, is a writer to watch. Her writings say good things about the training of homeschooled young adults. My hope is that her characters gain more depth and her stories become more gripping in the years ahead.

The heroine, Makilien, is a humble young woman comes from a very restricted life in an oppressed village. She becomes desperate to discover the truth. As she travels on her adventure, she shows no real awareness of her sterling character. She is grateful and eager, to a fault [almost].

The band of heroes who are gathered around her are righteous, honorable men and women. Friendships and relationships almost appear fully-formed. This is a surprise and vaguely disappointing. However, I must confess that, in the Kingdom, in my life the same has happened over and over.

The spiritual reality is clear and strong—in fact, some may consider it a bit too obvious. I guess I’d call it soft evangelical—though birth from above is barely hinted. The good guys clearly know and depend on their relationship with the Lord. The evil guys hate him overwhelmingly and irrationally. Nicely, the non-committed serve evil—as is true in reality.

The book has a reality which is truly refreshing in this final age. It’s high fantasy with elves, dragons, griffins, trolls, and more. Neither magic nor the reality of spiritual warfare are mentioned. But evil is cunning, treacherous, and nasty. Good is open, gentle, and loving. The reminder of truth and goodness is a joy and brings hope.

I recommend this book. I’ve already started on the second one. I love it when the whole trilogy is available when I start book one.

4 stars