War of the Realms: Conquests & Consequences
by Lee Watts, Th. D.
3.5 out of 5 stars
SYNOPSIS:
Alexander is the heir to the throne of Theera-Enty. After a failed assassination attempt, he is stranded on a remote jungle planet while the kingdom is thrown into chaos. But it isn’t only human-kind who are working against him. The legendary Guardians must protect Alexander by battling against demonic beings who whisper evil into the minds of men. A pirate captain is caught in the middle of the war, a group of castaways look for rescue, an old priest preaches for repentance, and the governments of different planets vie for power.

This book has an epic scope as the people of Theera-Enty begin a fight against oppression, and Alexander struggles to understand a prophecy regarding the throne. A mysterious key might lead to a treasure beyond imagining but no one can unravel its secrets.

PLOT/ACTION:
This plot is full of so much action and twists and betrayals and big reveals! It really kept my interest through every chapter. There is a big space battle at the end of the book that amazed me from start to finish. Usually I am bored by fight scenes, but this was presented like a puzzle to be solved. How are they going to survive? What tricks and tactics can they use to overpower the enemy? It was fascinating, and full of emotional moments as characters had to face their worst fears and find the courage to keep going.

THEMES:
There are deep themes about faith, spiritual warfare, friendship, courage, the nature of truth, and the proper roles of government and education. These powerful messages are so smoothly woven into the story that it never feels too preachy. It makes the story really meaningful. I especially appreciated the spiritual themes and the clear messages about God’s love and forgiveness through Christ.

CHARACTERS:
I loved so many of the characters in this book! Alexander has some wonderful character development as the trials he goes through force him to mature and face his responsibilities. His faith grows stronger and stronger the more he realizes how helpless he is.

The pirate captain, LaRouche, has the best sassy one-liners! He had me laughing so much. He’s a very mysterious character who is hiding a lot of secrets. I’m hoping to see more development for him and get some more depth to his character in the rest of the series.

Another favorite character was old Caedmon, the holy priest. He is called the Faithful Voice of God because he is a preacher and prophet. He teaches Alexander and gives the most robust speeches about following the Narrow Way of righteousness. I found it very inspiring!

The villains are equally well-written, with disgusting personalities and cruel dialogue. Oooh, I just hated those awful villains!

However, there are a few of the supporting characters that were very one dimensional. They were like cardboard people filling a role, with no motivations or backstory of their own. They have one personality trait, and that is their only thing. I am hoping these characters will get more development in the rest of the series.

WRITING STYLE:
The writing style is really powerful and exciting! But this book has multiple POVs in most scenes, and that is one of my pet peeves. It feels like sloppy writing. It didn’t get on my nerves too badly, because the rest of the writing was so good, but it was annoying at times.

The book also needs a copy editor, since there are little grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors all over the place. There are a couple of little plot holes that could be easily explained or resolved with a good editor. There is also some “telling” instead of “showing” that got on my nerves too.

ROMANCE:
One of the biggest things that brought this book down to 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars is that the one little tiny background romance is so bland and boring. The romance uses a LOT of “telling”. Instead of seeing two people who flirt and are attracted to each other, the reader is TOLD that they flirted. There is no actual flirting dialogue to make me believe that these people are interested in each other. It was very disappointing.

Overall, I loved this book so much! I couldn’t put it down, and finished it in just a few days.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.