A careless mistake. A tale from the past. A journey he’ll never forget.Seventeen-year-old Dierk Lichtensitz, Crown Prince of Sunland, excels in both his physical and educational training. Not that his father is impressed, but Dierk quit trying to please him years ago.King Phillip Lichtensitz holds high standards for his children—with good reason. So when selfish neglect on Dierk’s part leaves … on Dierk’s part leaves another squire injured, Phillip delivers strict punishment. Dierk must travel the country as a woodcutter’s son.
Resentful of his father’s decision, Dierk resolves to endure his punishment unmoved—until the tales of a long-dead witch’s power force him to reckon with himself and his God.
As the journey leads him into more danger than his father could have ever foreseen, how much will Dierk have to surrender to become the man he needs—and desperately wants—to be?
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The Crown and the Axe by Darcy Fornier is a historical Christian fiction book set in medieval times. Typically not my favorite genre, this book held my attention from beginning to end – leaving me wanting more. I really liked the characters in this story. The author’s descriptions allowed me to visualize them, get to know them and like them. The settings were creative and interesting. There was a bit of romance, mystery and suspense. The inspirational feature of this story provided that extra spark that takes a story from good to great. Written believably, the plot provided an uplifting story that was a joy to read. The writer included many valuable life lessons. I would highly recommend this book for those that enjoy a well written Christian fiction story, books set in medieval times, and those that want to try a new genre.
This book was provided through Celebrate Lit and the author for me to read. The opinions expressed are my own thoughts.
Immerse yourself in this medieval kingdom and journey with a prince traveling incognito as the son of a woodcutter in order as he learns to be a worthy man. At first, I thought this would be a simple, ordinary story, but as it developed it proved to contain plenty of depth and drama along with realistic characters on the sides of both good and evil. We follow the prince as he learns important life lessons and what true faith means and how to live it out. The novel contains surprising twists and intriguing circumstances with its suspenseful unfolding, keeping the pages flipping to see what will happen next. This could make a good read-aloud with older children along with discussion of the topics that come up in the book. I might call this book a Christian fairy tale, not with magic but a similar type saga. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.
As I began reading this book, I quickly found myself caught up in the story. Direk, the crown Pringle of Sunland needs to gain some maturity and understanding of his parents’ past.
King Philip and his wife make the decision to send their son on a journey as a woodcutter’s son. I love this journey of discovery. Direk learns to draw closer to God and discovers his faith means something. The plot and characters kept my attention. The ending made this book worth reading. The adventure and danger add excitement to this story. So check it out for yourself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
The Crown and the Axe is an excellent read. It’s made for Young Adults and that is a perfect fit though I have to say even as an adult I enjoyed it.
I love fairy tales. I read them to my kids on a daily basis actually. This is the retelling of Sleeping Beauty. But it’s not just a retelling. It’s a story that starts with Sleeping Beauty but follows and tells the tale of the next generation.
This is a wonderful read. It definitely kept me reading and I didn’t want to put it down. I’m ready for more from this author and can’t wait to do a search to see what she has out.
If you ever loved fairy tales as a little girl you’re going to love this book. It’s perfect for those teenagers who are too old for fairy tales (insert their eye roll here) but who maybe aren’t quite ready to discern if books are what they should be reading or not. This is a book worth the reading!
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
The story is a journey of a young man who needs a lesson in humility. Being a Prince has made him arrogant and prideful. His father has a plan to humble his son and thus the adventure begins. I found myself immersed in the story and forgot everything around me.
Dierk is quite a character. He can be charming, even nice at times, but when he is taken on a journey through different villages as a mere commoner, his lessons will be many. The Sisters were perhaps one of my favorite times in the story. They each are gifted and follow the teachings of God. As Dierk finds out not everyone like them he is surprised at the reason why. Think about the times in the Bible when Jesus was not liked and others wanted to harm Him. This story really emphasized the importance of Prayer warriors. When you find yourself in a battle, what better way to fight then with prayer warriors surrounding you? “He doesn’t prevent all hard-ship because then people might serve Him only for what He would do for them.” “ But He gives us grace sufficient to handle whatever comes.”
The story is filled with adventure, faith, and a lesson in giving your heart to Christ. I enjoyed reading how Dierk seemed to mature as his journey encounters many characters. As I read the story I kept thinking about a journey my husband went on several years ago. He and other men from the church decided they would travel to a place where a conference was going on. Along the way, they broke down, had people help them and allowed them to stay in their home. Just as my husband returned with a new love for God, Dierk takes a similar trip. This would be an excellent book to have in church libraries and available for the youth to read.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
The Crown and the Axe is a wonderful debut for Darcy Fornier. It is, also, the start of her series, Prince of Sunland. I enjoyed this story. I liked the vivid historical details and of the setting. I felt like I had been transported back in time to Sunland. I loved getting to know Dierk. I was entertained from start to finish. It is definitely a fun read.
I am giving The Crown and the Axe four and a half stars. I look forward to reading the next installment from the Prince of Sunland series. I recommend this one for readers who enjoy clean historical fiction, especially those set during the medieval times. It is most definitely worth a read. I thought it was great and should not be missed.
I received The Crown and the Axe from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
I didn’t know what to expect when the author sent me this book to read. Having loved kingdom fantasy, as I feel like this book is, I knew I’d likely enjoy it—but I didn’t expect the strong Christian theme in here. That was a delightful discovery!
This book is well written, easy to read, and keeps moving very well. I was quite impressed by the writing style, especially when it came to the necessary backstory here and there—they are told as flashbacks. The theme of learning to be responsible and trust the Lord also came through very well in here.
Though I grew up with a Mom who does not like fantasy books, I somehow inherited a love for them. This book ticked all the boxes for me—sweet, but serious, thought-provoking, but fun. It’s the kind of story I dream of writing, actually, the kind that pulls you in and then lets you go at the end with a sigh of contentment. I was also impressed with the content—the main character is a boy, and he stays in character fairly well. Also, while many young adult reads (and that’s what I think I’d classify this as) have a lot of romance in them, this one did not—or very little, and that only came at the end of the book. This main focus was on learning to be responsible, and that came through well.
The Christianity in the book both delighted and annoyed me. It delighted me because all of the characters had a desire to do what was right before God, and lead others to the Lord. But once I realized almost everyone they met was supposedly a very strong Christian, I was somewhat annoyed—that seemed highly unlikely to me. There were a few doctrinal things I didn’t agree with either, but this book did show some great truths about what we get when we follow the Lord as opposed to following Satan.
Overall, a very good read—recommended! If you enjoy fantasy, or are looking for a book for young adults that doesn’t include a lot of mushy romance, I think you’d enjoy this. It’s got some threads of allegory in it, which I really appreciated, so it isn’t just a story about a boy learning to be responsible. A fun read!
I requested a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.