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Review: King of the Crown Imperials - Where the Lilies Wander #1

King of the Crown Imperials book cover on blue background

Low fantasy Christian books might be a growing genre for me this year, especially if other books are as well-written as King of the Crown Imperials is by Joanna Alonzo. This book has now set my expectations at a certain level, and I hope to find more similar titles! For anyone looking for a book to add to their Clearly Christian Readathon list this year, I would most heartily recommend this one, especially under the prompt of "excellence."

Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Danger lurks everywhere. No one needs to know.

She’s a beautiful diversion. Time to put on a show.

A royal internship in the island country of Ancoria is the perfect way for Vivienne to end her year-long journey across the world. She gets more adventure than she bargains for when the internship requires her to pretend to be the prince's fiancée.

With two spies missing and rumors of war spreading across the kingdom, the last thing Philip wants is to figure out his love life. A chance encounter with his cousin’s best friend draws the nation's fascination and provides the perfect distraction to buy him time to protect his throne, family, and country.

Will their farce of an engagement succeed in shielding the kingdom from its enemies? Or will the lies reduce their faith, love, and country to ashes?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

Oh my heart, this exceptional book! If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Not only has it completely captivated me, but I don't know that this story will leave my mind anytime soon. This brilliant retelling of Esther contains all of the peril, wartime strategy, and geopolitical influences that make the King of the Crown Imperials such a thrilling read. I absolutely loved the characters of Vivienne Kristiansen and Philip Sideris and the world they inhabited. Their faith felt so tangible in that it felt like the entire book was bathed in prayer. On more than one occasion, I found myself praying as I read along. What a transformative book! Honestly, I could not stop reading once I started as I was desperate to find out how the complex dilemmas presented could be resolved.

This book is excellent in every way that I can think of for Christian fiction. I was so invested in what would happen to Paxnisi, and I cared so much about what would happen to the Ikari tribe. The messages of God's grace, sacrifice, and leading clearly resonate within the pages. Joanna Alonzo's ability to draw emotion out of her readers while creating a near-flawlessly detailed world in Ancoria is such a gift to readers. In addition to this, the book was overall a stunning visual treat, both with the cover and the interior. Chapter titles, graphics, maps, and even the floral touches of the crown imperials all led to a magnificent reading experience that I hope to replicate again soon by immersing myself into more of her books.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍
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