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."

I am grateful to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. 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: 👍
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christian as a Genre

I've always found it interesting that Christianity as its own genre can be used across music, film, books, and virtually most forms of artistic or creative expression. While most secular items tend to be labelled by their style, works produced by Christians tend to get labelled by the faith of the one producing it. I remember seeing an article years ago about how the Grammys  put Christian artists under the genre of Gospel and Contemporary Christian who would then be further separated out by their musical style, such as Gospel, Bluegrass, Rock, Pop, Country, etc. I can't recall the specifics of the article, but I believe that the author of the article thought it was both a little unfair that artists would be lumped together in a giant pool despite varying styles or backgrounds, and that it was also a label that didn't really tell audiences what they would be getting, other than Christian content. I wish I could remember a bit more, but as I read it in passing, the only thou...
2 comments
Read more

Review: Doting on His Best Friend - Christmas at Redemption Ridge #11

It's been lovely to pick up some more Christmas titles as the weather changes! Doting on His Best Friend by Liwen Y. Ho has been fun to read as I can picture myself being by a fireplace with hot chocolate and playing board games with my best friend, my husband. What a great start to the season! I am grateful to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Can two best friends overcome their age gap and the past to become something more? Phoebe Cordle moved to Redemption Ridge after experiencing loss and was grateful to find a ranching town where she could start her own equine therapy practice. She also found a confidante in a handsome and generous man nine years her junior who's captured the attention of all the single ladies in their community—including her own. However, after zero signs of interest on Milo’s part for the past six years, she’s given up hope and decides to help him find love instead. Milo Gibson wa...
3 comments
Read more

Review: The Darkness Deepens - The Day Draws Near #2

If you've read  The End Begins , the first book in the  The Day Draws Near series (previously The Seven Trilogy) by Sara Davison, The Darkness Deepens takes you further as this sequel further delves into Jesse and Meryn's story. I wouldn't say that this book is a standalone book as it builds upon the previous one, but I would say that reading the first book will certainly whet your appetite for this one as you find out what's next. I am grateful to the publisher,  Mountain Brook Ink , for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Their secrets protect them... but secrets are hard to keep. No one in the army can find out that Captain Jesse Christensen has become a believer. He and bookstore owner Meryn O'Reilly are forced to meet in secret, facing imprisonment-or worse-if they are found together. As their relationship deepens, so does Lieutenant Gallagher's hatred for the Christians in their city, putting all be...
2 comments
Read more