KINGDOMS FALL, ONE DESTINY AT A TIMESome time ago in a land since long forgotten, an evil force by the name of Lord Yrimwaque – servant of the Threat of Rai – threatens to destroy everything and prepare the world for a harvest. The only thing that stands in his way are three reluctant heroes: Tyler, his girlfriend KimberlyAnn and his best friend Blaze Morrison, who have been recruited by the … the followers of the Light of Rai. Upon their journey of knowledge, TJ and his friends are forced into an unlikely encounter with a creature of legend, and find themselves in the midst of an ancient battle between the Light of Rai and the Threat of Rai, with our world hanging in the balance. As the Light of Rai teach them to hone their various gifts and talents for the greater good of the kingdom, faith is restored, in the hopes that they will be able to stop Lord Yrimwaque and vanquish the evil horde he desires to unleash upon the land. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the land hangs in the balance, as the lines between good and evil become more skewed. But will all their efforts be enough, or will the kingdom be plunged into darkness forever?
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So, just being honest here… The beginning half was a bit hard for me. I don’t know for sure why because I did like the characters and the overall idea of the story–as I understood it–but I just struggled to wrap my head around what was going on. My main issue, I think, was the jumps that happened between the Realm of Light (Earth) and the Realm of Rai (which seems to represent Heaven or something of that nature). It was just difficult for me to make the jump between the characters in one place and the characters in another, and the fact that the Creatures of Rai could be in both realms was initially something that had me really confused.
However, once I got into it, I found that I did enjoy the book. The characters were written very well, and the way Meservy approached things was realistic and sensitive (when the issues being discussed called for it). The story itself was also a riveting plot line. I was intrigued by the legends and lore that was woven throughout the novel, and I think that was done pretty well. The incorporation didn’t feel heavy-handed or odd to me at all.
*Spoiler alert here! Don’t read this paragraph if you don’t want even a minor spoiler!* Sometimes, the fight scenes were a tiny bit difficult to follow though. Mainly because mind-control is a factor in a few (or I suppose mind-control in the form of causing someone to hallucinate and do things they wouldn’t ever do, like killing friends and family). Sorry for the slight spoiler there, guys! But basically, when characters end up under that mind-control, they no longer keep their own names or think of themselves with that name. They get this superhero pseudonym thing, so it’s a little hard sometimes to figure out who’s who in the hallucinations while they’re under the influence of the mind-controller. I didn’t like that too much because it just left me so mixed up and mentally fogged until the scene went back to normal. Still, it’s a relatively minor thing in the scheme of the entire story, especially considering the fact that the plot line was neat and the different mechanisms used in combat and in preparation for it were quite unique. *End of spoilers*
In the end, I would recommend it. It’s got a lot of clear references to Christianity and, I feel, presents things from a strongly Christian point-of-view without glossing over the fact that people make mistakes and lead lives that can have choices and events they end up regretting after coming to Christ (or even things they regret doing as a Christian). Because the book doesn’t shy away from openness about the fact that even Christian couples make mistakes and sin in the area of premarital sex, I wouldn’t say the book is one ultra-conservative Christians would label clean. Personally, I think that removing it would leave the book unrealistic and lacking, given the story James weaves. But, if you don’t want even the mention of sex included in your novels or in what your child reads, don’t pick this up. There aren’t any actual sex scenes or anything, but the characters are clear that they’ve had premarital sex and regretted it. So, yeah… If you’re not okay with that being brought up, The United might not be for you. Otherwise, it’s a good read.
The United, Book One of the Realm of Light Book Series is a fantastic adventure. It’s a fantasy novel and James is so creative with all his world and race building – especially when it comes to the myths and legends in this book. It wasn’t what I expected at first – and yes, this is a good thing. The focus of the book in the middle shifts from at first when you think it’s going to lead into more of a high fantasy style, but in the middle it stays focused around the main group of characters set in the modern world. It’s about their friendship, their relationships, and love, all the while this backdrop of a fantasy plot and a terrible threat is hanging over their shoulders.
The United is a clean novel, one that would be completely suitable for teenagers to read and I found that refreshing – few books are like that these days. It’s a story about friendship, relationships, love, destiny, life, problems, teamwork, relying on your friends and family for help, and getting through the pain of loss and grief.
It ends tragic and yet sweet, on a perfect note and it leaves you as a reader feeling satisfied and complete and yet there’s a hint of more on the horizon. I became attached to these characters and fell in love with them, journeying with them as they lived their lives through this book.
There were some grammatical errors that I spotted, but nothing that pulled me from the story. I also found a few details that didn’t make sense – after one character loses someone they love, it felt as if the possibility that they could move on with another character that previously had no romantic ties to them was rushed and didn’t make sense. There was also a lack of descriptions and details sometimes, where details were skipped over and it was a bit hard to follow some of the information in the plotline, specifically in the “dream sequences” as I call them.
Nonetheless, these are the only issues I found with The United – all books have them – and it’s a very clean, good story that everyone in the family could enjoy reading.
As my final conclusion, I really enjoyed reading James’ book, The United. It only took me about a week to finish it when I had time to sit down and start it, and it was a compelling story that made me want to continue reading it until the end.
3.5 stars for me and I highly recommend you read it