Skip to main content

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: 👍

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Breath of the Almighty

I've had the pleasure of revisiting my love of poetry through reading poignant and touching collections of Christian poetry that I've been introduced to on Instagram. I'm grateful that Breath of the Almighty by Shay McNally came at just the right time for me, tugging on my heart and my mind through verses that point back to God in every breath and poem. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : SA Book Synopsis Breath of the Almighty is a debut collection of free verse, confessional Christian poetry born from a life that's seen both deep wounds and deeper mercy. These poems move through topics such as family, grief, soul searching, healing, love, marriage, calling, spiritual warfare, prayer, forgiveness, and the ordinary places where Christ shows up when we least expect it. Each poem is rooted in Scripture and lived-in faith, and grounds lofty theology to an eve...

Review: The Biblio Diet

Over the years, I've had the joy of reading many books on health and nutrition, partly a product of some studies I've done on it and also due to personal interest. As a result, I'm always intrigued when there is a Christian perspective on this subject. I'm grateful that I learnt about The Biblio Diet by Jordan Rubin and Dr. Josh Axe after having previously read Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe. Many thanks to Worthy Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis In this breakthrough book, New York Times bestselling authors and nutrition experts Jordan Rubin and Dr. Josh Axe offer a simple and holistic plan for building strength, health, and longevity. Based on the ancient wisdom of the Bible and confirmed by modern science, The Biblio Diet’s intuitive and easy-to-follow plan invites you to experience a breakthrough in the health of your entire family by learning to eat and live God’s way. In this book, y...

Review: Who I Was

I am so impressed by each volume of poetry that Julia Rose  has released so far and am not-so-secretly hoping for more collections from her in the future. Who I Was is a deeply vulnerable look at what it means to feel grief over our sinful nature while desperately clinging to God's promises. It laments how we love ourselves in all the wrong ways, and it redirects our focus back to what it means that God loves us. Combining each poem with a Bible verse and devotional, this book can be read over time in bite-sized pieces or all at once while painting a beautiful picture of our identity in Christ. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis A collection of poetry and devotionals that reclaim the idea of "self-love" by pointing to the One Who is love. Can we truly love ourselves in a way that glorifies God? And if so, how? Who I Was dives into the concept of self-love and what it ...