The sword quivers in Alaina’s hand. With one final stroke, she can slay the gladiator, win back her kingdom … and lose the trust of her people forever.
The Kingdom of Falyncia is caught in a battle between a guardian spirit and powerful demon, and Alaina barely escapes with her life. Yet she vows to one day claim the throne. When she finally returns home, the enemy has her in his grasp. Now … grasp. Now she must choose between freedom and staying true to her people. If she fails to kill the gladiator, torture awaits. Can she find the courage to face it? Or will the demon triumph again?
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A lost princess must face powerful foes and lurking demons if she ever hopes to reclaim her throne and free her kingdom in this fun YA fantasy!
While this story was a bit slow to start, things quickly picked up and it turned out to be a delightful read! Well written, and I loved the world-building and fantasy elements in this one. Aliana is rescued by a winged-wolf who turns out to be her guardian spirit of sorts, and must learn to fight the darkness that haunts both her past and future.
I really enjoyed seeing her journey, and look forward to the sequel in this duology! I loved the lore around the Wildlands and enjoyed getting to meet the various characters along the way! While the MC is 17 through most of this story, I can see younger teens or even adult readers enjoying this one as well.
There is the typical violence with the medieval theme and a war to be fought to win back her kingdom, plus the mention of demon like creatures who serve the evil king, but reads much like any other fantasy and is a good fit for the more traditional YA fantasy like seen in Narnia, Eragon, or Percy Jackson.
Overall a quick and fun read, and one that I’m sure many readers would enjoy!
I found this to be an enjoyable read, and a fun start to this Christian fantasy trilogy! I had only just recently learned of this series, and while intrigued by the cover and the blurb, knew nothing else about it or the author. E. J. Willis has done a wonderful job with this one, and I look forward to reading the rest of her Tales From Falynia trilogy!
While there were a few things that I would have rather more attention had been spent on, or things that didn’t flow quite as smoothly, but overall there are many things going for this one as well! This is probably listed more toward YA readers, and with Alaina being 17 yrs/o for the bulk of things, it fits, but the writing style made me thinks also of some Middle-Grade or teen(12-14y/o) books I’ve read in the past, as well as being an adult who found this one, so it’s a good book for a wide range of readers. It does mention some torture, war, Alaina was ‘sold’ as a child (but rescued before any harm could befall her!), and mentions of a magical artifact as well as the spiritual creatures of good/evil that meddle in her journey at times. The violence is mild, while there is mention of fatal blows and threats, the detail and actual descriptions are well handled and even more mild than many well known YA reads in the last decade.
Pros –
* So, if you saw my updates, it’s probably no secret that I loved Hugo’s character! While I enjoyed several of the characters, his selfless devotion to the Falyncia royal family, even after everything is admirable. Paired with his special relationship and bond with Alaina and I found it impossible not to smile.
* I also really enjoyed Thorn, both his gruff nature, and his odd humor really helped move some of the scenes along that would have likely felt slow in pacing or even lacking a bit, yet his character (along with Bramble’s caring chiding) helped keep the story pace smooth and well done.
* I could name others, but I also wanted to add that I found the guardians to be an interesting addition, and actually really enjoyed it! I was concerned at first, since spiritual elements and similar character types can go either way in a story. I was impressed as the story played out, as I got to see more of their role, and learning how they fit in the story. I’m interested to see how that plays out in the next book, and to see how things change with the events that we see wrapped up in this one.
*While I don’t mind a series, or even cliffhangers, I did find it neat that this one has potential to be read as a stand-alone. Especially so if you skip the last chapter, which is just about a character fulfilling a mission to see answers that set up the second book. The main story and problems in this one are wrapped up, and if you don’t mind a for minor loose ends (i.e. said mission, which leads into the next book) then many of the events from earlier in the book as finished.
That said, I enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading more, but I do know many readers dislike cliffhangers, and some prefer stand-alones, so I thought I’d point that out, since it’s not often that I’ve seen fantasy or YA books of this genre end so well rounded.
*I loved Alaina, but not just her character. I loved that she’s a strong female character who is able to lead and stand firm. But more than that, I love her ability to befriend almost anyone, and that not only does she gain their trust, but that she actually does the work and takes risks to earn both their trust and respect as she learns to become a warrior and a leader as she grows up. She has a special gift, and it’s nice to see a YA female character who isn’t weakened by forgiveness or asking for help, and she even goes on to help others learn to forgive and move past their faults as well.
Cons –
* Flip side, I do wish Alaina would be less stubborn when it comes to her own pain and weakness…I have a feeling her harsh past and the need to prove herself are both part of this, but it’s still a bit unrealistic that she only shows any pain at all when others are suffering through much of the book.
While just a quick mention or even slightly less focus on her trying not to make a sound or show discomfort (even when only her friends are present) isn’t necessarily a healthy message to send teen readers, and even for older readers it might not be the best way to portray her, as even a strong young woman will suffer (at least emotional if not physical pain) occasionally in life.
* The beginning felt overly slow to me. Once I reached a certain point, I realized it was because the first couple chapters focus more on her past, so tell us much more then they show. Later, when the story actually starts happening and the story set-up has ended the pacing was much quicker, and I flew though over half of the story in just two sittings!
So while it did take a few chapters to start, the ‘info-dump’ is much less choppy as the author does a wonderful job adding only the parts that are needed, or soon will be, and often this is part of the purpose of the guardians to add information that Alaina or friends will need in the next chapter or so.