Monday, February 2, 2015

Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles)


Title: Resistance

Series: Ilyon Chronicles (Book #1)


Year: 2014

Author: Jaye L. Knight (other name: Molly Evangeline)

Summary: Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.
Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Kyrin
~ Jace
~ Kaden
~ Rayad

Review: I read a lot about this book before I ever got my hands on a copy. Everyone was raving about it, and every time I saw another review, my interest was more keenly sparked. And when I finally got to read it, I was not disappointed.

Honestly, I'm not certain how to write this review because I enjoyed this book that much. Resistance has quickly become a favorite story, and on my shelves, it ranks high next to The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. This story wraps up danger, adventure, fantasy, family, humor, and all epic things that I love in one amazing tale. Although I took a rather lengthy respite from reading this book all the way through due to college, I loved every bit of it, and I ended the book yearning for more. Sure, it's a satisfying end to the beginning of the series, but be ye warned: you can't get to the end of this book and NOT want the second book, The King's Scrolls, which is due for release in February of this year. 

Kyrin and Kaden are twins living under the thumb of an evil king, a man who claims allegiance to false gods and commands everyone to do the same -- or face public execution. They are able to worship the one true God secretly for a while, but they cannot hide forever. It's not long before Kyrin comes under suspicion, and it's a race against time to gain safety. Meanwhile, Jace is a young man torn with the expectations thrust on those of his race. He's only half ryrik, but almost everyone deems him a monster. 

I love the relationship shown between Kyrin and Kaden. I'm pretty close to my brother (we're only 4 years apart in age), so I was able to relate to them well. I really liked how they interacted with each other -- just like real siblings do, some fun, some serious, always looking out for each other. Jace, I thought, was a little on the moody side, and I'm not usually a fan of moody heroes. But, for some reason, I really liked Jace. There was something different about him that I found intriguing. He's not your typical outcast -- a fact I appreciated. 

The adventure was just what you'd want out of a book like this, yet on a different level. Not only are we dealing with an evil king and bad laws and despicable cohorts, but on top of that, Jaye has given us a battle between good and evil -- really. The one true God has been kicked out of everyone's lives, and it's basically acknowledge and worship the false gods or be killed. In a way, it's a good picture of the end times. The world is taken over with evil, and that evil hates truth so much that living for the truth means death to anyone who dares goes against the world's expectations. We don't think much about the danger we will face as Christians living for the one true God, and yet, that danger is there all the same. The world will hate us because of Him, and it is our responsibility to glorify Him in whatsoever we do.

I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this book, but I won't. I'll end up giving away all of the story, and then what point would there be for you to read it? And yes, you need to read this book if you haven't already. It's that good. You won't regret it. My only regret is having read it too soon, and now I have to wait for the second one to come out. 

Advisory: Fantasy violence, fighting, and some torture scenes -- scary, but not overly graphic. One of the false gods is described as a immodestly dressed woman, but it was always portrayed in a bad light. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


Click here to buy Resistance on Amazon!