"The Queen of Lanaria" by Michaela Bush

About this book:

  “The ascension Evangeline never wished for. A battle against evil. One last chance to overcome.
   Grief-stricken and left with newborn twins, a country to rule, and struggling with doubt, Evangeline must be the strong yet compassionate leader Lanaria needs most. As she struggles to find balance, she and the others unravel the final plot against her kingdom, including a trusted ally who has been working against them long before the war began. She is determined to fight the battle not with force, but with the gifts God has given her and her allies.
    Will they find victory? Or will her people find their end?”


Series: Book #6 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, Book #3 Here, Book #4 Here, and Book #5 Here!


Spiritual Content- Three Scriptures are shared at the beginning of the book; Scriptures are referenced, mentioned, quoted, & remembered; Many prayers; One character calls God “Dhia” as that is His name in her country; Witnessing to others; Talks about God & His will; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Isla asks why God didn’t smite the villain and why innocents have to die; A character feels like she can’t control anything & the Lord talks to her and brings to mind a few Scriptures; Many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, God’s will and timing, prayers, praying, praising/thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of witnessing to others; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of a character having dreams/visions she and others believe are warnings from the Lord; A few mentions of healing through prayer and the Holy Spirit; A few mentions of eternity; A few mentions of miracles; A mentions of a prophecy; A mention of fasting; A mention of a bishop; A mention of a cross necklace; 
             *Note: “For heaven’s sakes” is said once; The villain is called a ‘witch’ (in another language); Someone believes another character is cursed due to her deformity (calling her “that cripple”); A few mentions of witch hunts; A couple mentions of the villain’s group who attempted to resurrect demonic entities/presences in a cave; A mention of gods; A couple mentions of some believing that a country is cursed (but was actually others poisoning them); A mention of liars from Satan; A mention of witchcraft; A mention of witches being outlawed in Lanaria; A mention of pagan beliefs; A mention of a tower having “demons of its own” after prior events (Book #1 and Book #5); A mention of death’s sickle-scythe visiting everyone one day or the next.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’, a ‘hang it all’, three forms of ‘dumb’, and three ‘stupid’s; A mention of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; Stabbing someone & Being attacked/choked (barely-above-not-detailed); Remembering battles/fighting & killing (up to semi-detailed); Remembering pain & passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Grief (for parents and what could have been, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A character beheads someone (off-page) and brings the head to her leaders (barely-above-not-detailed); Isla feels like others would be safer if she stayed away, believing that destruction follows her; Two characters feel guilt over being unable to stop the villain in the prior book; All about & many mentions of the war over Lanaria, assassinations, deaths and possible deaths, executions (beheadings with a guillotine and hangings), murders (by slashed throats), possible slaughterings of those during the war (including children), dead bodies, screams, & grief (including for parents; all border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of plagues, losing family members to it, & grief; Mentions of a kidnapping of an infant (Evangeline when she was a baby); Mentions of blood/bleeding & injuries; Mentions of weapons; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of nightmares (including of see loved ones’ dead bodies); Mentions of manipulation & abuse (Book #1); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of alcohol/wine & someone getting drunk; A few mentions of children being sold as slaves, tortured, & slaughtered by the villains; A few mentions of threats; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of rumors; A mention of the villains sacrificing babies for their wicked desire; A mention of poison; A mention of eavesdropping.
             *Note: Evangeline hyperventilates (once, barely-above-not-detailed); Evangeline was raised believing that she had been discarded by her parents and that no one would love her unless she did what another asked; Mentions of parents neglecting one of their children (including Isla having a strained relationship with her father because of this); A few mentions of the villain having a “depraved” mind and her “sickness of mind”. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Married couples cuddle/embrace and share some kisses that have no details (four head/forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, and four+ kisses; Also one cheek kiss from a couple not married); Isla feels disgust from seeing men scouring her figure; A mention of a young man not doing anything inappropriate with the girl he likes; A mention of a blush; 
             *Note: A woman comments to Evangeline that she is frumpy and hasn’t lost her childbearing weight yet (which causes Gabriel to stand up for his wife).
 
-Evangeline
-Gabriel
-Horace
-Isla
-Nicolas
-Asta
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        229 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating-

Oh, how I’ve anticipated this final book and how bittersweet it was! The previous book caused me a lot of emotions, so I was nervous about this last book, but also excited to see the Light win in every way. The growth from all of these characters—but especially Evangeline; I felt so proud of her!—was so heartwarming and also so impressive from a technical standpoint with the depth of their fears and concerns with also trying their best to hold onto hope when that’s the only thing they can do. 

 

I was a little confused at times while reading, but I think that’s mainly because it’s been a while since I’ve read the prior books (mainly books 2-4) so those details about the other countries were a little fuzzy. 

 

Based on the acknowledgments at the end of the book, it sounds like there might be a spin-off series one day about the next generation of these beloved characters and all I can say is: yes, please!

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"A Dance of Rebels" by Michaela Bush

About this book:

  “Your attendance to the Dance of Fates is mandated. Hide and you will be found. Resist and you shall die.
    It’s no surprise when Verity Kuhn receives an invitation to the annual Dance of Fates from Allemagne’s Grand Captain. But a new mandate requires all paupers to perform this year: the best saved for an elite Troupe, and the rest sold worldwide to settle their debts to the kingdom. Verity has already lost one brother to the Grand Captain, and the mandate confirms her worst fear: her attempts to hide her little brother have failed. Obeying the mandate means abandoning the only family she has left, but rebellion could cost both their lives.
    When Verity learns that her other brother may still be alive, she becomes a stowaway on the Grand Captain’s own merchant ship, determined to bring him home. But in the meantime, she discovers a mysterious rebel soldier with world-tipping news. Not only does he know her brother’s whereabouts, but he is involved with a rival kingdom’s plan to invade Allemagne and topple its twisted regime, once and for all…and he wants Verity to join his quest for justice. But it’s a dangerous dance filled with traitors and deception, and their lives hang in the balance.
    Trapped between generations of evil and an unknown future, the pair set out to discover the sacrifices it will take to conquer darkness, rescue those they love, and bring light to a broken kingdom.”


Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- Joshua 1:9 & Micah 6:8 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & referenced; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God, His will, & Him winning over the darkness; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Verity accuses a side character of blaspheming God; A villain says that God isn’t in charge; Set during Christmastime; Mentions of God, Christ, His plan, obeying Him, & fighting against evil; Mentions of prayers & praying; A few mentions of the Bible, Bibles, & Bible reading; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of a priest; 
             *Note: Mentions of Saint Nicholas; A couple mentions of luck & being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bloody’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘shut up’, and four forms of ‘stupid’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Some sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being grabbed and chained, Being whipped, Being choked, Being slapped, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Seeing fighting, a battle, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Grief (for parents & another family member’s safety/health, up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* Verity is told by her uncle that she is the reason her parents are dead and feels major grief and guilt, but is later told that her uncle actually turned in her parents for a price and girl so they gave themselves up to protect Verity from being turned in/sold *End of Spoilers*; All about & many mentions of human trafficking, children being taken away and gagged/bound, & slavery; Many mentions of deaths, murders and planned murders, executions (including of those with disabilities; including by beheading), bodies, & grief (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars, battles, fighting, & seeing deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of weapons, gunfire, & beatings; Mentions of injuries, bruises, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of blackmail & threats; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & a family member who is an angry alcoholic; Mentions of an ill mother & death; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of suicides; A few mentions of being attacked/mugged; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of assassinations; A couple mentions of stealing; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of smoking & a pipe; 
             *Note: Verity’s uncle is harsh to her (verbally abusive) & she feels worthless because of it; A couple mentions of the deaths of unborn babies.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, a hair kiss, a nose kiss, a cheek kiss, a forehead kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, dancing, & Blushes; Verity faces the idea that she may need to sell herself to protect her little brother; Verity’s uncle says she can’t “even please the eyes that lust for any kind of woman”; A side character is fourteen and going to be married to a ruthless and perverse king after her next birthday; Many mentions of human trafficking, slavery, & both men and women (and young children and teens) being sold; Mentions of people selling their bodies (willingly or unwillingly), being raped and used, clothes being forcibly taken off, & perverted pleasures; Mentions of children and teens being taken to the captain’s quarters for “personal training” & implications of him using them for his personal satisfaction (including as payment from the royal family); Mentions of concubines/mistresses & ones being killed after the king is done with them; Mentions of guards and other dancers harming and mishandling the women; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of virgin dancers & the captain being especially cruel towards girls who are untouched; A couple mentions of parents selling their daughters to erase a bad reputation; A mention of a young boy possibly being groomed; A bit of love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of skin-tight and skimpy clothing; A mention of nursing.
 
-Verity Kühn, age 16
-Ernest, age 16
                                1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        228 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

To quote my Norwegian grandma, “oof-da”. This was definitely a grittier Christmas story, not light or fluffy at all. Verity was a strong character that was caught in between a rock and a hard place. I honestly don’t know what I would have done in her position.

 

I’ll be honest, I nearly DNF this one multiple times when reading because it’s such a heavy topic and I wasn’t really in the mood for such serious situations like Verity and the others are facing. However, because I know how this author does strong faith content and the Light winning against the darkness, I powered through and continued to read—and that was exactly what happened, the author showing how God can use even the darkest moments for His good, which is honestly a good reminder in the holiday season. I really liked both of our main characters and wanted to give them a hug. They’ve faced such awful things (especially him) and I hate how it’s a reality for so many around the world. The author kept out any details of what he and other victims of human trafficking face/faced, but it’s still stomach turning because of the hints of the abuse. I’m marking this as three stars personally mostly because of the epilogue, but also for the strong faith content even though it was a tougher subject matter than I usually like to read.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"The Keeper of the Tower" by Michaela Bush

About this book:

  “Protect the royal family at all costs, and eliminate traitors in their ranks.
    As Queen Sylvi closes in, the decision is made to use Evangeline to bait a trap for the unstable queen. She finds herself returning to the last place she wanted to her old watchtower, where she was once held captive by Amaranth Argent—Sylvi’s role model.
    But as war approaches Lanaria’s shore, it becomes clear that this battle has been prepared since long before Evangeline’s return to the with enemy sympathizers, it’s up to Horace and select others to root out the evil waiting in their own ranks. Are they already too late?”


Series: Book #5 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Review of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, Book #3 Here, and Book #4 Here!


Spiritual Content- James 1:12 & Psalm 73:26 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are mentioned and implied; Many prayers; One character calls God “Dhia” as that is His name in her country; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Gabriel wishes that the Lord would smite down their enemies and while he knows he shouldn’t question the Lord’s timing or wish fire to rain down from Heaven on their enemies, it would be nice; A character asks for confirmation about his role in the war and the Lord gives him a clear answer; Another character has dreams she believes are warnings from the Lord, but her father brushes her concerns aside saying that those dreams could be “misdirection from the devil just as much as they are from the Lord”; Many mentions of God, His will and timing, prayers, praying, & faiths; Mentions of a Prophecy; A few mentions of healing through prayer & a character believing that anyone can do it; A few mentions of a character who has dreams that seem to be prophetic; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of a question that will last until eternity; 
             *Note: “Holy mother” is exclaimed once; Horace hates threatening to send one of the villain’s followers to “eternal damnation”, but realizes it’s a sure thing because the person couldn’t “practice darkness with no repentance or hope for a future”; The villain led a cult and indoctrinated her followers; The villain and her apprentices make it seem like they have “dark magick” but one main character calls it “simply a trick, a slight of hand” and another says the villain never had power to begin with; A few mentions of bloodletting and blood rituals & witchcraft (done by the villain’s group); A few mentions of the villain training warlocks for her cause; A few mentions of some believing that a country is cursed (but was actually another country poisoning them); A couple mentions of dismantling a woman’s “wicked items she’d worshipped and burning them” and then a group praying over the space they held those items; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of someone aligning himself with darkness; A mention of a woman thinking of another as a goddess; A mention of an old man seeming to have “some otherworldly sense of knowledge from time to time”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘hang it, three ‘shut up’s, and four ‘stupid’s (including in another language); A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; A bit of sarcasm (negatively, which the character corrects her attitude); Some eavesdropping & lying (due to the upcoming war & characters not wanting to be kept out of plans or knowledge); Aurelie has a couple moments of bitterness or a bad attitude towards someone, but then checks herself; Killing enemies in fights/battles, Fighting, Gunfire, Being attacked, Being knocked unconscious, & Injuries (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing fighting, blood, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Some of the characters talk about if they don’t make it through the war & their plans in case that happens; One character thinks he is going to be executed for standing up against the king’s words (he imagines the noose or the guillotine being used); One character wishes that the villain was drowned and later catches herself looking forward to the destruction of the enemy, but tells herself that it is not something to take pleasure or joy in; All about & many mentions of the war looming over Lanaria, assassination plans/attempts, deaths and possible deaths, executions (beheadings with a guillotine and hangings), murders (by slashed throats), & grief (including for a sibling and what is to come); Mentions of near-death experiences; Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of threats; Mentions of prisons & attests; Mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of deaths from a “manmade ‘plague’” happened (poison); A few mentions of a kidnapping; A few mentions of blood stains (from an event in Book #1); A few mentions of lies; A few mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of slit/slashed throats (as a threat, but also happens to side characters, barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of human trafficking; A couple mentions of children being held prisoner; A couple mentions of a woman’s deep hatred for men; A couple mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of someone trying to cut another’s horse which if the horse’s tendons were sliced, would ensure “a gunshot awaited the horse in the morning”; A mention of a possible massacre; A mention of jealousy;
             *Note: Aurelie prays that Evangeline’s baby doesn’t have any malformation like her due to knowing the pain and shame she’s had because of it (even while also knowing she’s been privileged to live in a country that doesn’t see her as a curse); A few mentions of babies born sleeping (stillborn, which a character recalls being told that is a “glimpse of what the mother will meet when she arrives in Heaven”). 
 
 
Sexual Content- Married couples cuddle/embrace and share some kisses that have no details (a hand kiss, six head/forehead kisses, a nose kiss, two cheek kisses, four+ kisses, and two remembered kisses); 
             *Note: Labor pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of nursing.
 
-Evangeline
-Gabriel
-Horace
-Aurelie
-Isla
-Nicolas
-Asta
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        193 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve had books where I’m anxious for the last bit of the book or even in the last quarter, but I think this maybe one of the very few books where I was anxious nearly the entire time reading it. I messaged a dear book friend to deny my fears about the ending about halfway because I couldn’t take the stress. (Thank you, Sarah!) Thus, I felt like a pendulum swinging back and forth between “oh, this isn’t going to go well 😰” and “oh, maybe it will all work out fine and the last book will be pure happiness 😌” for the rest of the book. 

 

And, well, it’s definitely leaning towards one of those two. 😬

 

I don’t feel like I can say too much about this book because this is such an intricate series where the books must be read in order—it’s required, really. 

 

Because it’s been so long since I’ve read some of the prior books of the series, I didn’t remember everyone’s backstories or details besides the couples from the first two books. So some things or comments were a bit murky at times or I was re-surprised by facts I most likely already knew from the prior books. That said, I did remember more as the book continued. 

 

One thing I’ve really enjoyed about this series and was highlighted yet again in this book is the faith content and how natural it is for the characters. I greatly enjoy how the author has written it and how strong it is shown throughout the series. 

 

This book is less than 200 pages, but it’s packed and gearing up for the grand finale that is releasing in November. I can’t wait for it now, but I’m also incredibly nervous after events in this book—particularly at the end. 😭

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"The Kingdom's True Queen" by Michaela Bush

About this book:

  “Two kidnapped sisters and a secret to ruin a kingdom.
   As the race to find the rest of the written prophecy continues, Asta, servant and sister to the Norvege queen, holds a grim secret.
   When a Lanarian guard secretly arrives to infiltrate the castle, Asta must make a betray her wounded sister, or betray the countries at risk of crumbling. Abused and broken by her sister's rule, it should be an easy decision.
    But yet another secret ruins the reality Asta once the man commanding the Lanarian guard to capture the Norvege queen...is their father. She is offered freedom and refuge-possibly at the cost of her sister's life. Will she accept the new world offered to her, or will loyalty to her sister be her undoing?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Review of Book #1, Here! Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- Three Scriptures at the beginning (Ephesians 4:8 and 11, Micah 7:7, & Isaiah 43:2); Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; This book is loosely inspired by the Biblical story of Joseph; Prayers (both Asta and Nicolas), Thanking God, & Crossing one’s self (Nicolas); Witnessing; Talks about God, following Him, & forgiveness; 'H's are capital when referring to God; At one point, it seems as if God speaks through Asta to her sister; Asta prays for the Lord to forgive her for lying to her sister (she doesn’t think the Lord would approve even though it’s being obedient to her mother); Asta follows God despite being in a pagan country (she tells Nicolas not to talk about God for his safety); Asta has the gift of dream interpretation (She isn’t sure if they are something that God ordains, but Nicolas tells her “The Lord offers gifts to His children. Whether we grow and use them for Him is up to us. He will grow and enhance those gifts if we serve Him faithfully. Or we can use those same gifts for personal gain, but it comes at a cost.”); Nicolas believes that God will forgive him for taking a life because of the circumstances; Asta tries to tell her friends about God but is ridiculed by them instead; Mentions of God, gifts from God, believers of Him, choosing Him, rejoicing in Him, witnessing, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a Prophecy & a woman having the gift of prophecy (Book #2); Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of Heaven/eternity; A mention of someone being executed for praying to God; A mention of a possible miracle; In the author’s note at the end of the book, the author shares about forgiveness; 
             *Note: Asta has a dream a few times where a snake is on someone’s arm (representing the darkness that person partakes in); *Spoiler* Asta’s sister believes that the darkness will come for and consume Asta for standing in her way and says about fools who pray to “imaginary gods”; Asta feels a strength in her that her sister is powerless in a battle and also that she can’t breathe due to a sudden heaviness in her; Asta tells her sister that she will always destroy everything she puts her hand to because of her choice of following the darkness; Later, Asta notes that her sister has been consumed by the “darkness she practiced” *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of evil, darkness, dark magicks, & witches (all portrayed negatively); A few mentions of pagans & heathens; A mention of not negotiating with demons; A mention of a man pleading to every deity; A mention of people believing that a country is cursed (Book #1, untrue).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddy’, two ‘stupid’s, and five forms of ‘shut up’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Killing two people who had ill intentions (someone else finishes off one of the people, up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone executed & another knocked-out (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Being beaten, being slapped, being choked, being locked in a cell/tied up, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & throwing up (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Asta recalls being kidnapped as a child & locked in a prison-like cell (up to semi-detailed); Nicolas thinks that sometimes the best thing to do was “raze and rebuild” a country that wicked and that Norvege is the best example; Asta throws up when on a ship due to things that happened in the past (mistreatment as a child by kidnappers); Asta & Nicolas both lie for the sake of safety & their missions; Set during a war with mentions of the war, deaths, bodies, killing/murders, executions/hangings, & threatening harm and death (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of slavery, humans being sold for “labor or worse”, kidnappings of children, & children being sold to adults (the king says selling the children will benefit the kingdom; not said for what the children are sold for besides a man hinting to want to keep a child for himself while licking his lips); Mentions of abuse & mistreatment (including of children); Mentions of beatings, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & throwing up (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of prisons & bandits; Mentions of nightmares (including of murders, deaths, & blood/bleeding, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deceit; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of alcohol & drinking; Mentions of terrible smells of decay & animal carcasses (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of assassinations; A few mentions of poisons & deaths; A couple mentions of a woman being scalped and dying (no details); A couple mentions of a rumor about a man murdering his family that was suspected of treason; A couple mentions of stealing & thieving; A mention of someone believing her father murdered her mother; A mention of a possible beheading; A mention of someone being like a whipped dog; A mention of hunting; 
             *Note: Asta’s sister is verbally, physically and emotionally abusive to her (Asta is loyal to her despite this, thinking that whatever her sister does to her, her sister has had worse done to her; *Spoiler* Asta’s sister tried to sell her as children, but was tricked by the kidnappers and was also kidnapped after they killed the girls’ mother; Asta’s sister remembers this differently and blames their father for selling them and has made herself the victim in the story) *End of Spoiler*; Asta has a few signs of PTSD after some events in her life & says she feels broken some days (but aims to work towards healing with God’s help); Mentions of a country having disdain for human life & people killing others easily; Mentions of someone having hallucinations & self-harming from them (it is said that the women was broken even before then, *Spoiler* Asta’s sister *End of Spoiler*, barely-above-not-detailed).
 
 
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Some touches, dancing, nearness, warmth, butterflies, & noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; A couple moments of wanting to touch (barely-above-not-detailed);Asta and her sister were kidnapped as children and later became the then-prince’s concubines when they were of age (her sister later married the prince); It’s said that Asta has faced the king’s lusts and has been used as a concubine at times (including when her sister, the queen, would push him on Asta, threaten her with him visiting her, and that later Asta would return with bruises); A man licks his lips when looking for a child he is trying to kidnap (a little girl); Mentions of the king of Norvege and his allies using women to “entertain” them and later disposing of the women (this “pleasure” is called an addiction by Nicolas, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the king having concubines & seeking out other women if he gets bored (ordering them to come to him, implied sexually); A few mentions of comments from men about Nicolas getting/finding a women to be with at night (with a couple mentions of hoots and crude comments that aren’t written out); A couple mentions of scantily-clad women trying to earn a few coins or “exchange themselves for a meal” (they call out to Nicolas but he ignores it); Some love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Asta
-Nicolas
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        187 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Warning for those sensitive to wars/evil in them, deaths, & mistreatment of children. }

The fourth book in this series defitnely takes a different turn than the prior books with being about a Christian young woman who lives a pagan country and is abused often. It did feel a bit rushed at the beginning with what felt like everything happen at once, but at the same time it was good because then I didn’t have to wait for answers and things to happen, I suppose! I think had the book been longer things could have been fleshed out better, but at the same time, then we would be in the midst of the evil and abuse that Asta is facing. So, I guess it was better this way in my opinion—pros and cons to both ways. 

 

This book does have some subject matter and mentions of human trafficking and women being discarded after being used, so it is the first book in the series I would caution about it being better for slightly older girls. It’s kept with no details, but you know what’s happening and being hinted about. It was darker than the prior books in the series because of that, but it also makes sense as it’s set in a country that worships the darkness and Asta is caught in the middle of it. I got chills at some of the events in the book because even though I don’t usually like books with a Spiritual Warfare element, this book’s Light vs Darkness was well-done and goosebump worthy. Had this book been longer and went into more of the darker content, I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed it and/or would have given it a lower rating. But because the author stopped at certain points, it made it not over-the-top at all. That said, though, it could be easy to read into at some parts, I would give a caution to those with active imaginations about this book. (Personally, it was right on the line for me with what I’m comfortable with.)

 

I have to comment that I’m very impressed—and very thankful—that when Asta cleans Nicolas’ wounds on his chest/stomach, it doesn’t get sexual tension filled at all as she is focused on cleaning his injury. That’s it. Thank you! I need more authors to take note of this. I also did really like a certain twist that was revealed about halfway. I was very excited to see how that was going to work out and glad it happened. 

 

Even though the romance suddenly happened, this is almost a novella length of a book, so I didn’t let it bother me. I would say they are my second favorite couple in this series though because of his kindness and patience with her and just what a good guy he was for her. That ending was a bit of a cliffhanger though and it makes me eager—and nervous—for the next book.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"The Highlander's Victory" by Michaela Bush

About this book:

  “Her family refuses to fight the war. But Isla refuses to cower, no matter the cost.Isla is outraged at the damages the Norvege war has caused to her own country, and she refuses to turn a blind eye. As the rageful warmonger focuses on finding the rest of the Prophecy before Lanaria, Isla joins forces with the countries fighting to end the war. Labeled a rebel, traitor, and runaway, she takes control where her clan leader would not, and recklessly leads a group of zealous soldiers into battle. But pride has a deadly cost. And when Isla falls to rock bottom, she’s lured to the darkness her ancestors once worshipped. Will she succumb to death, or will she emerge victorious? 
   Inspired loosely by the biblical story of Deborah, grab this compelling story of conquering darkness and following God’s path no matter the cost.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 60:1-2 & Judges 4:14 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; This story is loosely inspired by the Biblical story of Deborah; There is a strong Light overcoming darkness theme in this book; God is called Dhia and I Am & Jesus Christ is called Iosa Criosd throughout this book; Prayers (including Isla praying that if God “can hear prayers from sinners like [her]…”); Talks about God (Dhia), praying to Him, following Him, His will, & Deborah in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Isla is new to her faith in Dhia & doesn’t think He will want to hear from her (which someone quickly corrects); Isla’s brother says that Satan has his eye on her because of her challenging evil; *Spoiler* Isla prays for God to not take someone dear to her and attempts to do the miraculous prayers she saw done in Book #2, but it does not work and she is distraught; She questions others’ belief in Dhia and in her anger, she says to just let the enemy win and doesn’t believe He is with her; This is corrected a couple of chapters later *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of people praying, receiving salvation, & their eternities; Mentions of a preacher/minister & a church; Mentions of a Prophecy & a woman having the gift of prophecy (Book #2); Mentions of being Blessed; A few mentions of miraculous healings (Book #2); A few mentions of sins & sinners; A mention of saints; 
             *Note: Isla says that her brother believes that will-o-the-wisps are “spirits of darkness we’ve allowed into our country”; Isla’s brother tells others not to serve Dhia and also consult druids & when someone else says that it “can’t hurt to communicate with all the spirits”, Isla has strong words to say about that it can hurt; There’s a legend of a woman taming a dragon/mythological beasts and her followers try to resurrect the beasts of old by doing evil rituals (*Spoiler* They are almost successful, but Isla and her group pray for intercession and there is a lightning storm that puts the cave they were in into the ocean, killing every person and creature in there; Isla says that she believes that “if Dhia bade the creatures to fall into the sea of extinction, He will not permit their resurrection” and that while the creatures are not necessarily evil, those people played god by using something for evil that was created by God; Another says that the witches do not have the power they say they have and only win “when the children of the Light cower and turn a blind eye. Darkness only wins when God’s children refuse to fight against the dark of expose it.” *End of Spoiler*); *Spoiler* Isla is worn down after certain events and gives up, believing and saying that evil will win; Someone tries to reason with her but she won’t see it until a couple of chapters later *End of Spoiler*; Will-o-the-wisps try to tempt Isla at one point, telling her that they can help her (*Spoiler* and while she’s tempted for half a second, she decides she knows too much about Dhia to pray to the false gods; Someone else comes and rebukes the darkness and evil spirits in Jesus’ name over her *End of Spoiler*); Many mentions of witches, their wickedness, the darkness/evil they serve, the occult, tokens, other deities/false gods, dryads, druids, will-o-the-wisps, & talismans (all portrayed negatively); Mentions of Banshees; A mention of a miracle not being magic.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bloody’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘sissies’, two ‘hush up’s, two forms of ‘stupid’, three forms of ‘hang it all’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Isla curses a couple men under her breath (not written and not implied as witchcraft curses); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Killing one enemy, Seeing two deaths, & bodies (including a loved one dying, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Battles, Attacks, & Being held at sword-point (up to semi-detailed); Helping an injured wolf (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Isla has killed others in battles and has a lot of pride in her battle experiences; Isla wishes she could die instead of someone else dying; Isla’s team captures an enemy solider and then tortures and kills him for information (off-page, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of wars, battles, attacks, fights, taking prisoners, torture, murders, deaths, bodies, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & pubs (including Isla teasing her brother about her knowing a pub but correcting that she’s only passed by it when he disapproves of her comment); Mentions of lies; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of hangings & executions; A few mentions of a dead animal (stag, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of hunting (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a possible kidnapping & ransom threats; A couple mentions of robbers; A mention of jealousy; A mention of crass jokes (not written out); A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Most of Isla’s family does not stand up for her or support her, which makes her bitter towards them and disappointed.
 
 
Sexual Content- A few mentions of an illegitimate son; A mention of a young boy pinning after Isla; 
             *Note: A mention of a woman dying in childbirth.
 
-Isla, age 16
                                P.O.V. of Isla 
                                            133 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Minus up to a full star for those sensitive to battles/attacks}

I’ve been looking forward to continuing this series as the books release and this one was very different from the prior books! She’s an actual warrior which was different to read—albeit at times she did act like the teen aged girl she was. She did have her moments of pride and bitterness that I figured would force her learn some lessons. I will say that while it was different to read about an actual warrior, I didn’t feel connected to her—probably because of her being a warrior and that this book is building up to more for the later books in the series. 

 

I did struggle to remember all the details of wars and countries and such from the prior books, but the more I read, the more the author gave hints and mentions of past events which was helpful. I do think that it would be best to read them closer together, though.

 

I got goosebumps at some of the leadership speeches, and I really did like the strong faith shown in this book. While the battles and killing were never detailed, it did make me uncomfortable—even though that’s what a war entails—so my rating is 3.5 stars, personally. The faith content was super strong and well done, though, so I can see many that would enjoy it. There’s a major importance on Light overcoming darkness and I really liked that element. A lot of events are setting up for future books which makes me excited to see it all pan out and see these characters again. 

 

Also, there’s no romance in this book, so that was a nice change to read. Hints to a possible one way off in the future, but nothing in this book. Looking forward to continuing with the next book when it releases!

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.