King - A Review

Akabe is the Infinite's chosen king to rule the people of Siphra. He doesn't feel that he should be king, but he wants to honor the Infinite and rebuild His Temple. His advisers clamor for him to marry and the only woman he feels would be a great queen is Ela of Parne, the Infinite's Prophet. Ela firmly believes that she will never marry, even though she loves Kien Lantec. Though she refuses the king's request, she follows the Infinite's will and marries the man she loves. The king marries a mysterious young woman who may be a threat to both his reign and to the Temple. When assassins attempt to kill the king multiple times, Akabe, along with the queen and friends Kien and Ela Lantec, go into hiding at the far ends of the kingdom. Yet even there, danger lurks. When the women are taken captive, will Akabe and Kien obey the Infinite and stay where they are or will they risk everything for the women they love? And will Ela and the queen follow the Infinite's orders to speak the truth no matter what may happen?

This is the conclusion to the Books of the Infinite Series. I've enjoyed both Prophet and Judge and was really looking forward to reading King. While I thought that Judge moved rather slowly, I was eager to delve into King. I was not disappointed in this book. Once again a mix of Old Testament prophets (I recognized some of Moses, some Samuel) as well as Old Testament kings (mainly David and Solomon) fill the pages of the book. My favorite character is still the destroyer-horse, Pet/Scythe, but the rest of the characters were engaging as well. I was thrilled to see that Ela and Kien finally got their happily ever after. And the storyline of the king and queen kept me reading to the end. I think of the three books in this series, this is the best, and my favorite.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, fantasy, RJ Larson, Byran Davis,

Rating - 4.5 stars which will round up to 5 stars

Judge - A Review

Kien Lantec, military judge advocate for the Tracelands, never expected his Creator to send him on a mission to warn the people of TorrenSea of their impending destruction. He's frustrated since the Infinite's plans don't match what he wants to do. Grumbling that this is the job of a true prophet, Kien goes to see the love of his life, Ela, Prophet of Parne. Only she's been stricken with a vision of her homeland having been corrupted by evil. The two must part. He to follow the Infinite's orders and she to deliver her message to the land of her birth. Will they be reunited?

The second book in the Books of the Infinite series picks up shortly where the first one leaves off. Once again Old Testament stories are very much apparent as Kien and Ela follow the Infinite's will for their lives. My favorite character is still Pet/Scythe, the destroyer that will protect Ela. While this book didn't quite hold my attention like Prophet did, I was still enthralled with the story. I am still eagerly waiting for book 3, King, to be released later this year.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Christian fantasy, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, the Chronicles of Narnia, Bryan Davis, and Lord of the Rings.

Rating - 4 stars

Quandary

Ok so I'm in the midst of a quandary. I'm reading several books right now, and one of the ones is one I'm reviewing. Doesn't sound like too much of a problem right? Well here's the problem. I'm not in the mood to read that particular genre right now. Obviously I will have to finish the book - especially since I've got a certain date to post the review by - but I'm going to have to try really hard to not let my mood affect my review. And that's my quandary.

What am I reading right now? Well there's one secular fantasy book, a Christian fantasy, a beach read, and a Biblical fiction one. Plus I'm about to start a contemporary romance to review. So which one is giving me trouble?

Secular Fantasy - A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

I'm really enjoying this final volume in the Wheel of Time saga. I started reading that series 13 years ago and finally we're going to find out the answer to one of the most important questions - Will Rand be successful?

 Christian Fantasy - Judge by R.J. Larson

Book two in the Books of the Infinite Series, find Kien and Ela heading in opposite directions. It's fun to see the Old Testament prophets appear as some of the character traits of both Kien and Ela.

Beach Read - Getaway Girlz by Joan Rylen (Kindle book)

Four college friends take a trip to Mexico when the marriage of one of the four falls apart. The sister of one of my elementary/jr high/high school friends is the author. So I'd promised him ages ago that I'd read his sister's book and review it.

Biblical Fiction - Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith

Book 2 in the Wives of the Patriarchs Series tells the story of Isaac and Rebekah. I'd just finished reading Sarai, the first book in this series. I'm not very far into it, but it is nice to see these Bible characters have more personality than what we get in Scripture.

Contemporary Romance - Clouds by Robin Jones Gunn

Ah Glenbrooke. I still plan on moving there someday. It's my favorite fictional town. This is Shelly and Jonathan's love story. It's been a while since I read this and I've not actually started it yet.

So do you think I'll be able to review the book, Rebekah, without letting my mood of being so done with that genre not get in my way? I hope so. I really do. Because it's not fair to the author for me to not attempt to give the book my total and complete honest opinion. But I can promise that it will be hard to do. I do know that I'll take a break from most historical fiction/Biblical fiction for a bit and maybe then I'll be back in the mood to read it. So how do you be fair in a review when you're not in the mood to read that genre anymore? That's my biggest quandary.