The Great Battle (Guardians of Allon #1) by Shawn Lamb - 4 stars

This action-packed story takes place in the Kingdom of Allon where immortal Guardians serve mortals as administrators under the guidance of the Almighty Jor’el. While they are to serve with wisdom, compassion, and justice, it doesn’t take long to see trouble brewing. A rouge Guardian beats a couple of brothers stuck in a work camp as punishment for something they did not do. The younger one needs immediate medical attention for his severe injuries. An underground network of mortals sneak the boys out of the camp and take them to get medical attention. When the incident is reported to the Captain of the immortal Guardians, he sets his forces in action to find out who this rouge Guardian might be, but what he comes to learn is that the problem goes much deeper. It’s not a single rouge Guardian wreaking havoc, but a rebellion led by an Original (Guardian), Dagar. Elements of his plan to overthrow Jor'el are in place, and he and his minions are ready to strike. The peace and prosperity the mortals have enjoyed under the guiding hand of Jor’el erupt into full-blown rebellion as Guardians are forced to fight against their own. 

At the start, I worried that the myriad of characters introduced would be hard to keep straight, but that was not the case. The multitude of characters proved necessary in this fast-paced Christian thriller which carries readers into war among the immortals. Can the rebellion be quashed? That question keeps the pages turning. The only negative I have regarding The Great Battle is that it needs a proofreader. Often a word is missing, and here and there, a wrong word is used, like compassionate instead of compassion.

Overall, the strength of this story earns a solid 4 stars. If you enjoy fantasy that explores traditional Christian themes or ideas, this book delivers 100%. I highly recommend this captivating read for young and old. 

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Tempest in the Tea Room - 5 stars

I enjoy reading several genres, and Tempest in the Tea Room offers a buffet in one book. This well-written historical mystery opens a window into the daily life of the Jewish community of 1811 London. Author Libi Astaire pens her story from a narrator's point of view reminiscent of classics like The Great Gatsby and uses period language that transports the reader back to London at the start of the Regency Era.

 

The cast of characters in this first book of the Jewish Regency Mystery series spans several scenarios from an orphanage to a wealthy widow's home, the synagogue, several Jewish families, an old-clothes man and a newly arrived doctor and his unmarried sister, and more. The star of the story is a wealthy-widower-turned-sleuth, Ezra Melamed, who tasks himself with figuring out who is poisoning people in the Jewish community and how they are doing it.

This book is a page-turner. One of those books you read instead of doing what needs to be done. I recommend it to people who enjoy cozy mysteries, historical fiction, or Jewish literature.

I give this book five stars because there is nothing I didn't like about it. The story is entertaining and well written. Astaire drops little breadcrumbs to build the mystery. At first, you don't recognize them as such. Then when people start to fall sick, those breadcrumbs come into question. Could it be this? It is an easy read that engages the reader.

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Dusk of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers #6)

Morgan Rice does not disappoint with book six of her Age of the Sorcerers series. I give Dusk of Dragons five stars as the story pulls characters introduced in the previous books into the plot. She does a fine job of bringing closure to some plot threads while lighting the fuse to new strands that keep the story sizzling with fascinating possibilities and burning questions that keep the reader turning the page to see what happens next.

Lenore steps into a role of leadership to pit herself against Emperor Ravin. War draws clear lines between good and evil in the strategies used to reclaim Royalsport. I also enjoyed seeing characters reunited, relationships mended, and more than one romance budding under the surface even amid much death and loss.

As far as magic goes, there is the Royal family’s sorcerer, Sorcerer Grey, and his two apprentices who didn’t know a thing about each other until now. One apprentice is arrogant and full of himself and the other comes from a lowly family--or so he thought until he learned his unloving parents weren’t his parents after all. This whole part of the plot is bubbling under the surface with possible twists and turns that keeps the reader hungry for more.

Along with all that, Rice involves the dragons much more in this book. We learn that they pose an active threat to humans. And speaking of humans, one unique thing in Rice’s fantasy is the scale sickness. People who have it are forced into exile because they may transform into something no longer human but akin to the dragons. Among them is Princess Nerra, who rides on the back of the queen of dragons. The transformed Nerra is unaware of the war or the death of her parents and brother. It adds another layer of possibilities to the story for sure.

The truth is, I could go on and on about various characters that add to the richness of this story, but I try not to include spoilers in my reviews. I recommend Dusk of Dragons to anyone who enjoys fantasy set in medieval settings that include royalty, peasants, sorcerers, dragons, military, and more. Rice is a masterful storyteller.

Other reviews in this Morgan Rice series:

Crown of Dragons (Book 5) 

Ring of Dragons (Book 4) 

Born of Dragons (Book 3) 

Throne of Dragons (Book 2)

Realm of Dragons (Book 1) 

 

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