I’m on a bit of a Christian fantasy kick lately. I’m drafting one myself, so reading books in the same genre helps to motivate me. I’ve actually known about Tricia Mingerink for several years and was interested in her Blades of Acktar series, it just took me a while to get around to actually starting it. 😉
As much as I love my physical book collection, it is really nice having a Kindle as well, especially for reading in bed late at night when my daughter is sleeping nearby and I can’t turn the lights on. It’s also great for finding inexpensive small press and indie authors to try out – this book was under $4 on Amazon, and the later books in the series are all under $6 dollars!
I was pleasantly surprised by how substantial this book felt, and how much it got me interested in the world where the series takes place.
It definitely is not one of those artificially short indie books. It’s also not artificially long. It’s just right. I felt like the author got into the worldbuilding just enough for the first book in a 5+ book series. There are enough details that you don’t feel lost, but also enough questions to be answered that it makes you want to continue reading.
Maybe I’m just not experienced enough with Christian fantasy to know if this is a normal thing or not, but it was interesting how the faith was handled. There was no allegory here – there was Jesus and the Bible, but it’s set in a world that does not seem to be our own. That said, there’s also no magic or anything like that (not yet, anyway), so maybe it’s alternate history? Anyway, if you don’t like ambiguity this may annoy you, but I actually found it intriguing.
I really connected with the characters, especially Leith.
I love how the whole theme of forgiveness is explored. Third Blade Leith Torren has done some very, very evil things. It’s not a surface-level exploration, nor does this book shy away from painful topics. There is a fair amount of violence, including some pretty detailed descriptions, for those who are sensitive to that.
The hint of a romance was excellently done. If these characters don’t get married, I quit!
I did have some theological things with the book that I didn’t like, namely the teaching that we are entirely evil (total depravity), and that God “plans for bad things to happen”. I think there may have been a couple things that I gave a second glance at, but overall, I fully enjoyed this as a Catholic and thought it had a solid Christian message regardless of some Calvinist-y sounding doctrine.
My only other real “complaint” was that there are some instances of showing rather than telling, and a couple of side character relationships that weren’t really fleshed out.
Overall, I really liked this, and I plan to continue the series.
I need to get through some of my other “current reads”, though. I have a bad habit of reading so many books at once that progress slows and I end up in a full-on reading slump. Oops.
 You can find out more about the author over at TriciaMingerink.com.
Grab your own copy HERE. As an Amazon associate, I earn for qualifying purchases. =)
